Promoting the popularization of science through science education

According to the "Science Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education Primary Schools" revised by the Ministry of Education, since the beginning of this autumn, primary school science courses have been listed as "basic courses" as important as Chinese and mathematics, and the initial grade has been extended to the first grade of primary school. This change has been widely recognized by teachers and parents.

Science education has always been an important part of Lide Shuren’s work. In today’s era, science education has a fundamental role in improving the scientific quality of the whole people and laying a solid foundation for building an innovative country. Nowadays, science and technology are changing with each passing day, which is profoundly changing people’s production and lifestyle. Because of this, everyone living in the era of rapid development of science and technology must have scientific quality. Science education in primary schools is of great significance to stimulate and protect children’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge, and to cultivate students’ scientific spirit and practical innovation ability. From this point of view, the cultivation of scientific quality must be grasped and grasped from an early age.

It should also be noted that science education is not limited to theoretical education. The goal it pursues is not only to master scientific knowledge, but also to put the learning of scientific knowledge in the process of hands-on practice and in the situation of the relationship between science and society under the grand natural and social picture. The new curriculum standard emphasizes that primary school science is a practical and comprehensive course, and the course regards inquiry activities as an important way for students to learn science, and comprehensively uses knowledge and methods in different fields to understand natural phenomena and solve practical problems. These requirements are obvious to the improvement of students’ practical ability, scientific thinking and scientific spirit. How to cope with the new changes of science curriculum standards? As the main force, schools and teachers need to make changes and innovative attempts in teaching concepts and teaching practices, and push open the door to the guidance of science education in primary schools. And all kinds of high-quality science education institutions, such as universities, scientific research institutes and popular science venues, should also take active actions to create conditions for ensuring the implementation of science courses, so that the skylight of science education in primary schools can directly reach the sky of science.

With the support of Shanghai Education Commission, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Shanghai Natural Museum established cooperative relations with 127 primary and secondary schools in Shanghai in 2016 alone, and developed 97 library-based courses suitable for different age groups, and 40 science courses have been officially started in schools. Not long ago, the "Future Science+"summer science camp project of Shanghai popular science forum sponsored by Shanghai Science and Technology Museum also made a useful attempt on science education. Some students said that this kind of science education not only enabled them to learn scientific knowledge, but more importantly, they were educated in a future-oriented world outlook, outlook on life and values, and knew how to learn science and think across disciplines. Science education institutions, including popular science venues, have unique advantages in science education because of their rich interactive natural science exhibits and facilities, which can provide more opportunities for students to practice and think scientifically. To develop science education in primary schools well, education administrative departments and school management departments need to establish stable communication channels and long-term cooperation models with popular science venues, make good use of the resources of popular science venues, and promote the development of science courses through cooperation between libraries and schools.

General Secretary of the Supreme Leader once emphasized that "scientific and technological innovation and scientific popularization are the two wings to realize innovation and development, and scientific popularization should be placed in the same important position as scientific and technological innovation". Teenagers are the key population and basic population for the popularization of science. Only by constantly innovating and invigorating science education in primary schools and attaching importance to front-line practice can we guide students into the door of science, subtly spawn a group of innovative brains and cultivate more modern talents with scientific literacy for the future.(Deputy Director, Research Center for Science Communication and Development, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum) Song xian)