A better elementary science lesson
When a neuroscience PhD began teaching science to young children, she realized how much basic knowledge was missing
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Today we are talking elementary science education. Do you remember kindergarten science? I do. Hands-on lessons like tracing leaves in the fall and planting seeds in the spring are essential to learning about the natural world for young children, says neuroscience PhD Olivia Mullins, who runs Science Delivered, a nonprofit that brings science lessons to schools. But there’s so much more that elementary science could do to build a strong foundation for the youngest students.
Data shows that elementary students don’t get a lot of science, compared to reading and math—an average of 18 minutes a day. But it’s not only lack of time that makes science so tricky—a lot of science lessons for young students are both inquiry-based and text-heavy, with complex concepts and vocabulary that many 5-, 6- or 7-year-olds can’t read or understand, Mullins said.
“We both overestimate what students can do at one time and underestimate what they can do over time,” she said.
She continued:
“So much of the text for early elementary [science] is complex and dense…They’ll go through what I would teach in a month in one book—in half the book sometimes. And these will be marketed as level one science for pre-K and kinder…For the littlest kids, you need to break things down into really small pieces.”
So what does a good elementary science lesson look like?
In the following video interview, Mullins explains how she’s using learning science to create a better elementary science lesson—knowledge-rich, explanatory and hands-on, a stronger foundation to help students reach their STEM dreams.
Watch/listen/read here:
