My Vision for Science Education

For this blog entry, describe the actions that you are taking beyond your immediate classroom to ensure that all students at your school or district are experiencing high-quality science instruction. When working with colleagues or other school/district staff, what challenges have you faced in your efforts to improve the science program at your school and district?  How have you overcome these obstacles?

It pains me to read a statement like, "We face a real crisis in science education in America" (McGinnis & Roberts-Harris, 2009).  As a science educator, I want to be proud of the direction that our science education is going in this country.  That said, I have been working hard over the past seven years to deliver quality science instruction to all of my sixth grade students.  However, one year of experiencing science the way it should be experienced, is simply not enough.  Therefore, over the past few years, I have begun working with other members of my science education team within the Amanda-Clearcreek District in an attempt to bring high quality science to students at every level.

As a secondary staff (Grades 6-12), we have been meeting for  monthly science meetings to discuss STEM and inquiry based education.  Learning where my students are going is a great help to me in terms of planning inquiry based lessons.  Furthermore, it helps to learn new strategies from my peers for delivering and scaffolding high quality inquiry lessons.  This year, I have started attending the elementary science meetings in an effort to learn where my sixth grade students have been.  This is helping me understand my role in their science journey.  Furthermore, I have been able to share with elementary teachers so that they know where their students will be going in the future and can plan accordingly.

The most daunting challenge facing me right now is the fact that many teachers choose to "teach to the test" is lieu of teaching for STEM education and the students' future in science.  These teachers earn high scores on the state standardized tests and do not see a need to teach inquiry-based lessons.  I honestly say that I can not blame them, especially in the age of merit pay and other issues facing us regarding our test scores.  However, I believe it is doing a huge disservice to our students.

McGinnis, J. R., & Robert-Harris, D. (2009, September/October). A new vision for teaching science. Scientific American Mind, 62–67.