Major problems with our school science education and the way forward.
Wahid Banday
Published September 26, 2021
Most parents today realize that our education system is outdated and obsolete, especially when it comes to science education. The world around us has changed drastically in the last few decades, but not much has changed in our schools. Our science classrooms still look the same. Rows of desks with a teacher standing in front explaining concepts. Our science laboratories still function the same. They require our students to perform experiments and write lab reports that have just one purpose; to confirm predetermined correct answers. The best we can expect, maybe from the top schools, are some classroom activities as outlined in the new NCERT books. However, at best, these activities are just demonstrations. They do very little in developing a science mindset or establishing a more mature conceptual schema. Our children are trapped in a cycle of memorizing facts through aimless reading and mindless repetition. This is not learning.
Our children are trapped in a cycle of memorizing facts through aimless reading and mindless repetition. This is not learning.
There has to be a better way! A method that encourages curiosity and nurtures creativity. An environment that gets our students interested and excited about learning science. How do we create this environment? Can we learn from the more established education systems in the world ? For example, in the USA, among other things, educators talked to practitioners of science (scientists, engineers, doctors, etc) and tried to understand what makes science interesting for these scientists. Once they had identified these key characteristics of science, they re-designed their learning environments around these ideas. In short, they identified and implemented the “Nature of Science” in the school science classroom and got amazing results.
Science is empirical. It is based on observations and the inferences from those observations. It is an active process that involves designing investigations using creativity and imagination. It is a process of inquiry that sometimes leads to new discoveries that can overthrow previously accepted frameworks. Science involves collaboration as it is a social enterprise. Most importantly, those who practice science are like any other human beings with a range of intelligence and capabilities. Infact, if the primary purpose of science is to better understand the world around us, then all children are born scientists. Any parent can attest to this fact.
At Advanced Learning Space, our goal is to create a learning environment that better reflects how science is practiced today. We strive to create a space where students will learn science by “doing” science. In order to create this perfect learning environment, we looked at other systems around the world and incorporated their best practices into our learning space. From the engineering design best practices from MIT Edgerton Center to the insights published by The National Research Council (NRC), USA in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards, we researched a wide range of established academic practices currently used in USA to determine what to include in our framework. The end result of all this hard work is a space and practices that are very different from what we have in our schools today. A place of true learning.
At Advanced Learning Space, our goal is to create a learning environment that better reflects how science is practiced today. We strive to create a space where students will learn science by “doing” science. In order to create this perfect learning environment, we looked at other systems around the world and incorporated their best practices into our learning space. From the engineering design best practices from MIT Edgerton Center to the insights published by The National Research Council (NRC), USA in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards, we researched a wide range of established academic practices currently used in USA to determine what to include in our framework. The end result of all this hard work is a space and practices that are very different from what we have in our schools today. A place of true learning.