How does science work? Is there a definitive answer for any given problem? We have discussed this in numerous ways this semester. There may be answers to questions, but that doesn’t mean the experiment is over. A good scientist will continue to ask questions and try to improve their answer. We have been learning how to get our students to do this. We don’t want them to think science is a process. Personally, I was taught to follow the steps A, B, C, etc. until I discovered the desired answered. In actuality, that was holding me back. I was curious about experiments, but when I recorded the answer that earned me the grade, I simply stopped. These are the common characteristics of science instruction. Find the answer, record the answer, and get a grade, done. No questioning, no upper level or deeper thinking from students. Teachers are holding students back with these methods.
The activity we did in class today was very insightful. It was simple and yet, extremely effective. Dr. Kruse set the tubes out for us and let us explore. We all had a genuine curiosity and tried to solve the problem immediately. He moved around the room, sat down occasionally, and then began asking us questions in our small group. Classroom management was not an issue because we were very engaged. The questioning led us to different options and ideas. We made observations and write down ideas as a class. To me, this is what science education should feel like. It is not common by any means, but we learned more in an hour than we would from any process.
Today wasn’t about finding out what was going on in the tube. Dr. Kruse modeled a simple and effective way to harness natural curiosity of students. That curiosity fueled a class period of high level thinking and hands-on work, also known as discovery learning. Needless to say, today’s class was very successful. Not to mention, my group figured out the top two ideas for the what was going on in the tube J
