an innovative approach

teaching photosynthesis. Therefore, this research would like to integrate the
technique into the development of a teaching intervention. The historical story of
photosynthesis would be used to challenge students regarding the importance of the
study of photosynthesis. This challenge might encourage their interest in studying
and fully understanding photosynthesis.
The importance of understanding the nature of science was also recognized
for student effective learning. In this study, the nature of science is integrated with
the teaching intervention within real contexts of teaching and learning.
4. Integrating with the Nature of Science
Student understandings of the nature of science; scientific knowledge,
scientific inquiry, and scientific enterprise can not occur automatically without
explicit teaching which provides a classroom environment or learning activities with
current views of the nature of science (Bell, Lederman and Abd-El-Khalick, 1998;
Smith and Scharmann, 1999; Bell et al., 2003). There are common recommendations
among science educators who have suggested ways to promote the understanding of
the nature of science. Smith and Scharmann (1999: 496) suggested that the
understanding of the characteristics of scientific knowledge should be aimed at as the
most important learning outcome for the teaching of science. Students should be able
to judge any argument about science by its characteristics. Bianchini and Colburn
(2000) and Bell et al. (2003: 488) argued that doing or experiencing science with
professional scientists could possibly lead to better understanding of the nature of
science. They believed that teaching should focus on student awareness of scientific
inquiry which then brings students to better understand the scientific content and the
scientific enterprise. On the other hand, Driver et al. (1996) and Barker (1997)
argued that emphasizing understandings the procedural development of scientific
knowledge - how the knowledge was constructed and had been developed or science
as a social enterprise - would promote successful understanding of the nature of
science and therefore successful use of scientific knowledge in everyday life.
62