The Use of Writing Strategies in Science, Technology, Society and Environment (STSE) Education

Abstract

In broad terms, STSE is an umbrella term that explores the interplay between science and society (Pedretti, 2005). One of the goals of STSE education is to enable students to formulate a critical understanding of the interface between science, technology, society and environment. The literature on writing to learn in science sheds some light on the advantages of using writing strategies within science – whether students learn by mimicking professional scientists, or by writing in diverse forms. By extension, these writing strategies can serve to meet the goals of STSE education by enabling students to formulate a critical understanding of the interface between science, technology, society and environment. Through this paper, I wish to report on which writing strategies science teachers are currently using, and what opportunities and challenges these strategies are creating for STSE education. The purpose of this project, therefore, was to analyze and describe how science teachers might meet the goals of STSE education through the use of writing strategies.