399-439
Chapter 11
Science, Technology, and Society in
the Science Classroom
Science, Technology, and Society
400
How to Read This Chapter
• STS represents a departure from “traditional” science education, as it
tends to see curriculum in an interdisciplinary context, and in the
context of personal and social perspectives. As you work with this
chapter reflect on your views of science as they related to your science
discipline (biology, chemistry, geology, physics) and ask yourself how
these disciplines interact with technology and society. There are many
interesting strategies of teaching presented in this chapter, and you
might want to focus on them. Also you will find a couple of “case
studies” of curriculum projects that are based on STS (Education for a
Sustainable Future, and Science Education for Public Understanding
Program). You might also want to visit the websites of these two
projects, as well as some of the other projects identified in the chapter.
Science, Technology, and Society
400
Invitations to Inquiry
• What are the characteristics of environmental education
and science-technology-society programs?
• What strategies do science teachers use to present STS
lessons in the classroom?
• What are some of the significant STS themes, and how do
teachers present them in the classroom?
• What are some STS curriculum examples used in today's
secondary science classrooms?
• How are STS modules evaluated? Are there criteria that
science teachers agree on?
Science, Technology, and Society
399-439
Chapter 11 Map
STS in the
Science
Classroom
Nature of
STS
Inquiry
11.1: STS
Strategies
for
Teaching
STS
Inquiry
11.2: STS
Issues
STS
Curriculum
Examples
STS
Themes &
How to
Teach
Them
Population
Growth
Technological
Development
Air Quality
Education
for
Sustainable
Future
Hazardous
Substances
ChemCom
Water
Resources
Environment
SEPUP
Natural
Resources
Inquiry
11.3: STS
Design
Science, Technology, and Society
Inquiry
11.4: STS
Module
400-402
Nature of STS
•
•
•
Table 11.1. STS Und erstandings in the
The central premise of STS: to help
National Science Education Standards*
students develop the knowledge,
Grades 5 – 8
Grades 9 – 12
skills, and effective qualities in
Students should
Students should
develop an
develop an
order to take responsible
understanding o f:
understanding o f:
citizenship action on science and
 Personal health
 Personal and
technologically oriented issues
 Populations,
community health
resources, and
 Population growth
(p.400).
environments
 Natural resources
Make a concept map showing the
 Natural hazards
 Environmental
issues that students could learn
 Risks and benefits
quality

Science
and

Natural and humanabout from the list of
technology in
induced hazards
understandings shown here from
society
 Science and
the National Science Education
technology in local,
Standards. Select one of the
national, and global
challenges
understandings.
Now take a look at Table 11.2 and
*Based on National Research Council. National Science Education
compare your map to the concepts
Standards. Washing ton, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1995
and big ideas for two of the
Science, Technology, and Society
understandings.
400-402
Development of STS
• What is the timeline, and
what are the goals for the
following reports on
infusing STS in school
science:
• National Science Teachers
Association
• National Science
Education Standards
• American Association for
the Advancement of
Science
Science, Technology, and Society
402-407
Characteristics of STS and EE
Programs
• How do the following
elements help educators
develop a rationale for
including STS in school
science?
– Problem and Issue Oriented
– Interdisciplinary Thinking
– Connecting Science to
Society
– Global Thinking and the
GAIA Hypothesis
– Relevance
Science, Technology, and Society
407
Inquiry 11.1: Getting involved in
STS
• In this inquiry, you’ll get
involved in one of the
projects suggested, or
create your own STS
action project.
• Choose one, carry it out,
and report your results via
a poster report.
• How can you turn your
project into a science
lesson plan?
Science, Technology, and Society
408
STS Teaching Cycle
•
•
•
STS teaching is not simply learning
about, its learning for. In STS
activities, the idea is to not only
have students learn about the
relevant science and issues, but to
take action for the issue.
What are some events that could be
used as a starting point for an STS
teaching cycle? Jot down a few.
Select one of these, and use the
“responsibility cycle” to describe
how the event could be turned into
a series of STS teaching
experiences.
Event leads
to...SelfUnderstanding
(I)
Integration
(V)
Responsible
Social Action
(IV)
Responsibility
Cycle
STS Issues
Study and
Reflection (II)
DecisionMaking (III)
Figure 11.5: STS Responsibility Cycle
Science, Technology, and Society
409-412
STS Methods
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Which of the following STS
methods would you use to help
students deal with this issue: The
local community want to fill in a
small pond that is adjacent to their
school because it causing an “eyesore” to the environment.
STS Value Dilemma Sheet
STS Action Dramas
Action Voting
Online Dilemma Discussion
Think Piece
Action Project
Science, Technology, and Society
410
Case Study
Case Studies
Is a Mars Sample Return Mission Too Risky?
Should Dinosaurs be "C loned" from Ancient
DNA?
Selecting the Perfect Baby: Prenatal Genetic
Diagnosis
Morgan: A Cas e of Diabetes
The Tokaimura Acc ident: Nuclear Energy and
Reactor Safety
Source: National Center for Case Study Teach ing in Science, State
University of New Y ork at Buffalo
• Case studies enable students to
learn about issues important to
them, and also to develop high
level thinking skills in a debate
environment.
• You can combine this strategy
with the Structured Controversy
presented in Chapter 9.
• Visit the National Center for
Case Study Teaching in Science
and sketch out how you would
implement one of the case in a
middle or high school science
course.
Science, Technology, and Society
411-412
Action Projects
• Use the information in the text,
p. 412 and the cycle shown here
to design an action project for
one of the following topics:
– Waste disposal
– Pollution problems and control
– Recycling efforts and
conservation
– Zoning of land
– Energy issues
– Environmental protection
– Local endangered wildlife
concerns
Science, Technology, and Society
STS Dilemma Sheet
•
•
•
By use of a provocative statement
(or illustration), an issue is raised
that has implications for students to
consider.
Photocopy or project the dilemma
shown here to the class. Read the
dilemma aloud as the class follows
along. Pair students off, and have
them respond in writing to the two
questions shown here (there are
more questions--refer to p. 409410).
Conduct a class discussion using
the two questions as a guide.
Nuclear Power Plant Dilemma Sheet
The Dilemma
On April 26, 1986, in what was the world’s largest
nuclear disaster ever, a reactor at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union exploded,
releasing vast quantities of radioactive material into
the atmosphere. Clouds of fallout covered large areas
of Europe, contaminating food supplies and
increasing the rate of cancer in human beings. The
ongoing clean up has cost $14 billion so far, and over
250 people have died. Consult this site for further
information:
http://www.nucleartourist.com/events/chernobl.htm.
Following the Chernobyl disaster, one NRC member
estimated the chance of an accident in the U.S. as big
or bigger occurring by 2005 to be as high as 45
percent. In 1989, citizens of Sacramento, California
voted to shut down the publicly owned Rancho Seco
nuclear power plant because it was unsafe and
uneconomical.
Dilemma Questions
1. Some people think that nuclear power plants are
unsafe not because of an accident might happen, but
because the nuclear industry has not figu red out a
safe method for discarding the radioactive waste
products produced by nuclear plants. Discuss your
feelings on this matter.
2. Would you buy a house or take a job that was
within a mile of a nuclear power plant?
Science, Technology, and Society
412-414
STS Module Design
• Using the details of the STS
Module design in the Art of
Teaching Science and the cycle
shown here, develop the outline
for a module on one of these
topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Skin Cancer
Ground-level ozone
Acid rain
Biological terrorism
Tornado preparedness
Drinking water
Design source: Harold Hungerford, University
of Southern Illinois
Science, Technology, and Society
414
Inquiry 11.2: STS Issues in
Science Textbooks
• This inquiry will give you a
good idea about the kinds of
STS issues presented in modern
science textbooks.
• You will use the results of a
research study to analyze the
nature and extent of STS issues
in science texts.
• What STS issues are
emphasized in the texts you
studied? How does that
compare with others who did
the inquiry?
Science, Technology, and Society
Source: Holt, Rinehard & Winston, Dallas,
Texas; Life Science text, grades 6-8
414-425
STS Themes & How to Teach
Them
• There are many potential
themes for STS topics. In this
section of the Art of Teaching
Science, the following are
presented:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Population Growth
Air Quality and Atmosphere
Energy
Effects of Technological
Development
Hazardous Substances
Water Resources
Utilization of Natural
Resources
Environment
Rank order in descending order of importance or make a concept map
showing the relationships among the STS themes shown to the left.
Rank Order:
STS
Themes
linking words
linking words
linking words
linking words
linking words
linking words
Science, Technology, and Society
linking words
linking words
414-425
Note About the Themes
• Each theme is presented
via:
– Background information
– A specific topic is identified
– STS actions are described
for the theme
– Resources
• The material presented
here can be used to
develop individual STS
lessons, or develop a
complete 3 - 5 week unit
of study.
Science, Technology, and Society
417-418
Theme: Air Quality &
Atmosphere
• There are many opportunities to
involve students in this STS
Theme. The text material
presents information on acid
rain, and includes some STS
actions.
• You can also visit online
projects such as GLOBE and
see not only how they
investigate the atmosphere, but
other topics as well.
• Following this slide are five
slides that take you through an
international projects on clean
air--studying ground-level
Science, Technology, and Society
ozone
International Clean Air Project
The location of schools participating
in the clean air project.
Science, Technology, and Society
Researching Ozone Locally
Reading Ozone Level
What’s the wind speed?
Science,
and Society
Using simple tools
atTechnology,
the school
level to monitor the air
Ecobadge
The Ecobadge is a card that changes color in the presence of ground-level ozone. The card shown
on the left is used to read the ozone level in parts per billion. Order from Vistanomics
Science, Technology, and Society
Posting Data
A class data table used by the students
to post data over a three day period.
Science, Technology, and Society
Class Discussions
Science, Technology, and Society
A teacher leading a discussion on the nature of the
Ozone molecule.
Presenting Conclusions
Teams of students present their findings to the rest of the class. Their results included
Recommendations for making the air cleaner.
Science, Technology, and Society
424
Inquiry 11.3: STS Module
Design
• In this inquiry you will
make use of the the
information on
creating STS modules,
as well as the section
on STS issues and
how to teach them.
Science, Technology, and Society
425-431
STS Curriculum Examples
•
•
In this section you will find a
review of a few STS curricula and
an associated web site, as well as
criteria and an Inquiry Activity for
evaluating STS curricula.
The following curriculum projects
are presented:
– Education for a Sustainable Future
(ESF)
– Science Education for Public
Understanding Program (SEPUP)
– ChemCom
– Project Learning Tree (PLT)
– BSCS Modules
– Eco-Connections
– Project Wild
– Sustainability Education Project
Science, Technology, and Society
426-428
Education for a Sustainable
Future ESF
•
•
This is a case study of one project.
It was developed by the Concord
Consortium and the Cobb and
Fulton County School Districts
(Georgia).
Read the case on this innovative
project. Identify the following:
– The goals of ESF
– How the project was developed
– Technology contributions of
the project
– The scope and sequence of the
project
– How the project was evaluated
– The ESF web site
Science, Technology, and Society
430-431
Inquiry 11.4: Evaluating an STS
Module or Project
• This inquiry is designed for the
purpose of evaluating an STS
module or project.
• You might use it to evaluate the
ESF project, or if you created
an STS module, use it to review
your work.
• Use the STS criteria outlined in
the chapter and listed in the
Inquiry to make your
assessment.
• What are the results of your
evaluation?
Science, Technology, and Society
431
Think Pieces
• Why should STS be part
of all science courses?
• In your opinion what are
the ten most significant
global STS issues facing
the planet today? How are
they related to each other?
• What is global thinking?
• What qualities should be
included in STS modules?
Science, Technology, and Society
433-435
Science Education Literature: Education
for Environmental Sustainability by
David L. Haury
• Read Haury’s article
and use it to develop a
rationale for teaching
environmental
sustainability in a K12 school district.
Science, Technology, and Society