Page 6 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

1. to relate science to technology, society, and the environment
2. to develop the skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific inquiry . to understand the basic concepts of science
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
have been designed for students intending to go on to postsecondary education but not to study science; yet others have been designed with the needs of the workplace in mind. The overall intention is that all graduates of Ontario secondary schools will achieve excellence and a high degree of scientific literacy while maintaining a sense of wonder about the world around them. Accordingly, the curriculum reflects new developments on the international science scene and is intended to position science education in Ontario at the forefront of science education around the world.
THE GOALS OF THE SCIENCE PROGRAM
Achievement of both excellence and equity underlies the three major goals of the secondary science program. The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 therefore outlines not only the skills and knowledge that students are expected to develop but also the attitudes that they will need to develop in order to use their knowledge and skills responsibly. The three goals of the science program are as follows:
Every course in the secondary science program focuses on these three goals. The goals are reflected within each strand of every course in the three overall expectations, which in turn are developed in corresponding sets of related specific expectations. The same three goals also underlie assessment of student achievement in science.
THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
The primary goal of science is to understand the natural and human-designed worlds. Science refers to certain processes used by humans for obtaining knowledge about nature, and to an organized body of knowledge about nature obtained by these processes. Science is a dynamic and creative activity with a long and interesting history. Many societies have contributed to the development of scientific knowledge and understanding . . . . Scientists continuously assess and judge the soundness of scientific knowledge claims by testing laws and theories, and modifying them in light of compelling new evidence or a re-conceptualization of existing evidence.
SCCAO and STAO/APSO, “Position Paper: The Nature of Science” (2006), pp. 1–2
Science is a way of knowing that seeks to describe and explain the natural and physical world. An important part of scientific literacy is an understanding of the nature of sci- ence, which includes an understanding of the following:
• what scientists, engineers, and technologists do as individuals and as a community • how scientific knowledge is generated and validated, and what benefits, costs, and risks are involved in using this knowledge
• how science interacts with technology, society, and the environment
Occasionally, theories and concepts undergo change, but for the most part, the funda- mental concepts of science – to do with phenomena such as the cellular basis of life, the laws of energy, the particle theory of matter – have proved stable.