The Reconcilation of Science and Theology

Race To The Top, The Need For Science Assessment Kits

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:19:00 +0000

States are in varying stages of developing their NCLB science assessments. Typically, states contract with assessment companies which have a history of producing standardized, norm referenced tests, e.g., the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), the Tera Nova, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9, SAT-10).

These new NCLB science tests must include either criterion-referenced assessments or augmented norm-referenced assessments, or both. The world of the standardized, multiple-choice, norm referenced test is disappearing as standards-aligned, criterion-referenced tests emerge.

Because many states' science standards include science inquiry and science process skills that are difficult to assess with conventional multiple-choice questions, more and more science assessments are taking on a different format and look. To assess a student's skills, students must "perform".

Performance assessment is moving us "beyond the bubble" of Scantron forms. When students are asked to perform, they are better able to utilize their unique learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, aural, etc.) as they tap into their own content knowledge of science. Student work from performance assessments better informs the teacher (and student) of what the student understands versus what bubble he may have guessed to be right.

Performance assessment in science requires students to perform various science skills (observation, data collection, organizing data, data analysis, drawing conclusions, etc.) as they manipulate equipment. Science equipment, typically organized in classroom sets, is delivered as science kits.

As the need for criterion-referenced science assessment of inquiry skills takes hold, the demand for science kits will continue to increase. States, districts, and schools are realizing that to assess science inquiry adequately, kits are a necessary, essential part of the assessment program. Educators also realize that if they are to meet the NCLB requirements for science assessment, i.e., to use up-to-date measures to assess mastery of science standards, and the states' science content standards include science inquiry, then the tests themselves need to include student performance tasks. And since "what gets tested gets taught," we will see an increasing number of science inquiry learning activities in classroom curriculum throughout the school year.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program has been using science kits as part of its science program for over 10 years. These science tests are administered every four years to a small sample of students across the nation. Although this national assessment program advocates the use of performance assessment requiring hands-on manipulation of science equipment, it is limited in scope. The more powerful influences that are changing science assessment nationally stem from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Having Family Fun With Science Projects

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Does your family need more time doing something educational but also to be fun and hold their attention as well? Well here are some ways that your family can do something together, have fun, and even have it be educational all at the same time. Below are some ideas on how to have family fun with science projects.

Family time is very valuable. You want to make sure when you are picking a science project for your family to make it something that will be fun for everyone. You want to make sure to pick something that everyone will be interested in and want to learn more about. This will help assure that all of the family will have a good experience and want to do science projects together more often.

The following are four reasons your family will have fun doing science projects:

1. You interact. You have to talk, theorize, and make decisions, which can create great memories.

2. It is hands on. Unlike watching television, science projects require thinking and action. As a family, you can work together to figure out how something works, test a theory, or build something. It is a great time to bond, and get off the couch.

3. You learn. Who said learning isn't fun? The truth is, when you learn through application it is a lot of fun. Seeing the results of mixing two colors to create a third, or creating a real erupting volcano can be lots of laughs, excitement, and amazement.

4. Your family will spend time together. When a family does a science project together they are working together for a common goal and having fun. What could be better?

One idea for you to try out for family fun with science projects is making soap. There are different ways you can make soap with different ingredients. You can look online and see what different ingredients different soaps use. You could also do a little lesson involving bacteria's and different ways of getting rid of bacteria and germs using soap. This will help your family have fun with science projects and help them to be a little more educated all at the same time.

The second idea for family fun with science projects is making a lava lamp. This can be done by taking water and sticking it into a glass jar. Then add food coloring in the water and mix it together. You take vegetable oil and pour it into the water in the glass jar. Then wait for the oil and water to settle. The water and oil should separate. Then take a salt shaker and shake salt into the oil while counting for five seconds. The salt and oil mixture should sink to the bottom in a clump. As the salt dissolves the oil should float back up to the top. To make the oil go back down to the bottom shake some more salt while counting to five again. You can also use this as a lesson on the laws of gravity.

The third idea for family fun with science projects is to create a funnel like a tornado would make. Do this by giving everyone in the family their own 2 liter bottle with a funnel. Take the funnel and place it in the top of the 2 liter bottle. Then take a pitcher of water and pour it into the funnel to fill up the 2 liter bottle. Do not fill the bottle all of the way up. Then put the lid back on. Then have your family shake the bottle clock wise around and around and then have them stop. This motion will cause the water to spin like a tornado would. You could do a lesson on tornados and what they do and then have this project to go along with it.

There are so many things out there that you and your family can have fun while doing science projects. It doesn't matter what kind of science project you do it is all about the information and discussions given. Showing your family that you are interested in science helps them want to be more involved and will help them be more interested. Ask questions and give answers that will help your family to understand science and the meaning behind the experiments you do. This will help them to remember what they need to know about different science experiments. So take your family and go have some fun with science projects.

4 Great Reasons Science Projects Make Your Child Smarter

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:54:00 +0000

There are many educational things you can do with your child to make them smarter. You can make them read books, or make them study more, or you can have them do a science project. You might be thinking that there is no way your child would do a science project. Doing science projects can be fun and educational all at the same time. Here are 4 great reasons science projects make your child smarter.

The first great reason science projects make your child smarter is it helps them to get hands on experience with what they have to learn about. Having hands on experience for a lot of children will help them grasp the concept and actually understand what they are learning about. Science projects make your child smarter because they will be able to retain the information they are learning from the science project easier.

The second great reason science projects make your child smarter is because it helps them understand how things work. For instance something like how a light bulb turns on. Not everyone knows what the process is to make a light bulb work. By doing a science project on it your child will be able to understand the concept behind it and what has to take place before a light bulb can turn on. This will make your child smarter because it will make them think more in depth about the simplest things they do when doing it.

The third great reason science projects make your child smarter is because your child won't mind learning. When there is fun involved in learning it makes a child more willing to learn. Science projects can be fun filled you just need to make sure to go about it the right way. Interact with your child and ask questions and have discussions. All of these things will make your child smarter from doing science projects.

The fourth great reason sciences projects make your child smarter are because they make your child think on a different level. Instead of just having your child think inside the box it helps them to think outside the box. Instead of just helping your child to know the facts and expect them to remember it. Science projects will help your child to be smarter because it will help them want to figure out new ways of doing things instead of just one way. For instance you can create energy to make electrical things work with out using wire. You can use water. There are many things like this that have more than one way they can be run. Through science projects your child can figure these things out.

No Conflict Between Religion and Science?

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:26:00 +0000

From the Associated Press, March 3, 2009 - * Vatican official calls atheist theories 'absurd'.

Cardinal Levada: No conflict between evolution science and faith in God.

ROME - A Vatican cardinal said Tuesday that the Catholic Church does not stand in the way of scientific realities like evolution, though he described as "absurd" the atheist notion that evolution proves there is no God.

Is Religious Faith compatible with the Evolutionary Sciences?

The good Cardinal Levada may be sure of his position (*See above), but there are reasons for questioning this popular view that science is compatible with religious faith. The view of "harmony between science and faith" can be restated in terms of the following claims:

• A significant number of scientists are also people of religious faith and belief in God.
• The sciences do not disprove God's existence.
• Being a scientist and doing scientific work is consistent with believing in God.
• Naturalism is a philosophy that is incompatible with supernatural religion, but science is not committed to naturalism as a philosophy.

(This is part of the general view that science and religion are separate endeavors and have nothing to do with each other, e.g. Stephen J. Gould's idea of science and religion comprising Separate Magisteria.)

Let us consider these claims. First, the alleged compatibility based on the fact that many scientists are also believers in God results in a very weak sense of "compatibility." As Jerry A. Coyne says, it's much like saying that marriage is compatible with adultery because some married people practice adultery. Or like saying that being a Roman Catholic priest is compatible with paedophilia because a number of priests sexually abuse young people, or like saying that investment counseling is compatible with fraudulence because some counselors turn out to be frauds. People, like Coyne or Richard Dawkins, who argue that science is not compatible with supernaturalism, are surely aware that some scientists cannot shake free of supernaturalism of some kind. What they argue is that a correct understanding of the scientific approach and knowledge implies a rejection of supernaturalism.

Second, the sciences are not in the business of proving or disproving God's existence; but any look at the Western history -- the rise of science and enlightenment thinking -- reveals that the sciences have built (and continue to build) a strong case against any super-naturalistic view of nature, of history and society.

Third, it is a very weak argument to claim compatibility because scientists, like Kenneth Miller and Francis S. Collins, find belief in a god to be consistent with their scientific work. It might be true that neither evolutionary biology nor genetics proves there is no God; thus, belief in such an entity is not directly contradicted by knowledge gained in biology or a genetics. But it is also true that other scientists might hold bizarre beliefs consistent with their scientific work, e.g. some might find belief in 'Voodoo arts' to be consistent, some reincarnation, and some find that New Age Mysticism is consistent with their work as chemists. In short, the fact that a Miller or a Collins finds supernaturalism consistent with their science does nothing to show any compatibility between science proper and supernaturalism, unless we also admit a 'compatibility' with all forms of occultism, belief in magic or a variety of other bizarre beliefs.

Fourth, this relates to the distinction between naturalism as method and as philosophy, a distinction popularized by Eugenie Scott. As philosopher M. Pigliucci states it, rather than involving philosophical assumptions regarding the nature of reality, methodological naturalism is just a "provisional and pragmatic" position that scientists take in order to do their work. Unlike philosophical naturalism, the methodological type does not involve any denial of the supernatural possibility. Thus, we have scientists like Kenneth Miller pointing out that scientists do not take a vow of philosophical naturalism, but only commit themselves to the methodological kind. He tells us that all science requires is methodological naturalism, and that we "live in a material world,' and use "the materials of nature to study the way nature works." Hence, science is limited to "purely naturalistic explanations, because only those are testable, and only those have validity as science." (From "The Reality Club," comments on the Jerry Coyne Essay, Seeing and Believing," http://www.edge.org )

But according to Miller, such commitment does not commit the scientist to a philosophy (viz. naturalism) which denies the supernatural possibility. Thus, religious faith, Roman Catholicism in Miller's case, is quite safe from erosion by the force of scientific knowledge.

Are people like Miller and Scott correct? Are the sciences correctly characterized as essentially naturalistic method, with no implication of a naturalistic philosophy?

The answer is a resounding "NO" according to a significant number of scientists, theoreticians of the sciences, and philosophers of science. Scientists like Richard Dawkins, Victor Stenger, Taner Edis and others have written books arguing the non-compatibility thesis. Philosophers like Daniel Dennett have also argued impressively against the compatibility claim. A recent article in "The New Republic" by evolutionary scientist, Jerry A. Coyne, ("Seeing and Believing," February 04, 2009) presents interesting and telling arguments against compatibility. A materialistic explanation of nature, he tells us, is not a philosophical assumption of science but is an idea which has resulted from years of successful scientific research. In other words, the work of science supports the view that nature is to be explained in materialistic terms, completely devoid of reference to the supernatural. In short, the sciences and philosophical naturalism are more closely tied together than Miller and Scott suggest. Mario Bunge, in another recent article agrees [See his "The philosophy behind pseudoscience", Skeptical Inquirer 30 (4) 29-27 (2006)]. He tells us that every intellectual endeavor, including science, has an underlying philosophy. He states that "the philosophy behind evolutionary biology is naturalism (or materialism) together with epistemological realism." He adds that "by contrast, the philosophy behind creationism (whether traditional or "scientific") is supernaturalism (the oldest variety of idealism)."

Given the arguments advanced by these people, the idea that science can be characterized as pure methodology, devoid of naturalistic philosophy, is very questionable. Even Miller, when he argues the case of natural selection against so-called "intelligent design," does not take evolutionary biology to be pure method. He cites the well-grounded theory and body of knowledge established by the science to make his case against the "Intelligent Design" proponents. But he stops there; he does not use the same biological findings to raise question regarding Christian theism. However, his work and arguments contra creationism and Intelligent Design demonstrate that he really does not limit himself, as a scientist, to method. Granted, we can make the philosophical distinction between method and philosophy; but ultimately this distinction doesn't do much in the debate between naturalists and super-naturalists, other than offer some psychological comfort to the super-naturalist.

In conclusion, the touted distinction between methodological and philosophical naturalism does little to show that science and religion are compatible. The same can be said regarding the claims that "science does not disprove God," that many scientists are also persons of faith and find belief in God compatible with their work in the sciences. None of these makes much headway in showing that the sciences are compatible with a commitment to a supernatural view of reality.

Ancient Greek Atomic Science Was About Mothers and Their Babies

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:54:00 +0000

Once upon a long time ago, living in ancient Egypt had its good times as well as its bad times. Some scribe wrote that during the good times, kindness within the family seemed to increase the ability of Egyptians to get the most out of life. Egyptian pyramid builders had to know about the stuff of geometry and the scribe figured out that there were two sorts of geometry. One sort was about lifeless things like stone pyramids and the other sort was about living feelings. The feeling stuff was different, because it could be used to think about ideas that went on forever, while the lifeless stuff did not. The living geometry was used to try and figure out about the feeling stuff belonging to the geometry that went on forever. They called that the sacred geometry of the immortal soul.

We know a bit about this subject because it was used to describe the meaning of ancient Egyptian paintings that were painted during the 1st Kingdom of Egypt. Egyptian writings in stone tells us that about 4000 years ago a terrible drought wiped out the 1st Kingdom and one hundred years later the people restored government back into existence. However, new rules applied, the geometry used to explain mercy, compassion and justice had to be used to put those ideas into political law. We might refer to the people doing this as belonging to a sort of mystery school. Some Greeks, including our old school friend Pythagoras, went to Egypt to learn more about the secrets of these Mystery Schools.

After a while several Greek Universities were set up to figure out more about the eternal mysteries and the ancient Greeks added more good stuff ideas to those of mercy,compassion and justice, including love, freedom, and truth. In geometry all of these ideas had to balance each other in order to correctly solve political and scientific problems. Things got more and more complicated and the universities decided to invent a science devoted to the living stuff as well as the logic about the dead stuff. Their life-science was known as the Science for Ethical Ends. The idea of good and evil was sorted out. Good was about the health of the universe and evil was figured out to be the destructive property of unformed matter inside the atom. Those Greeks were getting so clever they figured out a way to measure how much the earth weighed and how far away it was from the sun and they had figured out some pretty incredible stuff about atoms.

Pythagoras learned about The Music of the Spheres, that as the moon and stars moved about they sang a sort of song that could be heard by the atoms moving about within humans. This sort of musical communication between celestial bodies and small atoms is well known today and it's a bit like the communication force that shatters a wine glass when singing a high note. The moon could be considered to influence the female fertility cycle and therefore the celestial music might represent a science to explain a mum's love and compassion for children.

All the ethical stuff had to be put into a medical science to guide ennobling government so that humans could learn how to evolve to become good enough to act for the good of the spiritual universe. Spiritual in that ancient science referred to modern day spooky holographic stuff, anyhow, by being good, that is, by caring for the holographic environment, humans could become godlike and avoid extinction from the evil residing within the atom. This science was called The science of universal love and its teachers were called Saviours, saving humanity from atomic evil. It was taught throughout Italy during the 1st Century BCE and Cicero the Roman Historian complained that it was not suitable for Roman rule.

The science of universal love was a strange idea about a whirling force that pulled little bits of material stuff together to make worlds, which we know today was an attempt to explain the effects of gravity. As well as doing this the whirling force, called the Nous, was thought to evolve intelligence in the universe. It was thought that when the Nous had created parts of the universe it went away to create more parts, leaving humans to evolve as part of universal creation. The idea of good being for the health of the universe and that humans could, in some mysterious way, become responsible for such goodness became a source of intense study for several hundred years, until the Romans burnt down the Great Library of Alexandria and most of the ancient scrolls were lost

Attempts to rediscover the lost science became known as the Renaissance. Things got into a fine old pickle causing the greatest scientific mix up imaginable. The Knights Templar dug up some of the ancient scrolls from underneath a temple in Jerusalem and decided that Jesus Christ was the greatest teacher of the lost science, and hundreds of years later The President of America Thomas Jefferson wrote his own Bible about it. The East India Company sent Charles Darwin on a voyage to find the secrets of evolution and he came back to write that the universe was ruled by the same scientific laws that governed the running of steam engines. Albert Einstein thought that was a great idea and science became so ridiculous that it became impossible to even think scientifically about the magical importance of a young mothers love for her child.

The world had gone chasing after money, the silly science that we got stuck with, is falling into a mess causing a global economic confusion. Recently the ancient science of spiritual reality has been photographed working within the human DNA and we appear to be in danger of changing into some form of robot ruled by bits of endless governmental forms to fill out. All around the world scientists are trying to measure the loving forces that come into play between a mum and her baby. Einstein's steam engine law, considered that when all the heat in the universe gets lost into cold space all life must be destroyed, is no longer considered to be a complete picture of everything. The female loving force does not allow for that to happen at all.

The amazing thing about the new science struggling to emerge from a world of greed is that a new medical science has been created by some of the world's greatest scientists. A mother's love and compassion is so essential to future human survival that not only are the ancient mysteries being upgraded into a new science but as mothers become aware of their importance, the magical song of life can now be measured by delicate instruments. Already plans are in existence based upon a mother's lullaby to her babe, to be put into a computer game quite the opposite to the existing computer games of violence and destruction, so that the leaders of commercial gain might be able to balance their enterprises.

Professor Robert Pope

Science Fair Projects - What's In It For Me?

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000

So it's time for science fair projects again. Many students dread these assignments, but there is really no need to panic. For the elementary grade levels, you could do something as easy as growing a crystal garden. But for middle or high school science fair projects, you will probably need to do something that involves more scientific research and experimentation, using the scientific method. Science fair projects should be fun and interesting, and when you are done you will have learned something new to share with your friends and family.

One of the best things about doing science fair projects is that they are not like doing homework. You get to pick the topic, ask the questions, and design the experiment. When you analyze the results, there are not necessarily any right or wrong answers. Many kids find that it is much more fun than doing schoolwork.

Picking Science Fair Project Ideas

It doesn't have to be hard finding science fair projects ideas. As a matter of fact, just look around and see if something in the world around you could use some improvement. Or, ask yourself "What am I interested in?" and go from there. Turn that interest into a question and then find a way to answer it. Choosing science fair topics really can be that simple and easy.

Now maybe you would like to do something different or more unusual, but you are having a hard time finding just the right idea. There are many places you could look. You could start at the library. Or search the internet to find all kinds of cool ideas to try. There are many sites that list science fair projects and ideas, as well as give you instructions on how to design and perform your experiment.

Why Do Science Fair Projects?

There are lots of great reasons for doing science fair projects. For example, global warming is a big issue in the world today. Doing a science fair project in this area not only helps you to learn, but could help the whole world. That can be very exciting. Some students actually end up making new or important discoveries. Today, more than ever, doing a science fair project could be a way to contribute to the world around you.

What are some of the other good reasons for doing science fair projects? Many different people will see your science fair project display, learn about your idea and the work you put into it. You can win prizes such as money, a trip to another state or country (maybe even with all the expenses paid), or a scholarship to college to further study your own interests. Science fair judges are often important scientists or industry leaders. Gaining their recognition could lead to a job or internship doing what you love. For instance, in the technology field, you could work on a new computer program that will help a local business in your community.

By doing science fair projects you will learn a lot about yourself, your talents and gifts, and what you like to do. You will learn how to ask questions and find a solution. You can learn to work on your own or with people of various ages, sharing ideas and doing the research to reach a conclusion. You can earn respect and recognition from family, friends and your community. You can also learn how to communicate better with those around you. And of course, you will learn about the scientific method, performing valid experiments and analyzing the results. These are all are important life and job skills you will need as an adult. The future of the world lies in the fields of math, science and technology, and you can make an important contribution by using your abilities and imagination, all starting with your science fair project.

Science Education - Making Science Fun

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:54:00 +0000

Every school in America is required to teach science. This is because science and scientific learning is a fundamental part of our existence. Most everything that we encounter on a day-to-day basis is, in some way, related to science. Even when we are sleeping, science is there to explain why we need to sleep and what takes place while we are sleeping. Because of this, science education is essential to life as we know it. Of course there will be many people who are happy to go through life without knowing how a bird can fly. Even given this fact, there will always be something that they will need to know and understand that is grounded in science. Even if it is something as simple as 'fire is hot' or 'getting punched hurts. Science is there to explain these simple things too.

A good foundation in science through science education is required for all children, but the way that this education takes place is not strictly defined. With that said, many schools will take to science experiments using hands-on science products and supplies. This is an excellent way for students to 'see' the science around them. Often times learning from a book can be tedious and will cause students to become uninterested in the subject matter. A science experiment, however, is interactive and forces the students to take part in science learning. These projects don't have to be complicated and will usually result in a much higher level of learning retention.

There are a few reasons why children better retain knowledge gained through scientific experimentation. One is it allows you to appeal to those children who are visual learners. These students are the ones who need pictures or demonstrations to remember things. Words just don't stick in their minds as well, but when they can see a science demonstration or visualize an experiment, they can comprehend and retain the subject matter with much better success. Many students tend to thrive in science because it offers the visual aspect that many other subject matters do not.

Another reason that knowledge gained through science experimentation is retained longer by students is because they are actively engaged. They can't simply skim through the experiment, they have to make sure that they are doing things correctly, and the only way to ensure that is by understanding what is going on. It forces students to understand the science behind what they are doing, and if they don't, often times the experiment won't turn out right.

Finally, hands-on science experimentation gives the student a sense of accomplishment. It is a reward of sorts, to have the experiment turn out correctly. That reassurance and sense of achievement at the end of each experiment will cause them to want to do more. It will also give them more confidence in what they are doing and possibly cause them to take up more science projects on their own. They will already be comfortable with the process they need to follow and will merely need their own ideas and theories to start their own projects. Even their own small science projects will increase their knowledge of how the world around them works and functions.

Why Science Is So Fun For Kids

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Science is a fun and interesting subject for kids because it is all around us. Some people do not realize that science is involved when in almost everything you do such as cooking, cleaning, and playing. When these people think of science they probably remember the classroom and the teachers boring lectures, but the good news is that method is becoming a thing of the past. Science is being brought onto television with police dramas such as CSI.

Most children at an elementary school age want to grow up and be a policeman because policeman help people and they always catch the bad guy. To kids this is the best thing in the world, and for us as parents we can not think of a better role model for our children than a police officer. CSI shows kids how science is used to solve crimes and catch the bad guys. While kids might not understand the exact techniques involved with DNA and others, every kid knows about fingerprints. Teachers can set up a mock crime scene and let children lift fingerprints and other crime lab techniques. At the end the children can solve the crime and write a report on who they think did it, how they figured out who did it, etc. This is a fun exercise for children to do and it is all hands on.

Another reason why kids love science is because what other subject do you get to learn about outer space. Children of all ages are fascinated with the idea about outer space and aliens. Outer space is also interesting because it involves flying in rockets and going places that nobody has gone before. The whole idea about what if lets children use their imagination and learn at the same time.

Science is also fun because you can mix stuff together and make new things. Children from a young age learn that if you take dirt and mix water to it you get mud. And the learning does not stop there, as they get older the learn more about combining ingredients to make new things. Science allows children to make play dough, cookies, slime and all sorts of other gross and fun things. Besides the fact kids can just experiment on their own to see what they can come up with.

Another part of science is animals. Almost all kids love to learn about animals. Basic science about animals involves ant farms, which kids can build themselves with a jar, some dirt and ants. The best part about ant farms is digging in the dirt and trying to find the ants. But as kids get older they can take this type of science to another level, which can include biology and anatomy.

For kids science is fun because what other subject do you get to have all of your questions answered and use your imagination to create things. Science is also filled with wonders about other worlds, such as dinosaurs and why they became extinct, outer space and walking on the moon, and solving crimes. Science involves experimenting and most kids love to try things to see if they work. For example physical science can involve dropping an egg from a roof top to see if it will break, or what will drop faster a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks. By getting hands-on kids can figure out these answers and numerous other answers, the hands-on experiments make science even more fun and exciting.

Creative Ways To Get Your Child Interested In Science

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 09:05:00 +0000

Not all kids like all subjects, but it seems that science is the hardest for ordinary kids to get interested in. This could be because that a lot of parents themselves are not interested in science and kids seem to pick up on that. Teachers try everything that they can think of to make their subjects interesting and most of the time it works. Teachers who have passion for their subject are a lot more effective in getting kids interested in a subject than teachers who just sit and lecture a student.

As a parent you might be wondering how you can get your child interested in science. The first step is to become active and interested in what your child is doing. This is probably the most important thing you can do to get your child interested in anything. By showing your child that you are interested in what they are doing makes you child feel like they are doing something worthwhile. Because they are feeling important they will approach science with a new zest for learning.

Here are a few tips to help get your child interested in science.

Tip one:
Do not wait for school to start before trying to teach your child about science. Start teaching them stuff at a young age. The great thing about science is that you can gear it towards any age. For example when you are taking a walk in the spring you can talk with your child about why flowers are starting to grow this time of year.

Tip two:
Take advantage of your child's natural curiosity. Kids love to ask questions, they always want to know how something works, why something does that, how something is made, and anything else that they can think to ask. Rather than telling them the answers simply ask questions of your own. Ask them what they think the answer is and how they came up with that answer.

Tip three:
Do hands-on projects with them to help them learn how to think critically and figure out how things work. For example you can bake cookies with children and teach them about how mixing the ingredients together turn the separate ingredients into something else entirely. You can also teach them about temperatures when the cookies are in the oven. No matter the age you can find some type of hands-on thing to do to relate to science. The key is to engage in conversation with your child and have them think things through.

Tip four:
Help your child get involved in more science related activities at school. Encourage them to participate in the Science Fair and help them with their project. Or if they are involved in Scouts take advantage of their Scouting projects and turn them into a fun science lesson. Your children do not realize just how much science actually affects our every day lives.

Tip five:
Encourage your child to investigate and experiment. The main part of science is investigating what you think and trying to see if it will work. For example if your child wants to play in the snow and build a snowman/snow chair let them try it out. Give them the tools they can use or ask them what they might need and provide it for them. If their idea does not work you can suggest the build the platform first and then put a snowman's head on the back of the platform. But let them try their ideas without discouraging them.

Science does not have to be boring; by taking the time to answer your child's question or by having them answer their own question you are teaching them about science. Buying them that butterfly habitat is also teaching them about science. And the best news is it is all fun and interesting for them.

Why Indian Science Lagged Behind Western Science?

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:58:00 +0000

Science is the study of theory, its verification through observation and experimentation to verify those observations in the context of the theory. If the theory is verifiable through an experiment and a meticulous observation then it is successful otherwise not. Science includes various areas of study like physics, chemistry, mathematics etc. Science is passion of west but the reality is that it has its roots in India also. It would not be wrong to analyze the reasons about why India lagged behind while the west progressed ahead to left India behind in Science.

Why Indian science lagged behind the western science and why Western science is more advanced and genuine? Indian Science progresses like anything else through the early years of first century to eleventh century especially astronomy. While Europe was still living in the dark ages under pope and Christianity, Indians had already made progress in the mathematics and astronomical sciences to name a few. An Indian scientist was the first person to cite the idea that the earth revolved round the sun and not the other way round which was a remarkable achievement made thousand years before Copernicus proposed his heliocentric theory. Another Indian scientist proposed theorems on several geometrical figures and other mathematical proofs which seemed several years advanced. It was India which gave the world the idea of zero and numbers.The numbers concept was given by India which was later transferred to Arab World by Arab Scholar which later passed on to Europe. After having achieved so much remarkable scientific discoveries why Indian Science lagged behind?

Indian Science never saw the same trajectory of development as seen by western science during the renaissance period. The progress of Science in west began by Newton and other scientists. Indian society was Caste-ridden.Society had strata of castes where every Caste had its own hereditary profession. There were hard lines drawn between the castes and out of these boundaries no one could jump so if a merchant class worker do the work of art he has to do that work only even if he proposed some noble thoughts out of his mouth some heyday was a thorough nonsense as it was not considered his profession. Brahmans were the only privileged class to have some say in intellectual matters while others classes were left devoid of any such privilege. So in a way there was not such development of science was possible in ancient India where there was no freedom of exchange of thoughts and ideas. Once scientific development got broke in eleventh century A.D. it could not had been kept up in the later years.

Invention of printing press happened only in 13th century not in India but in China. It was certainly a misfortune for India that it was not invented earlier. Paper is more powerful medium of storing knowledge and passing on this knowledge to future generations, thereby building on the past knowledge. The Indian ancient scientists (as before mentioned names) could not have been able to do so. The knowledge once created could have been lost forever and could not be stored in a reliable and compact book. In contrast western science when in its nascent stages in the fourteenth century could have capitalized on the opportunity as paper was already invented. So a scientist like Newton or Copernicus or Galileo could have passed such knowledge in the form of books. What would have happened if newton could not have passed his knowledge in form of book called the Principia of mathematics or Copernicus would not have published his work of heliocentric theory? Certainly western science could not have progressed as it did. This knowledge in form of books could be then be used by future scientists to further the progress of the western science. Invention of paper cannot be cited as the sole reason for Indian science to not to have progressed. There are some more reasons which needs investigation as what was the real reason for Indian Scientific thought that originated around fourth century B.C. could not carry on to do what western science has achieved.

The Chinese traveler Hun-Tseng while visiting India saw well-established universities in modern Bihar. The University had well laid down monasteries and renowned teachers called gurus. The students lived in monasteries and taught in areas of literature, history, science etc. There was a proper medium of teaching and communication between the guru and the student. Many scholars visited University from various countries to learn higher education. There were some well-known teachers. Another University in modern Pakistan was also a great center of learning in north-western part of India. These were great institutes of learning and could have been great harbinger for cultivation of modern scientific thought for Indian in the coming time and could have placed the country on top of the pile in terms of scientific achievements and other knowledge frontiers. But what happened to such well-established centers of learning. The answer to this curious question is India was a hunting ground for plunderers. India was a rich country at that time with large wealth in form of gold and other precious ornaments. Many plunderers from North West invaded India and destroyed its well established establishments including the universities. There were invasions which created new rulers especially of barbaric nature who wanted to destroy such established learning systems and wanted to lay their own method of administration of the state. The ruins of great Indian Universities suggest how they got destroyed by these invasions of loot and destruction. Once destroyed these systems of learning could not be established on large-scale but prevailed on small-scale. Although these centers of leaning were not like the modern university system of west but they do had the potential to become great centers of learning. Western Science progressed with the aid of the universities system. These were the temples of higher learning where scholars could do research and publish their works. This system of universities could be considered as backbone of western science without which progress of science could not had been possible. Indian science could not have flourished without this education system which is obvious and sensible thought. So in a sense absence of such centers of learning was one of the determining factors for Western science having been triumphed while the Indian science which started so early could not had seen the bright day.

The broken string of the scientific thought after the eleventh century A.D. could be seen in the reigns of famous rulers like Akbar. There were experts for literature, music and other arts but not even a single expert on science. Besides that there was not any significant work on science written which can suggest that scientific temper prevailed at that time. Although there were enough works of arts like music, literature that could be cited easily. The rulers in the west had experts like Leonardo Da Vinci in Italy and Tyco Brahe was people whose works changed western science. Presence of such geniuses in the courts of rulers suggests how western scientific thought was given respect by rulers at that time when western science was just flourishing. So in a way ruling aristocracy played a great role in progress of western science in an indirect way by encouraging the scholars of such calibers to continue their work by providing the financial support. In India the situation was entirely different and thus one can consider that Science was entirely forgotten and the though of its progress in such a situation was out of question.

Science requires inventions like the steam engine or any other work of technology. The Indian climate is not so harsh and severe as compared to the western countries where cold and harsh weather demanded invention of technology. Requirement for clothes demanded invention of machines and other devices. Indian whether being good did not demanded any invention of technology. So climatic conditions were also had role to play. The demand to go long distances in harsh British winter led to the Invention of steam engine. The demand for clothes and other articles of use led to the establishments of factories. While in India the domestic demand of clothes, utensils and other items got fulfilled by small groups of private artists and workers who specialized in a particular work of art.

The scientific discoveries happened in form of patches of scientific discoveries but there was no clear trajectory of the progress of Indian science. The trajectory could had continued and completed but it broke in between by the factors as already cited like castes, the breakup of university system, royal patronage, climate, printing invention. In a way these factors suggest that Indian science could not have progressed as western science progressed. So in the end social, political and economic structural differences certainly made Indian science lagged behind the Western Science.

5 Reasons Science Projects Are More Fun Then Reading A Book

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:57:00 +0000

There are many things to do to keep you occupied. Reading a book is a good way to keep you occupied while doing something educational. Something that is more fun than reading a book is doing a science project. If you don't think that doing a science projects are more than reading a book, you probably have not tried them. Here are 5 reasons science projects are more fun then reading a book.

The first reason science projects are more fun then reading a book is because it will get you off the couch and doing something more interactive. You can do a science project by yourself or get other people involved. Science projects are fun because they are hands on.

The second reason science projects are more fun then reading a book is because it is real, and it is application. You can read about how electricity works, or you can figure it out for yourself by applying the ideas and doing a science project. It isn't some fictional thing that you know can never happen. It is finding something that you are curious about and discovering how it works and putting it to the test.

For example, when popping popcorn have you ever wondered how popcorn pops? Well, you could do a science project and figure out what makes it pop and why some kernels don't pop when cooked. There is a small drop of water in the center of a kernel that when heated quickly enough causes the water to turn to steam causing the kernel to pop and create popcorn. But what happens if you cook the popcorn in the oven at a low temperature? The pop corn would not pop because it would heat the water slowly and it would make the water evaporate instead of turning it to steam. You could try a lot of different ways to try to make a kernel pop and make educated guesses on if it will pop or not. You can also try to freeze it and see if that has an effect on how the kernel will pop. If you are curious about popcorn try it out.

The third reason science projects are more fun then reading a book is because it helps you learn something that might help you in the future. Maybe in a science class or helping relate to something that you are learning about in another class. Science projects can always come in handy.

The fourth reason science projects are more fun then reading a book is because they help bring things to life. In a book you use your imagination but that is where it usually stops. With a science project you can actually go out and make something become a reality. For example, say you want to know more about frogs. You could always go to the library and check out a book and read it. Or you could take it one step further and make a science project involving frogs. Go out to some wetlands or other places you think frogs might live and take in their habitat and everything that has to do with frogs. Then you can ask questions and study other habitats and it will help you discover why frogs live and do the things they do to survive.

The fifth reason science projects are more fun then reading a book is because you get to make your own story. You get to take what you are interested in and be your own narrator. You get to decide what you want to do for your science project, where you want your science project to take place and decide what outcomes you want out of it.

These 5 reasons are all good reasons why science projects are more fun then reading a book. Science projects help you get out and discover what the world has to offer you. Pick a science project and start your own story. There are so many possibilities out there.

The Value of a Science Fair Project

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:01:00 +0000

With the jam-packed schedules of today's families, why would either a student or a parent want to add one more major activity? Clearly, any school project assigned to a student should meet a stringent test for usefulness. Surprising to some, a science fair project is one of the best learning experiences a student can undertake. And, if it is taken seriously, it can be an excellent way to earn significant prizes, qualify for scholarships, and distinguish a college application.

Conceptually, a science fair project is very straightforward. A student chooses a scientific question he or she would like to answer. Then, library and Web research on the question gives the student the background information he or she needs to formulate a hypothesis and design an experiment. After writing a report to summarize this research, the student performs the experiment, draws his or her conclusions, and presents the results to teachers and classmates using a display board. Most students do their projects for a school science fair, but in many cases students can enter that same project in fairs at the city or county level. This is the first step in competitions that lead up to the international level, where prizes total over $3,000,000 and the top winners take home $50,000 scholarships.

What makes a science fair project such a great learning experience is that it involves so much more than science. If the student is in middle school, the research report will most likely be the longest paper the student has ever written. The bibliography for the report will also be the first ever for some students. And, while library research is still important, these reports are a great way to hone computer research skills as well as learn the ins and outs of common office programs such as word processors and spreadsheets. Most projects involve a good deal of math, and all students get an opportunity to enhance their presentation skills when they prepare their display board and discuss the project with judges.

A science fair project will also have a longer duration than any other assignment a student has done. In contrast to the typical school homework due the next day or perhaps a week hence, a science fair project requires a student to learn to plan over two or three months, a skill of immense importance in adulthood. Procrastination is definitely not rewarded.

Savvy students, especially those who work their way up to higher levels of competition, learn even more about communications skills. They learn the importance of marketing--picking topics and tuning their presentations in ways that will make them most likely to impress a science fair judge. While some may bemoan this lack of purity in the pursuit of science, the fact is that even a professional scientist must compete for funds to continue his or her research. When better to learn how to persuade others than before your livelihood depends on it?

A science fair project even provides an opportunity for the discussion of ethical issues such as plagiarism and falsification of data. Indeed, such a discussion is highly recommended. The ease of copying information from the Internet is hard to resist, and many students are far ahead of their teachers in understanding what is possible.

Preparing a science fair project is an excellent example of what education experts call active learning or inquiry (also "hands-on" learning). It is a very effective instructional method; indeed, it is recommended as a cornerstone of successful science teaching. Yet, according to the National Research Council, active learning is not employed often enough in the classroom and its absence is seen as one of the key factors behind kids losing interest in science and not performing to their potential.

Colleges want to see what students have done with the opportunities they have available to them, and science competitions are a fantastic opportunity. Typically, from two to four percent of science fair entrants at the high school level move on to the top level of science fair competition, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. While the competition is stiff, those odds are a lot better than the lottery.

Of course, learning about science is at the heart of a science fair project. Our society relies more on science every day, and science fairs are a great way for students to become more knowledgeable about how the world around them works. Every citizen needs sufficient science literacy to make educated decisions about what they see or read in the media, about their own health care, and about other every-day problems.

A science project is a great way to improve your child's academic and communication skills, not to mention help their college resume. If your child's teacher doesn't assign a science project, ask him to.

Science for Kids - How to Collect Data in an Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 14:27:00 +0000

Collection of data in any experiment is crucial for accuracy and precision of a science project. More importantly, when data in experiments are properly collected, the information gathered provides the scientist of the science project validity and credibility. These are valuable skills for any scientist to be successful in any field. When science students are collecting data for a science project, they should be aware of these basics steps: precision, accuracy, validity and reliability.

Precision data is repeatability

In many instances, science students working on their school science projects need to repeat their experiments. This is to provide justification to previous experiments. But it also explains that the data gathered is precise. The more precise the collection of data is the more accurate the result. Perhaps, science students need to repeat an experiment to verify an unsuccessful or an incomplete result. Other times, experiments do not perform to standards. In other cases, experiments are incomplete due to lack of materials or time. Hence, the more repeats in an experiment the better the results.

Accurate data is correct information

The accuracy of the data gathered by science students means how close that result is in regards to the true value. In statistic terms, a true value is data that closely approaches the correct record. In this way, the more precise a measurement is in a particular instrument, the more accurate that value is to the experiment. Therefore, many instruments must be calibrated according to standards to provide accurate results. When an instrument is not calibrated, the measurements from that instrument lack validity. Calibration is the act of standardizing an instrument based on its specific graduations. For instance, a weighing balance in a grocery store is calibrated with weights to provide the most accurate weight in pounds. Thus, calibration of an instrument is a vital part of the accuracy and precision of a result.

Valid data is true scientific content

When science students provide true data, it also provides legitimacy to their science projects. As a matter of fact, without validity in science projects, they appear unreliable. For other scientists, when validity is compromised in some experiments or science projects, it sends a negative signal that they were not serious about their project. In science, experiments may not provide the results that they may predict. But a negative data in a science experiment can also mean a good result. It can prove or disapprove the hypothesis. It can provide additional information to other scientific experiments. It can establish the opportunity to further analysis of the data. Therefore, a valid science experiment not only provides valid results but it also provides an honest science student.

Reliable data is trustworthy evidence

If science students approach their science projects with validity, their data becomes more reliable. When experiments are conducted with conviction in performing the best and most accurate data, then they can be confident about their science projects. Reliable results establish the foundation for a legitimate reputation for science students. But it also establishes that the information gathered by science students is reliable, valid, accurate, and precise. In fact, science students who do not omit any steps in their science experiments to obtain results understand that science is a learning process.

How to Make Science Fun For Children

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Often, kids cringe at the mention of science. Their mind conjures up images of a boring book or lecture that they cannot understand. However, children should and can be made to realize that science can be fun! This is imperative if our country, and the world, wants to make leaps and progress in the scientific world of technology and medicine. What then, is the key to making science more appealing for children? We hope you will get some good suggestions here.

How to add fun to science.

Tip 1. You can begin by purchasing a simple science kit or activity. Science kits usually have an educational angle, but they are packaged as enjoyable activities with a fun spin. Make a trip to the store or do a quick search online and you will find that there is a staggering range of science kits on almost any subject in science.

First, consider what aspect of science does catch your childs fancy. If your child likes some drama and action, then a volcano kit would be a perfect introduction to science. A volcano-construction and demonstration kit is not only a great learning tool, but above all, it is incredible fun for a child to see the lava bubbling out.

For the more serious analytical child, chemistry kits are fun. It can be exciting to see how different chemicals react (in a safe environment, of course!) Later, the little chemist can analyze results find patterns and make inferences.

Don't fret if you think your child will be disinclined to try either of these above-mentioned activities. Science covers a breadth of topics from biology, botany, earth sciences, to forensics. The good news is, there is a kit for almost every field you want to explore. The conveniences of science exploration kits are many. The fact that they come with all the things you need for your scientific investigations, means that you don't have to scramble to find the necessary tools. Thus, a science kit is time-saving and often, economical.

Other than the ubiquitous items of stationery that you require for almost any educational activity, science kits come with all the essentials for the activity. The greatest benefit of science kits are that their interesting packaging, tools, and approach, generate a child's interest in science. The results of the experiment or the science activity are immediate and tangible with a science kit. This instant gratification of an experiment encourages further exploration. Thus, it's a great idea to buy a science kit if you are trying to get your child interested in science.

Tip 2. It also helps to have the entire family join in on the science activity. Your science exploration doesn't always have to be indoors. There's plenty to learn from nature. A study of botany (leaves, flowers, plants) could be a simple science activity as you enjoy a hike. Call attention to the variety of fauna you see, and get your child involved in identifying them.

You can study different kinds of rocks together, and maybe, collect a few. With a reference book or the internet as a resource, you can try to identify and label your rock collection. Although the rocks may not consist of spectacular pieces of earth, a rock collection is a great way to study how different rocks are made, and how it affects their properties. Having a rock collection will turn your child into an unwitting geologist.

What we have discussed here are several good suggestions that can help your child see science in an interesting and fun light. Instead of bombarding your child with dull workbooks, introduce small measures of science into daily regular activities. This will enable your child to be an explorer without the conscious stress of "studying" science. Learning will always take place if you keep it fun and engaging.

Science As a Media Event

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:32:00 +0000

One need not make any extensive surveys of different media to provide evidence for this failure. It is enough to see how sports has managed to gain more coverage in various media over the last few decades vis-a-vis science. One may argue that this is so because there are always some sports events occurring all over the world which naturally draw the attention of media. But contention here is that scientific activity, scientific community and laboratories all over the world can also be turned into what are called 'media events' if enough pains are taken by science communicators to achieve this status for science. First and foremost it will require the maximum cooperation of scientists.

For instance, anniversaries of scientists, institutes, organisations and societies, including the World Health Day, etc., can be celebrated; discussions and debates with the concerned scientists organised; and doors of concerned laboratories and organisations thrown open to masses and media.

Be that as it may, intention through this paper is to highlight the essentials and limitations of science popularisation so that there appears a fundamental change in the way of looking at this subject. Hopefully, it will lead to more effective strategies to popularise science among the masses.

Science writing is an art

Science popularisation is mostly done by science- trained persons and professional scientists. It is therefore looked upon more as a scientific activity rather than anything else. But science writing is more of an art rather than a science. It is scientific only in the sense one should have scientific knowledge but all the writing abilities are required to make a good presentation of science. It is due to the present lack of emphasis on the art aspect of science popularisation that this field of activity has suffered to date. Those few scientists or science-trained persons who have consciously or unconsciously known the art of science writing and have practised it, have only been successful in popularising science.

Science is a human activity

The second reason why popular science does not tick with the masses is because it is not projected as a human activity but an activity of scientists who simply believe in the search for truth - and nothing but truth! The human side of science is totally neglected in all popular science presentations. The follies and prejudices of scientists, the emotional life of scientists, the irrational circumstances in which scientific work is often undertaken and discoveries and inventions made, etc., are quite often deliberately not highlighted fearing that it would give bad name to science and scientific research. In short, the human face of science or scientific research is often neglected in popular science presentations. There is therefore a strong need to give science a human face. It would not only mean adding human stories to popular science presentations but also talking about realities in scientific research.

Tip of the iceberg presentation

The third reason why popular science presentations often go wide off the mark and make the audience yawn and go for something else is the inability of science communicators to distinguish between technical report writing and popular science writing, thanks to their scientific training or background. They try to cram into a popular science presentation as much as they know or find out about a subject.

Actually, popular science presentation should be like the tip of the iceberg. It should however make one not only familiar with the tip of the iceberg but also aware of the unseen larger part of the iceberg floating under the water. In other words, it should reveal little about science but enough to make one realise the existence of that science with its entire ramification. It should excite one's curiosity enough so that one would like to probe further into that science. It should not necessarily tell everything about a science but at the same time it should not miss science.

Some important observations

The author's experience with popularising science over the years has forced him to arrive at some postulates. They are merely based on experience and intuition. Any research has not been conducted to back them up with facts and figures. In fact, much research is required to prove or disprove them. If in case they are proved, they can easily be called the 'Laws of Science Popularisation' because despite the best of our efforts we have not been able to popularise science the way we want among the masses. There must be some hidden laws governing our efforts to popularise science. These postulates are stated as follows:

Postulates of science popularisation

1st: Only those elements of science receive attention in a society, which suit its goals or which inspire awe.

2nd: A science communicator tends to impose his or her limited ideas of science, scientists and scientific research upon the audience.

3rd: The amount of space allotted to science in different media of a country is the index of the quality of life of its average citizen.

4th: The quality of science communication or presentation in a country is directly proportional to the quality of science produced in it.

5th: To popularise science is to humanise science.

One can deduce certain things from these postulates. The first postulate indicates that people at large read science because it serves their purpose or because the subject is topical, sensational or controversial or simply excites their curiosity. A handful only read science for the sake of knowledge per se. Much research is required to identify those subjects so that science could be more effectively popularised. For instance, health science and environment interest people at large, astronomy and space fascinate them, Nobel Laureates, UFOs, etc., are held in awe by them.

The Second postulate is dangerous for science itself. Consciously or unconsciously, the layman imbibes the limited or narrow image of science, scientists and culture of science from the communicator, whether he be Jacob Bronowski or Peter Medawar. Notions such as scientists are mad individuals or scientific research is yet another profession are creations of science communicators. That makes science communicator a very responsible person.

The third and fourth postulates are intuitive relationships between two unrelated things or activities. Further research is needed to prove or disprove these two laws by taking data from different countries. However, one must add here that in India we raise a hullabaloo to increase science coverage in our media at the first available opportunity but it often comes to nothing. Also, while writing a popular science article on a subject one often needs the assistance of a scientist doing research in that very subject. But in India the scientist of the concerned subject is often not available for consultation and as a result our writings lack the necessary quality, verve and colour.

The fifth, the last but not the least important postulate, though obvious, reminds us that we must give science a human face so that masses are not afraid of it. It is the basic aim of science popularisation.

Christmas tree of science popularisation

The aim of drawing the 'Christmas tree of science popularisation' is to illustrate the importance of various media that take science to the masses, though every medium has its own significance and a vital role to play in communication. But unless a person climbs up the tree, as his or her interest in science is aroused or increased - in other words, unless one begins to read newspapers, magazines and then books - he or she would not have become fully science literate.

Necessarily, the percentage of people reading books would be very small as the top of a Christmas tree indicates. But it is a must to know this tree because the role of any medium should not be underestimated and every medium should be given equal importance simultaneously. For instance, if a student's interest in science is aroused by science fair or 'Jatha' held in the town, it has to be sustained and maintained by wallpapers, newspapers and even books; otherwise, one's interest would flag and eventually die. Other supplementing media should be made available to the student in form of public libraries, for instance. So, the Christmas tree of science popularisation needs to be watered and tended carefully to produce a science literate society.

Conclusion

According to the postulates forwarded here there are (as yet unknown) limits to the extent science can be popularised among the masses. It is not possible to have a fully science literate society. Moreover, science communicators need to take into account aforementioned aspects about science popularisation for more effective communication of science to the masses.

Cool Science Experiments - The Way to Get Your Kids Excited About Science

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:07:00 +0000

I love seeing kids excited about Science. Reading about Science, exploring the world outside, seeing a science video are ways in which children enjoy and become motivated about Science. And, through the years, that is what we have successfully done. However, recently it has been confirmed in my own mind, that a real and extremely valid way for kids to love Science and be keen to know more, is to provide them with time to play around with really cool Science experiments.

As a homeschooling family we have questioned, "What have been the things that we look back on with fond and treasured memories in Science?" It is either the hands-on nature walks and finding animals, or the fun in setting up and doing an experiment with great results. Many of the experiments my children have enjoyed have been totally unrelated to any science text we may have been following at the time. Most of the successful 'science' messes have sprung up from their own interest and trying to solve a question which they have posed themselves. (Like fixing a cheap toy and making it far better than it ever was.) So, how do we encourage our children to play around with Science?

Ask them Questions

Firstly, ask your children questions without giving away the answer. If you are working through a text which has science experiments, present the question to them and do not read or let them read what sorts of results they should be getting from performing the experiment. Ask them questions during the experiment and after it - what do you think would happen if we changed x,y or z? Ask them questions about life - about their physical environment or why things happen? Ask them the curious questions before they ask you. And then let them think and ponder about it. It does not mean that you should never give answers, but at the same time, do not rush in - give them time first. When answering, relate the answer to their current experience. And remember, it is okay to admit you do not know the answer - that can become an ideal time to discuss how to research and find answers we are looking for.

* Let them Experiment

Let them play with all sorts of things around the home and experiment. Using a book or Science course will give you ideas about exciting science experiments. There are also a ton of books at the library that will interest your children or even using an online Science Curriculum which is full of really cool science experiments. I have found experiment instructions on video to be an excellent tool also. We all love watching as others use all sorts of common household materials, (and some that you need to buy), and this inspires me as well as my children. In fact, some recent experiments we have see online have been the recent catalyst for a whole heap of hovercraft experiments which in turn has motivated my other children to fiddle with a toy gun changing it from a gun using air pressure to one using spring mechanics.

* Be prepared, Grow a collection of Science Tools and Encourage Mess

If you want your children to experiment, you will need to accept and even encourage mess. Set up some boxes where you keep all sorts of odds and ends which will come in handy for science experiments.

* You will need materials like rubber bands, straws, pipe cleaners, paper clips, balloons, popsicle sticks.

* You will also need tools and materials to bind items together like sticky tape, masking tape, hot glue gun, super glue, rope or string, stapler and staples, hole punch, scissors.

* Then you will also need to collect some clean junk - bottle tops, soda bottles, clean cans, bottle lids, icecream containers and cardboard boxes of all sizes.

Perhaps you can create a Science Corner - filled with experiment books and all the materials, and a table to work on.

* Allow for mistakes

Every Science experiment does not need to work perfectly and make sure your children know that. When an experiment does not work the way they had hoped, ask them, "What did you learn from that?" "What might you do differently next time?" "Why do you think that happened?"

* Be Curious alongside of them, but do not take over

When your children are in the middle of a project or have completed it, they love to have a fan club. As they become more independent, they may not need you to set up an experiment or help them do it, but they really want to share their enthusiasm with an interested party - like their family and parents! So, let them inspire you - cheer them on as they set up an experiment - ask them questions so they can verbalize what is happening and why - problem solve with them - search out answers together, BUT do not take over. As parents we have the tendency to ruin the child-led learning experience and make it a full-blown lesson. We want to run with their idea because we can see how it will make a wonderful 'unit study' and so we plan, get books, blah, blah, blah, and run off with all of our great ideas, but meanwhile our children have turned the corner, lost interest and moved on. It does not matter! Even if their interest in that topic may have been short lived, another experiment at a later date will most likely, help to reinforce the science concept.

So, do what you need to do to excite your children about Science. Be curious, ask questions, encourage messes, grow a collection of Science Tools and find materials to help you. Enjoy the learning experience together.

Integrating Language and Science Instruction

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 14:21:00 +0000

Introduction

In the traditional teaching instruction, students with poor English are normally placed in low-ability groups, because it is believed it difficult for them to learn how to respond to the higher level classes with more complex demands. Integrating language skills with science instruction has become an alternative to traditional instruction. In the integrated approach, teachers held high expectations for their students and deliberately promote critical thinking skills which help them succeed in academic courses.

The science process skills-including observing, predicting, communicating, classifying, and analyzing-are similar to language learning skills-seeking information, comparing, ordering, synthesizing, and evaluating (Short, 1991). These skills are important keys to integrating science instruction with language acquisition. Motivating and engaging students to speak, ask questions, learn new vocabulary, and write down their thoughts comes easily when they are curious, exploring and engaged in science or science inquiry. Integrating literacy activities within teaching of science helps clarify science concept and can make science and more meaningful and interesting to the student.

Research suggests that increased student participation and peer interaction enhances the students' language better that teacher-directed activities (Ruddell, 2004). For instance, teacher can use cooperative learning jigsaws where students become experts on topics through texts that they read or listen to, take notes on, and teach to peers. Using cooperative learning method gives integrated teachers an opportunity to encourage interdependency among group members, assisting students to work together in small groups so that all participate in sharing data and in developing group reports.

Instructional Strategy

Unfortunately, today many classroom teachers who teach either science or language do not think science and language are interdependent (Short, 1991). Language teachers do not address the language needs of the students within the framework of the subject matter's objectives. They may think teaching content subject matter is not essential. Similarly, the content teachers may not understand language issues, nor be prepared to use English as a Second Language (ELL) methods for which they might have little or no experience.

The integrated approach is required for both language and science classrooms to bridge the gap that has often separated these two disciplines. Students can improve language proficiency through science instruction as either the background or theme of lessons. For example, once a science topic has been discussed and students have shared their knowledge of it, pertinent vocabulary may be taught. Later, certain concepts such as grammar rules or writing processes can be examined through the vocabulary or the application activities that are planned (Sherris, 2008).

Reading and writing activities and content-area instruction can be integrated in one lesson or unit, or the approach can form the basis for an entire curriculum. Even though the extent of implementation may vary widely, the underlying principles and procedures remain the same. An instructor takes first an objective from a content area curriculum, such as science, and determines the kind of language students need in order to be able to accomplish that objective. As a teacher helps students develop the science process skills of inquiry, language process skills or language learning strategies are simultaneously being developed. Two fundamental characteristics of the learning process, transfer and language dependence, frame our understanding of critical issues in teaching and assessing English learners in the science classroom (Short, 2002).

The integrated approach focuses on the fostering of thinking skills and the student-centered method of the instruction. Integrated teachers utilize a variety of teaching methods such as inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, brainstorming, cooperative learning, hands-on, interactive activity etc.

Instructional strategies that can be used in an integrated classroom include increased use of visuals, demonstrations, and graphic organizers; the development of thinking and study skills; and the use of pre-reading and pre-writing activities. By providing opportunities to use language in meaningful contexts, teachers can facilitate their students' transition into mainstream courses (Crandall and Peyton, 1993).

Integrated teachers need to pay attention to the science to be learned, the language skills required to learn it, and the reasoning abilities needed to be manipulated. When necessary, for example, they should provide explicit vocabulary instructions or model activities to the whole class before breaking into small groups. Teachers should encourage students to conduct independent research, but provide support students solicit assistance from each other. Through this approach, science teachers become sensitive to language problems that exist in their current textbooks, supplementary materials and teacher talk, and recognize other potential problem that their students may experience. The approach also helps language teachers as well, through a variety of methods used to introduce authentic and relevant science into classroom (Short, 2002).

Integrated lesson planning skills

Each integrated lesson should have a language and science component and the goal for the teacher should be to develop academic achievement and language proficiency simultaneously. To prepare clear science and language outcomes, teachers should draw on a variety of resources that include standards of knowledge and skills in a science area, language proficiency standards, prior student performance assessments, and available course materials. For example, a science teacher would prepare an integrated science and language lesson by first examining the science standards to determine the concept and skill to be learned, then selecting learning objectives, tasks, and materials appropriate to the students as determined by assessments of student performance.

To address the practice of integrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking, teachers must identify and work with students on two sets of discourse skills-one specific to a subject area, the other more generalized. Teachers then provide opportunities for students to improve all four language components-reading, writing, listening, and speaking-across a variety of text types, including some specific to their subject area and others that are generic (Aronson, et al 1978). Some examples of discourse that are content-area specific are experimental studies, community surveys, and interviews. Those that are generic include summary, comparison, and outlining.

For instance, in planning to teach motion, a teacher might construct the following possible outcome statements:

Students will be able to observe and calculate speed and acceleration of a moving object, discuss different methods of measuring the distance, and write a summary of each method. Calculate, discuss, and write are the descriptive verbs that determine whether a particular outcome addresses the knowledge and skill of a science area or specific language functions. Observing and calculating the speed and acceleration describe science outcomes, whereas discussing and writing about the methods used to compare types of distance measurement describe language outcomes related to the science. Integrated teachers should consciously attempt to sort the descriptive verbs used in standards documents and course materials into separately identified language and content outcomes.

According to Sherris (2008), the integrated lesson plans have at least two key benefits. First, the teachers clarify for themselves the separate content and language objectives of the lesson, which can improve their delivery of the instruction. Second, if these objectives are both explicitly presented and subsequently reviewed within each lesson, students become aware of the separate content and language goals, which may help them direct and monitor their own learning.

Students also develop the ability to carry out other content related tasks, such as lab experiments, creative scientific calculations, and historical inquiry. They solve problems, evaluate solutions, and collaborate effectively with one another in these activities through the use of appropriate academic language.

Integrated Lesson Plan

Lesson planning is critical to both a student's and a teacher's success. For maximum learning to occur, planning must produce lessons that enable students to make connections between their own knowledge and experiences, and the new information being taught (Rummelhart, 1995). In effective instruction, concrete content objectives that identify what students should know and be able to do must guide teaching and learning. For English learners, however, content objectives for each lesson need to be stated simply, orally and in writing, and they need to be tied to specific grade-level content standards (Echevarria and Graves, 2004). As with content objectives, language objectives should be stated clearly and simply, and students should be informed of them, both orally and in writing.

The integrated science lesson plan guidelines ( see attached table) describes the teaching phases in integrated lesson plans and the most effective science lessons for ELL are those have language and content objectives. As students gain both science process and English language skills, they will be able to examine independently scientific explanations and use logical reasoning to communicate. Higher-order thinking skills, such as articulating predictions or hypotheses, stating conclusions, summarizing information, and making comparisons, can be tied to language objectives.

The Secret to Teaching Science to Kids

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 12:06:00 +0000

Every child should have a solid science education regardless of whether they want to be the next Albert Einstein or Michael Jordan. Science is all around us, it is everywhere, effecting everything that we do. The "we" in that last statement includes children. Children that understand how science plays a role in our everyday lives have a wonderful foundation for success in life. This is what it means to give them a good educational science foundation for life.

In today's world the idea that the only people that need to understand science are those that will work as scientists and engineers is seriously outdated. Making sure that all children have a good science education is vital to each child being a success regardless of their background, talent or abilities. Children need to be able to make sense of the world around them, so that they can make the best decisions possible in relation to what they want to do in life, or with life for that matter.

Teaching Children with Toys!

Children can learn science at any age really. The earlier they start the better. The best way for kids to learn is through play and repetition. There are wonderful science toys for preschool science activities. Babies learn cause and effect, they are hungry the cry. They are wet they cry. They are learning that you respond to what they need if they cry. That is science is a very simplistic form. Wooden blocks or architect blocks are wonderful for teaching balance and stacking and lessons in gravity. Baby crawl mats are also wonderful teaching toys that are a lot of fun for babies.

With play being the best way kids learn, it only makes sense then to introduce toys to them that encourage understanding science. Children love to use their imagination to have fun and to help them figure out the world around them. So play is a wonderful time to be introducing science to them. Think of the games that we used to play; Don't Spill the Beans, Don't Break the Ice, the Telephone Game, Lincoln logs, patty cake, each of these games has a science behind it. Each of these games are wonderful science games or toys for the pre K school age group.

Another popular toy is the Block N Roll, which is a construction block system with hundreds of possibilities, such as building a space ship that a child can sit in, to constructing the tallest tower that they have ever seen. There are also "board games" that teach science are fun for the family, such as Aggravation or Chinese Checkers.

Children are by nature curious as they feel out the world, trying to makes sense of what is around them. Science feeds that curiosity hunger that they have. It is a hunger that needs to be encouraged and satisfied the best that it can be. Finding these toys is not as hard as one would think. To make sure that you get good quality toys, visit science toy shops online. These are the best places to find unique science toys such as 3-D space projectors, or Hydro Greenhouses.

Help your children appreciate the world around them with understanding the world around them. This way, they understand how we are all linked together. Children will not only question the world, but be able to come up with answers to those questions on their own. Science is life. .

Ways To Make Weekly Science Projects Part Of Your Routine

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 09:39:00 +0000

There are many things that you can incorporate into your weekly schedule such as sports practices, ballet classes, or even piano lessons. These are all great things for your kids in helping them find different interests. But another thing that you should try to do is to make science projects part of your weekly schedule. Making science part of your weekly schedule will not only help your child's analytical skills, it will also give you one on one time with them. If you do not think that you have time in your already busy routine, here are 5 ways to make weekly science projects part of your routine.

The 1st way you can make weekly science projects part of your routine is to set a specific night. Pick any night of the week. Make sure to pick a night that you can set aside enough time that you can actually go over the science project that you are doing. Make sure that you do not rush the time that you spend doing science projects. Take time to explain what the science project does and everything that is involved. Taking the time and not being rushed will help your child feel like you are not to busy for them. Making sure to do science projects will help your child to see that science is something you are interested in. Make sure that you are interested in science projects. This will help your child want to be more involved too. You are your child's greatest teacher. Your child looks up to you and will get more out of what you have to teach them than what anyone else teaches them.

The 2nd way you can make weekly science projects part of your routine is to pick a certain topic each week. Have an idea board hanging up where your child can write different ideas on what they would like to do a science project on each week. This will get your child excited about science projects. This will also make your child look forward to the time that you have set aside for doing science projects.

The 3rd way you can make weekly science projects part of your routine is to set aside a certain amount of time. Making sure that you have a certain amount of time will make it easier to want to take the time to set aside each week. Pick one or two hours out of your week to do science projects. This will be enough time that you can sit down with your child and spend time together, but also enough time that if you have other things that need to be done you can still get them done too.

The 4th way you can make weekly science projects part of your routine is to do science projects over dinner. Doing science projects over dinner will not only help you actually sit down for a family dinner once a week. It will also give you quality learning time with your family. This can be good because it will let you and your family be involved with the same thing. This will help you spark up conversations and have fun over dinner.

The 5th way you can make weekly science projects part of your routine is to do them like you would homework. Make them fun of course so your child won't be bored out of their mind. But take the time to look through your child's science text book and find something that you could do a science project on once a week that will go along with their lessons. As your child is doing their homework take the time afterwards to sit down and do a science project that goes a long with it.

These are all ways that you can make weekly science projects part of your routine. This will help you bond with your child along with helping them become more knowledgeable about the world around them and how it works. Make sure to make weekly science projects part of your routine.

Teaching Earth Science - Its Challenges and Rewards

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:23:00 +0000

Introduction

Knowledge in earth science is very vital in nation building. Almost everything we do each day is connected in some way to Earth: to its land, oceans, atmosphere, plants, and animals. The food we eat, the water we drink, our homes and offices, the clothes we wear, the energy we use, and the air we breathe are all grown in, taken from, surround, or move through the planet. According to American Geological Institute (AGI) Foundation, by 2025, eight billion people will live on Earth. This number of people will undoubtedly continue extracting resources to maintain a high quality of life. As we benefit from all the resources we get from the Earth, then we, as individuals and citizens, need to know more about our planet - its processes, its resources, and its environment. And only through Earth Science education can students understand and appreciate our complex planet. In this present time, the old and the young must join hands and help one another in the serious task of nation-building, the young to learn from the wisdom and experience of the elders, the elders to recognize the impatience of the youth. In contrast, not all young students are willing to cooperate in order to acquire the needed knowledge, attitudes and skills essential for a secure future. It is then a burgeoning task for the teacher to facilitate learning so that quality education will be acquired by the students. This paper will discuss the different challenges faced by the teacher in imparting knowledge about Earth Science in public secondary school, likewise it will also discuss the positive aspects in learning the subject.

THE CHALLENGES

Motivation

My first experience in teaching earth science was on September 2005 in one of the public secondary schools in Davao Oriental, specifically in District 1. I can still remember the first day when I entered the class of more than fifty (50) students crowded in a classroom. Some of them were busy chatting with their classmates, some were busy doing different tasks in their seats, etc. The first question that popped into my mind during that moment was: how can I get the attention of the students? As I introduced myself to them as their new science teacher, I saw different emotions reflecting on their faces. There were emotions of excitement, worries, anxieties, happiness, etc. I am not really sure if they were prepared to take new lessons in earth science. What I did was to let them get a piece of paper and let them write in there: their names, favorite subject, subject they hate most and why they love/hate a certain subject, and their expectation/s of the subject. I did this just to know whether they have interest in the subject or to know what subjects they liked best and the reasons why they love the subject. From that, I learned that out of more than fifty (50) students, only four (4) said that they like science subject. When I asked them why they do not like science as a subject, the common answer was: "Science is a difficult subject". From that experience alone, I got an insight that students will have difficulty in learning a subject if they do not like the subject. Indeed, teaching Earth Science to undergraduates or high school students could be difficult "if the students are not motivated or if they are not interested in the subject".

There are several ways of motivating the students to be interested in Earth Science. In my own experience, I used songs as part of my lessons - songs which are easy to learn and frequently heard by the students. I used the tune of a particular song and changed the lyrics so that it will fit with the topic I am discussing. There are also songs introduced to us during seminars that are very helpful because students would find it easier to memorize certain science concepts by just singing the songs over and over again. Example of these songs are: "We're the Scientist" - in the tune of "Ako'y Isang Pinoy"; "Sistemang Harana" - in the tune of "Harana" as popularized by Parokya ni Edgar, this emphasizes the importance of scientific method in solving problem; "Super Science" - in the tune of "Superman", stressed on the contributions of science in enhancing our lives; and a jolly song - "Youngsters Love Science". After introducing these songs, I found them useful in memorizing scientific terms, concepts, and processes. With this, I feel happy when I heard some of my students singing those songs and sharing them with their friends.

There are different ways of motivating students to learn Earth Science. Teachers should bear in their mind that flexible approaches and connections to other subjects is the key to success in a classroom for motivating student interest. It was proven true with my personal teaching experiences. One should not stick to one option if it doesn't work. Here are the motivating techniques which have been proven to work well with most students:

1. Relate local or national or international news items to some aspect of Earth Science. One may choose from a variety of items from the news. Some of the older news items and their impact on social/political life may also be of interest to students. Any news items relating to the following are generally welcomed by most students for class discussion: Earthquakes; Volcanoes; Tsunamis; Floods; Meteor Showers; and news items related to disasters - present or from past.

2. Pick a topic of common interest to most of the students, such as social or political problem that they are familiar with: nuclear power plants, illegal logging, global warming, consequences of urbanization; and mining. In my case, I used illegal logging, illegal fishing and mining as my point of focus because these issues are really happening in our locality.

3. Historical or biblical or religious locations and the geology associated with it: the Chasm at Delphi and the Apollo Temple in Greece and the vapors that emanates from the location; the geology of biblical areas such as the ones in Middle East; the Taj Mahal in India; the Pyramids in Egypt; the Great Wall of China; Niagara Falls and Grand Canyon in USA; Stories of Precious stones and gems; and any other similar ones.

4. Anecdotes from the scientific discoveries/contributions of great men/women of the past and present: Aristotle; Eratosthenes (measurement of the circumference of the earth); Ptolemy; Copernicus; Tycho Brahe; Johannes Kepler; Archimedes; Newton; Einstein; James Hutton; Charles Lyell; N. L. Bowen; Alfred Wegener; Harry Hess; and many more names that are worth mentioning in Earth Sciences.

5. Space exploration always fascinates students: anecdotes of Lunar exploration; Mars missions and life on Mars; Jupiter and its clouds and moons; discovery of new stars and other galaxies outside our own; and other similar explorations.

6. There are several facts that intrigue and fascinate most Earth Science students: a. Deepest mine in the world b. Deepest bore hole in the world c. Comparison of the above numbers with the radius of the Earth This can show them how little we know about the earth through direct observation. d. Compare these distances with the distance to the Moon These numbers can raise questions like "how come we did not go too far down inside the earth" and "how come we went almost quarter of a million miles to the moon". e. Latitude and longitude and their use in navigation and the time zones f. Deep sea drilling and the mid-fifties project to drill past Moho into the mantle g. The election of President John F. Kennedy and his pledge to land a man on the moon h. The theory of continental drift and the evidence for it i. The fascinating new theory of Plate Tectonics and its development

I used some of the items stated above and they worked for me in classrooms. Good general knowledge coupled with interest and knowledge of a variety of items in Earth Sciences "can help the teacher in getting the students enthused in the subject". As teacher, we should always bear in mind that Earth Science poses questions that are exciting as well as practical to children and adults alike.

Comprehension of the English Language

Provided that the students are well motivated in learning the subject, another problem comes in - how they will understand the instruction with the use of English language? It is an inevitable fact that most of my freshmen (first year) students do not understand spoken or written English. Those that can fairly understand belong to the first section but there are also students in the first section that cannot speak or write in English language correctly. This is really a problem because teaching Earth Science should be in English and all the references are written or published in English. It is also a known fact that English is the "Universal language of Science". Therefore, in imparting knowledge to students, teachers should use English as a medium of instruction. I must also admit that I am not perfect in terms of elaborating concepts with the use of English so what I did was use the vernacular in some part of my discussion. To maximize understanding of a certain concept, I translated some scientific terms into the students' vernacular so that they can fully understand what am I talking or explaining about.

In our school it was really noted that non-readers or readers with poor comprehension pull down the performance of the school during achievement test (Division, Regional or National). To partly solve the problem, if not totally eradicate, an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) was conducted. This will gauge the reading level of the First Year students so that the school, especially the teachers can identify who among the students are non-readers or has poor reading comprehension. After the inventory it was found out that there are students with reading ability that is of Grade I level and there are really non-readers. So another burden is given to English teachers because aside from teaching their usual subject loads, they will do remedial classes for those students identified as non-readers or with poor reading comprehension. It is not only a burden for the English teachers but for other teachers as well who taught subjects with English as a medium of instruction. It should also be noted that poor or substantive English background slows down the process of scientific development because it is hard to understand scientific concepts while at the same time learning English language - this is learning two things simultaneously.

Discipline Inside the Classroom

In a classroom of more than fifty students or in some classroom sixty students, it is really important that discipline should always reign for maximum learning. In my first year of teaching, classroom discipline is really an issue for me. I easily got irritated by students who were noisy, always going outside the classroom without valid reasons, and students yelling or fighting with each other. But through reading books and attending seminars about classroom discipline, this problem was slowly been elucidated.

A well managed classroom will give the students rich opportunities for mental growth and development. Good classroom discipline produces favorable working conditions conducive to good learning and makes school work enjoyable and interesting. One aspect of the teacher's role under the concept of discipline is to help students practice self-control and to develop standards of individual values and activities that will be carried on regardless of whether the teacher or parent or someone else in authority is around or not.

The concept of discipline when I was still in my elementary years is really different as compared with modern concept of discipline which is based on democratic principles. A good discipline is one that develops self-direction and self-discipline rather than discipline based on compulsion and obedience. In addition, he laid emphasis on becoming familiar with the cause of violation of discipline in order that such causes may be minimized, if not prevented, and offenses may be more satisfactorily diagnosed and treated.

As facilitator of students' learning in Earth Science I should always bear in mind that classroom discipline is really one of the vital tools so that learning could be attained. It is an inevitable fact that the teacher can be an effective facilitator of learning only when there is discipline and proper classroom management in teaching-learning.

Making Use of Technology

The use of textbooks alone in imparting science concepts and processes is not enough. Any ordinary classroom on Earth is not the best place to observe interactions ranging in scale from solar system to the components of a cell. With just pure lectures, often learners are forced to create their own mental images to understand situations they cannot view directly. In many instances the result has been a misconception that takes on a reality of its own inside the students mind. Standard textbooks have been ineffective in changing these deeply rooted misconceptions. Students remain confused about topics involving basic spatial relationships such as the reason for the seasons. To solve this problem, there is persistent call for a teacher to be creative in his teaching and maximize the technology present.

To keep pace with the advancement of Science and Technology, teachers need to have creative and inquiring minds. Such thoughts and ideas "conceived by the inquiring minds" inspire and challenge the teacher to be creative. In connection with the call of being creative and to equate myself with the evolving technology, I constantly visit the World Wide Web so that I can make my lessons updated. This was not easy for me because the place where I've been teaching has no internet connection and only during weekends that I can browse the Internet for topics that need further elaboration through videos or flash animations. In addition, I used PowerPoint in order to make my lessons interactive to the students and I've found out that their interest in my lessons was elevated with the use of computers. Moreover, I was happy because our Principal really encouraged the use of PowerPoint in classroom instruction. In fact he proposed and spearheaded the implementation of Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) in the Division of Davao Oriental.

THE REWARDS

Students' Achievement

The first person that would feel happy in the achievement of students in terms of learning Earth Science is the teacher. I personally beam with pride when my students perform well during exams or on the top rank during contest related to Earth Science. It was remarkable for me when my two contestants for the 2008 Division Science Quiz held in San Isidro National High School ranked second and third respectively. I felt that this is my reward for exerting effort in reviewing students about science concepts not only through books but also from the information retrieved from the internet and by helping and teaching them how to use the computer in exploring the Encarta Encyclopedia. I also felt fulfilled when I see my students embraced positive attitudes in learning the subject. With this, I established in students' heart the love for Earth Science that could be very helpful in learning other sciences like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. A course in earth sciences can provide to students an introduction to subject matter in all other sciences that illustrates their relevance and connections. With a strong foundation in Earth Science, students will no longer find difficulty in learning other sciences.

My Contribution in Nation-Building and for the Future

As a teacher in Earth Science, I can say that I have a great role in building a nation -- a nation that maximizes its resources but does not sacrifice the future. Our lives and civilization depend upon how we understand and manage our planet. Earth processes affect us all. Weather patterns influence the availability of water resources and the potential for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and floods can kill large numbers of people and cause millions or even billions of pesos in property damage. If our students are well informed about those processes affecting our lives then they would be cautious in every actions they will do like cutting trees, burning too much fossil fuels, the use of aerosol sprays, etc. Every lesson in Earth science will somehow connect students to the past, as well as challenging them to think about the future.

Conclusion

Teaching Earth science in secondary school is not an easy task. A lot of challenges must be surmounted so that teaching-learning could be a pleasant experience for both the teachers and students. My first three years experiences in teaching the subject have really shaped my knowledge and attitudes towards the subject. Since my elementary years as a student, I still bring the passion and love in understanding the complex world of science. And now that I'm in the field, then it is my turn to permeate my enthusiasm in learning science subjects to my students especially during their first science subject in secondary education which is the earth science.

The earth sciences provide the best all-around introduction to science. The earth sciences integrate concepts from all other major disciplines of science, including biology, chemistry and physics. Thus, teaching of earth sciences throughout the elementary and secondary schools will promote scientific literacy in general.

As teachers we should always keep abreast of the technology so that our knowledge in the subject matter will be updated from time to time. We should always let our students view science as part of their everyday lives so that they will not feel alienated from it.

Lastly, we should always bear in our minds that an understanding of the earth sciences is critical for a secure future. When we emphasize Earth science education, everyone benefits.

Super Science Fair Projects

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 09:08:00 +0000

Even if kids deny it, winning the science fair is a pretty big honor. It is something a student will get to boast about for years to come. Instilling pride in their school work and sparking a genuine and possible lifelong interest in science is something not many subjects can do through a fair or a competition. Just like in any competition, most children will not want to submit something that will be so-so. Even if it does not win, a science project submitted to the fair has to be world class. It has to be one of the super science fair projects!

Depending on the year level of your child, as well as their branch of science of choice (usually, you have three branches throughout a child's elementary and middle school life), there are many super science fair projects out there. The first step to getting a super science fair project is to carefully study the rules of the fair. Each fair is different depending on the school or school district. Getting to know the rules, as well as the criteria of what the judges are looking for will help you and your child come up with something worthy of the colored prize ribbons.

Earth Science is the science that studies our world and what it is made of. Think geology, anthropology, carbon dating, and the like. The most famous earth science project out there is probably the baking soda and vinegar volcano which shows how magma can rise from the earth and out over the volcano simulating a volcanic eruption. The project also demonstrates a basic chemical reaction. For a super science fair project that involve earth science though, try coming up with your own system for carbon dating. Study the method behind carbon dating and see if you can probably do the same with a few household tools.

One of the more popular choices for super science fair projects in the lower grades is a project that involves life science. Life science is the study of trees, animals, humans, and all other living things. Something as simple as comparing plant growth will count as a science fair project. In order to win, though, take the project up a notch and try growing plants through a hydroponic or aeroponic system. The most important thing is that your child comes up with a good system that they understand and can present healthy growing plants without the use of soil!

Finally, there is physical science, which is by far the most commonly used concept when it comes to super science fair projects. If you pick physical science as your branch, be ready for the competition! If you have a lesson outline of your child's physical science lessons, choose a lesson ahead of what they are currently studying, and base the project on that lesson. This will assure you that your child's project is unique and will throw everyone off by surprise. Being ahead of everyone else in terms of concepts or theory is always a sure winner!

Global Science Research and the Value of International Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:53:00 +0000

Science research spending around the globe has increased by 45 percent to more than $1,000 billion (one trillion) U.S. dollars since 2002. In 2008, 218 countries generated more than 1.5 million research papers, with contributions ranging from Tuvalu's one paper to the U.S.' 320,000 papers. The U.S. leads the world's production of science research, accounting for 21 percent of publications and nearly $400 billion worth of public and private science R&D. BRIC and other developing countries, including China, India, Brazil and South Korea, account for much of the increase in scientific publications.

Science Research in the BRIC Countries of China, India and Brazil

A study by the U.K.'s Royal Society points out that the BRIC countries, along with South Korea, "are often cited as rising powers in science." From 2002 to 2007, the China, India and Brazil more than doubled their spending on science research, bringing their collective share of global spending up from 17 to 24 percent.

Engineering is a common focus of science research in China, India and Russia. Scientific fields in which China has developed a leading position include nanotechnology and rare earths. Agriculture and biosciences are two important fields of emphasis in Brazil, which is a leader in biofuels research.

In keeping with their rapid economic development and massive populations, China and India, the world's first and second most populous countries, produce large and growing numbers of science and engineering graduates each year. In 2006, about 2.5 million students in India and 1.5 million students in China graduated with degrees in science and engineering.

International Collaboration

Today, over 35 percent of science research articles are the result of international collaborations among researchers from different countries, a 40 percent increase from 15 years ago. The number of internationally co-authored papers has more than doubled since 1990.

The U.S., U.K., France and Germany continue to be key hubs of international collaboration in science research. Researchers in other developed and developing countries actively collaborate with scientists from these countries. According to the Royal Society report, "while links between the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have been growing in recent years, they pale in comparison to the volume of collaboration between these individual countries and their partners in the G7."

International science research often takes the form of regional collaboration. Regional political institutions, including the European Union (EU), African Union (AU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), each have their own research strategies that foster and facilitate regional collaboration in science research.

"South-South Collaboration" between developing countries is a growing form of international science research. The International Centre for South-South Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation was inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2008 under the auspices of UNESCO. An initiative of India, Brazil and South Africa promotes South-South cooperation in several arenas, including science and research collaboration in fields such as nanotechnology, oceanography and Antarctic research.

Collaboration's Benefits and Drivers

There are a number of important benefits, motivations and enabling factors that help explain the growth of international collaboration in science research, including:

1) greater impact;
2) scientific discovery;
3) scale of research projects;
4) scope and complexity of research topics and international issues;
5) capacity-building; and
6) advances in technology and communications.

Fourteen countries experienced more than a three-fold increase in their standard domestic publication impact by collaborating with one or more of 22 partner countries. Each additional international author leads to an increase in a paper's impact, up to a tipping point of about ten authors. By collaborating with one another, scientists can access complementary skills and knowledge and stimulate new ideas.

The scale of some major science research projects is too large for most countries to undertake on their own. In such cases, international collaboration is necessary to meet extensive requirements for human, financial and other resources. The scope and complexity of certain science research topics and objectives can also drive international collaboration.

Many of the world's most pressing social problems are international issues that call for collaboration and cooperation. Climate change, food security, public health (e.g., AIDS/HIV, malaria and tuberculosis) and sustainability are just a few of the global issues that require international collaboration and solutions.

Collaboration allows scientists in one country to build their capacity to conduct significant science research by leveraging the resources of partners in other countries. Collaboration can be particularly beneficial to partners from developing and developed countries.

Advances in technology have contributed greatly to the feasibility and appeal of international collaboration. For researchers in developing and developed countries alike, improvements in communication technologies and services have made international collaboration simpler, faster and cheaper than ever before.

Success Stories

The Royal Society study presents several encouraging examples of cases where science research and international collaboration have contributed greatly to addressing important international issues.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) encompasses an international network of independent centers of agricultural research in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Despite operating on a modest yet significant annual budget of $550 million, every $1 invested in CGIAR is estimated to yield a very healthy return of $9 worth of additional food in developing countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) set up FluNet in 1996 as a global tool to monitor and evaluate influenza virus strains by leveraging data from a number of national influenza laboratories around the world. When the epidemic of severe respiratory illness broke out in Hong Kong in 2003, the FluNet network contributed to a coordinated, rapid response from the international science and medical community that identified the virus and helped minimize the related public health threat and consequences.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization has immunized more than 200 million children and prevented over 3.4 million premature deaths since receiving a start-up grant of $750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 1999.

Royal Society Study - Knowledge, Networks and Nations

These are some of the key findings published recently in the Royal Society's examination of global science research entitled Knowledge, Networks and Nations: Global Scientific Collaboration in the 21st Century.

The Royal Society study is based on statistics from international organizations, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Society's own analysis of data on science research articles published in roughly 25,000 separate scientific journals by the more than 7 million researchers around the world.

Science research encompasses both research and development, the "R" and "D", respectively, of public and private R&D efforts, which range from abstract and conceptual exploration through to market-oriented development of scientific applications.

Research Findings

The Royal Society study paints an encouraging picture of growing international investment in science research. International collaboration is a highly valuable mechanism for promoting scientific discovery and maximizing the impact of science research. Publicly and privately funded science R&D has played a key role in successfully addressing key issues related to public health, food security and the environment, among others.

5 Tips For Choosing The Right Science Project For Your Child

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:34:00 +0000

There are many different ways you can choose a science project for your child. The question is how do you even know how to choose a science project? What are things that you need to know that will help your child get the right science project? Here are 5 tips for choosing the right science project for your child.

Tip 1 for choosing the right science project for your child is to ask questions. Ask you child what they want to learn more about. Ask your child what they are interested in. Ask you child what they have been learning in school that they don't understand and would like to know more about. This will help you get an idea of what your child's interests. Knowing what your child's interests are will help you get an idea what they would want to do for a science project.

Tip 2 for choosing the right science project for your child is finding out what they don't understand. Find something that your child is interested in but does not understand certain aspects of. This will help you be able to find something that will intrigue your child. If your child has been turning the wheels in there head about something but just can't find a solution to it, doing a science project on it would be a great thing. It will help your child be excited because they are so excited to find out about what they have been so curious about.

Tip 3 for choosing the right science project for your child is finding something that you both can do together. You want to find a science project that you can help your child on. You don't want something that is too complicate that you are not going to be able to help your child with it. You want something that you can research and get the help you need in order to help your child do their science project. You being able to help your child will also help your child enjoy their science project more. Your child will enjoy it because they won't be frustrated trying out different solutions to get things to work by themselves. They will feel like they have help and support. This will make all of the difference.

Tip 4 for choosing the right science project for your child is having all of the information you need. Only having partial information will not make it easy to do a science project. You want to make sure the science project you choose has enough information that you can discover new things.

Tip 5 for choosing the right science project for your child is being able to perform the science project. You want to make sure that your child can perform a science project on the subject your child chooses and that your child can show how it works. It needs to be age appropriate. Also, make sure that your child has enough time to do a science project and the experiments that are involved. For example, if your child is going to do a science project on plants and the different environment they grown in. You need to make sure that your child has enough time to grow all of the plants, and make sure that you have all of the different equipment that you and your child will need to provide different environments for the plants.

These are all tips for choosing the right science project for your child. Make sure that you take all of these tips into consideration when you are planning a science project. You want to make sure to choose the best science project you can for your child with the most information. So go out there and choosing the right science project for your child.

6 Instances Where A Science Project Would Be A Great Activity

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:51:00 +0000

There are many things that you can do that would be a great activity for you and your children to do. For instance you can go swimming, or fishing, or even go for a hike. But another great activity to do is a science project. Here are 6 instances where a science project would be a great activity.

The 1st instance where a science project would be a great activity would be while taking a hike. You could incorporate a science project into your hike. For example, say that you see butterflies along the trail on your hike. You could point out to your kids the different colors on the butterflies. Then you could ask the question of how is a butterfly made or where do they come from. Then you could explain the whole process of how the caterpillar turns into a cocoon and then the butterfly forms and emerges from the cocoon. You can then try to have your kids find a caterpillar on your hike or see if they can find a cocoon. Then when you get home, incorporate what you talked about, and make a hands on project they can do to test their theories and knowledge. Find some information on the internet and show them. This will help put curiosity into your child's mind and make them stop and think about things more.

The 2nd instance where a science project would be a great activity would be when going to the zoo. You could go to the different cages with the different animals and explain what role the animal has in the world. For instance show birds and explain how they keep the populations of bugs down. This will help your child to start thinking out side the box and want to discover more about the animals in the world and what their purpose is. You can plan a science project around something you would see at the zoo and do it before hand.

The 3rd instance where a science project would be a great activity would be when going to a museum. You can show your kids how things that have evolved through science over the past centuries. You can show them how science has helped to make cars. Show your children how science has made medicine where it is today. Help your child to understand that science is a very important part of how we live. Without science we would be stuck in the dark ages. This will help your kids to want to be interested in science and what it has to offer. Then, when you return home, have your children do a science project that helps increase their understanding of a concept they learned about at the museum. So, if they learned about electricity, teach them about closed circuits, and do a project.

The 4th instance where a science project would be a great activity would be when you take a vacation. Make sure to point out how science helps make the technology used today in the rollercoaster rides you will go on, or the airplane that you will ride on to get to your destination. Help point out things like this that your kids might not even take into consideration as being part of science. This would be a great opportunity to incorporate a science project.

The 5th instance where a science project would be a great activity would be when you are discussing something that you child has questions about. For instance if your child has a question on why clouds are the way they are. You could do a science project to help them understand clouds and what makes different clouds, and what the different clouds represent. For example if you have dark grey clouds it usually means it is going to rain. Make sure to explain the science behind it while doing the science project.

These are all instances where a science project would be a great activity. Take the opportunity to incorporate science projects into your activities every chance you get. This will help your child have a love for science and what it has to offer.

Online Science Education - Resources For K to 12 Educators and Home School Parents

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:17:00 +0000

Are you looking for online science education resources to support teaching K-12 science? There are many resources on the internet and it is difficult for teachers to find the time to surf the web looking for online resources. The best option is to visit a one-stop resource for K-12 science educators' that is an online directory of resources designed for science education. Not only can teachers use a resource like this, it would also be perfect for parents' home schooling their children.

Inquiry Based Teaching and Learning

If you are looking for K-12 science lesson plans, web resources, and references to support inquiry based teaching and learning, you have probably found this search difficult. Like other web resources it takes time to surf the web and find them. What is needed is a directory of science inquiry based resources categorized into topics that support K-12 science teaching and learning. What is needed is for someone to do this for you.

Directory resources that are most valuable to K-12 science educators include lesson plans, assessment guides, curriculum guides, standards guidelines, search engines for science, and more. Also there is a need for online resources that support all science content areas.

Teaching Science using Technology

There are many types of technology strategies for teaching K-12 science. These include the use of web resources, online simulators, WebQuests, real-time data bases, online interactive websites, and many more options. A website that provides a directory of a wide variety of web based resources is very helpful to K-12 educators.

This type of website would be used to support their teaching strategies. Actively engaging students in learning, instead of being passive learners. You can take students on virtual field trips to places all over the world: zoos, volcanos in other countries, and more.

Additional Resources

Other K-12 online science education resources needed by teachers and parents include access to journals, current science news topics, and online science teaching research books. One particular resource that is needed is a guide for recommended reading books to support science at all grade levels. Reading is stressed even more today to meet state and national education requirements and an online resource would help educators save time trying to find books that meet content standards.

Because of the emphasis on standards and testing today, teachers do want to go to a website that waste their time. All resources need to be pre-screened to ensure that they meet national science standards' guidelines for teaching science using inquiry based practices. Also, that the technology based resources on the website meets national technology and science standards.

A directory that has updated links is especially important to provide resources. Teachers and parents are tired of going to science directories that are full of dead links. It wastes their time and frustration sets in, because more valuable time has been wasted.

What is needed is an online science education resource website that is specifically designed for K-12 science educators and home schooling parents.