The Development of Elementary School Science of Humans and Health Based on BSCS STS Education (SL&L) at the Elementary Level

Abstract

Our society is facing a ‘Crisis in Science Education’. It is the purpose of this study to find a way out of this crisis in elementary school science. In order to achieve this aim, we first clarified the method by surveying the “Science for Life and Living” (SL&L) program developed by BSCS. This SL&L program is based on STS education and focuses on health. It was clarified that the basic themes of SL&L are science as a way of knowing, technology as a way of being, and health as a way of doing. The SL&L program included the Constructivist Learning Model as a teaching method advocated by Bybee et al. and the Cooperative Learning as a teaching style developed by Johnson et al. SL&L developed the portfolio assessment point of view as an authentic evaluation tool.

Second, in elementary school we have the revised Science Course of Study, one kind of national standard curriculum which focuses on aspects of human biology effective from the school year 1991–92. At the elementary level based on STS education we will try to expand and develop the human and health aspects which were clarified based on the features of the SL&L program developed by BSCS. This new elementary school science is expected to achieve a breakthrough in the ‘Crisis in Science Education’ at the elementary level.