Entry #11 - Nov. 16, 1998
"Is [science fair] a requirement that teaches problem-solving
skills and authentic science or is it a show, a series of deadlines, a schedule
that dictates instruction? I'm not shirking my responsibility here, I'm
really wondering about it."
It's that time of year when I agonize about the validity of a science fair
as a schoolwide requirement. I've been trained to understand all the cross-curricular
values involved. I've even been guilty of some turn-around training on the
subject...BUT...when it comes right down to the reality of trying to help
my 165 kids crank out their projects, well, that's another story.
Some kids meet me at school at 7 each morning, and others ask to come up
during lunch to continue their work, but in every class there are at least
a few kids who still want to build a volcano or conduct some very unscientific
taste tests.
To my dismay, I must confess that most are still confused about variables
and why we must control them. Kids always want to rush right into the experiments
and skip the research. You can even forget the experiments -- everyone loves
decorating their boards and just wants to get started on them. In fact,
at least one kid asks me every day, usually in the middle of a point I think
I'm really driving home, "Ms. Bambino, when can we start buying boards?"
I've got to admit, we do get some great looking displays, but how much science
is really sinking in and how can we know?
Is this a requirement that teaches problem-solving skills and authentic
science or is it a show, a series of deadlines, a schedule that dictates
instruction...? I'm not shirking my responsibility here, I'm really wondering
about it.
We have a great system set up with a rubric for self and peer assessment.
We select the top three projects from each class using the rubric and student
presentations as our guide. We set up all the winning projects in the auditorium
and have outside judges assess the projects and interview the student teams.
We go through all the right steps, but at a certain point, like now...I
worry that the deadlines are driving the process. The judges are already
invited, the lunches are ordered...can I stop everything and go back and
review variables in any real way? Without a 12-hour school day, the answer
is NO!
On the other hand, everyone is using computer spreadsheets to create charts
and graphs. They are writing and rewriting their procedures and conclusions
with a word processing program and they will all make oral presentations.
I believe everyone gets some understanding of the scientific process from
this work, I just don't know if it's enough...
This year instead of breathing a collective sigh of relief when the fair
is over, I think we should develop a reflection form for students and staff
alike, with questions about the basic process. I think I'll talk to our
adopters at Hopkins about some assistance in this effort. Maybe next year
we can do a pre- and post-assessment. And maybe my colleagues will hate
me if they get surveyed just one more time....
In our quest for validation or accountability or whatever name we give it,
we spend a good deal of time filling out surveys and being interviewed to
assess our teaching and the subsequent learning which takes place. That
reality leads me to another question: How authentic is the data which we
collect if the staff and students fill these things out with a "here
we go again" attitude?
If we count the results as part of a student's grade they take it a bit
more seriously, but then they try to give the answer they think we want
to hear. If we make it anonymous, it seems pointless. In all fairness to
the kids, they've grown accustomed to being asked for their input only to
find out that the decisions get made higher up without concern for their
voices...sounds a lot like what happens to teachers, doesn't it? (Deb
continues ruminating about science fairs in her next diary entry.)
On a different note, my email just broke through with the news that the
applications for principal of our school are due on Dec. 4th, which means
interviews can take place before the winter break. I'm relieved that the
process isn't lagging, but I'm anxious to see the applications and how quickly
the District will move on our recommendation.
[NOTE: To read more about science fairs and alternatives, visit
this spot on MiddleWeb.]
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