Teaching science in the homeschool classroom needs to go beyond picking up new vocabulary and formulas for the children. Unfortunately learning new scientific terms is not very interesting or appealing unless the child sees some value in it. STEM educators emphasize the use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in real life to involve children in these faculties from an early age. This involves students learning about concepts in these faculties in a practical manner.
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Can the iPad generation’s attention be held in a traditional classroom set up?
Children today are exposed to more technology at an early age than our generation was. Now days a child is used to unlocking the parent’s iPad with a password and using the short cut to get to play a preferred game. They can scroll the images gallery on the device and even take photographs using the camera option. Most of them are proficient at doing all this by the time they are barely three years old. How do you excite them about science in a traditional classroom. You can’t! You have to go the extra mile.
Using technology to boost interest and enhance learning
Matching images on construction paper is not going to be the least bit interesting after playing games on an iPad, so the learning games that you give them in the classroom have to be equally interesting. Thankfully there are enough Apps available today that are dedicated to building logic and enhancing learning skills of a child. Some of them even have grade appropriate learning levels. Get these for your children to help them practice the concepts that they have been taught in theory in class. Technology provides more experience for children to fine tune their understanding of a topic. It is a teacher’s aid that is well worth using.
Out in the real world also works as well as technology
Using a lemon to light a bulb, making a windsock with paper strips to check the flow of the wind, shining a torch through a prism to make a rainbow and a whole lot more can be done to show children how science works in the real world. While technology has its place in the classroom and outside it, it is equally important for the children to use their hands to physically manipulate things. Only by getting their hands dirty will they be able to enjoy the experience of growing their own plants.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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If you’re going through the section based on Topic, you can continue with it as long as he’s interested and able to do the experiments, and understand by explaining back to you what’s going on with them. In Grade Levels, you can pick the grade he’s in and then pick Astronomy (if it’s available for that grade level) and cover the topics outlined there.
Hi there,
My son decided to study astrophysics and we’ve gone through lesson 1 on Particle Physics and it was fun and interesting. Going to do the experiments next. BUT, how do we know where we should stop and save some for grade 10, 11, etc. How much of the content is for the next grade? We want to be able to submit grade level portfolios to our homeschool board and need to know how your ‘advanced topics’ divide up.
Thanks