K-20 Learning Initiative

Hands on and STEM focus

If you were a seven-year-old child, which of the two options described at the right would stimulate you to talk about the puddle? That's what hands-on science is all about - allowing students to experience science fully.

Hands-on learning gets results

There is a multitude of research dating back several decades confirming hands-on learning is more effective than traditional classroom learning, especially among the economically disadvantaged.

Technology continues to advance at an exponential pace; we all have to take part in reversing these trends. We can accomplish this through hands-on learning in our schools and through our learning laboratories.

Why we need STEM

• The Baby Boomer generation retires and the U.S. population becomes more diverse, the United States lacks the skilled workforce to replace engineers, manufacturers, tech specialists, and jobs in other STEM fields.

• America is slipping. India will produce more than twice the number of college graduates than American and European combined by 2015. China will have even more.

• U.S. teachers are trailing international peers in math and science. Among 57 highly developed countries, the U.S. ranks 29th in science and 31st in math in PISA results.

Which lesson would you prefer?

Option 1: Find a puddle and photograph it. Show the photograph to a seven-year-old child. Have her read about puddles. Later, ask her to talk about the puddle.

Option 2: Find a puddle. Add one seven-year-old child. Mix thoroughly. Stomp, splash, and swish. Float leaves on it. Drop pebbles into it and count the ripples. Measure the depth, width, and length of it. Test the pH. Look at a drop under a microscope. Measure 250 mL of puddle water and boil it until the water is gone. Examine what is left in the container. Estimate how long it will take for 250 mL of puddle water to evaporate. Time it. Chart it. Now ask the child to talk about the puddle.

About the author: Educator and artist Marilee Donivan has received numerous honors including the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching Science. "Recipe" first appeared in the October 1993 issue of Science and Children, the journal of the National Science Teachers Assn.