Tips for Supporting Young Scientists
At Long-View, we don’t just seek to teach science, we strive to engage students in the learning process as scientists. From formulating testable questions with accompanying research to understanding safety protocols, learners don’t just act like scientists, they ARE scientists. Getting learners to engage in investigations of their own design, with thoughtful data collection and analysis, is the goal and we understand that these skills will develop over time. Teachers offer the opportunity to inquire about the natural world, access to high-quality learning experiences, and intentional feedback, but we seek parental support in this endeavor. Depending on your own background knowledge in science and your own level of interest, it may seem daunting to support this area of your child’s academics. Regardless, you can play an important role in your child’s development as a scientist. Below are 6 easy ways you can support your young scientist.
1. Engage in the learning (scientific) process with your child.
Learning is a process. Although the construction of knowledge is an individual endeavor, many argue that learning is fundamentally a social process. Therefore, understanding can be catalyzed through social interactions that expand background knowledge, develop interests, model quality thinking, create connections, and disrupt inaccurate or nascent understandings of concepts. Your genuine desire to participate meaningfully in learning opportunities will make the deepest mark on your child’s development as a scientist. Ask questions. Pose “wonderings.” Insist on checking assertions that arise through your discussions against reliable sources of information. And be willing to collaborate with your child as he or she investigates, engaging as an equal partner.
2. Resist the urge to answer or correct. Instead, ask for explanation or elaboration.
For many teachers and parents, it is difficult to dampen the instinctual “answer the question reaction.” We want children to have clarity and understanding, and we assume our quick explanation to questions they pose will expedite this process. Although it is hard to refrain from answering a question to which you have a ready answer, it can be beneficial to allow children to explore incorrect or partially incorrect ideas. With strategic questioning, a parent can not only re-route a child to make his/her own way toward a correct conclusion, but can also give the young child agency over his or her discovery. As she iterates the investigation, she will be doing science, which is a more important goal than just collecting knowledge. Try using one of the following responses to elicit investigation of incorrect or partially correct ideas posed by your child:
Can you show me why…?
Can you tell me more about….?
How did you know….?
What evidence do you have?
Tell me more.
What do you think the answer is?
3. Encourage sharing the investigation, results, and conclusions with an “audience.”
Explaining requires not only an understanding, but also forethought as children try to organize and appropriately elaborate on the ideas that they are trying to communicate. As ideas are processed verbally, children have the opportunity to improve their communication skills while potentially uncovering gaps in knowledge that can then prompt the next steps in their investigation.
4.Persuade learners to do more research, and connect them with reliable sources.
As science concepts get more complex, hurdles, confusion, and dead ends are inevitable. The way we address these “points of friction” can be formative in regards to the ways children will confront future obstacles. At the point when questions only lead to despair, and parental knowledge has hit its threshold, embrace the state of confusion. What an opportunity for learning!
Head into the search for outside answers as you authentically as you would when trying to answer your own questions. Share your thinking process out loud so that it is visible to your child. If you have a friend that knows a lot about the subject in question, call him/her. If you have a book on your shelf at home that might help, go get it with your child. Locate a website, stressing to your child the importance of using only reliable sources.
What determines reliability? According to Purdue Online Writing Lab, “Never use web sites where an author cannot be determined, unless the site is associated with a reputable institution such as a respected university, a credible media outlet, government program or department, or well-known non-governmental organizations. Beware of using sites like Wikipedia, which are collaboratively developed by users. Because anyone can add or change content, the validity of information on such sites may not meet the standards for academic research.”
If you have a young child, we recommend sitting alongside him or her and discussing what you are finding as you research on the internet. You can even do some initial vetting of internet research sites to scaffold the process for the child. If your child has more experience navigating the internet and is wanting to work more independently, parental controls can be helpful as can checking in after sources are located. The selection of reliable sources is a skill that goes far beyond the scope of science and into the heart of all research.
5. “Problematize” everything.
Oftentimes, the easiest way to prompt a student’s personal path is to problematize a learning concept. When we problematize, we take observations or ideas and make them into a problem requiring a solution or answer. In the simplest sense, we can observe that the sky is blue, but WHY is it blue? While this question arose from a simple curiosity it may launch an authentic investigation of light and color, requiring a dip into chemistry, physics, and the biology of sight. Scientific questions and problems are different from typical questions because they must be testable — requiring research, experimentation, and data collection. Furthermore, scientists must problematize through the investigative process: What data do I need to collect? What evidence is necessary to create a solution? Why is this procedure better than another?
As a parent, you can push your child to ask questions and then prompt him or her to develop that question into a testable hypothesis, pick variables that show relationships, and generate conclusions from evidence. Using a recent Long-View@Home example (above right), we can see how a simple inquiry of how pillbugs respond to light can turn into a testable research question. Most excitingly, scientific efforts to solve a problem rarely result in a single conclusion, but often prompt a wellspring of other wonderings, curiosities, or questions.
6. Consider the skills necessary to be a scientist.
Understanding the age-appropriate expectations of science may be the easiest way to support your learner. The science teachers at Long-View have developed a digestible set of skills progressions that allow you, as the parent, to not only track your child’s progress, but also understand the near-term and long-term goals. While the acquisition of scientific knowledge can be never-ending, skills seem to be more attainable. While this set of skills only goes through early high school, it sets the foundation for successful science research in advanced high school courses and beyond.
