Approaches of Teaching Science MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Approaches of Teaching Science - Download Free PDF

In science education, teachers face several challenges that can hinder effective teaching and student engagement. 

Key Points

•  A common problem faced by teachers is over-reliance on theoretical content without practical application.
• Science is inherently an experimental and hands-on subject, and without practical applications, students may struggle to connect abstract concepts with real-world phenomena.
• This limits their ability to apply scientific knowledge in everyday life and hinders the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Teachers need to create opportunities for students to engage in experiments, demonstrations, and real-world problem-solving scenarios.

Hint

• Students having too much access to digital resources might be a concern in some cases, but digital resources can also enhance learning when used effectively. It depends on how these resources are managed, so this is not necessarily a pervasive issue.
• Teachers having sufficient resources but not knowing how to integrate them effectively is a concern that can be addressed with proper training and professional development. While it is a valid challenge, it is more specific and not as universally faced as the issue of theory-practice balance.
• Students not being interested in science and finding it irrelevant to their lives is indeed a challenge, but it often stems from the issue of making science relevant and engaging, which can be improved by integrating practical, hands-on learning experiences into the curriculum.

Hence, the correct answer is over-reliance on theoretical content without practical application.

This scenario involves the concept of pressure in liquids. Pressure is exerted by fluids in all directions, and when the thumb is removed from the hole, the pressure dynamics inside the bottle and outside it come into play.

Key Points

• When the bottle is filled with water and sealed tightly with the cap, the air inside the bottle is confined and pressurized.
• When the thumb is placed over the hole, the pressure inside the bottle is higher than the outside pressure, and the water stays in place because there is no way for the water to escape.
• Once the thumb is removed from the hole, the pressure inside the bottle becomes greater than the atmospheric pressure outside.
• This difference in pressure causes the water to spurt out of the hole as it tries to balance the pressure by flowing out.

Hence, the correct answer is: The water will spurt out of the hole because the pressure inside the bottle is more than the outside pressure.

Nurturing creativity in students involves creating an environment where they feel free to explore, experiment, and think independently.

 Key Points

• Encouraging creativity requires emphasizing tasks that promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovative approaches rather than focusing solely on correct answers or rigid evaluations.
• Engaging students in inquiry and discovery-oriented tasks is essential for fostering creativity. These tasks encourage exploration, questioning, and learning through discovery, which are key aspects of creative thinking.
• Encouraging students to do tasks without any fear of evaluation is also important. When students are not afraid of making mistakes or being judged, they are more likely to take risks, explore new ideas, and approach problems in creative ways.

Hint

•  Highlighting right or wrong responses (B) and encouraging students to always find the right answers to textbook questions (D) can stifle creativity.
• It focuses on conformity and correctness, rather than allowing room for exploration and innovative thinking.

Hence, the correct answer is (A) and (C).

A debate on a topic like nuclear energy can serve multiple educational objectives, as it touches upon aspects of science, technology, societal impact, and responsible decision-making.  Key PointsThe objectives of the debate could include:

• (A) Making students understand the connection between science, technology, and society, as nuclear energy involves both scientific principles and its societal implications.
• (B) Familiarizing students with global issues like energy sustainability and the ethical implications of nuclear energy, which are of significant concern worldwide.
• (D) Helping students grasp the responsible use of science for the benefit of society, ensuring that they understand how scientific advancements should be used for the greater good.

While conceptual understanding about nuclear reactors (C) is important, a debate may not focus deeply on the technical details of nuclear reactors, making it less central to the objectives of a debate.

Hence, the correct answer is (A), (B), and (D).

In education, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), various studies and observations have shown that achievement can sometimes be influenced by gender. 

 Key Points

• The assertion claims that gender influences achievement in STEM. This is widely supported by research that highlights how societal norms, confidence levels, and opportunities affect boys' and girls' performance and participation.
• The reason given that boys and girls use different problem-solving strategies is also true. While some research indicates possible differences in approaches, these are not consistent or significant enough to fully explain disparities in achievement. Many of these differences are also shaped by environment rather than biology.

Therefore, although both statements can be true independently, the reason does not directly or completely explain the assertion.

Hence, the correct answer is Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not correct explanation of (A).

Expository Approach:

• It is also known as the Transmission Approach.
  In this approach, the teacher is communicating maximum information to the students in a minimum of time.
• This approach helps the teacher to cover the content to be taught to the students.
• This approach is widely used across all subjects and different levels of education by the teacher. 
• The main proponent of this method is David P. Ausubel.
• In the expository approach all the cues provided by the teacher while teaching, the deductive thinking wherein abstract content is differentiated by the teacher giving appropriate examples to the students.
• The teaching Learning process is totally controlled by the teacher.

Hence, the Expository transmission approach in the classroom is completely teacher-centered.

Assessment is a process of collecting relevant information on student learning. It is an integral part of the teaching-learning process. Assessment is conducted in different phases of the teaching-learning process.

• In learner centered assessment the ‘learner’ or ‘child’ and not the ‘teacher’ is the main focus of the educational programme. 
• The overall goal is the all-round development of the child and not only that of acquiring knowledge. 

Key Points

Tool for Learner Centered Assessment: Portfolio, concept mapping, rating scale, Journal writing, and anecdotal records, etc. are the tools for learner centered assessment.

• Portfolio: It contains samples of the learner's work like project reports, assignments, etc to evaluate academic achievement and learning progress over time. It is used for learner centered assessment.
• Concept Mapping: It is a pedagogic technique to help students to check explicitly how new concepts can be related to previously learned concepts. Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge. It can be in the form of flowcharts, tables, Venn diagrams, etc.
• Journal Writing: It refers to a form of writing, written by learners to record their insights, perceptions, experiences, etc on a specific topic. It helps them in organizing their thoughts and allows them to reflect on themselves. It is used for learner centered assessment.
• Field Trip: It refers to a learning approach that ensures the active involvement of learners in the learning process by taking them at a certain place where they earn knowledge by engaging with real situations.
• Project Work: It refers to a series of task that needs to be done by a group of learners to achieve a particular goal. It promotes the voluntary participation of learners and emphasizes active learning. It is used for learner centered assessment.

NOTE: Paper-Pencil test is used to measure relevant factors of participants' visuospatial ability.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that Portfolio, Concept mapping and Journal writing are the tools for learner centered assessment.

Educational excursions play a significant role in teaching students in an interesting manner. It helps them to learn things in a better way. Books give theoretical knowledge whereas educational excursion provides practice knowledge by actually visiting that place.

Important Points 

• Field trips or education through excursion are an important part of the curriculum because it provides opportunities for hands-on experience.  
• It is a visit to a place outside the regular classroom which is designed to achieve certain objectives, which cannot be achieved as well by using other means.
• The textbooks provide conceptual knowledge but cannot provide hands-on- experience that may create difficulty in achieving educational objectives. 
• It provides practical knowledge through personal experience. It is the appropriate tool to engage children effectively and actively in the learning process.

Key Points​The benefits of field trips or excursions are as follows:

• It has entertainment value and makes learning enjoyable.
• It helps the learners in establishing contact with the outer world.
• It helps in clarifying the subject matter by creating interest in the subject.
• It develops a scientific attitude and scientific temper among the learners.

Thus, it is concluded that the meaning of education through excursion is practical personal experiences.

An inquiry-based approach emphasizes to connect the child with their own experiences by posing questions and making decisions in the search of new understanding.

It is based on heuristic reasoning which is also a self-discovery approach proposed by 'H.E. Armstrong'. It makes the process of problem-solving and decision making quick and efficient by:

• promoting the use of critical and imaginative thinking.
• raising problems before students to activate their thinking power.
• emphasizing active involvement of learners to boost their understanding.
• enabling students to acquire knowledge by discovering the facts themselves.

Hence, we conclude that Enquiry can be defined as the ability to raise many questions out of curiosity.

NCF(National Curriculum Framework) 2005 is one of the four NCFs published in India by NCERT. It seeks to provide a framework for the betterment of educational purposes and experiences.

Key Points

• In the above-mentioned situation, according to NCF-2005 the child should be admitted in 'Inclusive School' because it is about making school a place where all children can participate and learn.
• Inclusive classroom is a part of 'inclusive education' that refers to the inclusion of all children in the education system, regardless of their differences and disabilities.

Important Points

In inclusive classroom teachers create diverse and meaningful learning experiences for every learner as:

• It values the diversity, each child brings to the classroom and facilitates all with equal opportunities to learn and grow.
• Inclusive education improves the quality and making provisions of education for all.
• Inclusive education welcomes and celebrates diversity.
• It provides a provision to include disabled children along with normal children in a regular classroom environment.
• It refers to an education system that accommodates all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic, or other conditions.

Hence, it could be concluded that in the above-mentioned situation, according to NCF-2005 the child should be admitted in 'Inclusive School'.

Additional Information

• Integrated school: It emphasizes the placement of children with disabilities in mainstream schools. The school system remains rigid and as a result, very few children with disabilities are able to cope with the demands of such a rigid system. This is a system that does not accept many of our children with disabilities on the basis of not being prepared enough.

Laboratory Method: In the laboratory method students perform laboratory experiments by their own hands individually or in small groups, under the supervision and guidance of their science teacher.

The role of the teacher when using this method in teaching science is that of a facilitator. The teacher goes to different individuals or small groups, observes them what they are doing, corrects them if they are doing something wrong, and he is always available to students when they really need him for any guidance.

Advantages

• Activity-based method
• Opportunity to handle material by their own hands.
• Learning to follow directions carefully.
• Learning skills in performing experiments, recording observations and results, summarising data, and drawing conclusions.
• The opportunity for critical thinking, scientific attitude, and scientific temper.
• The opportunity of training in the scientific method and investigatory science projects.

Disadvantages

• More expensive as separate equipment is to be provided to each student.
• Difficult to schedule in a school time table as a double period is to be provided on groups.
• More time consuming compared to lecture-cum-demonstration method as students are unskilled workers and are not competent enough to handle apparatus as their teachers.

Hence, we conclude that the Laboratory experiment in science will be classified as ​Activity aid.

• Whom to teach (Understanding the need of students)
• When to teach (Deciding the suitable time)
• What to teach? (Selecting the content/concepts)
• Why to teach? (Deciding the learning outcomes)
• How to teach and assess? (Selecting methods and strategies and Deciding the assessment procedures)

• Pre-active stage: This stage involves the following activities
  • Ascertaining entry competence
  • Stating learning outcomes
  • Analyzing content and subordinate concepts
  • Identifying types of learning
• Interactive stage: This stage involves the following activities
  • Deciding methods/approaches of stimulus presentation
  • Deciding on expected learners’ responses
  • Giving feedback
• Evaluative stage: This stage involves determining the tools to check for the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Hence, we conclude that determining tools for achievement of learning outcomes is not a part of the 'interactive stage' of pedagogical analysis

National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 provides a guideline with which teachers and schools can choose and plan experiences that they think children should have.

• It seeks to reform the curriculum and to bring learning experiences in and outside the classroom.
• It should be noted that the inquiry-based approach is suggested for teaching science in schools.

Important Points

An inquiry-based approach emphasizes to connect the child with their own experiences by posing questions and making decisions in the search of new understanding.

The following are the skills required in inquiry and decision-making:

• Skill in recognizing a problem
• Skill in developing hypotheses
• Skill in exploring
• Skill in validating hypotheses
• Skill in drawing conclusion

Hence, we conclude that the above statement is about inquiry approach.

Science is both a product (body of knowledge) and a process (approaches of acquiring and refining of new knowledge). It is impossible to imagine teaching science without practical work.

• We must accept that science teaching in our secondary schools emphasizes the product aspect of science. In other words, it is based on providing knowledge of scientific facts, concepts, principles, and broad generalizations.
• A school science laboratory is a place where basic experimental skills are learned by systematically performing a set of prescribed and suitably designed experiments. Performing experiments by one’s own hands are not only a thrilling experience but is also important because it entails learning by doing. 
• A science lab, first and foremost, is a place for experiments. Investigations are what make science a subject like no other. The enjoyment of practical tasks is not to be underestimated; it can often be the driving force behind the decision to take learning to a higher level. 

Key Points​  Objectives of science laboratory:-

• Developing manipulative and measuring skills.
• Arousing and maintaining interest in science.
• Encouraging accurate observations and careful recording.
• Verifying or proving facts and principles already taught in theory.
• Training students in science processes & giving training of problem-solving skills.
• Making biological, chemical, and physical phenomena more real through actual experience.
• Giving training in open-ended experiments, scientific methods, and investigatory science projects.

​Thus, it is concluded that using the spare time of students is not the objective of a science laboratory.

The purpose of education is to make students aware of their surroundings to develop knowledge and skills about their environment. 

• The teaching of science must be done to promote divergent thinking, a scientific attitude, and to make them encouraged enough to individually discover and explore their world by themselves to learn more in a realistic environment by real, direct experiences.

​Key Points

• All processes in science are done with a specific purpose, evidence is collected with reliable and valid methods, and they are examined critically by controlling different variables.
• Science as a way of thinking involves scientific temper, scientific inquiry, and a sense of humanity.
• Scientific inquiry is the process of finding out the cause and effect of some principle, fact, or any relationship among the components of an object. 
• It may be considered as an approach to reach a solution to the problem, but it is not essential that all people will follow the same route. 
• The models of scientific inquiry are the modes of investigation that scientists consider to design their study and to give a reflection of their findings.
• The scientific method does not tell us "how the science work" but the models of scientific inquiry provide a complete description of how a scientific inquiry carried out in practical life.
• It also enables us to explain the reasons for arriving at genuine knowledge with the help of scientific inquiry, why and how scientific inquiry succeeds in this.
•  So, it is concluded that the models of scientific inquiry have the main function to provide a descriptive account of how scientific inquiry is carried out in practice and to provide an explanatory account of why scientific inquiry succeeds as well as it appears to do in arriving at genuine knowledge.

Hence, both the (1) and (2) options are correct.