Fostering Scientific Habits of Mind

Right now I am taking a methods course on teaching science in the elementary grades.  Last Thursday the main thing we discussed was what we felt our goals for students in science class should be.  Our teacher wanted us to whittle down the class list to ten.  It took awhile but was manageable.  It was interesting to see other future educators think about what was actually important to them in terms of student goals and engagement.

For me, science is a passion.  It's a long-time friend of mine due to things like Star Trek, A Wrinkle in Time, and teachers that really enjoyed their jobs.  Not all of my teachers were the greatest, but I got lucky for the most part and grew up to be very curious.  For me, thinking about the nature of the universe is akin to how some people view church.  I don't expect others to feel that way, but it is important to me that my students (and child) want to know more and are inspired to keep learning.  

Back to the subject of "goals," for my class I read a few articles and one that stands out to me is Fostering Scientific Habits of Mind by Craig Leager.  He talks about teaching students science in a way that impresses upon them the attitudes and values found in the science community at large.  I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that many people don't equate science with values.  

He writes about an elementary student excited to learn more with a teacher that values her passion but then goes on to the low rates of science-literacy in the United States.  The techniques used by many teachers are merely memorization and regurgitation.  As an alternative he brings up Science for All Americans' (1990) list of "societal values as (being) inherent to scientific habits of mind,"

• Curiosity
• Openness to New Ideas
• Informed Skepticism

Paired with this list, Leager states three key factors for teachers who wish to impact their students positively:

• Teacher Modeling
• Valuing Mistakes
• Authentic Questioning

Leager discusses each idea in depth through a classroom scenario that is extremely positive and, I think, truthful. It demonstrates good science teaching using broader goals instead of only using very narrow objectives.  I think that by keeping some objectives for science more "holistic" instead of just content based it will help produce more well-rounded students that are better able to apply their curiosity and thinking abilities to all their subjects.  

Science literacy is important to being a intelligent, critically-thinking adult.  The skills that students can learn with science are not only applicable to science topics and science careers.  Critical thinking, authentic questioning, and all the rest are important traits to have whether you are a scientist, business manager, construction worker, or customer service rep.

Leager, C. (2005). Fostering scientific habits of mind. Retrieved from http://www.iacad.org/istj/32/3/habits.pdf