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November 5, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR MARTY WOELFEL
IN KY
Jenny, unfortunately your problem is not unique to your state!
It is
pretty wonderful that you care enough to wonder what you might
be able
to do about it. I'm not sure from your post what ages of children
you
are most interested in, but I'll make some general comments
about
science in particular.
Young children are naturally curious and, in many cases, have
not
learned yet to be "afraid" of doing science or math,
even if they don't
do well in school in these subjects. If you are interested
in helping
them be more interested in science or math, I'd find ways
to tap into
that natural curiosity and would avoid doing things where
the "right
answers" seem more important than the activities or the
reasoning
processes. Lots of hands-on exploration is a good thing for
children,
and the "science" in these explorations comes not
from the facts or
vocabulary but from the processes the children use as they
explore.
Doing the activities and doing the processes related to them
build some
mental structures that then help the children not only "do"
science but
also learn scientific facts and concepts later.
A number of non-school organizations may be of help to you
as places
where children can do these types of explorations. Some areas
have
science museums that have areas especially designed for children.
Some
organizations, such as Girl Scouts, offer programs which are
science
related. Some governmental agencies produce programs to help
people
like you do programs for children. (For example, the EPA has
a neat
patch program related to water explorations.) If you really
want to
help in this area, I'd be looking for an organization to help
you work
with the children in your area. You also may be able to help
start some
type of after-school club.
Best wishes!
**********
November 5, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR ANGELA SKAGGS
IN KY
Dear Jenny N. in AR,
I would use the internet as much as possible. Most people
that find
math and science hard are usually ones that have had little
exposure or
bad experiences. Just allow students time to find the fun
in math and
science. Again, the internet has many places to go to get
cool or fun
activities. Talk to others in various careers to let the students
see
how exciting jobs can be in science and math. Check out the
Kentucky
Department of Education web page http://www.kde.state.ky.us/.
We are
undergoing a rapid change in our educational system. On this
page you
can find help to many questions I have not answered.
**********
Nobember 5, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON
IN IL
Jenny, This is exactly why GEMSET exists! To get girls interested
in science
and math and show them that it isn't out of reach. If you
know of any
children's museums, you can take kids to them. If the museum
does not have any
science or math exhibits, suggest that they do. If you can
tutor, it would be
great if you could help kids learn. Showing interest in the
kids may help them
to show interest in bettering their grades. Having a role
model helps kids, so
if you can show them that you are interested in Math and Science
and why, they
probably look up to you and may also acquire that interest.
Good luck!
*******************
November 5, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR SUZETTE MINORINI
IN TX
I think one way to generate enthusiasm and interest in learning
math and
science is to introduce children to real or fictional jobs
that rely on
these skills in a fun and familiar setting. Possibly the toy
tester who
performs experiments with toys, dropping them, throwing them,
hammering
them, introducing them to varied temperatures, or submersing
them into
different substances, etc. If creative scenarios are played
out where
elements of math and science are a component, it can produce
some fun
experiments and terrific opportunities for learning. I think
the trick is
finding ways to introduce math and science concepts in a creative,
fun, and
familiar way.
******************
November 5, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR AIMEE WILLOZ
IN MN
A: Hi Jenny! When I looked for information on astronauts'
gloves a couple
weeks ago, I found some activities that looked really neat
on the NASA
website. Check out the links on this page:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Life.Science/Living.and.Working.in.Space/.index.html
I think fun activities like these are really helpful in getting
kids
interested in math and science. Also, WGIT (Women and Girls
in Technology)
may be able to connect you with some resources. WGIT held
monthly
conference calls from January - October of this year; I attended
the March
call, and there were people from Texas and Washington state
talking about
the programs they have to get girls involved in technology.
Although those
were focused specifically at girls, I'm sure that a lot of
the techniques
and ideas they use would work for boys, too. Good luck!
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