This weeks reading was on the topic of Aboriginal Science which I thought was so interesting and quite insightful. I had never really thought about or explored in any way different areas of science, but Aboriginal Science is something I would like to further learn about. For example the Indigenous people used the stars and oral maps to navigate their way around. During this weeks lecture Jenny asked us to critically reflect on these questions that I'm going to give my answers to below, hope you enjoy!
How is science portrayed in the media? Does it influence how science is understood in our community?
Science is portrayed in the media as only one general thing which is often quite stereotypical. It is assumed that science only for the people who have a degree or are studying it. I believe it does influence how it us understood as people automatically assume science is always going revolve around a science lab and experiments. When you grow older you are taught that science is a hugely broad topic.
Who is included? Excluded?
It is hard to say who is explicitly 'included' and 'excluded' but I would say people who don't have a lot of knowledge on the topic of science would feel themselves that they are excluded. People who have a degree in science or are learning science I guess would feel more included as they understand the topic.
What influences in your life impact on your view of science? Where does your view come from?
The main influence would be school. During primary school I had completed a lot of tasks that revolved around science, such as building a worm farm, but at the time I had no idea I was somehow studying science. It wasn't until high school when I was studying the subject when I realised I had a lot of (very basic!) prior knowledge on the topic. I didn't feel very informed over those years. My father was very interested in Astronomy and that sparked my interest in always asking lots of questions about it.
Do you see yourself as contributing to science? Why? Why not?
Not in a hugely significant way, no. I am not studying to be any type of scientist at all and don't posses the correct knowledge to be able to contribute in any major way at all. I could argue that I am contributing to science by doing my part in recycling what I can to reduce our overall landfill issue. When I am a qualified teacher I hope that I can contribute to science by teaching my future students and gaining their interest in science so maybe one day they will further their knowledge on the subject and make their own contributions.
As an educator of others, how important is it to reflect on these things?
It is so important to reflect on these things every day as an educator, because all teachers need to understand that not every child shares the same interests and are interested in different things. Every child should have the opportunity to pursue their passion and if science happens to be one of them, I should be more than open to help them achieve this.
Science is portrayed in the media as only one general thing which is often quite stereotypical. It is assumed that science only for the people who have a degree or are studying it. I believe it does influence how it us understood as people automatically assume science is always going revolve around a science lab and experiments. When you grow older you are taught that science is a hugely broad topic.
Who is included? Excluded?
It is hard to say who is explicitly 'included' and 'excluded' but I would say people who don't have a lot of knowledge on the topic of science would feel themselves that they are excluded. People who have a degree in science or are learning science I guess would feel more included as they understand the topic.
What influences in your life impact on your view of science? Where does your view come from?
The main influence would be school. During primary school I had completed a lot of tasks that revolved around science, such as building a worm farm, but at the time I had no idea I was somehow studying science. It wasn't until high school when I was studying the subject when I realised I had a lot of (very basic!) prior knowledge on the topic. I didn't feel very informed over those years. My father was very interested in Astronomy and that sparked my interest in always asking lots of questions about it.
Do you see yourself as contributing to science? Why? Why not?
Not in a hugely significant way, no. I am not studying to be any type of scientist at all and don't posses the correct knowledge to be able to contribute in any major way at all. I could argue that I am contributing to science by doing my part in recycling what I can to reduce our overall landfill issue. When I am a qualified teacher I hope that I can contribute to science by teaching my future students and gaining their interest in science so maybe one day they will further their knowledge on the subject and make their own contributions.
As an educator of others, how important is it to reflect on these things?
It is so important to reflect on these things every day as an educator, because all teachers need to understand that not every child shares the same interests and are interested in different things. Every child should have the opportunity to pursue their passion and if science happens to be one of them, I should be more than open to help them achieve this.
0 Comments