Expected, Inspected, & Respected.
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
This post was an assignment for my early years science curriculum, instruction, and assessment course. It felt so bad to say anything negative about Bill Nye! I love that guy! The Nature of ScienceThe nature of science is not taught explicitly in the K-4 science curriculum and so it must be taught implicitly in the way we deliver our lessons and the processes we use to explore the curricular topics. Therefore, the decisions we make as educators in the presentation of the science curriculum will have an immense impact on our students’ attitudes and impressions of the nature of science. Our discussion on Thursday centred on how best to present a unit on simple machines: show a Bill Nye the Science Guy video accompanied by a worksheet, or build a catapult or trebuchet, testing and charting distances of objects thrown based on different weights and arm lengths. While Bill Nye the Science Guy is a fun and educational video series, there are fundamental problems with showing a video. What does showing a video and filling out a worksheet teach students about the nature of science? Nothing about it reflects the nature of science as described in the Manitoba Foundations for Scientific Literacy booklet, which states, “Science is a way of learning about the universe. This learning stems from curiosity, creativity, imagination, intuition, exploration, replication of experiments, interpretation of evidence, and debate over the evidence and its interpretations” (“Manitoba Foundations”, 2.4). On top of that, at the literal centre of the Manitoba curriculum in every grade from K-4, is cluster 0, which is a list of 9 scientific inquiry and design process verbs. We need to transmit the idea that science requires action and engagement with the world around us to discover the ways in which it functions. Watching a video is the definition of passive learning and filling out a worksheet is anything but engaging. It is important to be cognizant of the potential negative impact that using Bill Nye as an exemplary scientist can have on students, as he is a white, middle aged man in a lab coat, and fits several other traits typical of scientific stereotypes (Barman, 1997, 20). According to Farland-Smith et al. (2012), “Perceptions of scientists held by students relate to their attitudes toward science and self-efficacy in science courses” (p.356). Fortunately, Bill Nye has a diverse cast of child actors experimenting alongside him so that anyone can identify with being a scientist. I believe Bill Nye does more good than harm when used as a supplement to hands-on activities, not as a replacement for it. I think Bill Nye would agree. So why do so many teachers prefer videos and worksheets to experimentation? One possible answer is that it’s easier. It takes energy and planning to create a positive and worthwhile experimental experience in the classroom and it can be difficult to assess whether or not a process of inquiry was successful. As a result, “What was educationally significant and hard to measure has been replaced by what is educationally insignificant and easy to measure. So now we measure how well we taught what isn’t worth learning.” (Costa, 14)
Additionally, instead of adopting the attitude that everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner, I think teachers often feel that they should always be the authority and understand everything so that they can explain what’s going on. This is why they are sometimes afraid to do experiments in the classroom. What if something goes wrong and you don’t get the perfect answer? However, it is not possible for something to go wrong because the laws of nature are always working. Even a “failed” experiment can teach lessons about the nature of science.There’s always an explanation, even if we aren’t able to find it. Science is less about finding definitive answers and more about a process of inquiry, collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking. These skills are fundamental and should be taught at an early age. When it comes time for me to choose whether to experiment or show a video in the classroom, I plan on summoning the energy to implement my science philosophy and provide my students with the opportunity to exercise their curiosity, creativity, imagination, intuition, and exploration. There will be a place for videos in my classroom, but I know where they stand in my hierarchy of science activities. My class will prioritize trebuchets.
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David Wiebe
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