Doing Science

Ready, Set, Science! (2007) states that one of the main reasons why it is important to teach science well is because, “For some students, science will become a lifelong vocation or avocation” (p. 3). This is very important, because we need to continue producing scientists; interest in science has decreased, and we need scientists to survive and improve. One of the reasons why students might not show an interest is due to the way that science is taught. Steering away from constant didactic teaching and into inquiry learning in the classroom is one way to get students more actively involved.

The other day, I was talking to my mom and I said, “I wonder how much of a difference elementary school can make on what a person chooses to do for a living 10-20 years later.” And my mom responded, “Well, you know, I remember in 6th grade, the teacher gave us a flower to examine to learn about its parts and components. I had never seen a flower in that way before and it fascinated me. I know that project is what made me want to be a biologist.” Instead of learning about a flower from a picture and words in a book, we can learn about it by looking at a real flower up close, where we can see it, smell it, feel it, look at it through a magnifying glass or microscope, and so on. In How Children Learn (2001), Stella Vosniadou discusses how curricula and instruction are, “attempting to become more student-centered rather than teacher-centered, to connect the school to real-life situations, and to focus on understanding and thinking rather than on memorization, drill, and practice" (p.7).

This is my mom in elementary school. Check out the smile on her face when she's outside experiencing her environment, as opposed to her demeanor when she's just sitting at a desk taking notes. 

My mom said that the times she was “doing science” are the ones that stuck with her through the years and motivated her to become a biologist.

As Dewey argued, "Inquiry teaching involves allowing children to learn from direct experience and cultivate their natural curiosity" (p. 7). Those few projects in school where the teacher guided students through an active way of experiencing and learning about their environment, really did play a significant role in shaping the way someone, like my mom, views the world today---like a scientist!

Photographs By: Marta Aronna (my mom) pictured below :) <3

Michaels, S., Shouse, A, Schweingruber, H, & National Research Council. (2007). Ready, Set, Science!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms. Retrieved from:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11882.html

Vosniadou, S. (2001 July). How Children Learn. Retrieved from:
http://www.curtin.edu.au/curtin/dept/smec/iae
http://ww.ibe.unesco.org/publications.

Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education; Directorate for Education and Human Resources; & National Science Foundations. Foundations: A monograph for professionals in science, mathematics, and technology education. Inquiry: Thoughts, Views, and Strategies for the K-5 Classroom. Retrieved from:
gmcgrude@nsf.gov
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/ESIE/index.html