Nicole Liu

Science Teaching Statement

Science is a subject that I believe to be hands on and teaches you about the world around
you. Many could say science is the study of chemistry, biology, physics, and so on, however
science is actually much more than that. According to Sullenger, Science is going on when
scientists work and the ideas, theories, and debates generated by scientists activities are the
basis for goals and objectives and are part of everyday classroom conversation (Sullenger,
1991). From that statement, I would say that science is students getting to inquire about their
wonderings and allow them to make real life connections based on those wonderings. Science is
a subject that allows for students to have questions, and allows for them to make predictions and
it is acceptable if those predictions are wrong.
Science is beneficial because it allows students to really explore many different concepts
individually and cooperatively. It is important for elementary students to learn the subject of
science because there are many life lessons that students need in order to further their learning.
According to Harlen, Why is answered in terms of the importance of building understanding of
the scientific aspects of the childrens environment through developing and using skills of
inquiry that will enable learning to continue throughout life (Harlen). From what I gather from
that reading is that students will learn the basic concepts in primary science education that they
will continue to use throughout their school career.
I believe that elementary students learn science best through hands on experiences that really
allow them to explore through inquiry and questioning. I learned that during my time in the
science course. We participated in many inquiries where we were able to create our own

questions and make come up with tests in order to test our claims. According to Banchi and Bell
While students do reach stumbling blocks in their investigation designs and data collection
procedures, they work through these impasses, all the time learning about the nature of scientific
inquiry and how to problem solve (Bell 2008 (Sullenger, 1991)). This article also talked about
the different levels of inquiry that elementary students can participate in. I think that is important
because the inquiries we did in the classroom, I feel that students would need a little more
guidance, but could participate in them. This doesnt mean that the teacher is passive during this
time, teachers actually play a large role in the inquiry process. They are using guiding questions
in order for students to meet their objective and stay on track. Ultimately, students learn best
through exploration and then connecting their explorations to real life experiences.
Science should be taught in a way that students are able to ask questions and learn in a
way where they can explore. I think too many times students think that science is reading from a
text book and answering questions. Science is much more than that. It is making connections to
real life and understanding how the world around us works. It goes beyond a science lab and
male stereotypes. I learned this and I want to be able to teach my students this. I want girls to feel
like they can be scientists. I think that teaching students that science is more than just a textbook
reading and definitions can change how students look at all subjects. I had fun exploring
different activities and I feel like I learned more in my sixteen weeks than I did my entire school
career. I think that if teachers can make learning fun and connect it to real life experiences,
students will benefit greatly from it.
I learned a great deal of information in my semester in science this semester. I think that
is evident in my science portfolio. We participated in many different activities that challenged
some thinking and allowed me to step out of the box and look at concepts differently. I learned

science stereotypes and learned that I too believed them. I learned about misconceptions and how
easy it was to create them. I learned that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from
them. Ultimately, I learned many concepts of science through inquiry and exploration. I hope to
take these new concepts in to my future classroom.

References
Bell, B. &. (2008). The Many Levels of Inquiry. 26-29.
Harlen, W. (n.d.). Why Science? In Primary Science: Taking the Plunge (2e).
Sullenger. (1991). How Do You Know Science Is Going On? Science and Children.