Ten Questions to Ask Your Neighborhood School About Local Science Education
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Is science literacy for all high-school graduates a major goal of the K-12
program?
Throughout their school years, all students—not just those with scientific
careers in mind—should be gaining knowledge and skills in science
and mathematics to prepare them to live in a world increasingly shaped
by science and technology.
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What guidelines do teachers and school administrators use to improve student
learning?
Teachers can take advantage of documents such as Science for
All Americans, Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and National Science Education
Standards (or state guidelines based on them) to see how their own textbooks,
teaching strategies, and tests compare. These documents represent the best
thinking of hundreds of teachers, scientists, and learning researchers on
what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels.
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What provisions are made in the curriculum for students of different interests,
talents, and ambitions?
Flexibility in teaching and classroom materials rather than
a “one-size-fits-all” approach
is needed to reach all students.
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What is the proportion of girls and minority students enrolled in advanced
classes?
Curriculum and teaching styles should foster the success of all
students, with particular attention to encouraging those who have traditionally
been underrepresented in science and mathematics courses.
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Are students learning connected concepts rather than simply memorizing
isolated facts, formulas, and technical terms?
Making meaningful links among related scientific ideas helps
students retain what they’ve learned and provides a strong framework
for future learning.
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Is the learning active?
Students learn better if their instruction includes observing, collecting,
sorting, and using tools to measure, design, record, and
analyze. Students also need time to reflect on what they have learned and
to practice communicating their procedures and findings effectively.
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Do teachers welcome curiosity, reward creativity, and encourage healthy
questioning?
Students should be encouraged to think and work in ways that
are characteristic of science and mathematics, which include having some
healthy skepticism, an open mind, and an appreciation of the practicality
and the beauty of science.
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Are teachers given encouragement, time, and resources to update their own
skills and knowledge?
Teachers benefit greatly from discussing ideas about practices
and materials with one another. They also need the opportunity to take courses
and participate in workshops about research on effective instruction and
current scientific knowledge.
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Do teachers look for and deal with students’ misconceptions
about how the world works?
Research shows that students come to school with persistent
ideas of their own—some correct and some not—about almost every
topic likely to be encountered in the science curriculum. Teachers should
help students understand scientific views by finding out about their ideas
and addressing them directly.
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Do teachers at different grade levels work together to clarify what ideas
will be learned when?
Continuity of learning is important. Teachers need to discuss
learning goals across grade levels so that students tackle more complex ideas
only after they have learned simpler ones.
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Is Your Child's Science Education What
It Should Be?
1998. Ten Questions to Ask Your Neighborhood School About Local
Science Education.
