Thoughts on Philosophy and Science Curriculum

Before making curricular decisions, science educators should study diverse schools of philosophy, explore their implications and adopt that philosophy which best meets the needs of the students and community for which the curriculum is designed. The curriculum developed should provide the understanding, skills and attitudes necessary to fulfill the philosophical goals selected. In this paper, four schools of philosophy are explored and their implications to science education are discussed. In all cases, the curriculum designed should promote the recommended principles of the psychology of teaching and learning. Each philosophy proposed assumes an active rather than passive involvement of students