ASSIGNMENT

ASSIGNMENTTopic: Environment for science learning

Submitted to Lekshmi miss Submitted by Remya Remesh Physical science

INTRODUCTION

Science is viewed by a common man as a body of scientific information. To a scientist it is a method by which hypothesis are tested. But to a philosopher it is a way of questioning the truthfulness of knowledge. The term science is etymologically synonymous with knowledge. It doesnt imply that all knowledge is science. But science is knowledge acquired in a particular way. So science is truth and search for truth. Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of stable explanations and predictions about the universe science is closely related to the environment. Nature of the environment highly depends on science learning.

CONTENT

A great ideal of science learning, often unacknowledged, takes place outside school in museums, libraries, nature centers, after school programs, amateur science clubs. And even during conversation s at the dinner table. Collectively ,these kinds of settings are often referred to as informal learning environments. In the course of daily life, virtually everyone engages in informal science learning. Infact, despite the wide spread belief that schools are responsible for addressing the scientific knowledge needs of society, the reality is that schools cannot act alone. Society must better understand and draw on informal experiences to improve science education and science learning boardly. Consder for example, that by some estimates individuals spend as little as 9 percent of their lives in schools. Furthermore, science in K- 12 schools is often marginalized by traditional emphases on mathematics and literacy; hence little science is actually taught during school hours. Finally although it neednt be and simplistic notion of scientific practice . Yet the growing body of research on science learning makes clear that a basic understanding of science requires far more than the acquisition of a body of science knowledge . Rather , knowing science includes understanding , at a basic level , the nature and process of science. For these reasons, now more than ever , informal environments can and should play an important role in science education.Every learning includes a range of experiences that may extend over a life time , such as family discussions, walks in the woods , personal hobbies, watching TV, reading books or magazines , surfing the web , or helping out on the farm. These experiences are very much selected and shaped by the learners themselves and may vary greatly across families, communities, and cultures. People engaging in everyday learning may not be aware that they are learning. Instead, they simply see the activity as part of their daily lives- engaging in a hobby, looking up information on the Internet, enjoying a science documentary o TV , reading a fascinating book about the life of Darwin, playing games (in the backyard , at home or on the computer), or having a meaningful conversation with friends.Consequently, learners may not be explicitly asked to demonstrate competence in the same way they are when tested in school. Rather , demonstration of competence or signs of learning are embedded in the activity for example, parents praising a child who explains how a tree drinks water or friends correcting and challenging each other when discussing which foods are the healthiest to eat . In informal settings, individuals may take on or are given more responsibility or more difficult tasks when it is clear that their competence has increased . For example, a child growing up in an agricultural society ay start with feeding animals and cleaning stalls and gradually assume responsibility for trending animal wounds and monitoring the animals well- being . An amateur astronomer may take on increasingly more sophisticated outreach tasks, progressing from aiding at a public star partly to delivering a lesson on astronomy to school children. Venues For Learning Science

As individuals interact with the natural world, their built environment, and participating in family and community life, they develop knowledge about nature and science- relevant interests and skills. Science learning can occur through a number of experiences, including mentorship, regarding scientific texts, talking with experts, watching educational television, or participating in science related clubs. Informal learning experiences are often characterized as being guided by learner interest s, voluntary, personal, deeply embedded in a specific context, and open ended. Successful informal science learning can be personally relevant and rewarding. In order to make sense of the vast number of informal settings in which science learning might occur, we use three categories developed in the National Research Council report Learning science in Informal Environments: people, places, and pursuits. These include every informal environments (such as watching TV; reading newspapers, magazines , or books; searching online; playing educational computer games; having conversations; pursuing ones hobby ; or volunteering for an environmental cause ), designed environments (such as museums, science centers planetariums, aquariums, zoos , environmental centers or libraries), and programs ( such as 4-H programs, museum science clubs, citizen science activities , and after school activities). All of these environments can be placed on a continuum characterized by the degree of choice given to the learner or group of learners, the extent to which the environments and experiences provided are designed by people other than the learners, and the type and use of assessments.

CONCLUSION

From the above discussion we can find that environment is very important for science learning. As individuals interact with the natural world, their built environment, and participate in family and community life, they develop knowledge about nature and science as well as science relevant interests and skills. Science learning can occur through a number of experiences. We know that the environment is need for science learning. So environment can be designed, the designed environment include museums , science and environment centers botanical garden, zoos, planetariums, aquariums, visitor centers of all kinds, historic settings and libraries. These designed environment is very effective for science learning.

REFERENCES

Dr. Mariamma Mathew (2014); Teaching science Malappuram Nas Publication.www.wickipedia Enviornment for learning science learning. org.