Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson defines scientific literacy as how you see and view the world. When you think about it that is exactly what reading and writing science (scientific literacy) is. Some people confuse it for the ability to derive the newton's first law of thermodynamics or any chemical or mathematical question. But science and math is much simpler than that; it is part of who we are and what we do on a daily basis. It is such an integral part of our world, you can't understand the world and how it functions without understanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
For example, let's take cooking something that we do everyday, you have to understand basic math such as fractions to ensure that you are using the proper amount of ingredients to get the taste and flavor you desire. When turning on your lights, you must understand the simple concept of circuits, electric engineering and physics. When you drive your car, you are understanding the concepts of material science, mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. When you use your computer or your cell phone, you must understand concepts of electrical and computer engineering and material science.
You see if you pay attention to what is around you; science, technology, engineering and mathematics is the basics on your every day life. When you are able to recognize that you are scientifically literate.
Showing posts with label hands on science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hands on science. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, November 16, 2009
Getting Kids Interested in Hands on Math and Science Activities
A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a fellow science educator that works in the San Francisco Bay Area. We were having a conversation about the lack of interest of students to engage in hands on science activities, let alone the ability to spend the time to conduct an experiment and put in the work to successfully complete a math or science fair project. There are various theories on why kids don't find math or science fun which include:
1. Lack of opportunities to engage in hands on math and science activities in the classroom
2. Lack of opportunities to be exposed to hands on math and science activities at home and in the community
3. With the age of technology, most kids are utilizing computers and other electronic devices for entertainment and learning, that it is hard to get kids to play outside let alone engage in hands on math or science activities
There are probably more than these three reasons, but no matter what the reasons are, we have to find solutions to this problem.
We are in a age where the United States is falling behind in science, engineering and technology. Other countries are leading the way in advancing in technology, biomedical research, manufacturing, environmental research and etc. The globalization of the world or in the words of Thomas Friedman, making it "flat" has flatten our economy in the math and science related sectors. The only way that we can make it better is making a targeted effort to ensure that we have a future science, technology and engineering workforce for the next generations to come. So how do we do that, getting K-12 students interested in hands on science activities. Since this is a technology age, we must introduce them to website where they can play math and science educational games, read online articles about innovation in science and technology and use www.goodsearch.com to find any information about math and science. But most importantly, get them engaged in hands on math and science activities by taking them to your local science museum, aquarium, state or national park or doing some math and science experiments at home. The start to ensuring that we have a future STEM workforce is ensuring that some of our kids think that science and math are cool and fun. Then the next step is exposing them to the career options in those fields.
1. Lack of opportunities to engage in hands on math and science activities in the classroom
2. Lack of opportunities to be exposed to hands on math and science activities at home and in the community
3. With the age of technology, most kids are utilizing computers and other electronic devices for entertainment and learning, that it is hard to get kids to play outside let alone engage in hands on math or science activities
There are probably more than these three reasons, but no matter what the reasons are, we have to find solutions to this problem.
We are in a age where the United States is falling behind in science, engineering and technology. Other countries are leading the way in advancing in technology, biomedical research, manufacturing, environmental research and etc. The globalization of the world or in the words of Thomas Friedman, making it "flat" has flatten our economy in the math and science related sectors. The only way that we can make it better is making a targeted effort to ensure that we have a future science, technology and engineering workforce for the next generations to come. So how do we do that, getting K-12 students interested in hands on science activities. Since this is a technology age, we must introduce them to website where they can play math and science educational games, read online articles about innovation in science and technology and use www.goodsearch.com to find any information about math and science. But most importantly, get them engaged in hands on math and science activities by taking them to your local science museum, aquarium, state or national park or doing some math and science experiments at home. The start to ensuring that we have a future STEM workforce is ensuring that some of our kids think that science and math are cool and fun. Then the next step is exposing them to the career options in those fields.
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About SEM Link
- SEM Link
- Science, Engineering and Mathematics Link, Inc. (SEM Link), a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, was founded in 2004 on the premise that exposure to members of the science, engineering and mathematics (SEM) communities is critical to student development in math and science. Our mission is to promote student achievement and career exploration in math and science while increasing student exposure to the science, engineering and mathematics communities and enhancing resources that are available at local schools and community organizations. Our two core programs, Math and Science Career Academy and Experimental Design Program, provide students with an opportunity to develop their math and science skills by enhancing the classroom learning experience and teaching them skills that are transferable to other areas of life. We recruit students and professionals for our programs that have backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.