EDU431 METHODS OF TEACHING MATHEMATICS AND

SCIENCE IN THE PRIMARY/JUNIOR GRADES

Required Reading M: Analysis and Reflection.
Title: Trends in Elementary Science Education
CITATION: Allen, R. (2006). Chapter 1: Trends in elementary science education. Priorities
in Practice: The Essentials of Science, Grades K6. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/106206/chapters/Trends-in-Elementary-ScienceEducation.aspx
ABSTRACT:

ANALYSIS/REFLECTION:

Many elementary school teachers, the

proverbial jacks-of-all-trades, face a trio of
issues when it comes to teaching science:
they don't like science, they don't feel
confident in their knowledge of science,
and they don't know how to teach science
effectively.

Teaching science has proven to be a challenge

for many educators, especially at the elementary
school level. This raises an issue, however, since
science and technology are a significant part of
todays global economy, and students are
expected to have an advanced knowledge
pertaining to todays digital society. There are
many strategies that teachers can employ in
order to promote science in the classroom,
including inquiry-based learning and drawing on
students previous knowledge. This will likely
encourage children to pursue scientific topics
and conduct investigations that spark their
interest, thereby allowing them to explore their
curiosity even further. With these strategies in
place, students will be expected to take on a lot
more responsibility in the classroom rather than
merely passively learning during a lecture. I
strongly agree with the main premise that Rick
Allen is putting forth, in that students are
expected to be more independent and engage in
inquiry-based learning in order to get the most
out of their science education, but this is easier
said than done. Since this is a relatively new
approach to learning, many teachers might not
have experience with this method, making it that
much more difficult to implement it into the
classroom. I believe that students of all ages can
be expected to ask thoughtful and reflective
questions if they are given proper guidance. To
do this, teachers should receive inquiry-based
training so that students are motivated to develop
their scientific knowledge that they can utilize in
the future.