Turning The World Into A Classroom (NAPSA)—The best way to learn science may be to discoverit in the world around you. That’s a new approach gaining popularity in the nation’s schools. According to Wayne Grant, a former research scientist, curricu- lum designer and teacher, this approach to learning provides children with “a deeper learning experience—one that’s based on analysis, reflection and the joy of discovery.” The idea behind this discovery-based learning is that children learn to thinklike scientists by exploring nature and deciding what data to collect, asking their own questions and drawingtheir own conclusions. When children are curious, they are usually enthusiastic about learning more. To help children gather the data, Grant and his ImagiWorks team developed a product called ImagiProbe. They created a mobile data collection system that is connected to Palm Powered handheld devices so kids can enter data on field trips and see immediate results. The device worked well in Northline Elementary School in Houston, Texas. There, fourth grade students used it to study the “reasonsfor the seasons.” The project “turned these kids into bona fide scientists right before my eyes,” said science teacher John Schaff. The potential for learning sci- Kids are learning that asking questions is whatreal scientific researchis all about. ence is everywhere. In one investi- gation, students discovered patterns in ground temperatures by measuring the temperatures of the soil in the school garden. In another, they used temperatures and light probes to measure differences when a light/heat source was placed at angles that mimicked the angle of the sun in various seasons. Together, the children uncovered relationships that linked seasonal heating and cooling patterns in the world around them. A few years ago, such experiments in elementary school were practically unheard of. Today, opportunities to learn through discovery are applauded by the National Science Teachers Association—and all the many students who have used this approach and thereby learned to lovescience. For more information, visit www.nsta.org or ImagiWorks at www.imagiworks.com.
