The Role of Thinking, Experimenting and Communicating in the Science Lab

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05 July 2010
Victòria Carbó i Cortina, Teresa Pigrau i Solé, Rosa M. Tarín i Martínez
en, es, bg, cs, da, it, el, et, fi, fr, hu, de, lt, nl, pl, ro, lv, sl, sv, pt-pt, sk
critical thinking, critical pedagogy, process, student experience, primary education, Science
Schools
The Role of Thinking, Experimenting and Communicating in the Science Lab

In this article, we discuss early childhood and primary science education supported by ICT. We propose an approach that incorporates thinking, experimenting and communicating as a means to develop technical and scientific thought, in addition to encouraging pupils to control their learning outcomes and work together.

The research presented focuses on a number of important ways in which this type of pedagogy can take place. Importance is given to teachers’ ability to respond to pupils’ inquisitiveness and their own interests, as well as their capacity to help pupils develop mental agility and promote attitudes and values such as respect for others, independence, a critical mind and the ability to work in a team. Also crucial to developing technical and scientific thought is the emphasis placed on understanding the world around us, interacting with it and relating it to everyday life, in addition to the use of cognitive and linguistic skills, which are the building blocks of learning and communication.



Based on a socio-critical educational model, we are interested in improving the quality of science teaching and fostering its critical potential. This includes, among other things, understanding the key role emotions play in the process of creating scientific knowledge.

 

Article originally published as part of the "Aulas de Verano" [summer school] collection by the Instituto Superior de Formación y Recursos en Red para el Profesorado [Institute for online training and resources], Ministry for Education, Social Policy and Sport, Spanish Government, July 2008.

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