Why Teach Science and Math?

As former K-8 science and math education professor, I was always challenged to encourage soon-to-be teachers to teach science and math from a hands-on, minds-on perspective. Encourage the curiosity of students to learn science and math.

The reason this was challenging was that most of these soon-to-be teachers learned science and math by rote memorization of facts, with few chances to actually investigate science phenomena and truly understand the usefulness of math.

So you can guess their views of science and math, they were scared to to teach either subject or outright hated these subjects. This is one of the biggest reasons why young students are not being taught science, along with math being taught through worksheets and rote memorization of math facts (Saxon Math is one program that comes to mind).

Teacher workloads are such that there just isn’t time to learn and understand the languages of science and math. They typically have the fear of looking like an idiot in front of a classroom of kids.

This is one point I always tried to get across my soon-to-be teachers, rather they realize it or not their views are transferred to their students. I received this comment often from my soon-to-be teachers–the only reason you teach science and math so well because you like and understand science and math.

For which I would always comment–there are some areas of science and math I can not stand and if you cannot tell what these areas are, then I am doing my job. It is all about attitude!

Attitude affects students’ attitudes.  Some suggestions to inspire inquiry are:

• No one knows all the answers when it comes to science or know every thing about math. No one.
• By not knowing, we are actually modeling excellent inquiry skills for our students - “I’m not sure about that. How can  we find the answer?”
• Science is as much about creativity and imagination as it is about fact.  Without creativity and imagination very few of the scientific discoveries or inventions would exist.  It’s okay to chase an idea, even if it doesn’t turn out to be the right one.
• When we recognize the thinking skills that a science investigation develops in students, we will no longer see it as part of the curriculum that can be left out if we run out of time.
• Our students don’t need to “know” science and math facts, they need to UNDERSTAND the concepts and how to use them.
• A great many scientific and mathematical concepts are too difficult for younger students in particular. That’s okay! Our job is to inspire their curiosity and give them a grounding in the scientific and mathematical skills like investigation and observation, so that they can continue to develop their understanding of science and math throughout their schooling and their lives.

If these suggestions are followed, then the US will return as one of the leaders in scientific discovery and applications of mathematics in scientific areas in the world and not a follower (which we are today). We can stop relying on bringing science and math teachers from other countries to teach our students.

Resources

Understanding Scientfic Inquiry

20 Questions to Ask Students in Science Projects

Problem Solving and Science Process Skills

Math Problem Solving and Case Studies

Math Teaching Strategies that Challenge Students

Tags: inquiry based teaching and learning, teaching math, teaching science, why teach math, why teach science