National Science Education Standards - A Summary

Learning

All students should

• explore big ideas
• be involved in critical thinking
• construct mean from experiences with concrete materials
• apply science and technology to everyday life
• development of scientific attitudes
• desire knowledge, be skeptical, rely on data, accept ambiguity, be willing to modify explanations, cooperate in answering questions and solving problems, respect reason, and be honest

Curriculum

• Less content should be covered
• Science should be portrayed to students as interdisciplinary and connected and not as separate fields of study
• Students should explore the interrelationships among science, technology, and society
• School science should reflect the intellectual and cultural traditions that characterize the practice of contemporary science.

 Teaching

• Teachers should serve as guides in the classroom to encourage student exploration and learning rather than an authoritative presenter of knowledge
• The content of science should be learned as a process
• Science instruction should encourage students to challenge each other’s conceptions and debate ideas
• Science instruction should build upon a learner’s prior experiences and knowledge
• Inquiry is the preferred method of teaching