MOVING BEYOND TEACHING METHODS IN SCHOOL SCIENCE - EPISTEMOLOGICAL AND SOCIOCULTURAL VIEWPOINTS

The question of how to implement teaching methods in school science finally emerges, when new science curricula are introduced and taken in use. Fundamentally new orientations in curricula might however, be in conflict with the situation which is predominant at schools with more traditional views of school science. We start our article by exemplifying the Finnish situation in relation to the science curriculum renovation, taking into consideration tensions at a more general level. Our aim is to bring into discussion both epistemological questions and communicational aspects of science teaching and learning. We conclude that moving beyond the traditional focus on facts and the laws of science; we could teach students to use the knowledge and expertise of others, raising questions, living with uncertainty, articulating ideas in public forums, using evidence, reaching consensus, and making group decisions.