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Science and Mathematics For All
Ms. Wilson found a way to help her students connect science to their lives. Years
from now, many of them will still link their understanding of evaporation to
their experiments with the watering can and the conversations that ensued.
Understanding the whys and hows of that event helped the children build skills
that will support them all their lives. There is little doubt that the future
will be filled with science and mathematics. Rapid advances in computer
technology, the infusion of complex mathematics in economics, and the influence
of science on health and medicine are but a few examples from today's society.
Once thought by some to be the realm of an intellectual elite, science and
mathematics are part of everyone's life. Students' success as adults will be
influenced by their ability to observe, interpret, and understand their
surroundings. Education's challenge is to instill the underlying concepts of
science and mathematics in all students so they can construct their own
foundations and continue to learn throughout their lives.
Make It Real
To begin to build that lifelong foundation, students must view
science and mathematics with interest and enthusiasm. Teachers can nurture
intellectual excitement by linking classroom activities with real life. While
some learners work well with abstract ideas, for most of us understanding is
enhanced when it is linked to a familiar experience. While many textbooks and
instructional activities provide interesting theoretical suggestions, taking
those theories and applying them to student experiences can test a teacher's
ingenuity. Trips to the grocery store, a bicycle or rollerblade ride, making and
spending money, or exploring the shapes of homes, local businesses and the school
building-all have potential for mathematics questions. The environment within and
outside the classroom (local streams and geologic formations, pet behavior,
observations of the sun or the moon) can help convey the immediacy of science. A
"star party" is a great way to engage students in observation and exploration of
the night sky. If your school is connected to the Internet, hook into a
meteorological site that provides reports of weather patterns across the country
or around the world. Many excellent instructional materials pose questions and
suggest activities that can be tied to the local environment. Build your lessons
around them with a thought of how familiar and immediate they will be to your
students.
Questions Uncover Understanding
How do we know what students are learning? How do
we know what they bring to the classroom? What are their thoughts and theories?
Finding the right questions and the ways to ask them is the essence of the art of
teaching. The structure of a teacher's questions determines the pace of a lesson,
the direction inquiry will take, and the balance of autonomy between the teacher
and students. Questions that probe for further explanations help students
construct and articulate their understanding. They also help the teacher grasp
what they understand. Ask how ideas fit with the observable evidence. Have they
had other experiences that support their ideas? Do others have alternative
experiences or alternative ideas? Conversations should occur among students, as
well as with the teacher. Student-based questions-questions they pose in
discussions or to the teacher-provide insight to their understanding. Give them
enough thinking time, "wait time," to reflect and gather a response. Students who
can explain their ideas may be able to present a concept in a new and more
understandable way, for themselves and their classmates. Small groups focused on
a particular question can offer a safe environment for discussion and problem
solving. A classroom with a level of comfort about ideas, reflection, and
disagreement encourages curiosity and inquiry. Permission to speculate and
contribute is one way of opening the inquiry of science and mathematics to all.
Knowing Willie was probably not the water culprit, Ms. Wilson supported the
students' exploration into his nocturnal habits. Without the permission to
explore their ideas, the class would not have progressed to the next steps of
looking at evidence, rethinking, and gathering new evidence. Everyone can benefit
from the class's collective experiences and understandings of the world around
them.
What to Teach?
One of the challenges of teaching mathematics and science is the
breadth of subject matter. How can educators accommodate the call for "Less Is
More" and adequately address the content of the disciplines? The authors of
Benchmarks for Science Literacy state: "The common core of learning in science,
mathematics, and technology should center on science literacy, not on an
understanding of each of the separate disciplines." The authors note that
learning experiences must include connections among science, mathematics, and
technology, as well as the arts, humanities, and vocational subjects. As an
example, younger children can understand the relation between heart rate and
exercise if they are given the time to explore. Drawing pictures of the heart or
memorizing the names of the heart's chambers will not provide such depth or
experience. The connections that link their learning to larger themes such as
living systems (how hearts work inside living bodies), social issues (the effects
of air pollution or smoking), or health (the influence of diet and exercise on
the heart) are the beginning of real science literacy. Mary Alice's questions
about the disappearing water could lead the class to an examination of weather
patterns, energy and matter, or the importance of measurement in scientific
inquiry. Ms. Wilson could choose any one of these avenues (but not all three!) to
provide a larger picture for understanding evaporation. The definition of
evaporation, while probably one outcome of the examination, is but a piece of the
puzzle.
Equity in the Classroom
By using her questioning skills, giving the children's
imagination free rein in the early stages of theorizing, and focusing their
activity on one investigation, Ms. Wilson set the stage for scientific inquiry.
The experiment, as it extended over time, gave the students the chance to reflect
and discuss their ideas. Each child was encouraged to contribute, to bring
individual theories, observations, and conclusions to the problem. By taking each
child's response seriously and letting the students design the experiments to
explore the problem, Ms. Wilson demonstrated respect for diverse backgrounds and
experiences while acknowledging their different levels and abilities. Our
classrooms are filled with diversity. They challenge teachers who are striving to
introduce all students to the excitement and power science and mathematics can
bring. The Curriculum Standards from the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) say it well:
"...today's society expects schools to insure that all students have an
opportunity to become mathematically literate, are capable of extending their
learning, have an equal opportunity to learn, and become informed citizens
capable of understanding issues in a technological society. As society changes,
so must its schools."
Ms. Wilson's story presents the basics of equity in its evenhanded acceptance of
the children's ideas. Specific questions of ensuring participation ("How do I get
more girls in the computer lab?" "How do I design activities that include my
physically handicapped youngster?" "What about the wide range of abilities in my
class?") are addressed in many publications from many different organizations.
See the reading list, Equity in Science and Mathematics Education, for
further ideas.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy by Project 2061 of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Published by the Oxford University Press,
1993.
Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Published by NCTM, 1989.
National Science Education Standards by the National Research Council (NRC).
Published by National Academy Press, 1995 (projected).
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