By now, the declining interest on the part of Leaving Cert students in science is well documented. Deciding on what steps should be taken to rectify the situation is another matter. In a move to inform the debate on the problems concerning the teaching and learning of science, technology and maths (STM) in our schools and move discussions a little further down the road, the Irish Council for Science and Technology (ICST) has produced a report entitled Benchmarking School Science, Technology and Mathematics Education in Ireland Against International Good Practice.
The aim of the report, is "to provide a factual, qualitative and quantitative description of STM in the Irish school system and to identify important issues that require attention". The report identifies three key issues to be addressed. These comprise the development and implementation of STM education policy on a timescale that meets the rapidly changing needs of an emerging knowledge-based society, while continuing to meet individual student's long-term needs and ensuring a high level of ownership among the social partners; the recruitment, training and retention of high-quality STM teachers, particularly in the physical sciences and maths; and deciding on how STM should best be taught and assessed.
"If these key issues are addressed," the report says, "STM education in Ireland will effectively contribute to equipping students for a meaningful and productive role in the knowledge-based society." The report notes that in the delivery of STM education, the role of the teacher is vital. Attractive career paths and effective professional development are essential. "In all the countries studied, STM education is moving from chalk and talk to experiential methods with an emphasis on developing problem-solving skills and learning by doing."
The report has been produced in co-operation with the Department of Education and Science, the NCCA and as a result of consultation with the social partners.
"We established a database and examined it in workshops with the social partners. Through a process of consensus we arrived at the key issues," explains UCD's Prof Donald Fitzmaurice, who chaired the steering group. This, he says, is the first time that many of the facts included in the database have been established. A major problem for policy makers has been the lack of hard information. Solutions are often suggested, but they lack the support of hard facts. The report highlights the fact that the five countries - Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Malaysia and New Zealand - included in the study all face similar problems. "For all the benchmarked countries, low uptake rates and gender imbalance are a concern," the report notes.
However, Ireland is unusual in retaining externally examined assessment at Junior Cert level. The report notes a growing international trend towards the establishment and use of national banks of standardised tests and exams and the external moderation of school-based assessments. Ireland, too, is unique in its failure to provide for the assessment of practical work in most science subjects at post-primary level. "This results in a significant lack of congruency between the aims and objectives of the relevant subject and its assessment," the report states.
