Nothing in science turns them on.
They have no curiosity.--Philosopher Kings of the teachers' lounge
The science teacher's lounge is a wonderful place--coffee, computers, we often have a wonderful breakfast spread set out by our supervisor (we're spoiled, I know).
Then someone does the blame the student routine, and the room deadens.
Human pups are curious, at times, annoyingly so.
They can't help ourselves, curiosity is innate.
What happened?
If a child asks you why things fall down, how do you answer?
Most of us would simply say gravity.
If a child told us things fall by magic, how would you correct her?
Most of us would say, no, not magic, gravity.
The child has learned nothing new, except that adults use peculiar (and particular) words to explain magic, and that if you use the wrong word, you will be corrected. If you use the wrong words too many times in the classroom, adults get upset until you start using the right word.
If a child asks you why things fall down, not up, how do you answer?
Many (and I hope no
t most) would again say gravity.
It's a great question. You have to know a little bit about what "gravity" means to know what "down" means.
Does a child need to know the general formula for the force of gravity to know what "down" means? Not at all.
How might you answer?
"Down" means being pulled towards something that's a whole lot bigger than you--the closer that thing is, the more it pulls. (I know this is incomplete in several ways, but it's a start.)
The child may likely wander away at this point (which is fine). The child may think she has learned nothing, and that this particular adult is a dope, and that's OK, too.
She still has the question brewing in her head (instead of a vacuous word), and now she might, just might, be wondering what the biggest, closest thing is.
If she asks that, ask her to go outside and look down.
I really don't like boxes. I wrestle with boxes every time I come up against a "concept" in the curriculum that cannot be easily explained. This week's box was the word "solutions".
This attractive force between every object in our universe forces us into boxes in the classroom. How can a child leave elementary school not knowing what "gravity" is?
Our state curriculum standards take a shot at gravity. Here's Science Standard 5. 7 A3 for 5th and 6th graders:
No one knows why gravity happens. No sense pretending to a child you know something no one knows. Unless you're not pretending.
I'm going to leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein. Yes, a cheap stunt, I know, but it resonates.
A child spewing off a series of science words like a parrot is not science, no matter how formal or pedantic the words. Rewarding the parrots with crackers and grades works for a few years for most, and rarely past high school.
If kids have no curiosity, we're doing something wrong.
Then someone does the blame the student routine, and the room deadens.
Human pups are curious, at times, annoyingly so.
They can't help ourselves, curiosity is innate.
What happened?
***
If a child asks you why things fall down, how do you answer?
Most of us would simply say gravity.
If a child told us things fall by magic, how would you correct her?
Most of us would say, no, not magic, gravity.
The child has learned nothing new, except that adults use peculiar (and particular) words to explain magic, and that if you use the wrong word, you will be corrected. If you use the wrong words too many times in the classroom, adults get upset until you start using the right word.
***
If a child asks you why things fall down, not up, how do you answer?
Many (and I hope no
t most) would again say gravity.It's a great question. You have to know a little bit about what "gravity" means to know what "down" means.
Does a child need to know the general formula for the force of gravity to know what "down" means? Not at all.
How might you answer?
"Down" means being pulled towards something that's a whole lot bigger than you--the closer that thing is, the more it pulls. (I know this is incomplete in several ways, but it's a start.)
The child may likely wander away at this point (which is fine). The child may think she has learned nothing, and that this particular adult is a dope, and that's OK, too.
She still has the question brewing in her head (instead of a vacuous word), and now she might, just might, be wondering what the biggest, closest thing is.
If she asks that, ask her to go outside and look down.
***
I really don't like boxes. I wrestle with boxes every time I come up against a "concept" in the curriculum that cannot be easily explained. This week's box was the word "solutions".
This attractive force between every object in our universe forces us into boxes in the classroom. How can a child leave elementary school not knowing what "gravity" is?
Our state curriculum standards take a shot at gravity. Here's Science Standard 5. 7 A3 for 5th and 6th graders:
Recognize that everything on or near the earth is pulled toward
the earth's center by gravitational force.
the earth's center by gravitational force.
That's it. No mention of other objects in the universe--a concept trapped in a box.
The standard true as far as it goes. It allows for a fundamentally flawed view of gravity most kids (and even more adults) have, that gravity is the force that holds things down, because most people don't know what "down" means in science.
The standard true as far as it goes. It allows for a fundamentally flawed view of gravity most kids (and even more adults) have, that gravity is the force that holds things down, because most people don't know what "down" means in science.
No one knows why gravity happens. No sense pretending to a child you know something no one knows. Unless you're not pretending.
***
I'm going to leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein. Yes, a cheap stunt, I know, but it resonates.
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in
which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.Albert Einstein
A child spewing off a series of science words like a parrot is not science, no matter how formal or pedantic the words. Rewarding the parrots with crackers and grades works for a few years for most, and rarely past high school.
If kids have no curiosity, we're doing something wrong.
Photo from the National Archive, a physics lesson back in 1915. Some things haven't changed much.
