Science and/in the community: context and goals in practical work

In general, science educators call for less fact-oriented, more integrated, and more project-based work in the science classroom as a means of achieving the goals of science education. In addition, some call for action-taking on the part of the student, preferably on local scientific or environmental issues. This paper attempts to shed light on what a commitment to this kind of science education might look like. Based on a case study of two classes of ninth graders engaged in a project in which the students collected data and reported on a recently restored wetlands area in their community, I argue that community-and/or field-based, service-oriented projects can be a powerful way to address concerns of science literacy. I suggest that this approach represents scientific practice more authentically to include more complex notions of context and purpose. I propose that the goals of science education include transformation of the sciences, and part of that transformation needs to embrace movement towards more socially just and responsible science. In this light, projects which embody an ethic of care and responsible action become exemplars for schools and teachers wishing to reform their teaching in this way.