SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STS)

Introduction

1. Science- the study of natural world/environment

2. Technology- the study of artificially constructed environment

2 Society- the study of social environment

Intersection of science, technology and society or science-technology-society (STS) education in school science has become a world-wide educational movement, particularly in UK, North America, and Australia in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the context of teaching and learning, students strive to understand their everyday experiences through their social environment, their artificially constructed environment, and their natural environment.

In a traditional science curriculum, science content is taught in isolation from technology and society or from students' technological and social worlds. In science- technology-society (STS)

curriculum, science content is connected and integrated with the students' everyday worlds or experiences which is more meaningful to them.

In other words, the teaching of science through STS refers to teaching about natural phenomena in a manner that embeds science in the technological and social environments of the student or science content is embedded in a social-technological context.

STS education is broader in scope than those of the traditional academic science curriculum. The main focus is on the issues and problems of science and technology within society. (eg energy - energy conservation, pollution, waste materials, ethical issues, values, etc)

STS science teaching is student centered as contrasted to the teacher or content centered in the traditional science teaching.

Discuss how STS approach has been used in the KBSM integrated science curriculum (choose any topic from form 4-5 textbook as an example) by critically analyse 3 aspects of the curriculum ( science content, skills and attitudes; teaching, learning and assessment methods) and compared with STS approach and philosophy.