The answer to the title’s question is yes. Normally, textbooks usually connect things that are not too abstract and that have connection with the real world, from childish or primary, with the water cycle, with drought or agriculture, etc., to all types of energy that there are, for example in secondary school. In textbooks there is almost always a section that is usually called science and society and that is like an addition at the end of each chapter in which that connection with the context is made, with the real world.
But I would also tell you that the unique solution for the improvement in science teaching, nor demonize them, should not be sought in textbooks. Textbooks are a resource and, as we all discover during the pandemic, they are a resource to use them teachers and students. That is, they are not to follow them to the letter and that this is the improvement of the. If that were how simple, we would create those books, we would patent them and everyone would have a higher quality scientific education.
The question that you should understand is the importance of the intermediary that, in this case, are the teachers. They and they are responsible for connecting the world with students’ thinking.
There are two things that are important in teachers so that sciences explain well in the classroom. The first is that they do not spoilerthat is, not tell them the movie before any doubt has arisen. I give you an example with which you are going to understand. If you are explaining what a living being is in the classroom, you can say that a living being is the one that does the vital functions, it is born, grows, reproduces and dies. Or you can say that it is born and feeds. Or something similar. Or you can start with a question that is the trigger for all the doubts that students have: a chickpea just taken from the supermarket bag, is it a living being at that time? That already forces students and students to build the idea of being alive they have. If you ask them the question you know you will conflict your ideas, you get the trigger to think and interrogate.
Then, students should see whether they think they are true or not. Then, in the case of chickpea, you can encourage what they consider to be a living being. From there you have to check it. What can be seen? Well, for example, that a living being is one that breathes. And, simply, putting the chickpeas of the bag in co₂ and oxygen sensors, it is proven that, indeed, they breathe. With that they are not going to forget that the criterion of breathing is specific to living beings. And this not only or natural sciences, is a formula that works in the teaching of all sciences.
What happens with textbooks is that, although this appears in the way I have told you, if the teacher does not make your students, if they do not make them check in the classroom and look for an explanation, it will not get science to reach them.
The second condition that a science teacher has to have is to force their students to investigate, get their students to do science. Those who do it because we loved it, we discover that it is an exciting and fun job because it puts you in contradiction with the ideas you had, it is a collaborative company because you alone or alone cannot do research and, in addition, the communication process is very important. To be one or a good science teacher to get students to experience that.
Liso Jo Jo He is a professor at the University of Almería, an expert in Didactics of Experimental Sciences.
Coordination and writing:Victoria Toro.
Question sent byRicardo Sánchez Redondo.
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