Enhancing an Elementary Science Program: A Case History
- PDF / 261,336 Bytes
- 2 Pages / 604.8 x 806.4 pts Page_size
- 10 Downloads / 175 Views
answer only 20 to 30% of the questions discourage those slightly less capable from appreciating and learning more complex math. Although sympathetic to new endeavors, educators want no strings attached and no fiscal commitments beyond the nominal. In defense of educators, however, many school districts have funds adequate to cover only basic needs. Consider, for example, the extra costs involved with teaching the "exceptional" children. "Exceptional" children are t h o s e with learning disabilities, handicaps, or high intelligence. Unfortunately when dollars are tight, the latter are often forgotten, to our long-term detriment. With all this pessimism, h o w do we approach the problem of educating our society to higher levels of scientific appreciation, and how do we encourage the most creative and capable students to enter scientific, mathematical, a n d engineering fields? From my perspective as parent, volunteer professional, and elementary school PTA president, several new approaches seem viable: 1. The concept of discovery centers for materials science learning, 2. Elementary school math contests, and 3. County-organized science s u m m e r camps. Science Discovery Center To illustrate the needed planning and resources and how such activities could be
PAGE 50, MRS BULLETIN, MAY 16/JUNE 15, 1987
implemented, I will focus on my experiences in trying to develop a discovery center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The discovery center was visualized as a set of materials-science-related labs that in their totality explain some part of the fabric of our modern world. Although the concept can encompass other areas, materials was considered especially appropriate because it offers a broad range of science and engineering experiences that would be fun and challenging for elementary school students. The discovery center, with a very small a d m i n i s t r a t i v e o v e r h e a d , w o u l d provide a focus and formal procedures to tap regional university, i n d u s t r y , a n d other community resources, including professional volunteers. The cooperation of different scientific disciplines within such a center was intended to illustrate how science and technology either solve or avoid problems. Our idea was to carry out work in large trailers or " S c i e n c e M o b i l e s . " Master t e a c h e r s would bring hands-on experiments to each elementary school, to the benefit of both students and classroom teachers. A Science-Mobile would contain one of four modules: (1) Discovery of Minerals, Geology, and Mining; (2) Energy and Energy Requirements for Extraction, Refining, and Production of Materials; (3) Environmental/Ecological and Biological Effects of Materials Production, Use, and Disposal; or (4) Materials (Metals, Ceramics, Glasses, Continued
Federal Government's Role What is the role of the federal government in science education? Justifications of federal funding for science and technology are taken directly from the text of Public Law (PL) 94-282 which establishes that "federal funding for science and tec
Data Loading...
