Teachers of science design and manage learning environments that provide
students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning
science.
Time, space, and materials are critical components of an effective science
learning environment that promotes sustained inquiry and understanding. Creating
an adequate environment for science teaching is a shared responsibility. Teachers
lead the way in the design and use of resources, but school administrators,
students, parents, and community members must meet their responsibility to ensure
that the resources are available to be used. Developing a schedule that allows
time for science investigations needs the cooperation of all in the school;
acquiring materials requires the appropriation of funds; maintaining scientific
equipment is the shared responsibility of students and adults alike; and
designing appropriate use of the scientific institutions and resources in the
local community requires the participation of the school and those institutions
and individuals.
Teachers must be given the resources and authority to select the most appropriate
materials and to make decisions about when, where, and how to make them
accessible. Such decisions balance safety, proper use, and availability with the
need for students to participate actively in designing experiments, selecting
tools, and constructing apparatus, all of which are critical to the development
of an understanding of inquiry.
The classroom is a limited environment. The school science program must extend
beyond the walls of the school to the resources of the community. Our nation's
communities have many specialists, including those in transportation, health-care
delivery, communications, computer technologies, music, art, cooking, mechanics,
and many other fields that have scientific aspects. Specialists often are
available as resources for classes and for individual students. Many communities
have access to science centers and museums, as well as to the science communities
in higher education, national laboratories, and industry; these can contribute
greatly to the understanding of science and encourage students to further their
interests outside of school. In addition, the physical environment in and around
the school can be used as a living lab-oratory for the study of natural
phenomena. Whether the school is located in a densely populated urban area, a
sprawling suburb, a small town, or a rural area, the environment can and should
be used as a resource for science study. Working with others in their school and
with the community, teachers build these resources into their work with
students.
This excerpt is reprinted with
permission from the National
Science Education Standards.
Copyright 1996 by the National
Academy of Sciences. Courtesy
of the National Academy Press, Washington, D. C.
