A theory of curricular approaches to the teaching of socio-scientific issues

• Main Author: Ralph Levinson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2008-03-01
• Series: Alexandria
• Subjects: Socio-scientific issues; Pedagogy; Controversy; Epistemology
• Online Access: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/alexandria/article/view/37427

Using Ziman‟s model of the interface between science, technology and society, five models are derived from the Scientific Literacy literature to characterize the teaching of socio-scientific issues to high school students. Six indicators are developed to illustrate the characteristics of the models: the nature of the hierarchy of relationships between scientists, teachers and students; the source of knowledge; epistemology; distribution of knowledge in contending participants; nature of pedagogy and assessment. The models differ substantively in their view of the authority of the role of science in society ranging from deficit to collective praxis but it is argued that each model has a pedagogic purpose within a specific social context and that an epistemological thread runs through the five models.