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The Order of the Flies
Brain Detectives
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Research Notes
Notable Results
Re: Action
Hands On
Observations
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Observations
Illustration by Amy Patacchiola
The Scientific Method
By Melissa Kosinski-Collins
Will we ever find a cure for cancer or stop global warming? Certainly public concern about these issues has never been stronger. But despite dire pronouncements about looming crises, we avoid discussing the real obstacle to solving such complex problems. The fact is, we need more scientists. As hands-on science and technology curricula give way to standardized testing and lecturing, one-dimensional teaching is driving away countless potential students.
Some of us are destined to become scientists despite the conventional lecture method, because we are fascinated by the world around us. But many, perhaps most, students need a spark of inspiration to get hooked on science. Today’s educational climate too often suffocates interest in science before it has a chance to become inspiration. As science educators we must alter our teaching styles to encourage the “maybe” scientist and inspire the “could be” scientist. To do this, we need to rediscover our own inspiration. How did we get interested in science? Most likely by building towers of blocks as kids, visiting the zoo, or counting the stars. We emerged from these experiences full of excitement and questions. What happens when I add another block? Why is the giraffe’s neck so long?
When we become scientists our “toys” are different, yet our methods of learning about the world around us are intrinsically the same. We observe a phenomenon, create a hypothesis to explain it, and then design and perform hands-on experiments to test our ideas. We discover new things and answer questions by dissecting, building, and experimenting. Why then do we teach science by memorization and lecture? At what point in childhood did the need to “experience” science disappear?
Science, by definition, is interactive. We need to move away from the standard practices of rote memorization, one-way lecturing, and cookbook labs and into the realm of experiential learning, concept-based knowledge, interactive lectures, and self-guided, inquiry-based laboratories. Let students “own” a piece of their learning. Let them choose their own projects and explore with their hands and with their minds.
Are these massive changes in our large introductory science classes feasible? These are the students who need these changes the most, but they are also the largest group. By starting in our own classrooms, we can work our way toward a complete science-teaching revolution over the next few years.
Make your students stand up midway through class and model a wave. Give a demo during class that makes your students gasp. Put away your PowerPoint for just one lecture. Pose just one concept question to the whole class and ask students to vote on the answer. As teachers, we will find that small changes will result in a gradual transformation of the entire science education field.
Science education need not be expensive or involve high technologies available only in the most affluent communities. It needs only to be interactive and hands-on. With society’s ever-increasing demands of science, we must ensure that our students have an opportunity to participate meaningfully, whether to make informed voting decisions, cure Alzheimer’s, or simply recycle.
Melissa Kosinski-Collins is an assistant professor in biology.