Does Science For Kids Begin And End In The School Science Lab?
Science for kids is sometimes a bit of a frustration, or in some cases an enigma! When I taught science to high school students the question that was often put to me was "Yea, but what relevance is this going to be to me later in life?" I suppose that is a fair question, as I asked the same of studying Shakespeare when I was at school.
Now, with some years of "real life" under the belt, I can look back and realize the lessons that even dear old Mr. Shakespeare taught me. Romance, what mistakes not to make and thinking with your head and not your heart (OK maybe a little bit of heart) being just some of the few that that great man taught even the most skeptic scholar, and this without me even knowing it!
But I digress... this is not about Romeo and Juliet, but science. How relevant is science to every day life? Is it good enough to learn it in the classroom in order to pass the exam and leave it at that? Realistically, if a student's aim is to become an accountant, what relevance does the process of photosynthesis have to his or her existence?
I would like to suggest that it is very relevant. To the boy who is to train to be a motor mechanic, understanding forces, viscosity of liquids at different temperatures and indeed combustion of volatile materials is very relevant. To the girl whose aim it is is to be a landscaper, an understanding of photosynthesis, nutrient uptake of plants and plant pathogens will surely assist her in her business.
Yes, and even the future accountant can make use of science knowledge, even if it is to brighten his office with pot plants, which will give off the life giving oxygen that keeps him alert during those long hours at the desk when the financial year end comes around!
I have given a glimpse of the futures of some imaginary kids, but what about the now? What about science for kids who are in school now? Without intending to insult the reader's intelligence, is it not obvious that what happens in their lives now affects the attitudes later in life? Applying this to the topic on hand, what happens with their science education now will affect their attitudes to science later in life. Will it be a relevant topic or something that will not even enter their minds once they are qualified in their respective fields of expertise?
Having shown that science is relevant in a person's career, never mind their day to day life, is it not important, even essential, that science for kids becomes an integral part of their lives? This means beyond the classroom and the science fair project. The kids of today need to be taught and made aware of science in their lives. How it affects them and how it can be utilized to improve their existence, starting now.
The classroom lessons and activities must activate the minds of the students. How is this done? - hands on activities. Let them feel, touch, smell, hear and see science - yes even if it may make a mess in the laboratory. Instead of reading about the ecosystem of a pond, let them experience it hands on. Let them get wet and dirty. Let them catch some of the organisms and keep them in specimen bottles, at the same time as being aware of not disturbing the fine balance of the natural ecosystem.
Yes, educators, science for kids takes effort. To those in management positions at schools, it will take planning and funds - but if your heart is for education you will heed my words.
Having said this, the responsibility of making science for kids relevant and exciting lies not solely with the schools. Parents need to play their part too. On more than one occasion has my family's supper table been cleared of dishes as impromptu experiments take place after our meal. Using objects found in the house - from glasses of water filled with food coloring and paper towels to demonstrate diffusion and water uptake in plants, to a magnet, a couple of sewing needles and a wine bottle cork to make a compass - my prodigy has learned, and not forgotten, the finer details of some aspects of biology, physics, chemistry and earth sciences.
These lessons have no prior planning but arise from the questions asked by the kids after an observation that day. The observations are either made while playing in the garden, or in the house, or while reading about something that the young mind needs something tangible to fully understand it. Training kids in the art of observation, relevant questioning and simple hypothesis formation is the first step in the scientific process and in making science a part of their lives.
Let me end this article with a call to teachers and parents of our generation to make science for kids more than some words and pictures in a textbook.
Science must be life because life itself is in fact science!
Now, with some years of "real life" under the belt, I can look back and realize the lessons that even dear old Mr. Shakespeare taught me. Romance, what mistakes not to make and thinking with your head and not your heart (OK maybe a little bit of heart) being just some of the few that that great man taught even the most skeptic scholar, and this without me even knowing it!
But I digress... this is not about Romeo and Juliet, but science. How relevant is science to every day life? Is it good enough to learn it in the classroom in order to pass the exam and leave it at that? Realistically, if a student's aim is to become an accountant, what relevance does the process of photosynthesis have to his or her existence?
I would like to suggest that it is very relevant. To the boy who is to train to be a motor mechanic, understanding forces, viscosity of liquids at different temperatures and indeed combustion of volatile materials is very relevant. To the girl whose aim it is is to be a landscaper, an understanding of photosynthesis, nutrient uptake of plants and plant pathogens will surely assist her in her business.
Yes, and even the future accountant can make use of science knowledge, even if it is to brighten his office with pot plants, which will give off the life giving oxygen that keeps him alert during those long hours at the desk when the financial year end comes around!
I have given a glimpse of the futures of some imaginary kids, but what about the now? What about science for kids who are in school now? Without intending to insult the reader's intelligence, is it not obvious that what happens in their lives now affects the attitudes later in life? Applying this to the topic on hand, what happens with their science education now will affect their attitudes to science later in life. Will it be a relevant topic or something that will not even enter their minds once they are qualified in their respective fields of expertise?
Having shown that science is relevant in a person's career, never mind their day to day life, is it not important, even essential, that science for kids becomes an integral part of their lives? This means beyond the classroom and the science fair project. The kids of today need to be taught and made aware of science in their lives. How it affects them and how it can be utilized to improve their existence, starting now.
The classroom lessons and activities must activate the minds of the students. How is this done? - hands on activities. Let them feel, touch, smell, hear and see science - yes even if it may make a mess in the laboratory. Instead of reading about the ecosystem of a pond, let them experience it hands on. Let them get wet and dirty. Let them catch some of the organisms and keep them in specimen bottles, at the same time as being aware of not disturbing the fine balance of the natural ecosystem.
Yes, educators, science for kids takes effort. To those in management positions at schools, it will take planning and funds - but if your heart is for education you will heed my words.
Having said this, the responsibility of making science for kids relevant and exciting lies not solely with the schools. Parents need to play their part too. On more than one occasion has my family's supper table been cleared of dishes as impromptu experiments take place after our meal. Using objects found in the house - from glasses of water filled with food coloring and paper towels to demonstrate diffusion and water uptake in plants, to a magnet, a couple of sewing needles and a wine bottle cork to make a compass - my prodigy has learned, and not forgotten, the finer details of some aspects of biology, physics, chemistry and earth sciences.
These lessons have no prior planning but arise from the questions asked by the kids after an observation that day. The observations are either made while playing in the garden, or in the house, or while reading about something that the young mind needs something tangible to fully understand it. Training kids in the art of observation, relevant questioning and simple hypothesis formation is the first step in the scientific process and in making science a part of their lives.
Let me end this article with a call to teachers and parents of our generation to make science for kids more than some words and pictures in a textbook.
Science must be life because life itself is in fact science!
Komentar
Posting Komentar