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PHYSICS (NOTES)

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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 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 categorised into groups: core and optional. All the Science subjects fall into one optional group: Sciences. There are four forms of Science offered in the group and learners are expected to choose one. 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.

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 program intends to instill a sense of appreciation for science and to make sure that the learners can cope in a technologically changing world. The program 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 program, learners will get an opportunity to explore and understand the natural world (life processes, physical phenomena, and the 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 program 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 judgements, 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: –

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.

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

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

acquired attitudes and values developed basic skills and understanding to allow for the execution of rights and responsibilities as good citizens of Botswana and the world.

developed information technology skills as well as an understanding and appreciation of their influence in day-to-day activities.

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 a productive life.

developed pre-vocational knowledge and manipulative skills that will enable them to apply content learned and attitudes and values developed to practical life situations in the world of work.

developed an understanding of and acquired basic skills in business, everyday commercial transactions, and entrepreneurship.

developed foundation skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, inquiring, teamwork / interpersonal to help them to be productive and adaptive to survive in a changing environment.

Organisation of the syllabus

The syllabus is organized 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 core and extended. The extended specific objectives are highlighted in bold italics. All learners are expected to follow the core-specific objectives. The extended objectives provide more challenging work for those learners able to benefit from it.