January 13, 2009

Real World Science

Filed under: education,learning,teaching — Candace Hackett Shively @ 10:38 am

PistachiosI just have to give a blog-cheer from this life-long teacher to a sixth grader in California whose science fair project discovered something real world scientists and agricultural experts did not know. Science fairs are often maligned as a chance for parents to do projects for their children and gain bragging rights, but in this case it appears that a student had an idea and was lucky enough to have a parent who allowed him to pursue it. (Of course the student also had a parent who could connect him with a real world facility in which to DO the research…). The fact that the student was the son of a professor tells me that modeling is key. If students see and hear scientists thinking aloud, they will act like scientists.  What power all adults have as teachers.

So I cheer for an eleven year old who asked a question and went after the answer. Isn’t this what we want education to be all about?

And Gabriel,  I personally prefer pistachios, too.

2 Comments

  1. Good blog!

    Comment by Courtney Mason — January 22, 2009 @ 6:47 pm

  2. great blog :)

    Comment by madison chisholm — January 22, 2009 @ 6:49 pm

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