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A teaching, learning, and investigation model in the natural sciences from elementary to higher education.
William Mejía, Erick Mendez
University of El Salvador, Physics and Chemistry Departments



GIREP Seminar
2003


This paper presents some reflections and considerations about a new model to be implemented in our country. This will consist of the teaching, learning, and investigation in the Natural Sciences from elementary educational level to higher education. Besides, this model will be focused on the integration of two valuable resources: learning centers and science laboratories. Both resources will be provided by Ministry of Education of El Salvador. With this model, our country will reaffirm its global vision about the importance of the Natural Sciences as a main foundation for the development of a country and as a strategic key to create knowledge and technological development.

The first step has been aimed at the training in the use and handling of two software: Modellus and Chemlab (physics and chemistry). With these tools, students and teachers could model, simulate, and animate some topics in those areas. However, the training is not enough by itself due to certain limitations. We must try to integrate them as an element with the same importance like science labs. With this point of view they have become almost unlimited tools because the students and teachers can use real data in the student´s and teacher´s environment. This model will have a new dimension in the teaching and learning of natural sciences by introducing a new model in scientific investigation in Salvadorean educational system.

The second step is to introduce some kinds of sensors and lab instruments, which could measure several variables like humidity, acidities, temperature, wind speed, among others. With these data, the teachers and students could model in Modellus and Chemlab how the behavior in natural phenomenon in Physics and Chemistry is. Besides, we want to create a distributed data base in the fourteen provinces in El Salvador. As a result the departments, ministries and offices of the government will have access to valuable and scientific information at any time and anywhere. This will be a great help to create a new way in the teaching, learning of Physics and Chemistry and overcome the traditional problems that have always impeded the study of them.