If we can meet these challenges there are important benefits for students as individuals and for society. Benefits for students derive from those of any well-designed programme of study. In science these include the satisfaction of being able to make sense of the world and appreciation of the nature of scientific activity and its impact on our lives.
The added benefit from the development of powerful ideas which have wide application in a range of experiences follows from being able to grasp the essential features of events or phenomena even though lacking the knowledge of every detail. Understanding aspects of the world around helps individuals in their personal decisions that affect their health and enjoyment of the environment as well as their choice of career. The practice of questioning, seeking evidence and answers, and sharing views with others also contributes to building confidence and respect for themselves and others. Furthermore, the satisfaction of being able to see patterns in different situations and connections between them provides important motivation for learning during and beyond formal education.
Benefits for society follow from young people developing understanding of key ideas that enable them to make informed choices both as students and later in life about, for instance, their diet, exercise, use of energy and care of the environment. As well as impact on their own daily lives, such matters have wider implications for their and others’ future lives through longer-term impact of human activity on the environment. Understanding how science is used in many aspects of life is needed for appreciating the importance of science and for recognising the attention that needs to be given to ensuring that scientific knowledge is used appropriately. Students need to know how, both currently and historically, the use of scientific knowledge in engineering and technology, can impact both positively and negatively on society. Education in science has a unique role in creating understanding and the will to tackle the issues that lead to inequalities in wealth, employment, health and education across the world.
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