Natural Scientists, Yes or No?

Hello All!

In my class, we are reading a book called Ready, Set, Science! In the first chapter, the authors discuss that children are natural scientists. While I instantly thought of examples of this, I still found it to be a rather interesting statement. We are all aware that as soon as children are able to speak, they ask countless questions about the world around them. We usually do not see it as science. A huge part of science is inquiring about something and making a prediction about it. That's what children are constantly doing.  They are looking to adults for the answers to their science questions. Adults need to be aware of this when answering these questions. Its is possible for children to think beyond their years therefore we must give the appropriate answers. My 2 year old niece can tell that there is a difference between her fake dog and my real dog. They both bark, walk, and have fur, but she is afraid of my dog simply because she knows that he is real. She has inquired and made predictions about real and fake animals at the age of 2. It is never too early for children to begin learning science. Science is all around us even when we do not realize it. We don't have to be in a laboratory doing experiments to practice science. We don't have to be in a classroom doing activities planned by a teacher. The other day I pulled a dried up fruit out of an old backpack that I hadn't used in years. It was brown and unrecognizable. The process of figuring out what the fruit was (an apple) was science. We naturally engage in science on a day to day basis. It's all around us people, even when we don't realize it!

Until next time,
Christina

Introduction

Hello friends!

So this semester, I am in a Teaching Science class. It's been interesting to say the least. I am one of the people who disliked science by the time I finished high school. This is unfortunate considering I've always wanted to be a pediatrician. After high school, I didn't think it could get any worse. My first two years of college proved me wrong though. I had one high school teacher that taught biology and anatomy. She was absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately, the teacher that taught chemistry wasn't so great. Every year, students went into her class and left just as confused about chemistry on the last day as they were on the first day. She obviously knew what she was talking about, but she could never manage to explain the content in a way that we could understand it. Of course, the college classes were no better. There were so many students in these classes there was NO way that any differentiated instruction could take place. It seemed like each science class left me with more and more unanswered questions. I am hoping I provide a completely opposite experience for my future students. I am so excited to begin my journey of teaching science. It will be a learning experience for not only the students, but me as well. I am determined to instill a love for science in my future students, and hopefully they'll be able to keep it throughout the years.

Sincerely,
Christina