AbstractsPhysical Sciences

The traditional method of instruction was based on the assumption that knowledge could be transferred intact from teacher to learner. This led to the lecture method being the most popularly used by teachers to transfer information. Learners also became too dependent on the teacher and ended up lacking in basic critical thinking skills and resourcefulness. Learners are increasingly finding it difficult to know why a particular reason is correct or incorrect. They also find it difficult to follow a logical argument used to arrive at a particular conclusion and subsequently find it difficult to follow the lesson. This is confirmed by Muller (1998:2) when he says: "Die heelwat laer tellings wat Suid-Afrikaners behaal het, dui op n gebrek aan begrip en vaardighede in wiskunde en wetenskap. Die land se matrieks het ook baie swak gevaar wanneer hulle kreatief antwoorde moes konstrueer". Performance and interest in science, world wide, are declining as learners find science to be a difficult subject. Bodner (1989:27) who says: "only 2% of the college-level students in the US that graduate are physics or chemistry majors" supports this. Learners entering tertiary institutions are generally considered ill-prepared for the task ahead. The problem of critical thinking is not restricted to the South African context alone, as stated by Kistner, (1988:123) who says: "All over the world academics are complaining that students entering universities cannot cope with standard textbooks, follow sustained arguments, or write coherent essays".At a National Science Teachers' Association (NSTA) in Washington, teachers asked what it was that they were supposed to do so that their learners could be considered ready for science at college level. The reply was that they should be taught to think and solve problems. Then they will learn to be subject specialists at university (Zielinski & Sarachine, 1993:1). They go further to state that a survey of first-year college learners in science pointed to a need for more creative/critical thinking in secondary science curricula. Learners who find it difficult to follow logical arguments become demotivated and lose interest in the subject. It is important for educators to understand the root cause of learners inability to cope with subjects like mathematics, science and technology, which require a coherent logical argument. Brookfield (1991: tape) points out that we often make inherent assumptions in our daily lives which are so embedded in us that it is even difficult to detect them. One of the assumptions we make as teachers is to take it for granted that our learners understand us and that they should think like ourselves, because we teach them. Brookfield goes further to say: "we have to make an effort to be aware of our assumptions, name them and assess their validity".Lozauskus and Barell (1992:45) state that science teaching should emphasise creating risk-free settings where students can explore relationships among concepts, pose puzzling questions and research answers.…