Nature of

Science
Ms. Rica Abigail T. Dagos, LPT
College of Teacher Education
Occidental Mindoro State College
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this Module, the
learners should be able to:
● 1. discuss the importance of
studying science in
elementary grades.
● 2. identify the good and bad
points of the current status
of the science in the
Philippine education.
 WHY SHOULD WE STUDY
SCIENCE?
Because science has a significant influence in
everything that we do
 Process
Skills
SCIENCE
Knowledge Values
 Science
Process
Skills

Science Scientific
Content Attitudes
and Values
 TOPIC 1.
SCIENCE AS: BODY OF
KNOWLEDGE, PROCESS, AND
SETS OF VALUES
 SCIENCE
as a

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE
- Many sources of information that provide the knowledge
necessary to understand what is happening around us
Dimensions of Knowledge
1. Factual knowledge
- basic elements students must know to be acquainted
with science.
Ex. The Earth rotates on its own axis.
Dimensions of Knowledge
2. Conceptual Knowledge
- the interrelationships among the basic elements
Ex. Heat increases the rate of evaporation
Dimensions of Knowledge
3. Theories
- explanations that appear to be true
Ex. Atomic Theory
Dimensions of Knowledge
4. Laws and Principle
- explanations that are proven true
Ex. Law of Conservation of Matter
 SCIENCE
as a

PROCESS
- The understanding of concepts embedded in each science topic
can only be realized through activities which engage the students
in the use of scientific processes
 CATEGORIES OF THE
SCIENTIFIC PROCESS
Experimental Causal
Basic Processes Process Processes
• Controlling variables
• Observing • Inferencing
• Hypothesizing
• Communicating • Predicting
 PROCESS SKILLS
1. Observing 2. Classifying
- using the 5 senses a. Classification from
resemblance sorting
b. Multiple traits sorting
c. Hierarchical
classification
 PROCESS SKILLS
3. Communicating 4. Using Numbers
- transmitting - counting, computing,
information using number relationships
 PROCESS SKILLS
5. Measuring 6. Predicting
- making - forecasting future
quantitative observations events
 PROCESS SKILLS
7. Inferring 8. Using – space time
- “why it happened relationship
that way?” - identifying relative
position and motion of objects;
changes over time
 PROCESS SKILLS
9. Defining 10. Interpreting data
operationally - looking for patterns and
- finding an using them to formulate a
equivalent way of conclusion
measuring something
indirectly
 PROCESS SKILLS
11. Formulating 12. Identifying and controlling
hypothesis variables
- making an - manipulation of
intelligent guess variables
 PROCESS SKILLS
13. Experimenting 14. Model-building
- investigating the - making concrete
effects of the variable representations
 SCIENCE
as a

SET OF VALUES
- It is important for teachers to help students develop the right
habits of mind and attitudes in their quest for knowledge about
the world around them.
 SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDES
(Wolfinger, 2000)

Curiosity Willingness to
Honesty
suspend judgement

Open- Skepticism Objectivity

mindedness

Positive
Respect for the Lack of
approach to
environment Superstition
failure
 SCIENTIFIC VALUES
(National Research Council, 1996)

Search for
Longing to Consideration
data and Respect for
know and their of
logic consequences
understand meaning

Considerati
Questioning Demand for
on of
of all things verification
premises
 TOPIC 2.
THE “W-H” OF TEACHING
SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY
GRADES
 IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL SCIENCE
EDUCATION

● Linkage to technology and ● Systematic learning

industry
 IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL SCIENCE
EDUCATION
Linkage to Systematic Preservation of
technology learning cultural
and industry identity
Challenges in Science Education
● Poor performance is international and
national assessment studies
 Factors affecting the low performance in
science of Filipino Students
(UP NISMED, 2005)

Quality of School Administrative

Teachers Curriculum support

Teaching- Instructional
Learning Materials
Process
 Does the present science curriculum for
basic education address the needs of
students from different communities who
might drop out of school at different
grades or year levels?
 Does science in basic education help
students become informed citizens so
that they can participate in making wise
decisions about issues that involve
science and technology now and when
they become decision makers in
government and in industry?
 THE FINDINGS?
Existing science curriculum at the basic
education level does not meet the
expectations of the industry, university,
and society
 THE FINDINGS?
Present curriculum is overloaded,
discipline – based, and caters to
college bound students
 PROJECT TEAM
Vision: development of Grades 1-10
curriculum scientifically, technologically,
and environmentally literate and productive
members of the society
 Emerging social and global
Core science concepts
issues and concerns
Learning how to learn
CORE GROUP:
Science educators
Heads of professional science
teachers’ organizations
Scientists and engineers
Senior specialists and
researchers of DOST-SEI
Expectations
Curriculum planning and
for citizens in a technologically-
design
driven world
 Faculty of
Curriculum Teacher
developers Education
institutions

Teachers
FOR School
administra

WHOM? tors

Instruction
Policy al
makers materials
developers
 THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF SCIENCE
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

School science
should
School demonstrate a
Science is for science should commitment to the
everyone be relevant and development of a
culture
useful of science
Science is School science
should nurture
both content interest in
and process learning