Science Spin January 2007

Science, not just a career move

By Sean O Leary

This year's mid-August headlines hinted at a crisis in education. Government officials, business leaders and journalists were dismayed and disappointed with the Leaving Cert results in maths and science. The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) requested the return of bonus CAO points for maths and a similar incentive for science subjects. They say that urgent action is needed to increase the supply of quality graduates in these disciplines.

If our business leaders and government officials are disappointed, just imagine for a minute how the young students on receiving their examination results feel when after thirteen years of schooling (and considerable effort from themselves, their parents and their teachers), they are met with a fail in maths or a science subject. It doesn't make sense.

The Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, asked students who performed well in science and mathematics to think carefully about choosing third-level courses in these areas. The minister also called on third-level colleges to accept pupils of Leaving Certificate foundation level mathematics into their institutions. The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) said the perceived difficulty was discouraging students from studying science subjects.

We have a situation in Ireland where students are discouraged from studying a science subject or have an increased chance of failing it as compared to other subjects. Dare I ask how students with a special educational need fare in science or maths? This question has not been raised often.

The report of the Task Force on Physical Sciences (2002) expresses the concern that a significant number of students do not study science at Junior Certificate level and supports the argument that science should be made a core component in the education of all students.

The fuss created by the media and business leaders, while justifiable from an economic viewpoint is creating the myth that the purpose of science education is to provide us with upward mobility and financial success. This does not cut it in the classroom. Students want to be challenged in new and exciting ways but most of all, they want to be treated fairly.

Opportunity

Education is not only about knowledge, it is about justice. It is about giving everyone the opportunity to learn and supporting them along the way. How many of us remember the many facts that we learned in school? One thing we do remember though is how we were treated. The way we learn is more important than what we learn. Educational literature is full of worthwhile theories that promote active hands on investigative learning. However, much more important is that learning should occur in an environment that is safe, welcoming and respectful.

When people ask me what I teach, I sometimes reply smartly that I teach manners. However, this answer does touch somewhat on the truth. I teach students how to behave by trying to behave well myself. Greek philosophy tells us that the goal of education is about mastery of our individual selves rather than mastery of information. This idea must permeate all learning situations.

All students can benefit from an education in science. Not only do they learn about the world around them, they also learn about themselves.

There has been a considerable amount of legislation in recent years to ensure the rights of all children. The Education Act of 1998 requires that every person in the State has access to an appropriate education. Two years later, the Equal Status Act (2000) further prohibits education establishments from discriminating against students on a range of grounds, including disability.

There has been a growing trend towards inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream settings. This has become a statutory requirement since the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004) unless it would not be in the best interests of the child or would disrupt the education of other students.

I fully support the inclusion of students with special educational needs in the science classroom. It is my experience that developing strategies to support students with special needs in my classroom enables me to be a more effective teacher for all of my students. Reinforcing material, such as safety rules or developing resources that utilise a variety of learning strategies benefits everyone.
Learning in schools is not about the Irish Business and Employers Confederation or the Royal Irish Academy. Nor is it always about getting into college.

Strategy

Learning, or at least classroom based learning is about engaging positively with students, providing a variety of stimulating activities that students can learn from and appealing to the multiple intelligences that exist in the room. Two strategies that can be employed to accomplish this are differentiation and co-operative learning. Teachers can differentiate lessons by adjusting the content being learned by students, changing the way students access the material and by coming up with different ways in which students can show what they have learned.

At the annual Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education this year, I gave a presentation on using differentiation in the mainstream classroom. At the end of my talk, one teacher remarked to me that differentiating lessons seemed like a lot of work. I could only agree. It is not easy to come up with stimulating lessons that encourage all of your students to learn but the rewards are certainly worth the effort.

Some important benefits that I have experienced in my own teaching are happier students who are achieving well in classroom and in state exams, less discipline problems and increased professional satisfaction.

The greatest skills that a teacher needs to differentiate are flexibility and open-mindedness. Creating good lessons takes preparation and insight. You can't just walk into a lesson and do it. Of course, even when you know your students fairly well, large class sizes or a full timetable don't help. Mainstream teachers need support to differentiate material.

The way students learn and the environment that they learn in are crucial considerations in establishing a good classroom atmosphere. Students want to learn in fun and interesting ways where they and their contributions are valued. The inclusion of students with special educational needs is not a threat to any classroom; rather such students create more learning opportunities for all students. It is a joy to teach in such a setting.

Inclusion is possible in mainstream schools. It is also possible in the science classroom. It can benefit students and may even go someway towards increasing the popularity of science. Strategies, resources and professional development need to be made available to teachers. Of course, we also need examinations that treat students fairly by catering for the rich diversity of learners that exist in our schools.

Teachers must prepare themselves and their classrooms for the growing move towards inclusion. The rewards are many, not forgetting the fact that it is also the law. There might sometimes be doubt. There may even be difficult situations. Inclusion may not always work in every setting but teachers and educational leaders need to promote the idea that education is not a privilege, it is a right. This simple idea holds the key to a successful future for all of us.