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Goals

Through learning science students will:

• acquire scientific skills and conceptual knowledge
• acquire and use the skills of scientific investigation, reasoning and analysis to ask questions and seek solutions
• develop scientific attributes such as flexibility, curiosity, critical reflection, respect for evidence and ethical considerations
• recognise and understand the strengths and limitations of science
• be able to interpret and communicate scientific ideas effectively
• appreciate the dynamic role of science in social and technological change.

Nature of science

Knowledge, theory and evidence

Through developing disciplined approaches to thinking, students learn how scientific knowledge is used in explanations of phenomena and they discover that science, as a body of knowledge, is continually evolving.

Work in science is a constant interplay between theory and evidence. Students learn that sound scientific theory or explanation is both internally consistent and widely applicable. At the same time, it is important that students recognise that evidence is sometimes tentative, incomplete and open to multiple interpretations.

Applying science

Science has not only transformed our physical environment but also the ways that we think about ourselves and the world. Science has made fundamental contributions to our culture in the way its knowledge is used through a range of technological and social applications.

Students learn about the links between science and technology. They recognise the ways in which technological advances have both driven and made possible much contemporary science knowledge. They understand the use of science methods to evaluate technological devices.

Knowledge of how science and technology can be applied in social contexts and an awareness of the strengths and limitations of science knowledge can inform decisions of public significance and address civic values.

Students learn of a range of professions that use scientific knowledge and the way scientists work in different institutions. They learn to recognise that science is not value free but interacts with the complexity of contexts and values operating in the personal, commercial and public spheres. Students understand that societal values influence the directions of science and technology.