Why Teach Science?

An ex-student of mine whom is presently undertaking teacher training studies asked me if I could present my thoughts regarding the question, 'Why Teach Science?'.


Ever since I could remember I always wanted to find out more about this world that I was living in. A real moment that blew me away and is still etched in my memory was getting to see Halley’s comet when I was just ten years of age. Halley’s comet visits earth’s night sky once every seventy-six years. Trying to think back to this moment all I can recall is that it sparked a great sense of wonder. Wonder that there was something moving, journeying and happening ‘out’ of this world!

I recently went to see as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, a special screening of the film, ‘Hubble 3D’. I studied the Hubble space telescope for a High School Physics project and have always had a strong bond to this marvel of space technology. The film was beautiful. Being able to be transported into a galaxy nursery with actual pictures from ten billion light years away was awe-inspiring. These days, cosmology and the thoughts of Stephen Hawking and Thomas Berry are maintaining and extending my interest and wonder of all things universal. So my first sense of wonder has come from space, but my first sense of care has come from the earth, in particular the Amazon Rainforest.

In the nineteen eighties, as a primary school student I think my compassionate being was awoken by the vision of the Amazon rainforest on fire. I remember clearly the message being communicated by an Amazonian Indian who travelled to the western world telling us about his plight. He conveyed how the devastation was affecting his tribe and how it would ultimately affect the planet. This disaster scenario quickly raised my inquisitive nature to find out how the rainforest was being affected and how one rainforest could affect the whole planet. The development of roads and slash and burn farming techniques were eating into the lush and biodiversity rich rainforest. With basic primary school science knowledge I learnt how letting light under the Rainforest’s canopy affected the sensitive balance of all the living and non-living things. And so it was my first taste of ecology.

From this brief reflection of my inquiring mind, three branches of science are commented on, astronomy, cosmology and ecology. Fast-forwarding a few years from my early scientific experiences, life finds me enrolled in university studying an environmental science degree and a teaching degree. I am inspired to find out more about the world in which I inhabit and also the ways in which knowledge and awareness can be transferred to an audience, in this case secondary school students.

Pressing the fast forward button again I am in my first ever science classroom as a teacher. So it begins, ‘Welcome to the wonderful world of science!’ I opened my first class with this line, as I truly believe that science can create wonder for how the world works and how knowledge can assist in unlocking the mysteries of human existence and progress.

I love words. It was only after a quarter of a century in this world that I discovered another ‘ology’, etymology. Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. So I looked up where did the word ‘Science’ originated? and what did it actually mean?

A very old use of the word comes from the Latin language and the word is displayed and used as, ‘Scientia’, meaning the search for knowledge. This discovery made me feel good. It made me feel that what I had studied and what I was going to teach had a history and had an admirable purpose aligned with it; to instil a yearning for the discovery of knowledge about the world.

So why teach science to children?

What particular knowledge will be helpful or useful through the discoveries made by undertaking science based studies?

Fast-forwarding my teaching career and additional postgraduate studies my relationship to the discipline of science has somewhat changed. Schools, school boards, departments of education, some parents and many bureaucrats would like a number associated with the knowledge acquired and the time spent in a classroom, and for the sake of this heuristic journey, more specifically the science classroom. I believe that the most valuable aspect of teaching science is awakening a sense of wonder to a student and through this wonder, engaging them into deeper inquiry.

“Why is the sky blue?”

“Why are some leaves green?”

“What came first? The chicken? Or the egg?”

The power of the questioning, the wonder associated with this is what gives real value to the science topic. Through my own deepening inquiry of questions associated with existence, phenomenon and many other metaphysical aspects of life, another discipline of inquiry that is consuming much of my time and effort is ‘Philosophy’. Yes science is the search for knowledge, but what knowledge?

Is the knowledge deep enough?

And how is this knowledge used?

Recently I had the pleasure of working with many politicians, scientists and professors to discuss and create positive actions in the shadow of a climate-changing world. The insight gained was one of their fear, fear of not wanting to stray too far from the safe realm of the science topic and their own disciplines and niches. The realm clearly identified by a numbers, graphs and figures. The phenomenon of climate change is interdisciplinary. It has firm associations with sustainability that is another interdisciplinary topic of inquiry that endeavours to understand the environmental, social, cultural, economic and political needs of current and future generations of inhabitants of earth. Many scientists will not engage with a sustainability debate. They will argue the science, the graph showing the increasing pollution rate, the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere and the rate of extinction of various species, but will be reticent to engage with a discussion on how this will affect people on many levels and how this information can help create empowerment of the individual. In this instance science fails, it hides amongst its facts, figures and processes and doesn’t dare come from behind its veil of security and jargon.

For the reasons of this reflection it is also of value to discuss the methodological process associated with scientific inquiry. Following instructions, gathering data, making conclusions, repeating, elucidating and innovating. All this can play a major role in the development of a student who is learning to follow instructions, follow process, gather data and then repeat the process, but what cannot be measured still exists. The realm of quantum theory has and will continue to stretch the boundaries of the traditional structures of the science discipline. Does science offer a total worldview?

My opinion is that the answer is no. It does not offer a total worldview, but it does offer a portal to begin, to start, to enter it and also develop a language to describe it at a basic level. Scientific literacy allows a relationship to occur between the phenomenon and the observer. Although some would say that the scientific language used is limited with its descriptions it however certainly provides a valuable perspective that can provide insight and discernment.

Teaching science is a must. Teaching it well is another story. This is just a small glimpse of my science learning and teaching experiences. I am very grateful for the scientists around the world who are peering into telescopes and microscopes and unlocking mysteries about how our world works. I am also very grateful for the teachers and masters who fed my inquisitive nature about the planet and the universe. I value the role that science education has played as part of the greater role of existence in our world.

Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Training

I recently attended a training workshop for the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream workshop. The following words are inspired by the intentions from the Symposium structure.

The Power of Intention, The Power of a Dream.

We are here to feel, to connect and to be.
Welcome to your journey.
We hear you.

There is something not right.
You know this.
You know that there is a different reality to choose.
Focussing to the now, outer and inner crises abound.

We have awoken.
We fully sense disparity between a now and the Now we want.

We are One.
One Universe.
We are part of the web of life.
Causes. Effects.
A fundamental of our being, cause and effect.
Causes create effects. Effects have causes.

Change, creation, opportunity and possibility.
We can go anywhere.
We are bound by nothing, nothing but infinity.
What would you choose?

Own your destiny.
The destiny you want.

Connect, bring forth, create and celebrate…


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Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium.

Training for Community Leaders and Facilitators.

Mt Moreton, Belgrave Heights, Victoria, Australia

September 2010

www.awakeningthedreamer.org