History

The current science education is largely classroom oriented, based on a theoretical approach. It revolves around teacher centered methodologies, rote learning techniques and is filled with stress and burden. The focus is towards completing the syllabus, conducting examinations and assessing the students based on these examinations. The demerits of this approach have been widely debated and documented.

These concerns raise a few basic questions about children learning science. How do we shift the focus from a teaching to a learning process? What should be the role of a teacher? What should be the focus in the entire system including syllabus, classroom environment, materials, teaching methods and assessment? Should learning science in a classroom be focused on the content alone or also on developing the attitude of scientific thinking - how, why, what in children? How do we enable teachers to adopt new methodologies?

Children experience science everyday from dawn to dusk. But, how much of this science do they truly analyse, appreciate, apply or even understand? Science is there in everything around us. Should learning science be limited to a classroom? How can learning in classroom provide a platform to learn science outside and in each of their experiences?

How do we offer science learning experiences in the classroom? How do we provide children an opportunity to relate the science they learn in classroom to science they experience in everyday life? Does this focus create a meaningful learning environment and does this enable children in lifelong learning and not just to secure marks?

How can teachers help children enjoy learning? How do we help and motivate children to understand why they are learning and what they are learning? Does the abstract learning process demanding memorization and filled with information affect the child's interest, attention span, involvement to learn science? Does it extinguish the learning spirit?

How do we help the child's mind to reach a state of enquiry? Does enquiry approach help the child to be alert and ready to absorb and get completely involved while learning? How do we make learning interesting and meaningful to a child? What is effective science learning? How do we help teachers implement the same? Is there a need for a system that focuses on science education that encourage the learner to become inquisitive, creative and explorative thereby helping him to meet practical life needs and challenges? Is there a system that encourage and helps the teacher to adopt such new methods and models of science learning?