Why Should Children Learn Science

Learning science helps children to develop ways of understanding the world around them. For this they have to build up concepts which help them link their experiences together ; they must learn ways of gaining and organizing information and of applying and testing ideas . This contributes not only to children's ability to make better sense of things around them , but prepares them to deal more effectively with wider decision-making and problom-solving in their lives . Science is as basic a part of education as numeracy and literacy ; it daily bacomes more important as the complexity of technology increases and touches every part of our lives.

The word can is used advisely here ; it indicates that there is the potential to bring these benefits but no guarantee that they will be realized without taking the appropriate steps . In learning science the development of the process side and the product side must go hand in hand ; they are totally interdependent . This has important implications for the kinds of activities children need to encounter in their education . But before pursing these implications , there are still two further important points which underline the value of including science in primary education.

The first is that whether we teach children science or not , they will be developing ideas about the world around from their earliest years . If these ideas are based on casual observation , non-investigated events and the acceptance of hearsay , then they are likely to be non-scientific , "everyday" ideas . There are plenty of such ideas around for children to pick up . My mother believed （ and perhaps still does despite my efforts ） that if the sun shines through the window on to the fire it puts the fire out , that cheese maggots （ a common encounter in her youth when food was sold unwrapped ） are made of cheese and develop spontaneously from it , that placing a lid on a pan of boiling water makes it boil at a lower temperature , that electricity travels more easily if the wires are not twisted . Similar myths still abound and no doubt influence children's attempts to make sense of their experience . As well as hearsay , left to themselves , children will also form some ideas which seem unscientific; for example , that to make something move requires a force but to stop it needs no force. All these ideas could easily be put to the test ; children's science education should make children want to do it . Then they not only have the chance to modify their ideas , but they learn to be sceptical about so-called " truths" until these have been put to the test . Eventually they will realize that all ideas are working hypotheses which can never be proved right , but are useful as long as they fit the evidence of experience and experiment .

The importance of beginning this learning early in children's education is twofold . On the one hand the children begin to realize that useful ideas must fit the evidence ; on the other hand they are less likely to form and to accept everyday ideas which can be shown to be in direct conflict with evidence and scientific concepts. There are research findings to show that the longer the non-scientific ideas have been held , the more difficult they are to change . Many children come to secondary science , not merely lacking the scientific ideas they need , but possessing alternative ideas which are a barrier to understanding their science lessons.

The second point about starting to learn science , and to learn scientifically , at the primary level is connected with attitudes to the subject . There is evidence that attitudes to science seem to be formed earlier than to most other subjects and children tend to have taken a definite position with regard to their liking of the subject by the age of 11 or 12 . Given the remarks just made about the clash between the non-scientific ideas that many children bring to their scondary science lessons and the scientific ideas they are assumed to have , it is not surprising that many find science confusing and difficult . Such reactions undoubtedly affect their later performance in science . Although there is a lesson here for secondary science , it is clear that primary science can do much to avoid this crisis at the primary secondary interface.

学习科学可帮助孩子学会认识世界的方法。为了认识世界，孩子们需建立一些科学概念，这些概念可帮助他们总结的经验。还需要学习搜集和组织信息，以及运用和辨别思想的方法。这些概念和方法不仅有助于提高孩子们认识周围事物的能力，而且为他们将来在生活中高效地作出决定，解决问题奠定了基础。科学就像识字和识数一样，是教育中最基础的部分之一。科技越来越复杂且渗透到我们生活的方方面面，科学的重要性更是日益增加。

科学既是一种方法，又是一种思维方式，既是过程，又是结果，因此学习科学有双重益处。科学过程提供了找出信息，辨别思想，寻求解释的方法。科学的成果即思想，思想可用于认识新经验。

这里多次提到了"能够"这一词，意思是科学有可能带来这些益处，但不采取合适的方法，这些益处也无法保证。过程和结果是紧密相连的，学习科学时，过程和结果这两点必须齐头并进，这影响到孩子将来在学习中遇到的各种各样的活动的效果。但是在达到这些要求之前，还有两个要点需注意，这是在初等教育中开设科学课程的基础。

第一点是我们是否教会孩子科学了。孩子们在学前就会初步建立一些关于周围世界的概念。如果这些概念是通过随意观察，没经过调查，且捕风捉影的一些事件得到的，那么就很有可能是非科学的生活经验。孩子们在生活中会得到许多这样的经验。下面这些事情是我母亲深信不疑的：如果太阳穿过窗户照在火堆上，火堆便会熄灭（我努力纠正过，但也许到现在她还这样认为）;奶酪蛆（奶酪未经包装就会生蛆，她小时侯经常遇到的情况）是用奶酪做的，而且蛆是自然生成的（没经过外力）;给一锅煮沸的水上盖上锅盖，水虽然还在沸腾，但温度会降低；如果电线不是缠在一起的话，电流传播的速度会更快。这样的"神话"还有很多，毫无疑问会对孩子们形成自己的经验造成影响。还有传闻，如果留给他们自己处理的话，他们同样会建立一些看似非科学的概念。比如，如果要使物体移动就必须借助外力，但要使物体停止就不需要外力。这些概念很容易通过实验来验证，科学教育就是要让孩子们想去做这些实验。这样一来，他们不仅有机会去纠正自己的错误概念，而且通过实验验证，他们还学会去怀疑所谓的"真理".最终孩子们会发现所有的概念都是假设的，而且从来无法证明是正确的，但是只要他们经过经验和实验证明，就是有用的。

在孩子所受教育中，科学教育要早，这有双重重要性。一方面孩子们开始认识到有用的概念必须是经过证明的，另一方面，他们形成和接受那些与经过证明的科学概念有直接冲突的日常经验的可能会降低。经调查发现，孩子们掌握那些非科学概念的时间越久，改变这些概念就越困难。许多孩子在开始接受中学科学时，不仅缺乏他们必须的科学概念，而且还接受了另一种错误的概念，这会成为他们学习科学的障碍。

第二点是在最初开始学习科学时，要用科学的方法学习，学习的初级阶段可形成孩子对这门学科的态度。有证据显示，对科学的态度的形成似乎比其他学科要早，孩子在11到12岁就会对是否喜欢一门学科形成明确的态度。孩子带到中学科学中的非科学概念与他们应持有的科学概念之间会产生冲突，鉴于这一点，许多孩子的思维都被混淆了，觉得科学深奥难懂，这毫不奇怪。这样的反应无疑会影响他们以后在科学学习中的表现。虽然这个课程是关于中学科学教育的，但很明显，要避免这些危机在初等教育与中等教育过渡期间出现，初等教育能做的很多。