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Of the academic subjects taught in primary school, Science is the one that demands the most memory work. Textbooks dump a barrage of facts and figures at the young, green learners, which can be overwhelming and can kill their interest if not managed proper doses.
What can we do to make learning Science more enjoyable for them?
(1) Let them experiment with Experiments
Observation and experimentation is the basis of the scientific method. Ideas are verified or disproved through carefully planned practical experiments.
How can one be sure that what the textbook says about light being required for a plant to make its own food is true?
Ask the child to go hands-on and prove it to himself or herself! Suggest he abduct grandma’s favourite cactus, hold it hostage in a dark cupboard for two weeks, and observe the state of his prisoner’s health after the period of internment.
Conducting simple experiments to verify what the books tell them reinforces their understanding of the underlying principles. To take this one step further, educators could also design novel experiments with open-ended outcomes.
Without knowing what to expect, the young scientists would be more attentive to the task at hand, instead of taking everything for granted if they already know what to expect.
Are Pavarotti’s arias or Bieber’s ditties more conducive to a plant’s growth? Who knows? Beg grandma for that cactus again and blast the music.
Open-ended experiments have the added advantage of instilling in budding scientists the all-important concept of keeping an objective, open mind!
(2) Let them engage in multimedia
Compared to English and Mathematics, Science is probably the subject that would be best served by supplementation of multimedia resources (like Mind Stretcher’s revolutionary e-Study Buddy for instance).
The most animated of teachers could attempt break-dance movements to demonstrate the different undulating swimming motions of a dolphin and a shark, but a simple video clip of the animals in action would get the point across more effectively.
As a separate point, students who are not proficient in English would also benefit from a visual presentation of the information. Animations or video clips are able to summarise in a matter of seconds what reading would take minutes to achieve.
Technology is constantly evolving and what educators have at their disposal today is considerably more powerful than what they had just a decade ago. The internet is rich with useful online resources which educators should take advantage of.
Selecting appropriate material that would enhance a child’s learning experience would go a long way in building a child’s interest. Carefully-designed educational games or puzzles retain a child’s interest and attention while imparting important information.
Children are naturally curious. At a certain age, the word “why” worms its way to become an integral part of every child’s vocabulary. “Why can birds fly while humans can’t?” “Why is the colour of the sky blue?”
Or when some parents tell their child to finish their vegetables, the child looks up with her big, round eyes and asks wryly, “Why?”
If Science is presented as a mountain of facts and figures to be memorised, it could kill a student’s natural interest in how things work. The key is to rekindle a child’s natural curiosity by using Science to explain everyday natural phenomena that he or she witnesses.
Every seemingly simple phenomenon could be an opportunity for an educator to relate what the textbook says with the world that they experience.
For example, if a butterfly flies into the room, a parent or teacher could get a child to start thinking about the principles of flight by asking him or her why humans are not able to take flight even if they were to flap their arms vigorously.
In the house, a regular kitchen could present opportunities for an adult to expound on the science behind fermentation.
(3) Stimulate their curiosity
Children are naturally curious. At a certain age, the word “why” worms its way to become an integral part of every child’s vocabulary. “Why can birds fly while humans can’t?” “Why is the colour of the sky blue?”
Or when some parents tell their child to finish their vegetables, the child looks up with her big, round eyes and asks wryly, “Why?”
If Science is presented as a mountain of facts and figures to be memorised, it could kill a student’s natural interest in how things work. The key is to rekindle a child’s natural curiosity by using Science to explain everyday natural phenomena that he or she witnesses.
Every seemingly simple phenomenon could be an opportunity for an educator to relate what the textbook says with the world that they experience.
For example, if a butterfly flies into the room, a parent or teacher could get a child to start thinking about the principles of flight by asking him or her why humans are not able to take flight even if they were to flap their arms vigorously.
In the house, a regular kitchen could present opportunities for an adult to
(4) Keep their minds open to wondrous possibilities!
Science is a field that evolves rapidly.
Educators should let children know that our current understanding of Science is our best interpretation of the information we have at this point in time.
Before Copernicus, people used to believe that the Sun revolved around the Earth, instead of the heliocentric model which we are familiar with today. And who could have imagined that time is relative if Einstein had not proved it to be so? One generation ago, we had nine planets in our solar system. Today, poor Pluto has been kicked out of the family.
Our children should be made to understand that in time to come, they will play an important role in shaping our understanding of the world we live in.
Science is not just a dead subject for them to study and memorise, but a ‘live’ one that will keep evolving day by day as they discover and learn new things.
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