The Science K to 12 curriculum provides students with opportunities to apply the basic concepts, principles, laws, and theories of science through active scientific inquiry. Students will gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become scientifically literate citizens and thus better able to make informed and responsible contributions to society.
Science and Technology 11 is a selected studies course that is part of the Science K to 12 curriculum. The course is concerned with inventions and discoveries, and the ways in which science and technology affect the well-being of individuals and of our global society. Students learn about invention, entrepreneurship, and experimentation through the practical application of the skills that are required in business, science, formal debate, and technology. The course gives students opportunities to appreciate the history of science, technology, and human thought; to learn ethical, responsible decision-making; and to learn to take innovative approaches to the challenges of life.
The tools and processes that result from science and technology powerfully influence our personal lives and surroundings. For example, they have the potential to enhance our ability to access information, interact with people, and gain knowledge that helps make sense of the relationships among societal, economic, and ecological issues.
The application of science and the development of technology can, in turn, create new challenges. The rate of technological change and the amount of information available, for example, create issues of equity of access to technology, as well as a variety of societal, economic, and ecological impacts. Every discovery and innovation opens up a new set of issues that require thoughtful, responsible decision- making about human activities.
The study of science and technology recognizes that human inquiry is complex. The ways in which we experience, explain, and learn about reality involve a range of subjective and objective factors. Through our personal experiences in contexts such as gender, race, culture, and geography, we create meaning and determine what is important. Through the processes of science, we examine the world to create generalized principles and understandings that can be shared and understood by others. Through the innovations of technology, we translate scientific knowledge into tools and processes that can improve our lives.
This course explores social and personal ethics and how science and technology affect us. Students are presented with questions, problems, or issues that are personally relevant to them. They are then encouraged to consider how their personal choices relate to science and technology, and how these, in turn, affect the environment, society, and the economy.
The Science and Technology 11 course includes:
Curriculum Branch
Ministry of Education
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Maintained by: Science and Technology Coordinator
Revised: January 27, 1999
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