When I think about my time in school, I recall memories of the good and bad of Science. Science for me is a love hate relationship. I truly enjoy the subject area of Science. What I've come to learn about myself however is my fondness for Science depends on the instruction and how the subject is presented. I recall awesome memories of 'hands on' learning where we were given the opportunity to dive into the material. I equally recall memories where the subject material was rote and my job was to simply regurgitate facts back to the teacher. It's this experience that left me in a confused state of my true position toward Science.
Oxford defines science as "the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment." It's definitions like this that hampered my experience in science class. Rather than attack Oxford, I stand in their corner and agree on the observation and experimentation. Growing up, I always had a nack to 'tinker.' I loved exploring how things work and why. For example, take the modern combustion engine that powers our car. Sometimes opening does not necessarily reveal what trouble lies under the hood. I hear a ticking sound or perhaps a leak from under the belly pan. We identify the potential problem. We proceed on a fact finding mission looking for clues. How can I narrow down what is going on? I identify potential solutions and propose them. I experiment. Did my solution help?
To me, science is exploration and discovery. It's every facet of our curiosity and problem solving. Science is observation, description, investigating and experimenting. Science should peak ones curiosity and engage the learner begging for answers.
In the classroom, this premise should be no different. I say this for several reasons. I wholeheartedly believe that Science is a subject that is taught through a hands on model. Students learn by 'doing' not listening to lectures. Some my favorite classes were experiential and hands on. Exploring Science by doing not only solidified my love for science, but also convinced me that as an educator, I need to teach Science the same way. My goal is to continue embracing Science, and rather not look down on the bad experiences. Instead, take the bad and learn from them. This will help me be the teacher the students deserve.
