Science in the Early Childhood Classroom

Is Science really as challenging as some teachers make it out to be?  I believe the motivation for wanting to learn Science begins with the early childhood teachers.  If teachers at the Elementary level would give the subject a second chance, they would find out that it is really very fun and indispensable for student success throughout their educational and professional career.  This is not to say that all early childhood teachers try to evade the subject, only that it has been my impression that some teachers do not feel comfortable teaching it.  Science is all around us; in the classroom, at home, at the retail level, and at the professional level just to name a few.  Oh, but let’s not forget about technology, one of the biggest advocates of Science. 

 

If Science could be approached in the early childhood classrooms by teaching how it surrounds us, I think it would be much easier for the teacher to relay the information and for the student to continue the desire for learning it.  Hands on activities are a great tool for teaching the different aspects of Science.  From bringing in a battery and a flashlight and demonstrating how one cannot work without the other to taking the students outside to demonstrate with sand and water how volcanoes react when they erupt.  Science can be very exciting if the teacher exhibits the enthusiasm that students have when they arrive to school.  Why make Science boring with lectures when the lectures can be accompanied by activities that the students can find exciting and can actually connect to the real world.  Early childhood teachers can either make or break a student’s desire to learn Science in the future grades.  They are the ones that can make it fun while learning about the subject at the Elementary level. 

 

As a future Elementary teacher I hope to be the kind that will not fear teaching Science as I feared learning it when I was an elementary, middle and high school student.  I will make all efforts possible to learn more about Science while teaching it to my students.  I want to make it as fun and interesting as possible so that they can take all of the skills and knowledge they learn and apply them to the real world setting. 

 

http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/elementary.aspx

 

Perla Chavez

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Caci Kelley]

I like your introduction to this topic: Is science really as challenging as some make it out to be? The answer is no. Some are too dependent on their worksheets and "easy-to-do" lesson plans that they don't want to challenge the students or have high expectations. Science is fun and is all around us. I think teachers that do not recognize this are actually not fully supporting childrens' education 100%!!

[Angelica Villarreal]

Very true we should give science a second chance as a subject in our lessons. Science is really fun. Our student can learn science in ways that will teach them and encourage them to like science. If teachers could integrate science in all of their lesson plans, Student will have that 21st century science education.

[Leticia Suarez]

I like the introduction on your article. I do believe that science is challenging but science is good for student to learn, especially when the teacher can preform lab experiments and share them with the student. Good article.