CURIOUS MINDS
Many children are turned off science at an early age and will give up studying it as soon as possible. Oliver Nicholas looks into why this is so and how to get children interested in science
WHEN WE HEAR THE WORD “SCIENTIST” WHO CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT IT DOES NOT CONJURE UP, EVEN FOR A SPLIT SECOND, THE STEREOTYPE OF A WHITE-COATED “BOFFIN” PLAYING WITH CHEMICALS IN A LAB?
Put off by science?
It is not an over-exaggeration to say that
scientific knowledge lies behind almost
everything we do in our day-to-day life
and, with the ever-increasing influence of
technology, medical advances and eco
concerns, this is becoming even more
apparent.
It seems strange that, with so
much science around us, we can merely
accept how our iPods actually work, what
happens when we send text messages or
why paracetamol ‘cures’ headaches
without asking the fundamental questions:
why . . . what . . . how and what if.
When we hear the word “scientist” who can honestly
say that it does not conjure up, even for a split
second, the stereotype of a white-coated “boffin”
playing with chemicals in a lab? As Jim Knight, the
Schools’ Minister, recently said, there is a culture of
“scepticism about science” in the UK. And it seems
that our children are picking up those vibes.
Many children do not realise that a
knowledge and understanding of
science underpins many of the careers
that they may choose in the future
In recent research funded by Shell UK and carried
out by The Chemical Industry Education Centre at
the University of York, a poll of 4,000 children aged
between 9 and 14 asked children about their attitude
towards science. The findings showed that a large
proportion of children found science boring,
confusing or difficult.
The children were also asked whether they thought
that science was needed for particular careers, with
some interesting results. For example, 55% of
children believed that no scientific knowledge was
required to become a mechanic and an amazing
47% of children believed that no science was
needed to become a plastic surgeon.
Many children do not realise that a knowledge and
understanding of science underpins many of the
careers that they may choose in the future and that
by giving up science at an early age they can
severely restrict their career options in the future.
Professor Wynne Harlen of the University of Bristol
and Professor Peter Tymms of the University ofDurham believe that children’s interest in science and
their understanding of it are being crushed by the
compulsory Sats testing they sit at primary school. In
their report, Perspectives on Education: Primary
Science, published by the Wellcome Trust in
September 2008, they argue that children are being
taught to perform well in tests rather than having their
“natural curiosity of science cultivated and harnessed.”
47% of children believed that no science
was needed to become a plastic surgeon
Whilst the number of passes in Sats science
continues to rise, children’s actual understanding of
science has decreased since the 1970s. In support,
they cite studies which show that England came
18th out of 26 countries for the self-confidence of itsnine and ten year olds in their ability to learn science.
Furthermore, in a study of 300 primary school
teachers, more than half admitted that they lacked
confidence in teaching science.
A silver lining?
Fortunately, much has been made in the press about
a recent revival of science subjects at university.
More teenagers are starting to choose these
subjects as a safer option for a well paid job on
graduation now that many of the jobs that they
would have aspired to in the past have been severely
affected by the Credit Crunch.
Good things may also come out of the current
economic depression with an influx of science
graduates leaving the City to retrain as teachers.
Last year, applications for science teaching posts
reached record levels. It is hoped that these topgraduates, with practical experience of the business
world, will help inspire scientists of the future. So, it’s
not all bad!
How to get children interested?
The important thing is to tap in to children’s natural
inquisitiveness and to spark their imagination.
We can start this by encouraging children to ask
questions. Why does this happen? How does this
machine work? So, in conversations, use the
vocabulary of science: why, what, how, what if and
because, and encourage children to use them.
As a
parent, you should not be worried that you may not
know the answer yourself. Finding the answer to a
question your child has asked by doing some
research together can be a fun experience and has
been made much easier by on-line encyclopaedias.Science is all about having a curious mind and
observant eyes.
There are lots of activities to
encourage these skills and attitudes.
Under 5s
Multi-sensory environments help children experience
and process how things work:
- Playing with building blocks to help an
understanding of construction and whether things
are e.g. hard, soft or waterproof.
- Experiencing floating, sinking and bubbles at
bathtime to understand the properties of water.
- Seeing shadow puppets, reflections, mirrors,
kaleidoscopes and spinning wheels for an
understanding of colour and light.
- Hearing and feeling music and vibrations, e.g.
tapping on plastic bottles filled with different amounts
of water, sand or stones to appreciate sound.
Ages 5 – 8
Children also come to an understanding of the world
by guessing and making predictions about what is
happening. Predicting things is made easier if there
is some sort of repetition or pattern.
Children can explore by trying to see or copy
patterns in things they see happening around them:
- Sorting different objects into groups and asking
why are they in those groups? E.g. collecting and
identifying seeds or bugs in the garden.
By this stage children will also be able to query how
things work:
- By looking at everyday objects like skateboards
and bicycles they can start to look at how
pulleys, levers, wheels, axles and screws make
things easier.
- Cooking together teaches the use of tools and
the effects of heat on liquids and solids. Let them
watch red cabbage change colour when lemon
juice and bicarbonate of soda is added or allow
food to go mouldy to understand the science
of food.
- The games with light and sound for under 5s can
be developed for older children by making things
like periscopes, pinhole cameras and trombones
from Pringles packets.
Older children
Older children need thought provoking games so
they can continue to ask questions and make sense
of the way things work: What am I looking at?
What would happen if? How could I?
- Encourage them to look at inventions that
have changed the world and find a solution for
things that don’t work efficiently at home.
- Let them become a forensic scientist, solving
mysteries of imprints in the mud – Whose
trainers fit the imprint?
- Create a chemical reaction together by
dropping Mentos sweets in a Diet Cola bottle!
Talk about what you thought would happen,
what actually happened and whether you were
surprised. The scientific brain will say: I think if we
change . . . What might happen is this . . . because
. . . These all develop the skills of observing,
predicting, testing and drawing conclusions.
Don’t try and sanitise science. Keep the funny
bits and the gory bits in especially when talking
about the human body as they are often what
inspire children the most. This all appeals to
children’s appetite for grim details while keeping
the magic and fun of science alive!
For further ideas, look at our Creat Ed
section