Didactic Handout on Nature of Science: Toward Effective Teaching of Physical Science Curriculum

Abstract

The decision to integrate Nature of Science into classroom practice is no longer a debate among science educators and curriculum experts. There exists empirical evidence to substantiate its effectiveness, judging by both the academic performance and ability of students to conceptualize abstract yet teachable areas in science. Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement of physical science permits for teachers, fundamentally, the discretion to inculcate and incorporate Nature of Science in classroom practices. However, the usual classroom practices are far from the expectations of both curriculum experts and policy makers in the field of science education. Ambiguity, accessibility, and perceived non-domestication were three areas identified in the literature to be responsible for lack of integration aside capacity building. This manuscript provided answers to the three areas of need by traversing relevant literature on both Nature of Science and Science education with a view to aggregate and simplifies scholarly positions for easy classroom usage for teachers and educators alike. Positions were drawn from nature of science, attendant curriculum, and position of literature with respect to the locale. Literature reviewed in this manuscript avail reader’s inherent conditioning and grit to understand nature of science and its essence in science teaching and learning.