Teaching science through active discovery
The Québec Education Program aims to initiate elementary school students to science and technology. It focuses on learning contexts in which students can “make use of intellectual processes such as questioning, systematic observation, trial-and-error, experimental investigation, the assessment of needs and constraints, model building and the creation of prototypes. [...] By engaging in these types of intellectual processes while exploring problems in their environment, the students will gradually learn to use the types of reasoning associated with scientific and technological activity, come to appreciate the nature of these activities and acquire the languages used in science and technology.” This is exactly what the active discovery process used by Éclairs de sciences does.
To ensure you have a good understanding of active discovery, we suggest that you consult the following documents. You will discover the “learning moments” of the Process of Active Discovery as well as explanations that will help you to integrate it into your science activities.
Employing active discovery through Éclairs de sciences activities
Éclairs de sciences activities take the form of situation problem, discovery question, or need to be fulfilled. In completing these projects, students engage in the Process of Active Discovery, the significant points of which are:
- Context related to everyday life
- Initial ideas and hypothesis
- Planning and carrying out
- Outcome
In these projects, the teacher’s role therefore changes from “knowledge provider” to “catalyst.” The teacher’s job is mainly to guide students, suggest different courses of action, get students to ask themselves the right questions, and help them develop their thought processes by encouraging them to think critically about their approach and revisit main concepts.
Like scientists, students must compare their initial ideas (which are often incomplete or incorrect) to their experimental results. Simple experiments taken from situations in their everyday lives allow them to see, smell, touch, understand, and explain new phenomena, and then modify their initial ideas to refine their understanding of the world. Éclairs de sciences activities help students see past their preconceptions to get a clearer understanding of the world.
When they do Éclairs de sciences activities, students learn about great moments in the scientific process and develop their science and technology skills. This gives them specific abilities and develops their curiosity, creativity, autonomy, critical thinking, observational skills, and ability to ask questions. They also learn to work meticulously and to innovate. In this way, Éclairs de sciences strives to equip the next generation to understand the modern world they are growing up in.
The Éclairs de sciences video: process and results
Please take a moment to view this video (in French) featuring several of the principles, results, and participants of the Éclairs de sciences program.
Lenght: 6 min 54 sec.
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