Is Science Education Failing Children?

11/27/2006

Is Science Education Failing Children?

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
Carl Sagan

Many children insist that the moon produces its own light, and that Earth’s changing shadow causes the moon’s phases. And many believe summer is hot when Earth travels close to the sun, and winter is cold when Earth travels far away from the sun. Can science teachers change students’ misconceptions? The answer is yes, but only if teachers are competent, patient, and willing to do more than cover the curriculum and coach students on test questions. Thomas Carpenter says the best way to improve science teaching and learning involves training teachers to understand scientific concepts, practicing scientific inquiry the way real scientists investigate problems, confronting their own scientific reasoning and misconceptions, and generating and demonstrating scientific understanding. For more information, see: www.asbj.com/current/research.html

Contributed by William Strader

Teaching Science in the Preschool

The Exchange book, The Wonder of It: Exploring How the World Works, explores teaching science in the preschool. Teaching science, at best, is supporting the curiosity of children, simulating their thinking, helping them ask good questions, sharing the joy of discovery. Chapters in The Wonder of It, from a variety of early childhood specialists, speak to the excitement of scientific pursuit and to the importance of wonder in the lives of young children.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.