Science
Science is a ‘way of knowing and doing’ that helps students gain a deeper understanding of the world. Scientific knowledge is a set of explanations for things in the world that are continually tested and changed in the light of current evidence.
Scientists work in ways which influence the conclusions they make. People who understand how scientists work are more likely to make thoughtful and critical decisions about lifestyle, health and environment. Working scientifically involves investigating, understanding and communicating.
During the compulsory years of schooling in the Science key learning area, students:
- understand and appreciate the evolutionary nature of scientific knowledge
- understand the nature of science as a human endeavour, its history, its relationship with other human endeavours and its contribution to society
- understand that scientific knowledge has been organised by the scientific community into disciplines based on recognisable patterns in the phenomena studied
- apply scientific knowledge to explain and predict events and to reconstruct their understandings of the physical and biological worlds
- use the practices and dispositions of scientific investigation, reflection and analysis to refine knowledge and pose new questions
- develop dispositions such as intellectual honesty and commitment to scientific reasoning
- use scientific language to communicate effectively
- use decision-making processes that include ethical considerations of the impact of science on people and the environment
- use the practices and dispositions of ‘working scientifically’ in all the disciplines of scientific enterprise
The Science KLA is organised into five strands. Each of these strands is represented in each unit with the exception of 565, 602 and 603. The five strands in the Science KLA include:
- Science and Society: The relationships between nature, science and society.
- Earth and Beyond: Explore ideas about the nature of the Earth, solar system and universe.
- Energy and Change: The effects of forces, motion and energy in our lives.
- Life and Living: Collecting information about the ways organisms live and function.
- Natural and Processed Materials: Investigate the structures and properties of materials.
Science careers include:
Nurse, Engineer, Agriculturalist (working with plants and animals), Veterinarian, Veterinary Assistant, Doctor, Laboratory Assistant, Chemist, Environmental Scientist, Research Scientist, Landscape Gardener, Electrician, Sports Medicine Worker, Marine Biologist.
