Science teachers throughout the country are assessing their programs to determine how to incorporate the National Science Education Standards into their classrooms. In the vision presented by the National Science Standards, students should engage in the inquiry process to gain an understanding of science concepts. The Standards declare that science is for all students, and stress the need to develop scientifically literate individuals who are life-long learners.
The Standards outline the educational philosophy I have followed for many years, describing science learning as an active process in which "... students describe objects and events, ask questions, construct explanations of natural phenomena, test those explanations in many different ways, and communicate their ideas to others" (NRC 1995). Effectively using technology and common organisms found in schoolyards and neighborhoods, teachers can implement this philosophy by tapping into the natural curiosity children have for the world around them. Then all of us can build upon this innate desire to learn.
Technology
The National Standards recommend that teachers use the tools of technology to develop students' abilities to understand science and the world around them. For example, students can use camcorders to videotape organisms in the field or under the microscope; they can prepare 5-minute presentations for which they have written scripts and graphed data on the computer and done background research on the Internet. Presentations can be videotaped for later viewing by classmates who are encouraged to ask questions as they watch the tapes.
The results can then be
analyzed by the class, with scenarios and graphics played out on computers
to suggest how changing one of the variables could affect the results. Not
only do students learn about the world around them, they learn or improve
their technical skills. This use of technology for classroom analysis provides
more opportunity for all of the students to comprehend the processes and
the concepts of science.
Each 9 weeks my students prepare a video presentation on their study of an organism, a scientific concept, or a theme. Some of the topics chosen by the students include "Experiments with Spiders," "The Habitat of Fall Wildflowers," "Tricks of Winter Survival," "Track Patterns," "Structure and Function in the Honey Bee," and "Parthenogenesis in the Aphid." I use a rubric to evaluate the projects and award points for techniques used in the presentation, for the correct illustration/explanation of science concepts, for the incorporation of other forms of technology, and for creativity.
