The challenge was to teach science to a class when only one of 32 students liked science. By the end of the first year, class opinion changed and science became the favorite subject. Recently one parent phoned to thank me for giving her daughter this wonderful opportunity. Her excitement for science spills into the home in the evenings, with her telling the family about the current news from the newspaper and how it relates to the science she has learned in the classroom. Students and teachers access news and discussion groups to communicate with peers.
Students also gather and share data as part of the interdisciplinary curriculum.
They post results of their local field investigations online, to initiate electronic collaborations with students around the world, and compare and contrast research findings to develop hypotheses. Imagine the excitement in the classroom when video, audio and data signals originating from the primary exploration sites are downlinked to the classroom in less than half a second. I ask 'why' much more than I did before. My students and I have an enthusiasm that easily spreads throughout the classroom and into the community. It has also opened doors for me to communicate with other educators, share ideas, and extend my own learning and thinking.