Truth in labeling in California: If it’s not hands-on, it’s not science

Truth in labeling in California: If it’s not hands-on, it’s not science

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Posted on 2/15/11 • Categorized as STEM

By Peter A'Hearn

A high school in my area decided this year that they would not do science fair any longer. Science fair used to be a requirement for honors biology classes. It was what made an honors class different from a regular biology class.

One of the main factors that led to this decision was the feeling that doing an independent science project took too much time away from the preparation for the California Standards Tests. Since doing the project wasn’t directly correlated with any CST questions, it wasn’t deemed to be worth the time spent. The CST science section does test “Investigation and Experimentation,” but these standards count for only 10 percent of the test, and it is often hard to see how doing an actual project directly prepares the kids for the test questions.

This sort of thing happens pretty consistently. “We don’t have time to do labs, because we have so many standards to cover,” is a constant refrain. Long-term projects are even harder to justify when everything must be tied to a test. The pressure to continuously improve test scores tends to drive everything that is not obviously linearly connected to a test question out of the curriculum.

Many science teachers believe strongly that doing hands-on science is the best way to give students the level of real understanding that is needed to make sense of all the facts on the test. But when an administrator is sweating you about your test scores, it tends to box you into teaching to the test, or at least sticking to short, fast lab activities that let you hit the standards and move quickly on to other material. This is the situation in most science classes in our state.

In college there are two kinds of art classes. One is Art and the other is Art Appreciation. The difference is that in Art, you actually make art. If it is well taught you also learn about famous artists and what they did. In Art Appreciation you read about art, hear lectures about art, and look at lots of pictures. People who take Art mostly end up knowing much more about how art is really made than people who take Art Appreciation.

In the interest of truth in labeling, we should change the name of most science classes to Science Appreciation. That would let students, families, and the public know that students won’t actually be doing too much science in the class.

Peter A’Hearn is currently the K-12 Science Specialist for Palm Springs Unified School District and the region 4 director for the California Science Teacher’s Association. Pete loves teaching science at all grade levels and believes that all students deserve great science.

6 Comments

Marlinman
February 16, 2011 • 9:36 am

Pete, I couldn’t agree with you more. As an engineer, I graduated from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The theme at Cal Poly is “Learn by Doing”. And I can assure you, there is no lack of labs that accompany all engineering coursework. When considering the time involved versus the credit given for labs, one could easily say, “labs aren’t worth the effort”. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Cal Poly grades on the curve (pits the students against each other rather than against a standard.) That actually turns out to be a good thing because it is a driving force to be better than your classmates enough of the time to remain on top of the curve! Unfortunately, that also ensures very few “A” students, because since there is a large number of students washed out by graduation, only the top survive and it is just not possible to have everyone on top of everything all the time.

But, the ones that take their lab work seriously are the ones that “get it” and do well in their coursework, which in ensures the best chance of success at that school. After graduation and in my last 25 years of working as an engineer, it has also proven to give me a considerable edge over most of the field I compete with because the skills I have developed by doing as well as the depth of understanding I received from the same.

I must give credit where credit is due, the “learn by doing” approach developed at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo has no equal as a learning technique. At least in the world I know of math and science!
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Fred Jones
February 16, 2011 • 9:41 am

That is what is happening to STEM programs, too (they drop the “Science” “Technology” and “Engineering” portions and become glorified math programs, since math is a central part of our CST’s). And don’t get me started on what has happened with Career Technical Education (formerly called Vocational Education, but under pressure from the “PC” crowd had to change its name).

Our high schools are being buffeted by all sorts of outside pressures, including a university system that no longer appreciates or values hands-on learning (they only value decontextualized, theoritical academics), and a largely irrelevant (to the REAL world) assessment system that cannot test for such skills and understandings.

It’s time we stand up to the dominant culture’s fixations and start inspiring students again! The adult stakeholders and think tanks have disengaged far too many secondary (and middle) school students.
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Matthew Jones
April 8, 2011 • 2:10 pm

Pete, I also couldn’t agree with you more. Great point.
But Fred, you are wrong about the CSTs and mathematics. There is virtually no mathematics whatsoever on any of the science CSTs. Take a look at the sample questions provided online.
It’s also a a false dichotomy that we either have to engage students or prepare them for the test. Engaging them in great science instruction WILL prepare them for the test.

Matt
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