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As a student, I loved science fairs. I remember my 8th grade project very well. I set up a microphone in various sinks around the house and measured the timing of the chaotic yet periodic series of drips that occurred when the faucet was turned off. My hypothesis was that, given drip pattern, I could uniquely identify the faucet. I got the idea after listening to dripping faucets downstairs while lying in bed and trying to determine which 1st floor sink was being used.
Even in 8th grade, I was a pretty decent programmer and I wrote the program to analyze an individual .wav files and to identify peaks and plot the drips vs time. My dad helped me automate the trigger for the microphone recording using a drum pick-up which greatly increased the pace that I could take data. I used the electronic techniques that my dad taught me to make homemade alarm and monitoring systems that I still use today.
My mom helped me with the data analysis. She taught me about normalizing data sets and about high frequency filtering, as my initial analysis of the .wav files was 'contaminated' by vibrations that were several times higher in frequency than the dripping. I didn't realize it at the time, but she really explained the basics of harmonic analysis. Senior year in H.S. when we talked about Fourier series in multivariable calc, I was far ahead of what was already a fairly advanced class because I hadn't just learned it, I had done it.
I probably learned more about science and technology in that project than i did over the entire year of science class. In hindsight, I greatly appreciate the way that my parents were able to pass on some of their expertise to me. While it seems to me that many people are critical of parents that help their kids, I am personally very grateful that mine were able to help me. They did not do all of the work for me, and I wrote every report and generated every figure, but I definitely was able to tackle a more advanced project when I had an engineer and a systems analyst as backup.
I could tell that the judges didn't believe that I did much of the work myself, as I could tell that they didn't understand even the basic aspects of the programming or the necessity of uniform triggering. The lack of ribbons didn't bother me one bit, as I learned some very important lessons that have remained critical throughout my career. I learned about using technology resources to solve fundamental science questions, as well as the extreme advantage gained by mastering multiple skill sets when it comes to research.
In a way, my life has turned into a perpetual science fair, although I am competing for grants, venture capital, and consulting jobs rather than ribbons and grades. While I know science careers don't work out for everyone, I can honestly say that I love the competitive and multidisciplinary nature of the field, and I wish more people were able to make a living doing it. I don't have kids yet, but helping with a science fair is project is one of the things that I look forward to most about being a parent.
One of the benefits of membership in Sigma Xi is that they routinely put out calls for people to help judge various kinds of science fairs and contests. It's kind of interesting . . .
Sorry--but most of the teachers, very GOOD teachers at that, do not agree with this. There are 100 better ways to teach the scientific method than an at home project that the parents do most of the work on. As for the work involoved for the teachers----well, that's debatable. It's a project that is done year after year and the premise is the same so the rubric doesn't change much. At our school, the judges, for the most part, came year after year and a simple ad in the paper brought in more than enough judges....
Now, if these were in class assignments, that would be different...
Was there some sort of link I missed? How do you know that most teachers in the US or world or whatever think there are better ways to teach the scientific method?
I teach research, even with gifted students, who learn well by lecture, reading and so on, do not truly understand scientific method without doing research themselves. This is why my district literally invests hundreds of thousands of dollars on student research. It is likely also why we are one of the most successful districts, even among public elites, in the country.
If it makes you feel better we (my nerdy science kid and her parents) really, really hated 4th grade recorder concerts and the weeks of "practice" before hand.
I'm sure that is true. There are lots of things kids do in school that parents really really hate. Some families dread speech, research papers, literary fair, history fair, concerts, science fair, and other stuff that I can't think of now. As much as parents and kids hate some of these things they are good for kids to do. They expose kids to things they would never be exposed to and allows them to figure out what they like. After all finding out what you don't like is a step towards finding out what you do like.
So-I hate science fair, but I still think kids should do it.
Some of these responses make me want to weep! My fifth grader loves science, and I have been struggling to find programs that foster her interest since they dropped the science fair at her school. My dd LOVES doing science projects and experiments on her own. She is currently in a weekend program at a university for kids like her, and all the kids there are very excited about doing science projects so they can use their own creativity and ideas.
Our school has an academic fair that is very different than a science fair to me. In the academic fair, each student is given a specific assignment with a list of instructions to follow. I dislike that. A science fair can allow the student to have much more say in the project. It is exactly what many kids in this country need in my opinion in order to develop critical thinking skills and to expand their creativity.
A physics professor at the university hosting the science program for young students gave a speech to parents where she lamented how science is taught in U.S. schools. One of her top complaints was the fact that students often just memorize material to regurgitate information on a test. She said that is not science. She talked about how scientists often try ideas, fail repeatedly and then learn from the process. A science fair can give students a little bit of an idea of how this works.
I'm sure that is true. There are lots of things kids do in school that parents really really hate. Some families dread speech, research papers, literary fair, history fair, concerts, science fair, and other stuff that I can't think of now. As much as parents and kids hate some of these things they are good for kids to do. They expose kids to things they would never be exposed to and allows them to figure out what they like. After all finding out what you don't like is a step towards finding out what you do like.
So-I hate science fair, but I still think kids should do it.
I agree as a parent (despite the recorder nightmares) and appreciate the support as a teacher. Thanks!
I'm sure that is true. There are lots of things kids do in school that parents really really hate. Some families dread speech, research papers, literary fair, history fair, concerts, science fair, and other stuff that I can't think of now. As much as parents and kids hate some of these things they are good for kids to do. They expose kids to things they would never be exposed to and allows them to figure out what they like. After all finding out what you don't like is a step towards finding out what you do like.
So-I hate science fair, but I still think kids should do it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellar
Some of these responses make me want to weep! My fifth grader loves science, and I have been struggling to find programs that foster her interest since they dropped the science fair at her school. My dd LOVES doing science projects and experiments on her own. She is currently in a weekend program at a university for kids like her, and all the kids there are very excited about doing science projects so they can use their own creativity and ideas.
Our school has an academic fair that is very different than a science fair to me. In the academic fair, each student is given a specific assignment with a list of instructions to follow. I dislike that. A science fair can allow the student to have much more say in the project. It is exactly what many kids in this country need in my opinion in order to develop critical thinking skills and to expand their creativity.
A physics professor at the university hosting the science program for young students gave a speech to parents where she lamented how science is taught in U.S. schools. One of her top complaints was the fact that students often just memorize material to regurgitate information on a test. She said that is not science. She talked about how scientists often try ideas, fail repeatedly and then learn from the process. A science fair can give students a little bit of an idea of how this works.
Some of these responses make me want to weep! My fifth grader loves science, and I have been struggling to find programs that foster her interest since they dropped the science fair at her school. My dd LOVES doing science projects and experiments on her own. She is currently in a weekend program at a university for kids like her, and all the kids there are very excited about doing science projects so they can use their own creativity and ideas.
Our school has an academic fair that is very different than a science fair to me. In the academic fair, each student is given a specific assignment with a list of instructions to follow. I dislike that. A science fair can allow the student to have much more say in the project. It is exactly what many kids in this country need in my opinion in order to develop critical thinking skills and to expand their creativity.
A physics professor at the university hosting the science program for young students gave a speech to parents where she lamented how science is taught in U.S. schools. One of her top complaints was the fact that students often just memorize material to regurgitate information on a test. She said that is not science. She talked about how scientists often try ideas, fail repeatedly and then learn from the process. A science fair can give students a little bit of an idea of how this works.
Science is so much better taught in her home country? Where is she from and why teach here if science is so much better taught where she came from?
Basic concepts need to be learned and memorized because if you don't have that foundation, what do you have to build on. Kids aren't "scientists", they're LEARNING ABOUT science.
When's the last time a "new" concept in physics happened? Has the speed of light changed? What does this physics professor do that she's constantly testing and failing at - or who does, that she knows, and what is the field of "testing" are they are in? The quantum realms of crazy?
Regurgitating information absolutely is the basis for most tests, AP exams, along with the basis of the medical board licensing exam med students take. So are the MCATs (and LSATs).
A failed science fair project will not win anything and that's the problem with "science fairs"; it's a "show" with awards handed out when it shouldn't be if teaching "true science" and "research, testing & failure" is really what the point is supposed to be.
Last edited by Informed Info; 02-26-2014 at 12:06 AM..
A failed science fair project will not win anything and that's the problem with "science fairs"; it's a "show" with awards handed out when it shouldn't be if teaching "true science" and "research, testing & failure" is really what the point is supposed to be.
We have had "failed" experiments win before - even 1st place. They won based on the process, data gathering, analyzing why it didn't happen the way it "should" have, and the conclusion - you know as in demonstrating the learning process. There are right and wrong ways to run a science fair. The right way creates a true learning opportunity for students to be mini-scientists and a chance to see what others have done.
Science is so much better taught in her home country? Where is she from and why teach here if science is so much better taught where she came from?
Basic concepts need to be learned and memorized because if you don't have that foundation, what do you have to build on. Kids aren't "scientists", they're LEARNING ABOUT science.
When's the last time a "new" concept in physics happened? Has the speed of light changed? What does this physics professor do that she's constantly testing and failing at - or who does, that she knows, and what is the field of "testing" are they are in? The quantum realms of crazy?
Regurgitating information absolutely is the basis for most tests, AP exams, along with the basis of the medical board licensing exam med students take. So are the MCATs (and LSATs).
A failed science fair project will not win anything and that's the problem with "science fairs"; it's a "show" with awards handed out when it shouldn't be if teaching "true science" and "research, testing & failure" is really what the point is supposed to be.
I'm not sure where the physics professor was born, but she attended an Ivy League school here and has an incredibly impressive resume. Her brief explanation of her research was so complex, I did not understand it. I just know she does research involving optics. Part of the reason why she was lamenting science education in the U.S. is because she has a middle school student here. The professor gave some anecdotal stories about her daughter's class. She said one day her daughter was memorizing some science terms, and she asked her mom about a science term related to light, which is this professor's area of expertise. I was surprised when the professor said she was not sure about the term. She told her daughter the label for something is not as important as understanding the why. She asked her daughter why and how things occur, and the daughter didn't know. The daughter only needed to know the name/label for class to match it with some memorized definition. That was what was required to pass the test.
I related to that story because my mother was a chemist. I remember asking her a question about a chemistry term, and she didn't know either. I was surprised then too. The fact that my mother did not know a newer chemistry term did not stop her from being a successful chemist because she understood how things work. I think this would be true of most people. Even the medical boards have many "scenario" questions since putting pieces together and understanding relationships is key.
There is a ton of research indicating that inquiry based learning works quite well. My dd gets a taste of it when she attends the university class. My dd not only prefers this style of science teaching over her regular science class, but she has proven she learns in this environment. She scored the maximum percentile score possible on her last standardized science test last year after attending this university class just one day a week. There are articles such as this one in Wired magazine that talk about this style of teaching:
As for the science fair, projects that don't go as planned definitely can win awards. Part of the process is actually documenting what things worked better than other things. I don't think someone who put together a project that has a definite thumbs up or thumbs down like a volcano would win though.
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