Senior Secondary Science is a two-year programme designed for learners who have completed Junior Secondary education. It is designed to provide learners with scientific knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for understanding and responsible participation in the society. It also prepares the learners for tertiary education, vocational training and provides them with foundation skills for employment.

Subjects for the Senior Secondary programme are divided into groups: coreand optional. All the Science subjects fall into one optional group: Sciences. There are four categories of Science offered in the group and learners are expected to choose one of these. These are:

• Single Science;
• Double Science;
• Pure Sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry);
• Human Social Biology (only offered to private candidates)

The syllabuses have been developed on the assumption that each Science will be allocated 160 minutes per week. The syllabus gives the approximate time allocation in weeks for each module.

 

Rationale

The Science Programme for the two years of senior secondary education is expected to facilitate the holistic development of the learner in a global context. The programme intends to instil a sense of appreciation for science and to make sure that the learners can cope in a technologically changing world. The programme will help learners to explore and apply the scientific knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired to address environmental, social, economic and political issues in their day-to-day lives. Through this programme learners will get an opportunity to explore and understand the natural world (life processes, physical phenomena and nature of substances).

Science is an experimental discipline and its method of inquiry allows learners to appreciate the practical impact of science on their lives and society as a whole. The Science programme will equip learners with skills that will be of long term value and encourage them to participate in lifelong learning. In the process the learners will exercise their creativity and develop skills such as critical thinking, innovativeness, communication, analysis, observation, recording, drawing conclusions, making judgement etc.

The syllabuses will also expose learners to the practical applications of Science. This will contribute towards popularising Science and developing an interest in, and positive attitudes towards Science among all learners.

The Senior Secondary Science syllabuses recognise the importance of offering key concepts and principles of Science in Physics, Chemistry and Biology to provide learners with a more unified view of the Sciences and awareness of the connections among them and technology.

Aims of Senior Secondary Programme

On completion of the two year secondary programme learners should have: –

1. acquired knowledge, developed confidence and ability to assess their personal strengths and weaknesses and be realistic in choosing appropriate career/employment opportunities and/or further education and training.
2. developed skills to assist them in solving technical and technological problems as they relate to day-to-day life situations.
3. developed desirable attitudes and behavioural patterns in interacting with the environment in a manner that is protective, preserving and nurturing.
4. acquired attitudes and values, developed basic skills and understanding to allow for execution of rights and responsibilities as good citizens of Botswana and the world.
5. developed information technology skills as well as an understanding and appreciation of their influence in day-to-day activities.
6. acquired knowledge, attitudes and practices that will ensure good family and health practices, including awareness and management of epidemics (such as HIV/AIDS), that prepare them for productive life.
7. developed pre-vocational knowledge and manipulative skills that will enable them to apply content learnt and attitudes and values developed to practical life situations in the world of work.
8. developed an understanding of and acquired basic skills in business, everyday commercial transactions and entrepreneurship.
9. developed foundation skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, inquiring, team work / interpersonal to help them to be productive and adaptive to survive in a changing environment.

 

Aims of Senior Secondary Science

On completion of the 2 year Senior Secondary Science Programme, each student is expected to have:

1. developed the ability to assess personal achievement and capabilities realistically in pursuit of appropriate career/employment opportunities and/or further education.
2. developed manipulative skills to assist them in solving technical and technological problems as they relate to day-to-day life situations.
3. become confident citizens in a technological world to make informed decisions in matters of scientific interest.
4. developed desirable attitudes and behavioural patterns in interacting with the environment in a manner that is protective, preserving, developmental and nurturing.
5. developed an understanding of the applications of science and of the technological, economic, ethical and social implications of these.
6. developed an understanding of the significance of information and communication technology in the day-to-day life situations and the world of work.
7. acquired knowledge, attitudes and practices that will promote good family life and health including awareness and management of epidemics such as HIV/AIDS practices that prepare them for productive life.
8. developed positive attitudes such as open-mindedness, inventiveness, concern for accuracy and precision, objectivity, integrity and initiative towards scientific skills
9. developed an interest in and an enjoyment of science and science related-work.
10. developed an understanding of key concepts and principles of science as they are experienced in everyday life.
11. developed abilities and skills that are relevant to the study, safe practice and application of science (such as experimenting and investigating).
12. developed problem solving, critical thinking, communication, inquiry and teamwork/interpersonal skills to help them to be productive and adaptive to cope in a changing environment.
13. developed an appreciation of the role of science in improving the quality of life.
14. recognised the usefulness of science, and limitations of the scientific method.
15. promoted an awareness that the applications of science may be both beneficial and detrimental to the individual, the community and the environment.

Aims of Senior Secondary Chemistry

On completion of the 2 year Chemistry Course, each student is expected to have:-

1. acquired a systematic body of scientific knowledge and developed an understanding of Chemistry including its strengths and limitations in order to:

1.1     develop the ability to assess personal achievement and capabilities realistically in the pursuit of appropriate career/employment opportunities and/or further education.

1.2     become confident citizens in a technological world, to make informed decisions on matters of scientific interest.

1.3     develop an understanding of the applications of chemistry and of the technological, economic, ethical and social implications of these.

1.4     recognise the usefulness of Chemistry, and limitations of the scientific method.

2. developed an understanding of key concepts and principles of Chemistry as they relate to everyday life experiences in order to:

2.1     develop an understanding of the significance of information and communication technology in the day-to-day life situations and the world of work.

2.2     appreciate the role of Chemistry in improving and maintaining the quality of life.

2.3     develop an awareness that the applications of Chemistry may be both beneficial and detrimental to the individual, the community and the environment.

3. developed abilities and skills that are relevant to the study of Chemistry to help them to be productive and adaptive to cope in a changing world, such as:

3.1     safe practice

3.2     application of scientific skills such as experimenting and investigating

3.3     problem solving skills

3.4     critical thinking skills

3.5     communication skills

3.6     inquiry skills

3.7     team work/interpersonal skills

3.8     manipulative skills to assist them in solving technical and technological problems as they relate to day-to-day life situations.

4. developed positive attitudes towards Chemistry such as:

4.1     open-mindedness

4.2     inventiveness

4.3     concern for accuracy and precision

4.4     objectivity

4.5     integrity

4.6     initiative

5. developed desirable attitudes and behavioural patterns in interacting with the environment in a manner that is protective, preserving, developmental and nurturing.

 

Recommended teaching methods

The syllabus encourages a learner-centred approach as emphasised in the curriculum blueprint. This involves laying emphasis on science process skills, problem-solving skills, and the acquisition of hands-on experience which should increase the participation and performance of all groups e.g. groups of different abilities, learners with special needs, girls and boys. Teachers should approach the teaching-learning process in a learner-centred way. The teacher should use a variety of methods to achieve this e.g. inquiry, demonstration, practical work, project work, case study, field trips, discussions, computer guided learning etc.

In order to facilitate a learner-centred approach there should be pre-planning of activities to be done and there should be adequate working space to accommodate these activities.

Teaching methods should expose learners to practical applications of Chemistry in everyday life. The local environment should be used to provide context to the syllabus. They should present Chemistry in an interesting and challenging way that should popularise it and encourage learners to opt to pursue Chemistry and Chemistry-related fields for careers.

Domains

Chemistry experiences to be provided to learners should aim to cover the following domains: knowledge and understanding; handling information, application and solving problems; investigation and experimental skills and attitudes in Chemistry. These domains should provide guidance in assessment of learners.

Learners should be able to demonstrate:-

1. knowledge and understanding of

1.1     concepts, laws, theories and principles of Chemistry .

1.2     scientific vocabulary, terminology, convention (including symbols, quantities and units).

1.3     applications of science and of their technological, economic, ethical and social implications.

1.4     the significance of information and communication technology in the day-to-day life situations and the world of work.

1.5     good family life and health practices that prepare them for productive life.

2. handling information, application and solving problems to

2.1.    solve problems as they relate to day-to-day life situations including some of a quantitative nature

2.2.    use information to identify patterns, report trends, draw inferences, make predictions and propose hypotheses

2.3     locate, select, organise and present information from a variety of sources

2.4     translate information from one form to another

2.5     manipulate numerical and other data

2.6     present explanations for phenomena, patterns and relationships

3. investigation and experimental skills

3.1     follow a sequence of instructions

3.2     use appropriate techniques, apparatus and materials

3.3     handle instruments, apparatus and materials safely

3.4     make and record observations, measurements and estimates

3.5     interpret and evaluate observations and data

3.6     plan investigations and/or evaluate methods and suggest possible improvements

3.7     convert acquired skills into creative innovations

 

4. attitudes in Chemistry such as

4.1     open-mindedness, inventiveness, concern for accuracy and precision, objectivity, integrity and initiative towards scientific skills

4.2     respect for life

4.3     awareness and appreciation for the environment

4.4     promotion of indigenous Chemistry and technology

4.5     recognition of the usefulness of Chemistry, and limitations of scientific method.

4.6     promotion of an awareness that the applications of Chemistry may be both beneficial and detrimental to the individual, the community and the environment.

Assessment

To ensure that learners attain the set aims, the course will be assessed through a variety of continuous assessment techniques. Projects, tests, experiments, surveys etc. will be used. The outcome of these will be used to improve instruction and guide progression.

At the end of the course a terminal examination will be administered. Continuous assessment in the form of coursework will also contribute to certification.  Where it is not possible to offer coursework, alternative papers to test the same knowledge, skills and attitudes will be used.

Examination syllabuses will be developed by the examining body to provide teachers with guidelines on objectives to be tested.

Organisation of the syllabus

The syllabus is organised around broad content areas subdivided into topics. Each topic consists of general objectives which give rise to specific objectives. The specific objectives describe what learners are expected to do. These objectives are divided into coreandextended. The extended specific objectives are highlighted in bold italics. All learners are expected to follow the corespecific objectives. The extended objectives provide more challenging work for those learners able to benefit from it.