CRADLES OF EARLY

SCIENCE
GROUP 1

MEMBERS:
Wendielyn Umayam
Randel Cabanglan
Gerald Albior Liguid
James Jhon Aman
DEVELOPMENT OF
SCIENCE IN
MESOAMERICA
MESOAMERIC
A
Mesoamerica includes the entire
area of Central America from
Southern Mexico up to the
border of South America. There
is no doubt that the
Mesoamerican region is rich in
culture and knowledge prior to
the arrival of its European
colonizers.
MAYAN CIVILIZATION
The Mayan civilization is one of the famous civilizations that lasted for
approximately 2,000 years. These people are know for their works in
astronomy. They incorporated their advanced understanding of
astronomy into their temples and other religious structures. This allows
them to use their temples for astronomical observation. For example, the
pyramid at Chichén Itzi in Mexico is situated at the location of the Sun
during the spring and fall equinoxes.
The pyramid of Chichén Itzi in
Mexico
Mayan knowledge and
understanding about celestial
bodies was advanced for their
for measuring time using two
time, as evidenced by their
complicated calendar systems.
knowledge of predicting eclipse
These calendars were very useful
and using astrological cycles in
for their lite especially in planning
planting and harvesting. The
their activities and in observing
Mayans are also known
their religious rituals and cultural
celebrations.
Calendars of Mayan
The Mayans also developed the
technology for growing different
crops and building elaborate cities
using ordinary machineries and
tools. They built hydraulics system
with sophisticated waterways to
supply water to different
communities.

Hydraulics System
Furthermore, they used various tools and adapt
themselves to innovations especially in the field of arts.
The Mayans built looms for weaving cloth and devised
a rainbow of glittery paints made from a mineral called
mica. They are also believed to be one of the first
people to produce rubber products 3,000 years before
Goodyear received its patent in 1844.
MICA
The Mayans are considered one
of the most scientifically
advanced societies in
Mesoamerica. They are also They were also skilled in
famous as one of the world’s first mathematics and created a
civilizations to use a writing number system based on the
system known as the Mayan numeral 20. Moreover, they
hieroglyphics. independently developed the
concept of zero and positional
value, even before the Romans
did.
MAYAN HIEROGLYPHICS
INCA CIVILIZATION
The Inca civilization is also famous in
Mesoamerica. The Incas made advanced scientific
ideas considering their limitations as an old
civilization. The following were scientific ideas
and tools that they developed to help them in
everyday life:
ROADS PAVED WITH
STONES
STONE BUILDINGS THAT SURMOUNTED
EARTHQUAKES AND OTHER DISASTERS
IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND TECHNIQUE
FOR STORING WATER FOR THEIR CROPS
TO GROW IN ALL TYPES OF LAND
CALENDAR WITH 12 MONTHS TO MARK THEIR
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND PREPARE THEM FOR
PLANTING SEASON
THE FIRST SUSPENSION BRIDGE
QUIPU, A SYSTEM OF KNOTTED ROPES ‘TO
KEEP RECORDS THAT ONLY EXPERTS CAN
INTERPRET
Inca textiles since cloth was one of the
specially prized artistic achievements
AZTEC
CIVILIZATION
Following the Inca, the Aztec civilization has
also made substantial contributions to science
and technology and to the society as a whole.
Some of their contributions are the following:
1. Mandatory education. The
Aztec puts value on education; that
is why their children are mandated
to get education regardless of their
social class, gender, or age. It is an
early form of universal or inclusive
education.
2. Chocolates. The Aztec in Mexico
developed chocolate during their
time. In the Mayan culture, they
used it as currency. The Aztec
valued the cacao beans highly and
made it as part of their tribute to
their gods.
3. Antispasmodic
medication. They used a type
of antispasmodic medication
that could prevent muscle
spasms and relax muscles,
which could help during
surgery.
4. Chinampa. It is a form of
Aztec technology for agricultural
farming in which the land was
divided into rectangular areas and
surrounded by canals.
5. Aztec calendar. This enabled
them to plan their activities,
rituals, and planting season.
6. Invention of the canoe. A
light narrow boat used for
traveling in water systems.
DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN ASIA
Asia is the biggest continent in the
world and the home of many
ancient civilizations. It is a host to
many cultural, economic, India, China, and the Middle
scientific, and political activities East civilizations. These
of all ages. In the field of science, civilizations were incomparable
technology, and mathematics, great in terms of their contributions to
civilizations have stood out: the development of knowledge
during their time. out:
India is a huge peninsula surrounded
by vast it bodies of water and fortified
They are known for
by huge mountains in its northern
manufacturing iron and in
boarders. The Indians creatively
metallurgical works. Their iron
developed various ideas and
steel is considered to be the best
technologies useful in their everyday
and held with high regard in the
lives.
whole of Roman Empire.
India is also famous in medicine.
For example, Ayurveda, a system of
traditional medicine that originated in
ancient India before 2500 BC, is still
practiced as a form of alternative
medicine. They discovered some
medicinal properties of plants that led
them to develop medicines to cure
various illnesses.
Some ancient texts, like the
Susruta Samhita,
describes different surgical
and other medical
procedures famous in
Ancient India.
Ancient India is also and the year of 360 days with 12
notable in the field of equal parts of 30 days each. Sama
astronomy. They (2008) noted that their interest in
developed theories on the astronomy was also evident in the
configuration of the first 12 chapters of the Siddhanta
universe, the spherical self- Shiromani, written in the 12th
supporting Earth, century.
According to Sama (2008), this ancient text covered
topics such as: mean longitudes of the planets; true
longitudes of the planets; the three problems of diurnal
rotation; syzygies; lunar eclipses; solar eclipses;
latitudes of the planets; risings and settings; the moon's
crescent; conjunctions of the planets with each other;
conjunctions of the planets with the fixed stars; and the
paths of the Sun and Moon.
Ancient India is also known for
their mathematics. Bisht (1982)
noted that the earliest traces of
mathematical knowledge in the
Indian subcontinent appeared in the
Indus Valley Civilization, The
people of this civilization, according
to Bisht (1982), tried to standardize
measurement of length to a high
degree of accuracy and designed a
ruler, the Mohenjodaro ruler.
Clifford (2008) and Bose (1998)
pointed out that Indian astronomer
and mathematician Aryabhata (476-
550), in his Aryabhatiya,
introduced a number of
trigonometric functions, tables, and
techniques, as well as algorithms of
algebra.

Aryabhatiya
In 628 AD, another Indian,
Brahmagupta, also Suggested
that gravity was a force of
attraction, and lucidly explained
the use of zero as both a
placeholder and a decimal digit,
along with the Hindu-Arabic
numeral system now used
universally throughout the world
(Clifford, 2008; Bose, 1998).
Another Indian named
Madhava of Sangamagrama
is also considered as the
founder of mathematical
analysis (Joseph, 1991).
China is one of the ancient civilizations with
substantial contributions in many areas of life like
medicine, astronomy, science, mathematics, arts,
philosophy, and music, among others. Chinese
civilizations have greatly influenced many of its
neighbor countries like Korea, Japan, Philippines,
Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia. Myanmar, and
other countries that belong to the old Silk Road.
The Chinese are known for
traditional medicines, a product of
centuries of experiences and
discovery of the Chinese people.
They discovered various medical
properties and uses of different
plants and animals to cure human
illness. An example is the practice
of acupuncture.
In terms of technology, the
Chinese are known to develop
many tools. Among the famous
discoveries and inventions of the
Chinese civilizations were
compass, papermaking,
gunpowder, and printing tools
that became known in the West
only by the end of the Middle
Ages (Davies, 1995).
They also invented
other tools like iron
plough, wheelbarrow,
and propeller, among
others.
They developed a design
of different models of
bridges (Zhongguo ke xue
yuan, 1983), invented the
first seismological
detector, and developed a
dry dock facility
(Needham et al., 1971).
In the field of astronomy, the
Chinese also made significant
records on supernoyas, lunar
and solar eclipses, and comets, They observed the heavenly
which were carefully recorded bodies to understand weather
and preserved to understand changes and seasons that may
better the heavenly bodies and affect their daily activities. They
their effects to our world used lunar calendars, too. The
(Mayall, 1939). Chinese are also known in
seismology. This made them more
prepared in times of natural
calamities.
China made substantial contributions in various
fields. The list of their discoveries and inventions is
overwhelming. These contributions were made
along with mathematics, logic, philosophy, and
medicine. However, cultural factors prevented these
Chinese achievements from developing into
modern science. According to Needham (1986), it-
may have been the religious and philosophical
framework of Chinese intellectuals that made them
unable to accept the ideas of laws of nature.
MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES
The Middle East countries are
dominantly occupied by Muslims.
With the spread of Islam in the 7th and their proximity to India were
and 8th centuries, a period of contributory to the
Muslim scholarship, or what is intellectualization of the
called the Golden Age of Islam Muslims and provided their
lasted until the 13th century. The scholars knowledge to create
common language of Arabic, access innovations and develop new
to Greek texts from the Byzantine ideas, But contrary to the
Empire, Greeks, Muslim scientists placed
greater value on science
experiments rather than plain-
thought experiments.
This led to the development of the
scientific method in the Muslim
world, and made significant
improvements by using experiments
to distinguish between competing
scientific theories set within a
generally empirical orientation. A
Muslim scientist named Ibn al-
Haytham is also regarded as the
Father of Optics, especially for his
empirical proof of the intromission
theory of light.
Ibn al-Haytham
In mathematics, the
mathematician Muhammad
ibn Musa alKhwarizmi gave What is now known as the
his name to the concept of the Arabic Numeral System
algorithm while the term originally came from India, but
algebra is derived from al- Muslim mathematicians did
jabr, the beginning of the title make several refinements to the
of one of his publications.. number system, such as the
introduction of decimal point
notation.
Muslim chemists and alchemists
also played an important role in the
foundation of modern chemistry
(Durant, 1980). In particular, some
scholars considered Jabir ibn
Hayyan to be the “Father of
Chemistry” (Derewenda, 2007;
Warren, 2005).

Jabir ibn Hayyan

In the field of medicine, Ibn
Sina pioneered the science of
experimental medicine and
was the first physician to
conduct clinical trials
(Jacquart, 2008).

Ibn Sina
His two most notable works in medicine, the Book of
Healing and The Canon of Medicine, were used as
standard medicinal texts in both the Muslim world
and in Europe during the 17th century. Among his
many contributions are the discovery of the contagious
nature of infectious diseases and the introduction of
clinical pharmacology (Craig & Walter, 2000).
The Book of Healing of Ibn
Sina

The Canon of Medicine of Ibn

Sina
There are numerous Muslim scholars who made
significant contributions in the field of science,
mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and even
in the field of social sciences. The decline of this
golden age of Islam started in the 11th to 13th
century due to the conquest of the Mongols
whereby libraries, observatories, and other
learning institutions were destroyed.
DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN AFRICA
Africa is blessed with natural and mineral
resources. Science also emerged in this part of the
planet long before the Europeans colonized it. The
history of science and mathematics show that
similar to other ancient civilizations, the early
civilizations in Africa are knowledge producers,
too.
The ancient Egyptian civilization has contributed
immensely and made significant advances in the fields
of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. For example,
the development of geometry was a product of necessity
to preserve the layout and ownership of farmlands of the
Egyptians living along the Nile River. The rules of
geometry were developed and used to build rectilinear
structures, the post of lintel architecture of Egypt.
Rectilinear Structures of ancient
Egyptian civilization
These early science activities in Egypt were
developed to improve the quality of life of the
Egyptians especially in building their early homes
and cities. The great structures of the Egyptian
pyramids and the early dams built to divert water
from the Nile River are some proofs of their
advanced civilization.
Egypt was known to be a center of alchemy, which is
known as the medieval forerunner of chemistry. They
tried to study human anatomy and pharmacology, and
applied important components such as examination,
diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for the treatment of
diseases. These components displayed strong parallels to
the basic empirical method of studying science.
Astronomy was also famous in the African
region. For instance, documents show that
Africans used three types of calendars: lunar,
solar, and stellar, or a combination of the
three.
Metallurgy was also known in the African
regions during the ancient times. North Africa
and the Nile Valley imported iron technology
from the Near East region that enabled them
to benefit from the developments during the
Bronze Age until the Iron Age. They invented
metal tools used in their homes, in
agriculture, and in building their magnificent
architectures.
Mathematics was also known to be prominent in the life
of early people in the African continent. The Lebombo
Bone from the mountains between Swaziland and South
Africa, which may have been a tool for multiplication,
division, and simple mathematical calculation or a six
month lunar calendar, is considered to be the oldest
known mathematical artifact dated from 35,000 BCE.
Lebombo Bone
Ancient Egyptians are good in the four
fundamental mathematical operations and other
mathematical skills. They have knowledge of the
basic concepts of algebra and geometry. The
Islamic regions in Africa during the medieval
period was also benefiting from mathematical
learning, which is considered advanced during
those times, such as algebra, geometry, and
trigonometry.
LESSON 3
SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE
PHILIPPINES
INTRODUCTIO
N
The Philippines is trying its best to improve the state of
science education in the country. This lesson will discuss the
concept of science education and will identify some strategies
to promote science education in the country. One of the
strategies is to establish science schools that will encourage
students to pursue their career in science and technology and
to nurture their gifted potentials in science.
The Concept of Science Education
Science education focuses on teaching, learning, and
understanding science. Teaching science involves developing ways
on how to effectively teach science. This means exploring
pedagogical theories and models in helping teachers teach scientific
concepts and processes effectively. Learning science, on the other
hand, includes both pedagogy and the most interesting aspect,
Which is helping students understand and love science.
Understanding science implies developing and applying science-
process skills and using science literacy in understanding the natural
world and activities in everyday life.
Getting deeper into the discourse of science education, John
Dewey (2001) stressed the importance of utilizing the natural
environment to teach students. Accordingly, nature must indeed
furnish its physical stimuli to provide wealth of meaning
through social activities and thinking. It is not surprising
therefore that science education is important. In fact, Marx
(1994) opines that science is going to be one of the most
important school subjects in the future.
John Dewey
Science education is justified by the vast amount of scientific
knowledge developed in this area that prepares citizens in a
scientifically and technologically driven world. Science education
provides skills and knowledge that are necessary for a person to
live in what Knight (1986) describes as the age of science and to
develop a citizenry that will meet the goals of science in the society
(Tilghman, 2005). Developing a science culture is therefore an
immense responsibility for schools.
Science Education in Basic and Tertiary Education
In basic education, science education helps students learn
important concepts and facts that are related to everyday life
(Carale & Campo, 2003; Meador, 2005; Worth & Grollman, 2003)
including important skills such as process skills, critical thinking
skills, and life skills that are needed in coping up with daily life
activities (Chaille & Britain, 2002). Science education also develops
positive attitude such as: the love for knowledge, passion for
innovative things, curiosity to study about nature, and creativity
(Lind, 1997). Science education will develop a strong foundation for
studying science and for considering science-related careers in the
future. This is an investment for the country to develop a
scientifically cultured and literate citizenry.
In tertiary education, science education deals with developing
students’ understanding and appreciation of science ideas and
scientific works. This is done through offering basic science
courses in the General Education curriculum. Science education
in the tertiary level also focuses on the preparation of science
teachers, scientists, engineers, and other professionals in various
science-related fields such as engineering, agriculture, medicine,
and health sciences. The state provides scholarships to encourage
more students to pursue science courses.
Science Schools in the Philippines
One outstanding program for science education supported
by the government is the establishment of science schools in
various parts of the country: There are also several
government programs implemented by the Department of
Education and few private schools for science education.
Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS)
This is a government program for gifted students in the
Philippines. It is a service institute of the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) whose mandate is to offer
free scholarship basis for secondary course with special
emphasis on subjects pertaining to the sciences, with the end-
view of preparing its students for 2 science career (Republic
Act No. 3661). The school maintains a dormitory for all its
students.
Since its inception, the PSHSS continues to pursue its vision to develop
Filipino science scholars with scientific minds and passion for
excellence. PSHSS students have proven to be a beacon of excellence,
courage, and hope for the country. They have brought honor to the
Philippines through their exemplary achievements in various
international competitions and research circles. When the students
graduate from the school, they are expected to pursue degrees in science
and technology at various colleges and universities locally or abroad.
Special Science Elementary
Schools (SSES) Project
The Special Science Elementary Schools (SSES) Project is in
pursuance to DepEd Order No. 73 s. 2008, and DepEd Order No.
51 s. 2010. This project started in June 2007 with 57 identified
elementary schools that participated or were identified as science
elementary schools in the country. Since its inception, the number
have grown to more than 60 schools nationwide and this is now
its sixth year of implementation.
The SSES Project aims to develop Filipino children equipped
with scientific and technological knowledge, skills, and values. Its
mission is to:
• provide a learning environment to science-inclined children
through a special curriculum that recognizes the multiple
intelligences of the learners;
• promote the development of lifelong learning skills; and
• foster the holistic development of the learners.
The subject Science and Health is taught in Grade | with a
longer time compared to other subjects: 70 minutes for Grades I
to III and 80 minutes for Grades IV to VI. The curriculum also
utilizes different instructional approaches that address the
learning styles and needs of the learners like the use of
investigatory projects.
The subject Science and Health is taught in Grade | with a
longer time compared to other subjects: 70 minutes for Grades I
to III and 80 minutes for Grades IV to VI. The curriculum also
utilizes different instructional approaches that address the
learning styles and needs of the learners like the use of
investigatory projects.
QUEZON CITY REGIONAL
SCIENCE
HIGH SCHOOL
Quezon City Regional
Science High School

The school was established or September 17, 1967.

Originally, it was named Quezon City Science High School. It
was turned into a regional science high school for the National
Capital Region in 1999. The school was a product of a dream to
establish a special science school for talented students in
science and mathematics. The focus of the curriculum is on
science and technology.
Quezon City Regional
Science High School

The school still teaches the basic education courses prescribed by

the Department of Education (DepEd) for secondary education.
However, there are additional subjects in sciences and technology that
students should take. The school envisions to serve 23 a venue in
providing maximum opportunities for science-gifted students to
develop spirit of inquiry and creativity. The school is well-supported
by the local government unit and by the Parents and Teachers
Association (PTA). The school is under the Department of Education.
MANILA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
MANILA SCIENCE
HIGH SCHOOL

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course
MANILA SCIENCE
HIGH SCHOOL

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Central Visayan Institute
Foundation
Central Visayan Institute
Foundation

It is the home and pioneer of the prominent school-based innovation known as

the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP). The DLP is a synthesis of classical
and modern pedagogical theories adapted to foster the highest level of
learning, creativity, and productivity.
The school takes pride in its Research Center for Theoretical _ Physics
(RCTP) established in 1992, which organizes small international workshops to
foster the informal but intense exchange of ideas and perspectives un
outstanding problems in physics and mathematics.
SUMMARY

Science education deals with the teaching and

learning of science and in helping the public
develop science literacy. This is important in the
promotion and development of science and
technology in the country. Science education
deals with the development of people in science,
which is the heart of science, technology, and
society.