Introducing Contemporary Research Topics into School Science Programs: The Example of Nanotechnology

If we adults compare our children’s science curriculum to what we studied three decades ago, we will usually find that the difference is small, even nonexistent. Yet, scientific knowledge is constantly accumulating and new fields are reshaping scientific research. The educational system and learning programs react slowly to these changes. One might ask why we should change a science curriculum that covers the chosen basic concepts of science well. To answer this question, we must first examine the contribution of introducing modern science into the school. Once this approach proves valuable, we should design a methodology to invigorate the school science curriculum with new scientific developments. Contemporary research encompasses numerous fields and has developed in many different directions. My research group has chosen to focus on one case of contemporary scientific research – nanotechnology, also known as nanoscale science and technology (NST) (Jones et al., 2013). In this chapter, I describe my 15-year research journey, with my students and colleagues, to develop methods and tools that will enable introducing NST into school science.