Science at the Dinner Table: Getting Kids Excited About STEM Amy Lynne Shelton CTY Director of Research Professor of Education, Associate Dean for Research Adapted from Norman Rockwell s Thanksgiving Dinner
Why talk science?
Let s Talk Science Do I have to be an expert? I don t know, is OK just not final! Value in finding answers together I don t know where to start. Start with the world around you. Nearly every part of our life has been influenced by scientific discovery, engineering design, or inspired invention.
Strategies Science in the news Pop culture myth busters Curiosity driven experimentation
Science in the News News stories only tell part of the story What is the science behind the story? How did they arrive at newsworthy claims? What was the process of inference? LOOK IT UP!
Science in the News Children's National Website Evidence is strong & clear that sleep is critical Causality is inferred from sleep studies Early Start Lack of Sleep Adverse Effects
Pop Culture Myth Busting Popular media forms use real & fake science all the time. Can you support or debunk the claims? The Office Phyllis s Wedding https://vimeo.com/35754924
Pop Culture Myth Busting Popular media forms use real & fake science all the time. Can you support or debunk the claims? Could Jim condition Dwight to unconsciously expect an Altoid? YES Pavlov s Dogs CORRECT USE OF SCIENCE!
Pop Culture Myth Busting Another commonly believed myth in the media Race to Witch Mountain (2009) The source of the aliens powers
Pop Culture Myth Busting We only use 10% of our brain??? What would happen to the other 90% if it were not used? (Biological principles) What does the brain look like when it is in action? Are some areas silent? (Functional neuroanatomy) How do people with brain damage function? (Neuropsychology) BAD SCIENCE!
Pop Culture Myth Busting Books, movies, TV can generate questions Look to see whether they are grounded Use as a springboard to learn more BUT Don t stop enjoying the movies! Bad science bad movie Bad science = bad source of scientific knowledge but GREAT source for exploring scientific ideas!
Curiosity-Driven Experimentation Science really is everywhere Take advantage of kids natural curiosity Listen to their questions Look for opportunities to answer questions together Encourage them to set up experiments Learn from what works AND what does not (permission to fail) Examples... http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/
Curiosity-Driven Experimentation Why are some things waterproof? What motivated the question? What kinds of things can you find in the house that are waterproof? What properties do they seem to have in common? Are they waterproof or water resistant? (e.g., rain boots vs. umbrellas) Experiment with different materials Look up chemical properties
Curiosity-Driven Experimentation Key elements of this approach RELEVANCE driven by your child s interests & passions Not bound by prior knowledge Problem solving on multiple levels What do you want to know? How can you explore it? Find limits of information available Benefits most from trial and error Often opens up new question
Experiments at Home https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/ http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/unfinished 20 funscience experiments you can do home http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/homeexpts.html
Take-Home Messages Multiple ways to encourage learning at home Help kids see relevance of science Many tools & ideas from everyday life Learning through exploration is trial and error Permission to fail as part of the process Play can be science & science should feel like play!
Questions?