Science is all around us. Studying and learning science helps us to understand the world around us. Science begins as a small infant begins to explore and question its surroundings. Science has brought us many inventions and cures.
Science has two main parts. First, science is a process. It is the way we think and the way we learn. Second, science is content. It is the knowledge and information that we gain. Children need to learn both how to think and new knowledge in order to process their thoughts.
Science also has much to do with terminology and vocabulary. There are terms used in scientific experimentation that we do not use in our everyday lives. Teachers must teach children to think and talk like a scientist.
Science is a very controversial subject because of the so many unproven theories. Many people have different ideas about why things happen. As teachers, we must teach children to state a hypothesis and support it with experimentation. We must also teach them that other possibilities exist. They must explore all options and be prepared for their ideas to be dismissed if proven untrue.
Many teachers have not received adequate training in teaching science. It is impossible for teachers to engage students in scientific experimenting when the teachers are not knowledgeable in the area of science or teaching science.
Teachers need to attend workshops and classes to learn how to facilitate children’s learning of science. Teachers need to learn how to be facilitators of learning. Children must have much control of their learning in a Science classroom. Science is such a broad field that teachers may need to complete various sections of training.
In upper elementary and high school education, classes normally focus on one science topic. For example, one class may be devoted to Biology and one to Chemistry. Teachers can then specialize in their subject.
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