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Children have a natural curiosity about their environment and the world around them. Science and technology is ever present in that world from the magnets that hang on each child’s home refrigerator to the plants that grow in their garden to the moon and stars that shine overhead. The lives of children are touched by science on a daily basis. And as these children mature, science and technology will continue to affect their world even in the workplace.
So, what is being done to foster their curiosity and to help children learn more about the science that touches their lives and the science that will affect their future? Who will spark their imagination and encourage the exploration of opportunities available in the field of science? Where are our role models for scientific innovation?
According to an article in Time Magazine, “The science role models most students know best are their teachers. But science teachers who are both passionate and prepared are scarce.” The article goes on to say that, “Often, educators at the elementary level never liked science in the first place.” “Teachers are so frightened of these subjects that they transmit the fear to the children, “says former Merck CEO P. Roy Vagelos. “By fourth grade, we squash [their] curiosity with the way we teach science.”
In addition to this fear of teaching science, educators at the elementary level continue to be faced with the challenges of decreasing budgets as well as the requirements to meet the performance standards outlined under the federal No Child Left Behind law. “In many school districts across the country, science instruction has been loosing out in some grades to math and language arts……elementary school kids spend an average of just 16 minutes a day on science, and that’s dwindling to zero in many schools.” (Time Magazine, Is America Flunking Science?, February 12, 2006).
It is critical that we continue to engage children and peak their interest in science so that the future of scientific innovation is secure and will endure. However, improving science education in Kindergarten through Eighth grade will require major changes as No Child Left Behind will require states to start testing in science in three grades beginning in the 2007-2008 school year.
High Touch High Tech partners with schools to assist educators with delivering science content that may be difficult to convey or for which supplies are not available. High Touch High Tech programs are aligned with national and state science standards and through our 90-minute hands-on science programs, students become real scientists and do real science experiments. It is through this partnership that High Touch High Tech has become part of the solution for educators who did not major in science, for limited budgets and for schools that lack the supplies necessary to provide a true hands-on experience for their students.
Additional Articles:
Changes Needed to Boost K-8 Science Learning – September 21, 2006
Improving science education in kindergarten through eighth grade will require major changes in how science is taught in America’s classrooms...
(full article)
Science Tests Come as Teaching Time Falls – May 6, 2007
Maryland elementary and middle students are being tested this week in science for the first time under No Child Left Behind, a federal law…
(full article)
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