Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/42291
"It's scary," says Tim William- son, president of the California Science Teachers Association (CSTA). "We have a huge popu- lation of baby boomers who are retiring, and we're going to have a huge number exiting science and technology careers. Unfortunately, what we're doing in K-12 is not getting kids ready to go into that Tim Williamson, CSTA President pipeline. My big fear is that admin- istrators in the California Depart- ment of Education will hit their heads like Homer Simpson and say, 'D'oh, we should have had science instruction!'" ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SHOEHORN IN SCIENCE » Christina Conner, a second-grade teacher at Bertha Tay- lor Elementary School in San Jose, took several semesters of life science and physical science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo so she could teach science in her classroom. But she doesn't have time. "I don't feel as if I'm living up to my potential for teach- ing science," laments Conner, a member of the Oak Grove Education Association. "There is so much stress about NCLB and so much drill-and-kill instruction before the state test that there just isn't time for science. It's sad, because kids love to learn about bugs and space and motion. It gives them something to look forward to." The best she can do is integrate science instruction with literacy lessons and throw in some facts to help them com- prehend the text they are reading. "At least we have science fairs, so parents can help kids with hands-on science projects as an extracurricular activ- ity," she says. A 2007 study of science education in Bay Area elemen- tary schools found that 80 percent of K-5 teachers who are responsible for science instruction spend one hour or less each week teaching science, with 16 percent spending no time at all on science. The study, conducted by researchers from UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and WestEd, also found that a majority of elementary students have sci- ence instruction no more than twice a week, and many teachers feel less prepared to teach science than they do to teach math and reading. Teachers say they are so strapped for time that they typically have to "shoehorn" science instruction into reading and math lessons. ACCORDING TO A STUDY OF BAY AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: of K-5 teachers spend one hour or less per week on science instruction spend no time at all on science instruction Source: "The Status of Science Education in Bay Area Elementary Schools," Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley Students are missing the first six years of science cur- riculum mandated by the state's content standards, says Williamson, a CSU Long Beach professor and a Califor- nia Faculty Association member. This makes it tough for students to catch up when they get to middle school and high school. Williamson sees the effect in his own classroom. He teaches future teachers how to deliver science instruction. Many of them lack a strong science education themselves, and as a result they are fearful of teaching it. "Students are comfortable teaching biology, but scared to death of conducting science labs for chemistry, electric- ity or sound," says Williamson. "But when they get out of my class, they realize the fun and beauty of teaching the physical sciences. Now if they could just find the time." When youngsters aren't exposed to science, they tend ABOVE: An experiment in "The Amazing Science Race" in Bakersfield. to think that it's something they "aren't good at," accord- ing to an article, "Subject Matters: Science has an image problem," on www.cnn.com. And when science is finally introduced, students are often instructed to memorize the "right" answers instead of being asked to think like a scien- tist — which is to pose a question and conduct experiments to draw conclusions that either answer the question or lead to further research. 14 California Educator / September 2011