Elaborations of the SHE Concepts
Science requires communication, which uses international conventions, and the
review and verification of results.
Describe who is communicating and collaborating. Think of all the organisations,
from school groups to the United Nations, universities, action groups, professional
organisations, local organisations, community groups, etc who are involved with
the issue. Think of individual scientists and teams of scientists. Describe how they
are communicating results and working together to add to knowledge.
International collaboration is often required.
Think of all the international organisations involved, any conventions, rules,
nconferences, etc. The publication of science journals which are all online,
international conferences and agreements involving governments and the United
Nations are all part of this. Describe who and what organisations are
collaborating, and what benefits or issues arise from international collaboration.
The development of scientific theories and models
requires a wide range of evidence from many sources
and disciplines (e.g. biology, statistics, chemistry,
physics, geology, engineering, etc.)
Describe the development of any new theories and
techniques looking at all the evidence from as many
sources as possible over time. You could use a
timeline to show events and setbacks. Include
evidence of progress, ambiguities, disagreements and
uncertainties.
Social =
Dealing with human
beings in their relations
with each other. Think of
friends, partners,
children, people at work,
medical staff.
Ethical = Having to do
with standards of right
and wrong: of ethics and
morals. Moral conduct,
duty and judgement.
Think about forcing
people to do things or
looking at what harm
might be caused by an
action. Is harm to some
better for all of us?
Communication
and Collaboration
Influence
Development
Application and
Limitation
New technologies improve the way scientists perform procedures and collect data
for analysis. This new evidence can therefore replace old theories, models and
processes or modify them. Describe the new technologies and the impact they are
having on old ways of seeing or doing. Who or what is resisting change?
Science is linked to public
debate. Where new
factors or limited data
exist, limitations result.
Describe what the debate
is and any limitations.
Economic = Having to do
with the production,
distribution and
consumption pf goods
and services. Think of
research companies,
production and use of
biological materials and
processes.
Political = Having to do
with citizens or
government. The
management of political
business, policies, laws or
methods. This is about
who makes decisions and
follows them up in
society, and any legal
applications involved.
Cultural = Having to do with
the customs, arts and
conveniences of a nation or
people at a time. Think
about what attitudes are
communally held about
things and the ways in which
people perceive and go
about things.
Environmental = All of the
surrounding things,
conditions and influences
affecting the growth of living
things. Think of all abiotic
and biotic factors and how
they interact.
Advances in one field can influence and be influenced by
other areas. Science impacts on the development of
technologies and engineering of products and is in turn
influenced by the need for technological advance.
Describe the influences of the fields involved
Application = Our scientific knowledge, understanding
and inquiry can and has led to the development of
solutions and discoveries. From this, actions can occur.
These actions have economic, environmental and social
impacts. Describe the impacts and the risk.
Our knowledge can be used to offer explanations and
make reliable predictions. Describe any predictions.
Application of our knowledge may also have
consequences – beneficial or unexpected. All applications
require monitoring and evaluation of risk and can provide
further opportunities. Multiple lines of evidence come
from a range of needs and values. Describe these.