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I am the kind of science teacher who believes that children learn best when they are actively engaged in the process of learning. I believe this applies to all learning, not just science. Research has taught us that knowledge constructed by the learner in an authentic environment is more likely to be applied to other learning situations and environments. In order for active learning and engagement to take place, the teacher has the responsibility to foster a learning environment where students are willing to take risks without fear of being ridiculed or put down. Much learning takes place by posing the “wrong” answer as well as the one the teacher wanted or the one printed in the textbook. As a science teacher, it is important to allow students the time to look at questions and answers that intrigue them instead of only searching for the “right” answer or the one the teacher expects to hear.

When I do science with children, I feel we are on a journey of inquiry together. I believe the teacher must not have one set notion of the progress of the experiment, but should be flexible enough to allow different kinds of learning to occur. The students may not finish class with exactly the knowledge the teacher intended for them to have, but knowledge gained in a true inquiry environment will remain with them long after they leave your class.

The science experiences I believe are most worthwhile are those that are not so structured as to allow little room for individual differences. Even though I believe we must give students enough guidance and structure to avoid failure on their part, some frustration on the part of the student can lead to exciting discovery. As we discovered during our pendulum trials, there is a lot of learning that occurs even when rigid guidelines are not imposed. It is also important that science experiments be designed in such a way that every student has a chance to participate and be successful. Although not all of our students will be Albert Einstein or Galileo, we must firmly believe that all students are capable of learning science. Such expectations and positive attitudes from the teacher foster a student’s feeling of competence and self esteem, factors that are imperative for any successful learning environment.

Finally, I believe it is important that we approach science as everyday knowledge of the world around us rather than teaching it as some difficult concept that only the “best” students can grasp. It is important to teach science as we encounter it, fostering the belief that science is a useful and exciting way to explore and make sense of our environment.

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