Better Science 3: Making It Relevant to Young People

Making it Relevant to Young People was the third in a series of 12 booklets published by Heinemann and the Association for Science Education to explore the issues arising from moving towards a broad and balanced science education for all young people. The main purpose of this booklet was to respond to concerns, current at the time, such as:

*the questionable relevance to most youngsters of the contexts in which much science is taught
*the over-emphasis in many science curricula on scientific knowledge and concepts at the expense of scientific processes and enquiry skills, and of learning about science as a human activity
*the tendency in much school science to emphasise the accumulation of scientific facts and concepts rather than learning how to deploy these in solving a variety of problems.

Contents
Introduction
Through the eyes of a consumer
What this booklet is about
SECTION ONE Making school science relevant and applicable: a rationale
SECTION TWO Ways and means: involve pupils in the processes of science
SECTION THREE Ways and means: vary the contexts
SECTION FOUR Ways and means: create interest and cultivate curiosity
SECTION FIVE Technology and science in the school curriculum
SECTION SIX Biotechnology in the school curriculum
SECTION SEVEN Summary of recommendations
References