Science and Children: A Natural Fit

Date/Time:	Monday, 04 Apr 2011 at 7:00 pm
Location:	Reiman Ballroom South, Alumni Center
Cost:	Free
Contact:
Phone:	515-294-9934
Channel:	Lecture Series
Categories:	Lectures
Actions:	Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder

Karen Worth is a faculty member at Wheelock College, where she teaches early childhood and elementary education with a focus on science education. She worked for twenty-five years as a senior research scientist at the Education Development Center and has also served as an advisor to the PBS programs Curious George and The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That. The Barbara E. (Mound) Hansen Lecture Series.

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Children are naturally curious and full of questions about the world around them. They explore and investigate events and materials in their lives in ways that resemble those of the scientist. As teachers we are providing experiences that lay the foundation for future learning. This is important in a world in which science plays a greater and greater role in our lives and the decisions we must make. This talk will focus on how we can take advantage of children's interest and bring science into the classroom. We will look at what science in the classroom looks like and what it should be. We will explore what content is appropriate and examine the role of the teacher in guiding and facilitating children's work. We also will look at how science can provide an exciting context in which children use and develop their literacy and mathematical skills and knowledge. Science is a collaborative venture and we will see how it can support children's social development as well. Finally, we will look at what children can actually do and the reality that we often underestimate the power of their thinking.