Gregory Raymond Lancaster

Pursuing Different Forms of Science Learning Through Innovative Curriculum Implementation

‘Science as a Human Endeavour’ is one of three strands of content identified in the new Australian Science Curriculum. All strands (Science as Human Endeavour, Science Understanding and Science Inquiry Skills) are seen as legitimate content areas to be learnt by all students throughout their school science. However, with the pressures of a crowded curriculum, many teachers consider ‘Science as a Human Endeavour’ an additional and somewhat less important burden and fail to appreciate the critical integrative role this strand can play in helping make science meaningful and relevant to all students. Embracing ‘Science as a Human Endeavour’ raises significant challenges for schools in re-assessing what counts as valued learning in science for future students. In this chapter we draw on specific cases from both the John Monash Science School (Victoria) and a Federal (Australian) National Broadband Network project involving the establishment of a virtual science school to illustrate how such shifts in thinking about learning to be valued may be explored and implemented. Importantly, we also consider the challenges that such shifts present to curriculum constructors and implementers. These two contexts are very different in the experiences they offer their students. The first tracks the development of a specialist school (the John Monash Science School) devoted to studying science at senior levels with a focus on providing rich experiences in science for students who already demonstrate interest and aptitude in this area. With its strong design emphasis on open space and the integration of ICT, both the cognitive and physical environments interact to enhance how students are able to engage with learning. In the second case, the focus is on providing access to interested Year 10 students from across Australia to learning experiences in the emerging sciences. In this solely online environment, students engage with their peers and teachers in a virtual classroom with access to resources, opportunities and ‘experts’ that are not normally part of mainstream classroom experiences.