Christine Robinson's Public Library

Vision for Scientific Literacy

Global interdependence; rapid scientific and technological innovation; the  need for a sustainable environment, economy, and society; and the pervasiveness  of science and technology in daily life reinforce the importance of scientific  literacy. Scientifically literate individuals can more effectively interpret  information, solve problems, make informed decisions, accommodate change, and  create new knowledge. Science education is a key element in developing  scientific literacy and in building a strong future for  Canada’s young people.

This Science Framework is designed to support and promote the vision  for scientific literacy as articulated in the Pan-Canadian Science  Framework.

The [Pan-Canadian Science] Framework is guided by the vision  that all Canadian students, regardless of gender or cultural background, will  have an opportunity to develop scientific literacy. Scientific literacy is an  evolving combination of the science-related attitudes, skills, and knowledge  students need to develop inquiry, problem-solving, and decision-making  abilities, to become lifelong learners, and to maintain a sense of wonder about  the world around them.

Diverse learning experiences based on the [Pan-Canadian Science]  Framework will provide students with many opportunities to explore, analyze,  evaluate, synthesize, appreciate, and understand the interrelationships among  science, technology, society, and the environment that will affect their  personal lives, careers, and their future.
(Common Framework of Science  Learning Outcomes K to 12, 1997)

Goals for Canadian Science Education  

To promote scientific literacy, the following goals for Canadian science  education were developed as part of the Pan-Canadian Science Framework  and are addressed through Manitoba science curricula.

Science education will...

• encourage students at all grades to develop a critical sense of wonder and  curiosity about scientific and technological endeavours
• enable students to use science and technology to acquire new knowledge and  solve problems, so that they may improve the quality of their own lives and the  lives of others
• prepare students to critically address science-related societal, economic,  ethical, and environmental issues
• provide students with a proficiency in science that creates opportunities  for them to pursue progressively higher levels of study, prepares them for  science-related occupations, and engages them in science-related hobbies  appropriate to their interests and abilities
• develop in students of varying aptitudes and interests a knowledge of the  wide variety of careers related to science, technology, and the environment