Discussion with my colleagues:
I am technically a scientist. I have a degree in zoology and have worked in a lab as a scientist for 3 years. However, I think it is very important for everyone, especially our children to understand that everyone is a scientist. It doesn't take a degree to wonder about the world around you and to experiment with possible conclusions.
As a "technical" scientist we learn that when you have a question that you think is worth your time (and funding is available) you begin to plan out an experiment, or a way to find out information (data). After you have collected data you must analyze it. You need to take the information and put it into some form in which you can use it to make conclusions. You then take that analyzed data and format it, you put it into graphs and compare it to controls or other data sets. After you have analyzed and formated your data you try to come to some conclusion. You need to find out if there was a change or a measurable effect that can give you some answers to your question. You have to take into account sample size and whether or not that sample size is statistically significant. If you are able to come to a conclusion 99999999999 times out of 100000000000 this conclusion will lead you to other questions.
I think a simplified version of this logic comes built in to humans. Small children go over everything with a fine tooth comb. They touch, feel, smell, examine, and usually taste everything they come into contact with. They pick it up to test its weight, they throw it to test its aerodynamics, they step on it to test its durability. Unfortunately I think this urge to explore gets beaten out of most kids. Parents snap at little kids when they throw their spoon off the high chair tray for the 10th time. They get nervous when their toddler tastes the table leg to see if brown wood tastes like chocolate. I don't think you should let your kids run into traffic to test the stop time of honda accords, but I do think we need to foster exploration in kids of all ages. They are born scientists and all we need to do is try to guide them into performing their experiments in a controlled environment, and to wear gloves and work under the hood.
Great post! I recently read an article that talked about this very subject. The author(s) suggested that teachers gather photos of scientists from various disciplines, including the lab coat version, and ask kids who they think the scientist is. You could also just ask them to describe what they think a scientist looks like. The idea is that their perceptions of scientists change. They see that everyone can be a scientist, or is a scientist.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true that as parents we are repeatedly, albeit somewhat unknowingly, impeding our children's inner scientist. This is mostly out of a desire to protect them. But all too often we answer kids' questions about the world, just to get them to stop asking so many questions. When what we could be doing to foster these budding explorers is to say, "Good question, let's go find the answer."
I love what you said about everyone being born a scientist, that is so true. Kids want to know and understand how and why things work and I think they should be allowed the freedom to do so (within safety limits of course) Let them try things out and be creative that is how they learn!
ReplyDeleteAs a trained scientist, you have a great skill set to utilize when creating inquiry-based science activities for your students. Students do naturally want to ask questions, but they don't naturally know how to test them carefully, control the variables that they manipulate, or make scientific observations. Helping to engage their natural curiosities at the same time that they start to use science to answer their questions has the potential to create a class full of great little scientists.
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