Eye
on Leadership
As I was driving home from the Cornerstone Winter Conference on Saturday, the words from Allen Levi resonated with me… “windows wide open.” I thought about the classroom I observed in which students were engaged in planning, creating, and testing a water filtration system. The group I watched worked closely together as a team to discuss, plan, think and rethink the development of the filtration system. As the water began to trickle through their system, you could sense as well as hear their excitement. “It’s going. It’s really clear.” “I told you we needed to put sand in two places.” The children were proud of their progress and could explain why it was successful. Because this water was from their river, the children had a clear connection to the work and understood the importance of ensuring their water was clean. One child explained, “It is so beautiful,” as she observed the clear water in the pitcher. Their teacher used this teaching opportunity to allow these students to open their windows wide. The focus for the November/December 2007 issue of Principal is “A Science Discovery.” One article in this issue “What Research Says About K-8 Science Learning and Teaching,” includes recommendations from the 2007 National Research Council report “Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8.” The report advocated the development of four strands of scientific proficiency for all K-8 students. As I reviewed these strands, I thought about the classroom I had the opportunity to visit and how that teacher offered opportunities for students to experience these strands in her lesson. The report indicated that students who understand science:
Shortly after reading this article, I visited the Gatlinburg aquarium. As we walked through the tunnel, we were surrounded by sharks, sting rays, and other interesting fish. One small child had her nose pressed to the glass as she closely observed the sting rays. There was no sense of fear, only innocent curiosity. Her parents patiently watched her as she watched the fish. Then the sharks swam above us and in wonder she began firing questions at her dad. How big is it? How many teeth does it have? What happened to his teeth? The father patiently explained how sharks have more than one set of teeth. Although we had to move forward, I know that child could have remained in that tunnel surrounded by sea life for hours. Cheryl Riggins wrote a short article in the issue of Principal to which I have referred entitled “Changed by Nature.” She shares her observation of a first grade student “watching the universe on a leaf.” I believe the young child I observed watching the fish swim by her and the children I observed at the conference had their windows wide open and were “changed by nature.” Our challenge is to make these opportunities the norm rather than the exception. As leaders in our schools, we need to consider how we can ensure these experiences occur in every classroom. To support this type of instruction, we need to:
We must model for children that we are willing to support them by opening our windows wide.
Interested individuals can order or download the “Taking Science
to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8” report
and executive summary. Duschl, R. A., Shouse, A. W., & Schweingruber, H. A. (2007, November/December). What research says about K-8 science learning and teaching. Principal, 16-22. |
