SKILLS FOR THE 21st CENTURY: PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
What comes to mind when you think about the science classes of your past? Perhaps your mind wanders to a memory of a younger you copying the teacher’s notes word-for-word in between sketching a doodle masterpiece in the margins. Or maybe you remember dissecting a frog, combusting chemicals, the A on the lab report, or a stern look for giggling during Sex Ed. Or maybe you had just an exceptional teacher who got you really excited about science. My enthusiasm for science education stems from a high school teacher who guided me through the dissection a fertilized egg to explore the growing chick within, and who let me breed fruit flies to discover inheritance patterns. My own evolution from student to teacher and life-long learner form the foundation of my philosophy of science education. My philosophy is grounded in the drive to give every single student the chance to learn skills that will prepare them for our ever-changing world, through experiences and exposure to concepts and applications that demonstrate that science is life.
Science is wondrous process and coming to understand and appreciate it can be a powerful experience. When knowledge is a personal endeavor that shapes the mind beyond the lesson, supports moral development, and encourages civic engagement, it becomes something individualized and meaningful. However, whether it is out of habit, history, or succumbing to standardization, science education tends to fall into a default mode that values memorization of facts over the construction of lasting understandings. There is no reason why science education cannot work with mandated standards while staying true to the essence of what science really is. Curiosity, exploration, critical reasoning, original thought, and relevance are alive in my classroom, where my students and I embrace the process of science at molecular and macroscopic levels.
Imagine a classroom where students are learning 21st century biotechnology skills. They learn first how to manipulate a micropipette and what a microliter is. Soon, they are analyzing the DNA in Cheetos and tortilla chips to see if they contain GMOs. They analyze their own DNA to see if they their genes dictate if they are a morning or night person. Science is real to them, and the skills that they’re developing will set them ahead of the curve. They they are constantly zooming in to see the details of complex processes, like how ions cause an action potential in a neuron, and then scaling back to see how those details contribute to the big picture: reacting to a stimulus or flexing a muscle. They are singing a song they wrote about the digestive system or interviewing a public health researcher to evaluate the use of DDT to control malaria in developing nations. Their engagement and inspiration are real. Science educators who nurture the naturally curious adolescent mind by designing a curriculum that helps them to understand their place in the world and grow as moral, productive citizens are the ones whose impression lasts beyond the semester. Enabling students to experience the tangible world will bring science to life and engage them in lasting and meaningful ways. Experiences that bring out the scientist in each of us have the incredible potential of constructing understandings that last well beyond the final exam.
Finally, science is as much about literature, math, engineering, culture, economics, the environment, technology, politics, and society as it is about Darwin and DNA. The world our students will inherit is constantly changing. The future of food, resources, cultural integrity, biodiversity and more is uncertain, but by embracing innovation, integrity, and civic duty in our science classrooms, the next generation will be ready to tackle what lies ahead.
Written by Meghan Lena, 2020