The Natural Sciences Department’s aim is to raise our students as curious, investigative and productive individuals that understand the nature of and are interested in science, have science process skills, can use these skills in their daily lives, are able to think in an interdisciplinary way, can keep pace with the rapidly changing era with their technological competencies, and possess 21st-century skills.
Basic Natural Sciences outcomes focus on ensuring that our students develop science literacy and can analyze complex problems considering the information and data provided. The outcomes help students determine the essence of a problem and create a logical process that will lead them to a solution. They benefit from scientific process skills while doing all these. Also, they can broadly and objectively comprehend and interpret the world we live in, nature, and the habits required for a healthy life, and become lifelong learners.
In Natural Sciences lessons, we create cooperative learning environments through laboratory practices, data collection about topics and scientific methods, observation, and analysis based on the national curriculum prepared by the Ministry of National Education. Our program is enriched by activities that target different learning processes. To discover scientific knowledge through experimentation and observation and to deepen learning processes, students carry out controlled experiments in accordance with the related learning outcomes, and they report the experiment results. Starting from 5th grade, we instill a culture of controlled experimentation in students, thereby ensuring and boosting the development of science process skills through experiments and virtual manipulatives/laboratories.
With an aim to enable our students to see the implications of science in daily life, to learn by experiencing, and comprehend topics better, we organize academic trips within the framework of the learning outcomes applicable for the relevant year and conduct STEM practices integrated into the lessons. Students investigate prominent figures in the field of natural sciences/health in the history of Darüşşafaka and create products about them.
Our students’ success is assessed via written exams, controlled experiment reports, academic trip reports, quizzes, homework, external evaluations, and projects based on outcomes of the curriculum.
Our students participate in Fenbeg, TÜBİTAK, and MEF Project Competitions, etc. throughout the year. Science, technology, and software/coding skills are developed and enhanced with different skill workshops such as environment and nature, Arduino, FLL (First Lego League), and Maker.
