Research in Science Education, 1990, 20, 324 - 325

RESEARCH NOTES

READING, 'RITING AND 'R1THMETIC: BEING LITERATE IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

R. A. Schibeci Centre for Mathematics Science and Technology Education

Murdoch University Murdoch, Western Australia 6150

1990 is International Literacy Year. 'Literacy' is on everyone's lips....or, at least, in many peoples' minds. Traditionally, 'literacy' has been associated with 'reading' and 'writln~. What about the person who is scientifically and mathematically literate: how do we recognise such a person?

In 1990, the Centre for Mathematics Science and Technology Education at Murdoch University was awarded $80 000 for the project Secondary Literacy Inservice Package for High School Science and Mathematics. This project is fundexi by the Australian Government's International Literacy Year Programme through the Department of Employment, Education and Troining.

The science education community has contributed to the area of language use in science education. For example, in the U.K., the early Science Teacher Education Project (STEP) materials included a discussion of this topic: an overview, entitled "Language and communication in science lessons" (Sutton, 1974) highlighted the importance of oral and written language in science classrooms. In the U.S.A., Lemke has written extensively on this topic. For example, in his 'qTalklng physics" (1982) he points to the crucial role played by language in developing students' understanding (or lack of understanding) of science.

In Australia, Gardner (1974) published his work on "Language difficulties of science students'. The ASEP team took up the specific problem of readability and designed each module so that its readability level was two grade levels below that of the intended audience. (Thus a year 10 module had a readability level that was suitable for year 8). Such an approach, which had the worthwhile aim of giving students an easy introduction to the language of science had the nnintended effect of avoiding the problem. Students who studied a large number of ASEP modules were not being exposed to much formal science language which characterises the majority of science textbooks. Students must be given the skills which will enable them to extract meaning from their traditional science textbooks: it is lhk skill (among others) which will help them to become "scientifically literate'.

Some in the qanguage/literacy" community argue that it is possible for a person to be 'literate' in a general sense. Others argue that it is not possible to be 'literate' without reference to some context: thus it is only possible to speak of a person who is 'literate' in science or history or mathematics. In an earlier age, to be 'literate' was to be 'well read'. Today, some (for example, Green, 1988) argue that to be literate is to have a set of subject-specific literacies.

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The project is based on the bclicf that language skills are part of what gives a person access to the language of scicnce. Peoplc who simply regurgitate information are not 'literate'. They must understand how to "read', "write" and "talk" science and mathematics. Thcse principles are part of the underpinnings of our project.

Ultimately, the visible result of the project will b c a scdcs of modulcs dealing with diffcrcnt aspects (reading, writing, listening, talking) of literacy in scicncc and mathematics.

REFERENCES

GARDNER, P. L. (1974) Language difficulties of science students. Australian Science ~ , 20(1), 63-76.

GREEN, W. (1988) Subject-specific literacy and school learnln~- a focus on Writl,~. Australian Journal of Education. 32 (2), 156-179.

LEMKE, J. (1982) Talk;n£ physics. ~ ,l.7., 263-7.

SUTTON, C. R. (1974) Language and communication in science lessons. In C. R. Sutton & J. T. FIaysom (cds) The art of l~e science teacher. McGraw-Hill, 41-53.