The Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Primary Science Education: A New Teaching and Learning Approach

The compulsory education is where children gain basic skills and habits. It is assumed that the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired at this age contribute a lot to the success of individuals at their future. TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Studies) report in 1999 shows that Turkey ranks in the last rows among 38 countries in achievement of children in their science courses. In response to this, Turkish Ministry of Education is investing a lot of money on technology in primary and secondary schools. But, there is not enough study on how the curriculum and teaching and learning should be modified to make effective use of the new technology. In this respect, our project aims at designing an educational model for science education that deploys active learning concepts in school and home environments and assesses the effects of the model on the learning of the children. To achieve this, a science topic was selected for 6th graders and some microworlds were either developed or downloaded from the Internet. All the materials were uploaded on the course web page. E-mailing was used as a medium of interaction. For three weeks, ICT-based and traditional education was practiced with both the experimental and the control groups. It was found that ICT based science education has a positive impact on the learning of children. It was also observed that children in the experimental group are more willing to participate in the class discussion.