Review by Terry O'Dea: School Science Review (SSR)

Here is the reliable source for all teachers of science who are uncertain how to do justice when leading their students in balanced and informed exploration of the issues of science and religion. Science and religion in schools will equally serve those whose field of expertise lies in theology and philosophy who wish to bring balanced scientific arguments into discussions.

The resource consists of a teacher’s guide in book form, plus a CD-ROM set of lesson plans, teachers’ notes and student resources for 11-16 and 16-19 students covering key topics, including: ‘How do we make sense of the world?’, ‘How do we find out about the world?’, ‘What can history tell us?’, ‘How do we know what beliefs are right?’, ‘Beginnings and endings’, and ‘How do we know what to do?’.

This resource is one of the most thorough I have come across, having its origin with the Oxford based Science and Religion in Schools Project, www.srsp.net (visit this site to sample the lesson activities) whose aim is to encourage children from the age of eight to start thinking about important issues they will encounter throughout their lifetimes. Firstly. it has a strong and robust epistemological foundation that clarifies and mediates the roles of scientific and religious thinking in contributing to the totality of human knowledge using the language of rationality, which is particularly welcome at a time when scientism has recently reared its ugly head through various media outlets.

Secondly, the pedagogy within the resources for teachers is very well informed. At a time when some science teachers are struggling to apply the dialogic techniques of active discussion in their key stage 4 lessons, here is a resource that provides many examples of how to organise authentic discussions and debates – where it is the students who do the talking for thinking, not just the teacher. As an example in ‘How do scientists make sense of the world?’, the use of models to help explain complex ideas and phenomena leads to students reading out the following pairs of analogies and choosing one analogy from each pair to complete ‘The universe is like...’:

Ensuing teacher-supported discussions compare the strengths and weaknesses of each model. The use of models in religious explanations is then also carried out and shown to have similar strengths and weaknesses. The resource contains links to the National Curriculum: Science specifications as well as to key stage 5 modules in science and religion.

It is quite clear that this resource – designed to be dipped into and cherry picked – will serve very well when addressing How science works in key stage 4 as well as in key stage 3.

Teachers using this resource will be more confident in the philosophical rigour as well as the scientific and religious perspectives. when leading young people in engaging discussions about the different branches of the nature of knowledge – getting at the truth, reliability of evidence, as well as giving supported access to the big questions of metaphysics such as ‘Who are we?’, ‘Why are we?’ and ‘What are we for?’ – the questions young people love to ask in science lessons and which we can now support professionally because of this excellent resource. Highly recommended to all science teachers and departments for an enlightened 21st century science curriculum.

Terry O’Dea

[Terry O’Dea has taught and led science education in a number of London area secondary schools for 25 years. He is currently working as a National Strategy science consultant for Bexley LEA.]