Document Type

Policy Brief

Department

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Abstract

High quality education and particularly in the area of what is generally called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is the greatest indicator of quality of life. Sustainable human development, eradication of poverty and removing unequal distribution of resources all depend on high quality education. High quality education in the area of science has been defined as far back as 1962 by Schwab and Brandwein as teaching through inquiry-based methods. Continuing to teach science content through rote memorization produces teachers who know of no better method to teach other than memorization. These teachers themselves lack conceptual understanding of science content and hence cannot help their students to understand science as they should or could (Halai, 2005). This cycle has to be broken. Science teachers need to be mentored into using more active methods of teaching and students need to be able to learn through innovative methods that are student-centric.

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