400
           How to Read This Chapter
      • STS represents a departure from “traditional” science education, as it 
        tends to see curriculum in an interdisciplinary context, and in the 
        context of personal and social perspectives.  As you work with this 
        chapter reflect on your views of science as they related to your science 
        discipline (biology, chemistry, geology, physics) and ask yourself how 
        these disciplines interact with technology and society.  There are many 
        interesting strategies of teaching presented in this chapter, and you 
        might want to focus on them.  Also you will find a couple of “case 
        studies” of curriculum projects that are based on STS (Education for a 
        Sustainable Future, and Science Education for Public Understanding 
        Program).  You might also want to visit the websites of these two 
        projects, as well as some of the other projects identified in the chapter. 
                       Science, Technology, and Society
                                                  400
               Invitations to Inquiry
      • What are the characteristics of environmental education 
        and science-technology-society programs?
      • What strategies do science teachers use to present STS 
        lessons in the classroom?
      • What are some of the significant STS themes, and how do 
        teachers present them in the classroom?
      • What are some STS curriculum examples used in today's 
        secondary science classrooms?
      • How are STS modules evaluated?  Are there criteria that 
        science teachers agree on?
                       Science, Technology, and Society
                                                                                                                                                                     399-439
                                                            Chapter 11 Map
                                                                                                     STS in the 
                                                                                                      Science 
                                                                                                     Classroom
                                         Nature of                        Strategies                              STS                                               STS 
                                           STS                               for                               Themes &                                          Curriculum 
                                                                          Teaching                               How to                                           Examples
                                                                            STS                                  Teach 
                                                                                                                  Them
                           Inquiry                          Inquiry                              Population                  Air Quality          Education                      SEPUP
                          11.1: STS                        11.2: STS                              Growth                                              for 
                                                             Issues                                                                               Sustainable 
                                                                                                                                                    Future
                                                                                             Technological                    Hazardous 
                                                                                             Development                      Substances
                                                                                                                                                   ChemCom                       Inquiry 
                                                                                                                                                                                11.4: STS 
                                                                                                                                                                                 Module
                                                                                                   Water                       Natural 
                                                                                                 Resources                    Resources
                                                                                              Environment                      Inquiry 
                                                                                                                              11.3: STS 
                                                                                                                               Design
                                                                          Science, Technology, and Society
                                                                                                      400-402
                                         Nature of STS
           •    The central premise of STS: to help                     Table 11.1. STS Understandings in the
                students develop the knowledge,                         National Science Education Standards*
                                                                     Grades 5 – 8          Grades 9 – 12
                skills, and effective qualities in order             Students should       Students should
                to take responsible citizenship action               develop an            develop an
                on science and technologically                       understanding of:     understanding of:
                oriented issues (p.400).                             • Personal health     • Personal and
           •                                                         • Populations,         community health
                Make a concept map showing the                         resources, and      • Population growth
                issues that students could learn about                 environments        • Natural resources
                from the list of understandings                      • Natural hazards     • Environmental
                shown here from the National                         • Risks and benefits   quality
                                                                     • Science and         • Natural and human-
                Science Education Standards. Select                    technology in        induced hazards
                one of the understandings.                             society             • Science and
           •    Now take a look at Table 11.2 and                                           technology in local,
                                                                                            national, and global
                compare your map to the concepts                                            challenges
                and big ideas for two of the 
                understandings.                                      *Based onN  ational Research Council. National Science Education
                                                                     Standards. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1995
                                               Science, Technology, and Society
                                                      400-402
                Development of STS
      • What is the timeline, and 
        what are the goals for the 
        following reports on 
        infusing STS in school 
        science:
      • National Science Teachers 
        Association
      • National Science Education 
        Standards
      • American Association for 
        the Advancement of Science
                        Science, Technology, and Society