After a page of text, the teacher defines several words, then assigns two questions from the end of the chapter. In elementary schools across the country, science lessons consist of an hour or so a week of textbook-driven instruction.
Most students have to wait until junior high for their first laboratory experience.
Even then, assignments often take them in lock-step through a series of procedures, with little room for making or testing conjectures. Recently, the poor performance of American students on tests of science proficiency has led to criticism of this approach. Just as in the 1950s, when the launching of Sputnik set off fears of losing the space race, public attention has turned, once again, to the inadequacy of science education. Children need experiences doing, not just reading about, science. In the Spirit of Science Hands-on science is not a new idea.