COMMUNICATING THROUGH WRITING ABOUT PROCESSES IN SCIENCE

This paper discusses the role of language in science learning. Of conc ern here is the written form as a means of consolidating learning in t wo ways. Firstly written tasks encourage the learner to express his/he r acquired knowledge as well as to consolidate it further. Secondly, t he textbook serves to provide the learner with the opportunity to cons olidate his/her understanding independently of the teacher. The main f ocus is to consider these two types of written language, and more spec ifically whether and, if so, how the written presentation of scientifi c information can influence the learner's own writing. This will be do ne by considering one component of science, viz. the process of photos ynthesis at GCSE level, by examining three samples of students' writin g and three samples of textbook presentation. The nature of language w ith respect to its role in science learning is examined in the light o f five key concepts.