(This story is adapted from an article that originally ran in The Conversation on Sept. 15, 2021, written by Meenakshi Sharma, Assistant Professor of Science Education at Mercer University.)
As we try to raise our kids’ interest and engagement in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math), it’s crucial to expose them to the foundations of science during elementary school. However, this is too often overlooked. Most classroom instruction today is focused on math and language arts, leaving science education on the back burner. But if we fail to find the effective science teachers our children need while they’re still in the early grades, we could face serious challenges in developing scientifically literate citizens.
Young children rarely get the chance for inquiry-based science education in grades K-5, even years after the 2013 rollout of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), now used in 40 states. NGSS standards advocate teaching that emphasizes the use of real-world phenomena–rather than just memorizing facts — to help students understand the natural world around them. Yet results from the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation’s report card, show that on average, U.S. fourth graders don’t even meet the “proficient” level of science knowledge. The situation is even worse in high-poverty school districts.
To help improve that situation, young kids need teachers that can nurture their curiosity, help them understand the natural world, and even at a young age, begin to think like a scientist. As a science education researcher and a teacher educator, my goal is to help prepare the next generation of science teachers to do that. Here are five attributes of an effective elementary school science teacher you can look for:
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Teachers should nurture a student’s curiosity
Kids are curious by nature. Science teachers should use everyday natural events as a basis of science instruction to foster that curiosity. This approach encourages students to take a more active role in figuring out how the natural world works instead of being taught factual information by an instructor.
For instance, in this video, a teacher poses an interesting query to students: How did a water puddle disappear over time? During a subsequent experiment, students used a thermometer to measure the temperature of a water puddle outside at different times of the day. They used the data to make connections between temperature changes and the shrinking size of the puddle and delve into the reasoning behind it.
In this case, the teacher involved students in scientific practices and used an everyday occurrence to teach key scientific concepts such as sunlight, energy, and energy transfer.
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Encourage scientific thinking
An effective science teacher will help students develop exploratory questions, develop hypotheses to explain natural events, and encourage them to test and refine their explanations based on scientific evidence.
For example, when a first grade classroom was learning about how day and night happen, students illustrated their own understanding of the phenomena using a scientific practice called modeling, in which kids learn science with drawings (or other material) and measurement rather than just theory. In this case, as students learned more and more about day and night, they kept revising their drawings. They also collected long-term data to understand the repeating patterns of day and night.
In addition, students can be called on to draw on experiences and languages from their homes and communities when sharing ideas about scientific issues. For instance, a student from an agricultural community might have particular knowledge about plant growth and the unique local language to describe it. An effective science teacher provides opportunities to build on such native experiences and local knowledge in their science classrooms.
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Developing scientific literacy
Teachers who plan lessons according to NGSS standards aim to develop scientifically literate young citizens who can identify, evaluate and understand the science underlying important socio-scientific issues. These are the big social and political problems that can be better understood with strong scientific knowledge. For example, students might make sense of the scientific information underlying the COVID-19 crisis and make arguments for how and why vaccination is important for their communities. Other examples of socioscientific issues are climate change, genetic engineering, and pollution from oil spills.
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Weaving in learning from other subject areas
Teaching science with an interdisciplinary approach — incorporating math, technology, language arts, and social studies to make sense of scientific phenomena — can lead to rich and rigorous learning experiences.
For example, teachers can integrate math by having students create visual charts and graphs to explain their experimental or observation data.
Technology integration in the form of games and simulations in science classrooms can help students picture complex science ideas. In addition, incorporating reading and comprehension strategies in science can bolster students’ ability to read critically for scientific ideas and evidence.
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Using more than tests to assess learning
Science teachers interested in their students’ scientific understanding will use classroom-based assessments rather than traditional closed-ended assessments that require yes or no answers, textbook-style definitions, or lists of scientific facts. Instead, these teachers will use open-ended, phenomenon-based assessments that give students a chance to show what they know.
For example, a fifth grade assessment presents students with a story of an Australian ecosystem and prompts them to use modeling to explain relationships between different components of the ecosystem. Such an assessment encourages students to explain how a process happens instead of merely regurgitating information.
Effective science teachers do not evaluate students’ responses for right and wrong answers. They interpret and evaluate students’ scientific explanations to understand strengths and gaps in their learning and use this information to adapt future instruction.
Teachers who are prepared to implement these five evidence-based practices can potentially involve all students in their classroom in meaningful science learning. That can make the students happier, more engaged, and in the long term, leave us all better off.
