I really enjoyed the Kristen Gunckel reading as I found it very interesting the way she described the different way science is taught to students. “Scientists’ Science” really stuck out to me right away. I love that this way of learning science involves both inquiry and application. I think that it is fantastic when children get to use their own nature in learning, that of inquiry. The kindergarten students in my classroom are always asking why? Whenever something does not make sense to them or if they want to know more about a certain thing they ask “why.” I think that using their already inquiring minds to teach science can be very successful in their learning process. I also think it is great that “Scientists’ Science” involves application. I have found that sometimes in education we forget how important the application is. Students should be able to apply what they learn in a way that is suitable to them; especially at the young age of five or six!
As I got to the traditional school section of the article and I understand that just reading a story or reading a science book is not good on its own when teaching science. While the “Scientists’ Science” approach seems to be much more appealing and worthwhile for the students, is this a realistic approach all the time? It seems to me that students need a mixture of each approach.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI really agree with what you have written above. Young children are naturally curious about their world and it's important to foster this early in their education. I have noticed in the older grades that students are less apt to seriously enjoy learning and investigating. Many of my students see learning and school in general as a means to an end as opposed to something positive. I also agreed with you when you wrote about nature and how children are naturally always wondering why. I think it is important to remember as teachers that we might not always know the answers ourselves. I remember when I was teaching pre-school a student asked me what whales ate and I had no idea. I brought in some books about whales and we researched together. We learned a lot and eventually I did a demonstration involving whale teeth and krill. It was not only academically rewarding to my students but it provided them with a hands on experience (and it was fun for all of us!). Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Allison