1. RDP Final Presentation Engendering Excitement for Science and Teaching Science in Elementary School Teachers Brian E. Kinghorn CEP 900 December 13, 2005

2. For children and teachers alike, Science can be a roller coaster ride!!! http://www.pirateplanet.com/Florida_Vacation_6/small/Islands_Of_Adventure_Roller_Coaster.JPG

3. However, the way the ride is perceived can be quite different! http://www.bric-a-brac.org/humour/images/sante/science.jpg http://www.remlingerfarms.com/countryfair.html

4. Scientists are Like 4-yr-olds ● They are constantly trying to make sense of the world ● They are curious, asking why and how things work ● Each answer is followed by another “why?” ● Their observations are as complete and detailed as possible ● They are excited by the questions and the answers

5. School Science vs. Nature of Science ● School Science – Didactic transmission of concrete knowledge ● Book Work ● Collection of Authoritative Facts ● Static (Unchanging) ● About Grades ● Relatively Unconnected to Phenomena. ● Scientific Practice – A way of knowing or making sense of the world ● Pragmatic (ever changing) ● Fundamentally Based in Phenomena ● Looking for answers to practical questions ● Answers lead to more questions.

6. The way science is often taught in school (book work and didactic transmission) has led to a large population of individuals who have had “negative net experiences” with science education. Among this population are many current and future elementary school teachers. If their views of science and methods for teaching science to their students are not changed, we will continue to replenish the supply of adults (and future teachers) turned off to science.

7. Thomas Henry Huxley 1825-1895 “If scientific education is to be dealt with as mere bookwork, it will be better not to attempt it but to stick to the Latin Grammar which makes no pretence to be anything but bookwork” (qtd. in DeBoer, 1991, p. 10). http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/thuxley.html

8. How do we get elementary school teachers who have had “negative net experiences” with science in their own education to be excited about teaching science to their students? 1. Preservice teacher education 2. In service teacher development 3. Developing useful educative curriculum

9. Teaching science content and teaching methods is not enough! Teachers' beliefs about science need to change. They need to start to see science as an exciting way of making sense of their world before they can help their students do the same!

10. 1. Engage Teachers in Conceptual Change: - Help them understand their own beliefs about science -Show them a side of science that they don't yet see -Guide them through the process of accommodating the new ideas about science into their schema. 2. Give Teachers the Same Exciting Experiences with Science that their Students will have - Model teaching methods (teachers as learners) -Teachers are able to feel like “little scientists” again -Incorporate methods teaching into these experiences

11. Looking to the Future: ● Obviously the ideal approach to preparing future teachers would be to foster children's curiosity with school science from the beginning rather than constricting it using current practices. ● However, that cannot be done with out teachers who can break from the norm TODAY and go beyond their past experiences to create that environment for their students. ● This will require a change in the entire system of education, not just individual teachers.