The Essay On Scientific Ways And Technology In Education Is Significant.

The Purpose of Education

"How does the ability to think and act in ‘scientific ways’ help prepare young learners for the future?"

The primary purpose of the educational system of any nation is to equip the students with the necessary tools which are likely to help them to sustain themselves in the professional world once they come out of the educational institutions (Griffin & Care, 2014). Thus, many scholars are of the viewpoint that the kind of education which is being imparted to the students should be in synchronicity with the requirements of the real world (Abrami et al., 2015). However, it is generally seen that since the traditional times the majority of the educational institutions follow the conventional style of education and it is a reflection of this particular fact that the majority of the things which are being taught to the students in schools, colleges or university is of very little use to the students once they come out of these institutions (Kong, 2015).

The rationale for this paper is the fact that it has become imperative for the educational institutions to encourage the students to think and act in “scientific ways” which are more likely to help them to prepare themselves for the unknown future outside the educational institutions. The aim of this paper is to discuss about the significance of imparting education taking the help of the scientific ways that are more likely to help the students in the future.

The changing nature of the modern day world has made it imperative for the various educational institutions to take the help of the modern forms of technology as well as develop the critical thinking skills of the students so that they are being to effectively deal with the future (Kong, 2015). As a matter of fact it is still unknown what the future holds for the students and thus they the best possible option for the various educational institutions is to arm the students with the skills of critical thinking and at the same time to act in scientific manner so that they are being able to the various diverse situations which they are most likely to encounter during the course of their professional careers. It is a reflection of this particular fact that the official website of MCEETYA (2018) states that the aim of the process of education which is being provided to the various students in the nation of Australia should be to equip these students “with the knowledge, understanding, skills and values to take advantage of opportunity and to face the challenges of this era with confidence”. However, the major constraint which the effective implementation of such a modern form of education faces at the current moment is the conservative form of education which is being provided to the students in the nation of Australia even in the 21^st century. Thus, it is generally seen that even in the 21^st century the various educational institutions of the nation of Australia are still adhering to the kind of educational system which was being followed centuries ago. It is a reflection of this particular fact that the Australia education still believes in providing the basic knowledge to the students about the subjects of Geography, History, Language, Mathematics and others which the students once they have graduated from these schools, colleges, universities and others educational institutions hardly require (Harlen, 2017).

The Need for Scientific Ways of Thinking in Education

The comment made by Teaching Australia (2018) is significant to note here which states that the educational system of the nation of Australia should try to effectively utilize the “opportunity to shift discussion about schooling from a narrow focus on skills and specific areas of knowledge to the broad range of needs for the future”. Thus, it would be apt to say at this particular juncture that this particular shift from the narrow focus of the educational institutions about the aim of the education which they provide to the students to the process of equipping them with the kind of knowledge that is likely to help them meet the requirements of the future. Many experts are of the viewpoint that the best possible manner in which the educational institutions can achieve this particular aspect is by inculcating within the students the ability to critically think as well as act in scientific manner and this in turn can be accomplished in the best possible by process of the use of the recent technologies for the process of imparting education to the students from the different parts of the nation (Abrami et al., 2015). The opinion of Professor Tytler, a member of the “Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)” is pertinent to note in this particular context when he says that “We need to re-imagine science education, accepting a shift that is occurring and must occur in the way we think of its nature and purposes” (Sydney. edu.au., 2018). However, the implementation of such an idea is likely to receive various kinds of protests from diverse cauldrons on the score of the radical nature of the change which is being proposed by Professor Tytler.

Professional as well as scholars holds mixed opinion about the use of technology as well as scientific ways of critical thinking within the framework of the educational institutions (O'Flaherty & Phillips, 2015). It is generally seen that the use of the students end up misusing the technological platforms which are available to them and thus the achievement of the original purpose with which the usage of a particular technology gets misappropriated. Furthermore, it is generally seen that the majority of the educational institutions as well as the teachers are also reluctant to take the help of these modern forms of technological advancements for the process of imparting education on the score that the use of these technologies for the process of imparting education often requires an extra effort on the part of the educational institutions as well as the teachers who are associated with them (O'Flaherty & Phillips, 2015). Moreover, the orthodox or the conservative nature of these teachers as well as their lack of technical expertise to effectively take the help of these technologies often deters them to make the most of these technologies for the process of education. It is a reflection of this particular fact that the “Oftentimes, critical thinking is something that has been overlooked at the elementary, middle, and high school levels where students are taught how to learn, as well as how to analyze information” (Watanabe-Crockett, 2018). However, the benefits which the effectively use of the recent technologies as well as the scientific way of thinking provides to the students are numerous and it is precisely because of the benefits which they provide to the students that the educational institutions as well as the teachers who are associated with them needs to take the help of them for the process of imparting education to the students.

The Conservative Nature of Education in Australia

As per an article of the Abc newspaper (2018), “Up to 40 per cent of current Australian jobs could disappear within the next 10 to 15 years as robots and computers continue their unstoppable advance” (Abc.net.au., 2018). Furthermore, the use of these recent technologies as well as the scientific way of critical thinking enables the students to prepare in the best possible manner for the unknown future which awaits them. The landscape of the world is changing in a fast unprecedented and no one can be absolutely certain about the kind of future which awaits the human beings within the next 50 years (Luke, 2018). Moreover, the use of these recent technologies as well as the scientific ways of critical thinking enables makes the learning process for the students much more fruitful as well as engaging (Luke, 2018). It is generally seen that the students are being able to learn in a much better taking the help of the recent technologies like the internet websites, e-learning journals, video games, educational videos and others. Furthermore, it is generally seen that the various educational institutions of the nation of Australia are increasingly taking the help of the various kinds of learning videos, video games and others to make the students understand the basic concepts in a much more effective manner. One of the most helpful video games which many of the educational institutions are increasingly taking the help of is the one provided by Education Arcade website which provides the students with the option to actually use their computers or laptops like a telescope or a microscope to scan their surroundings and the living beings that inhabit it (Kong, 2015). In addition to these, the use of nanotechnology for the process of imparting education to the students has also made the process of education not only much more fruitful but at the same time more advanced for the students.

The role of the teacher also becomes very important in this particular context. The teachers have traditionally being ascribed the role of the conveyors of knowledge and information (Griffin & Care, 2014). However, the changing landscape as well as the requirements of the present day world has made it important for the teachers to encourage the students to not develop scientific skills related to the aspect of critical thinking but at the same time to take the help of the recent technologies for the process of their education. Thus, it is generally seen that most of the present day educational institutions of the nation of Australia are increasingly taking the help of these methods and thus the students are required to make thorough research works using the internet and also to submit the assignments completed by them through electronic mediums itself (Griffin & Care, 2014). Furthermore, most of these educational institutions have their own online portal through which the students are required to access all the necessary details.

To conclude, the scientific ways of critical thinking and the use of the recent technologies for the process of education is not longer just a mere option for the students as well as the educational institutions. On the contrary, it has become a necessity for the students as well as the educational institutions on the score of the changing landscape and the requirements of the world. The teenagers of the present times are no longer sure about the kind of future which awaits them a few decades from now on and thus the development of the scientific ways of critical thinking as well as the use of the recent technologies for the process of education are the best possible options which are available to them.

References

Abrami, P. C., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Waddington, D. I., Wade, C. A., & Persson, T. (2015). Strategies for teaching students to think critically: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 85(2), 275-314.

Are we preparing our children for the workplaces of the future?. (2018). Abc.net.au [online]. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-04/children-need-digital-literacy-education-to-future-proof-them/7561188

Australian Learning - Study in Australia | Online & Campus Mentors. (2018). Australian Learning [online]. Retrieved from https://www.mceetya.edu.au/

Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2014). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills: Methods and approach. Springer.

Harlen, W. (2017). The teaching of science in primary schools. David Fulton Publishers.

Kong, S. C. (2015). An experience of a three-year study on the development of critical thinking skills in flipped secondary classrooms with pedagogical and technological support. Computers & Education, 89, 16-31.

Luke, A. (2018). Critical literacy in Australia: A matter of context and standpoint. In Critical Literacy, Schooling, and Social Justice (pp. 168-188). Routledge.

O'Flaherty, J., & Phillips, C. (2015). The use of flipped classrooms in higher education: A scoping review. The internet and higher education, 25, 85-95.

Sydney. edu.au (2018). Sydney. edu.au [online] Retrieved from https://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/about/management/resources/tytler-review-secondary-science.pdf

Teach For Australia. (2018). Teach For Australia [online]. Retrieved from https://www.teachforaustralia.org/

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2018). The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking. Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking.