Best Practice in Elementary Science

• Children do learn by doing
• Kids must be given the time, materials, and opportunities to find things out in a structured environment.
• Science is the amazing equalizer in the classroom - - - children at all levels are able to shine as they assume the autonomy and responsibility of inquiry.
• Science instruction should be structured so kids can use their own individual styles of learning.
• Science instruction, even that which is open-ended in nature, should have clearly defined outcomes.
• Students must understand that they are expected to question and probe, to design fair tests, to gather data and clearly record their discoveries, to compare findings with other kids, to look for patterns and connections, and to assess the validity of their own research.

What Research Says about Elementary Science

 Key Points from "Exploring Science in ElementaryEducation"

Why emphasize process skills and problem-solving skills over specific content in elementary science?

5. K-16 science should be viewed more as a verb than as a noun. Science is a way of thinking and acting, rather than a bunch of facts.

Benefits of an Inquiry-Oriented Classroom

• promotes teamwork and collaboration among students
• accommodates different learning styles and gives kids experiences shifting from one style to another.
• encourages learning in more than one area of the curriculum.
• assists in the development of understanding of science concepts.
• helps students to "know how we know" in science.
• Develops an understanding of the nature of science.
• develops the skills necessary to become independent inquirers about the natural world.
• Students who experience inquiry throughout school are hypothesized to become questioning adults, interested in hearing all sides of an argument before passing judgement, and are keen observers adept at evaluating what they have seen and drawing conclusions about it. They will be more concerned about the natural world and more committed to protecting the environment than have previous generations.
• Develops the dispositions to use the skills, abilities, and habits of the mind associated with science.
• Keeps kids actively involved in learning.
• Helps bring the real world into the classroom.
• Reflects the constructivist model of learning.
• Helps students to develop scientific attitudes. Scientific attitudes include curiosity, skepticism, positive self-image, and a positive approach toward failure. Also included are the folowing: withholding judgement, objectivity, open-mindedness, avoiding gullibility, observing carefully, checking evidence, willingness to change, positive attitude toward change, integrity, and avoiding superstitution.

Challenges in the Inquiry Classroom

• children may be going in divergent directions.
• there is a constant need to have materials at hand
• organization is of vital importance
• care must be taken to ensure that instruction is guided such that specific outcomes are attained.

What We Should All Know About Process Skills

• Process skills are progressive; each building on and overlapping with one another.
• The basic process skills: are most appropriate for preschool and primary students. They include observing, classifying, communicating, comparing, and measuring. Sharpening these skills is essential for coping with daily life as well as for future study in math and science. K-primary kids should be able to conduct simple investigations, use simple equipment and tools to gather data, use data to construct reasonable explanations, and communicate results of the investigations and give explanations.
• Intermediate process skills: Include gathering information, organizing information, inferring and predicting.
• Advanced process skills: Include hypothesizing and defining and controlling variables and are most appropriate for students in grades 5-8. 

National Science Teachers Association's Position Statement on Elementary Science

The statements below are a modified version of the NSTAPosition Statement on Elementary School Science

• The National Science Teachers Association supports the notion that investigative science must be a basic in the daily curriculum of every elementary school child at every grade level.
• In the last decade, numerous reports have been published calling for reform in education. Each report has highlighted the importance of early experiences in science so that children develop problem-solving skills that empower them to participate in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
• The elementary science program must provide opportunities for children to develop understandings and skills necessary to function productively as problem-solvers in a scientific and technological world.

Elementary school children learn science best when:

• Students are involved in first-hand exploration and investigation and inquiry/process skills are nurtured.
• Instruction builds directly on the child's conceptual framework.
• Content is organized on the basis of broad conceptual themes common to all science disciplines.
• Mathematics and communication skills are an integral part of science instruction.
• The learning environment for elementary science must foster positive attitudes towards self and society, as well as science.

Elementary school children value science best when:

• a variety of presentation modes are used to accommodate different learning styles, and students are given opportunities to interact and share ideas with their peers.
• the scientific contributions of individuals from all ethnic origins are recognized and valued.
• other subject areas are infused into science.
• inquiry skills and positive attitudes are modeled by the teacher and others involved in the education process.

Teacher Preparation in Science Education

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• Teacher preparation must enable the teacher to implement science as a basic component of the elementary school curriculum.
• Teacher preparation must provide for experiences that will enable teachers to use hands-on activities to promote skill development, selecting content and methods appropriate for their students, and for design of classroom environments that promote positive attitudes toward science and technology.

Assessment must be an essential component of an elementary science program

• Assessment must be aligned with what is of value, i.e., the problem-solving/inquiry model of instruction featuring concept application and process skills.
• Assessment must be aligned with the curricular objectives and instructional mode.
• Assessment must be on-going and consistent with the purpose for which it was intended: grading, diagnosis, student and/or parent feedback, or program evaluation.

Research-based science education

• Elementary school science instruction must reflect the application and implementation of educational research.
• Elementary school science programs are improved when teachers keep abreast of appropriate science education research.
• Educational research becomes the premise for change or innovation in elementary school science, and teachers participate in action research in elementary science.

Adopted by the NSTA Board of Directors in January 1990,

Modified from the NSTA Task Force on Elementary School Science Scope and Sequence, in March, 1991

MCREL Science Standards & Benchmarks: synthesized from Science Standards and Benchmarks and the National Science Education Content Standards.

http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Standard.asp?SubjectID=2