HANDS-ON SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. WHY AND HOW.

Children in elementary schools are at concrete operational stage of their development. Teachers have been known to use all kinds of props such as pictures, diagrams, models to get the message across. Invisible concepts must be presented in concrete form to enable children to grasp the concepts. Hands on science gives children opportunity for sensorial experiences.

Maria Montessori was an Italian medical doctor who during her work with children discovered ‘the Child’. She got her knowledge by observing children engrossed in work.

Early childhood is a wonderful time for learning ‘science’. Young children want to make sense of their world, just like scientists. Tapping into their scientific curiosity in an appropriate way will result in developing positive attitudes towards learning science.

Constructivism means building on prior knowledge. Constructivists share two basic beliefs: 1.Learners construct their own knowledge. 2.Teaching “science” must change in major ways to achieve this purpose. Hands-on science activities have been considered the most appropriate way to help children develop science concepts.

In elementary schools much work is involves broadening children’s knowledge of phenomena and what effects them. Practical hands-on experiences can contribute to this development. Montessori method of teaching involves use of didactic materials with built-in control of error.

Montessori approach also gives children opportunity for team work. It follows constructivist approach that children learning by doing. It is a great way to present science lessons.

Sink and Float

Life cycle of a plant. Image source:

Colors of Light. Image from

Worksheets and Textbook based instruction lead to elimination of true inquiry. This is not a developmentally appropriate way to motivate scientific curiosity. Traditional approaches can be extended into inquiry based hands-on science lessons.