Scientific and Technological Literacy

More Time for Science and Technology Studies

Science should be taught daily in most of these grades [K-6]. This implies about twice as much time devoted to science than at present. [30]

. . . in grades 9-11 it is recommended that the curriculum be structured around the interaction of science and technology with the whole society. [30]

Proposed Curriculum Guidelines

• Science and technology education daily in every precollege year.
• Emphasis in grades 9-11 on the application of science and technology to the improvement of the community, local and national.
• Grades K-11 program be an integration of science and technology and practical mathematics.
• Introduction of concepts of technology, such as feedback, alongside concepts of science.
• Curriculum be organized around problem-solving skills, real-life issues, and personal and community decision-making.
• Coverage of what is basic in contemporary science and engineering concepts and methods. [35]

Special Courses at Early High School Level

Technology-Oriented Testing

Two-Year Course Sequence, Grades 9-10

Fundamentals in Precollege Technology Education

General Recommendations. Grade K through Elementary Years.

Middle School Years. It is in the middle school/junior high school years that much can be done to ensure technological literacy of young persons. We should use technology as a way of introducing the individual disciplines of mathematics and science, and stimulating greater student interest in these disciplines.

Career information for students in most fields -- including science, mathematics, and engineering -- is inadequate now. Career information should be introduced as early as elementary school, and should be expanded upon in middle school. This would enable students to choose their courses in high school more intelligently, and help them decide their appropriate plans . . . .

It is recommended that a course in technology and technological thought be developed for use either at the eighth or ninth grade level. This is an appropriate time to cover subjects in technology indepth, rather than waiting until the last year of high school.

Conclusion. One result of this workshop was the strong recommendation that a foundation in technology be regarded as fundamental as reading and writing for all -- not just the high-achiever for whom excellent curricular materials have already been developed. It was felt that every student deserves to be aware of the impact of technological advance and able to understand the underlying technology itself. An understanding of technology has rarely been thought of as important for every high school graduate in order to ensure their literacy in this culture. Now society must ensure that an understanding of technology be a part of each student's basic education. [71]

It is widely agreed that technology is not dealt with effectively now. There are few teachers knowledgeable in this field. Consequently, many teachers are often timid about technical subjects and do not readily incorporate them into their lessons. Moreover, there is no real provision made for including technology in existing courses, and whatever students receive is too little, too late. [72]

The use of the term "precollege" in all discussions of K-12 education tends to imply concern for college-bound students exclusively, yet we are concerned about the technology education of all students. Public understanding of technology must be greatly improved, and the most fundamental way of accomplishing this is to work at it through the schools. [72-73]

Technological literacy needs to be a part of general literacy and "numeracy." In a sense we are speaking of "basics" in education, and we are identifying the knowledge and understanding of technology as basic. Technological literacy is different from scientific literacy. An understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts doesn't automatically result in an understanding of technology.

. . . It is difficult to introduce the concept of project work and design of physical things into an academic environment. What is principally lacking is faculty experience in technology; thus, we must better prepare our teachers. The education of teachers in technology must be, in part, experiential, so that they can educate students in an experiential way.

Technological Literacy

People must understand the limitations as well as the capabilities of emerging technologies. The technologically literate person should have a sense of what technology can and cannot do. He or she should not believe that technology can solve all ills, nor that technology is responsible for most problems.

Contributing to technological literacy is an understanding of: (1) the historical role of technology in human development, (2) the relationship between technological decisions and human values, (3) the benefits and risks of choosing among technologies, (4) the changes occurring in current technology, and (5) an understanding of technology assessment as a method of influencing the choice of future technologies. [74]

Rationale for Learning Technology at the Precollege Level

1. People must know about technology in order to improve the quality of many personal and professional technology-based decisions.
2. Technological literacy prepares individuals for intelligent participation as informed citizens in the transition from an industrialized society to a post-industrialized service and information age.
3. Technological literacy will encourage greater participation by individuals in shaping public policy, which often involves the use of sophisticated technology. It will tend to encourage civic responsibility and overcome voter torpidity, which can arise out of a lack of understanding of new technologies. [74]

Recommendations

1. Curriculum Revisions. Technology education can be introduced into the schools in a variety of ways. The following represent aspects of technology education that affect the curriculum offered.

2. 1. Technology topics need to integrated into the present curriculum. This includes science and mathematics classes, industrial arts, social studies and language arts, and art and music.
   2. When designing how to best infuse technology into the curriculum, think in terms of the average student in the early grades. Then offer a specialized curriculum in the last two years of high school for the college-bound student.
   3. Integrate new units into existing courses of study in secondary school. The key is to develop technology-base.
   4. It is recommended that a course be developed for use at the eighth or ninth grade level. This would be an introduction to technology and technological reasoning, and would be either offered in lieu of or in conjunction with the normal general science course. The sequence would move the 3-2-2 program proposed at the science workshop to grades 10 to 12 making possible the objective of requiring science through grade 12.
   5. The following material is recommended as an outline for what ought to be covered in any precollege instruction on technology. It is only a partial outline, representing some principal subjects that students must deal with regularly.
   1. Technological Systems. Students should have an opportunity to examine:
   • Communications
   • Energy Production and Conservation
   • Transportation
   • Shelter [75]
   • Food Production
   • Health Care Delivery
   • Safety
   • Residential Use of Space
   • Resource Management
   • Biotechnology
   • Computers and Their Applications
   • Nuclear Issues
   2. Concepts. Students should have some education in:
   • Problem Formulation and Solving
   • Debugging a Problem
   • Discovering Alternative Solutions to Problems
   • Making Connections Between Theory and Practice
   • Pattern Recognition
   • Engineering Approaches to Problems -- Evaluating Tradeoffs
   • Probability/Approximation/Examination
   • Building and Testing Equipment
   • Examining Tradeoffs and Risk Analysis
   • Economic Decision Making
   • Feedback and Stability
   • Recognizing Orders of Magnitude
   3. Learning Objectives.
   1. Examine the personal and societal impacts of technology; the effects technology has on an individual as citizen and consumer.
   2. Gain a knowledge of interactions of society and the environment using technological problems and their solutions as practical examples.
   3. Develop confidence in the ability to analyze a problem.
   4. Learn Practical uses of mathematics through relevant problem-solving.
   5. Secure a sense of what is possible and not possible through science and engineering; a grounding in reality.
   6. Obtain the ability to communicate a solution of a problem to other persons, both orally and in writing. [76]
   6. Technology should be used as a way of unifying the teaching of science at the secondary level. Students in secondary schools usually learn concepts and skills in a fragmented and discipline-based environment, evolving from tradition more than from student success. Students seldom become involved in the search for solutions to real problems
   .

3. Support Systems. Beyond the curriculum itself, there are a number of structures that can support teacher attempts to bring technology into the classroom. The following recommendations are meant to ensure the successful introduction of technology.
1. Technology as a content area should be integrated into preservice and inservice education of all teachers. A minimum understanding of technological concepts should also be a prerequisite for certification. [77]
2. Science and mathematics departments should look to the Industrial Arts teacher as a resource in the incorporation of technology into many parts of the student's work. Work in Industrial Arts can provide some hands-on approaches to technology, especially when related to mathematics and science. [78]
3. . . . . An ongoing partnership is needed between engineers, college level educators, and industrialists with those responsible for precollege curriculum and teachers in order to make progress toward true implementation of technology in the classroom. [79]
4. Treatment of Teachers. There are a host of issues that affect teacher quality and shortages. The basic point is that the teacher is the key to successful and lasting education for students. The teacher carries out plans and changes that are suggested for the educational enterprise. Hence, much of our effort must be directed toward improving the treatment of teachers and improving the environment within which teachers perform their professional task. (The document recommends focusing on four principal themes. Of these, the most pertinent to this document is:)
1. Teachers already in the schools and in-coming teachers must be offered a substantive education in technical disciplines. They cannot be expected to pick it up on their own time, nor should it be difficult for them to obtain
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5. Approaches to Technology in the Schools. . . . it is important that all students have a positive experience throughout their school years, from grades K through 12. We recommend that technology education be given attention throughout the precollege years with both the amount of coverage and the complexity of the examples used increasing as the student approaches high school graduation.

Because technology affects all facets of society, ideas related to technology should be introduced in all appropriate subject areas. There is a need for technological concepts to pervade the entire precollege curriculum.

1. Grade K through Elementary Years. As early as practical students should become aware of the impacts of technology on their lives. Through relevant examples and hands-on technological activities, stress should be placed on the importance of modern technology. It is an ideal time to foster respect for humanity and to develop a sense of stewardship of the planet.

   During these years there needs to be considerable attention given to developing the mathematical skills of students. They should gain a strong grounding in arithmetic as a foundation for future use of mathematics as a tool. Reading can be a method of incorporating science and technology into a young person's school day. There should be opportunities in reading lessons to learn about individuals in science and technology as well as simple content material. Science can best be introduced as "applied science,"which is technology [writer disagrees here]

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2. Middle School Years. It is in the middle school/junior high school years that much should be done to improve the eventual technological literacy of a young person. We can use technology as a way of introducing the individual disciplines of mathematics and science. Technology can make education in these years more interesting, relevant, and stimulating than current coursework. It can be used to stimulate students to a greater interest in mathematics and science.

   This is an appropriate time to cover subjects in technology in more detail, rather than waiting until the last year of high school. Hence, we recommend that eighth or ninth grade be used to offer an introduction to technology course. This should not follow the same pattern as the Man Made World curriculum, which was for older students. Rather it should be designed to be useful to all students about to begin their high school sequence.

4. Secondary School Years. In the high school years we need to further strengthen the oral and written communicative skills of all students as they begin to depend more on those skills outside the classroom. Also, during these four years we should have students examine technological systems, which make up their world (health care, transportation, energy, communications, etc.). A whole range of skills and concepts should be incorporated into the mathematics and science curriculum so that students could better appreciate numerous technological systems.
5. Career Education. Career information for students in most fields -- including science, mathematics, and engineering -- is not adequate. Career information should be introduced earlier -- even as early as elementary school when students are forming attitudes toward education and the world. It should then be repeated and expanded in the middle school. This will help students make knowledgeable decisions about their next level of education and their career paths.

   Career education makes more sense if it is related to things that students are currently learning in class. Information can be included along with subject matter in the entire curriculum offered.

   Students must neither be given unrealistic expectations nor tracked into a career path too early so that other options either become difficult for them or are denied. By providing career information early, however, we can ensure that students realize the education and training that is required for certain career paths. The emphasis should be on the flexibility of career choice that comes with a strong background in mathematics, science, and technology.

6. Computer Use in Learning Environment. Although the computer is far from reaching its true potential as a learning tool, it should become an important part of today's education scene. One beauty of the computer is that it can be used to introduce young people to technology through well-prepared software, and through its use students would be interacting with technology itself.

Conclusion.

The study of technological systems should be used as a basis for providing integrated and holistic learning. This is our reason for suggesting that all academic departments be involved. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. If we are to embark on this revitalization of the secondary school and the middle school experience, it must be a task that intimately involves the students, the faculty, and staff of these institutions. Too much of our curriculum development and materials preparation has been done exclusively by individuals in higher education who have little knowledge of how high schools and middle schools work. There must be a stronger working relationship between these two groups to eradicate this unfortunate disassociation of the curriculum from the reality of the schools. High school people must be involved not just as end users, but also in the initial stages of planning and organizing the curriculum in technology.

The engineering community needs to work closely with leaders in science, mathematics, English, industrial arts and social studies curriculum development to convey the importance of technological content for their work. The engineering profession must also be called upon to assist in "marketing" technology study to schools and students. It is not just going to happen if the schools are told to incorporate technology education. Technology is foreign to the schools and, as a result, they need outside help, which can and should come from the profession.

The need to integrate technology into the precollege curriculum gives us an additional reason to foster partnerships among business, industry, and education. Collaborative efforts are the only reasonable approach to complex problems of this sort.