Overcoming the scientific divide - Aaron Reedy

跨越科学教育的鸿沟 - 亚伦·伦迪

翻译人员: Binglei Shea 校对人员: Boxi Sun

When I look at science education,

当我去审视科学教育的时候，

I see a divide.

我发现了一条鸿沟。

I see a divide between

这是一条

doing science

进行科学研究

and learning science.

与学习科学知识之间的鸿沟。

And now if you're a kid in that system of education,

现在如果你是一名正在这个系统下接受教育的孩子

and you want to do science,

并且你想要从事科学研究，

you want to do authentic research,

你想要做真正的研究

you may have to wait a long time for that

那么你可能需要为此等待很长的时间。

because the first moment

因为

in our system of science education

在我们的科学教育体系中

where we universally expect students to do science

我们普遍认为学生直到进入研究生院后

often doesn't come until graduate school.

才会第一次真正开始进行科学研究。

And this is what sets up the divide.

而这就是鸿沟产生的根源。

It sets up a divide between teachers and scientists,

它造成了教师和科学家之间的鸿沟，

and it sets up a divide in general

通常也会造成学习科学知识和进行科学研究

between learning science and doing science.

之间的鸿沟。

But I think we can overcome this divide

但我认为如果教师和科学家们可以精诚合作，

if teachers and scientists work together.

我们是可以跨过这一鸿沟的。

And I think teachers are uniquely positioned

并且我认为教师所处的独特位置使得他们

to reach out to scientists

能够去与科学家接触

以促成这件事

and make this happen.

In my own classroom,

在我自己的课堂里，

I've had some success with this model.

我有一些利用此模型成功的案例。

And so I'd like to use my own experiences

所以想要用我自己的经验

to kind of illustrate

来说明

how an individual teacher can reach out to scientists

一个老师是如何联合科学家们

and make more science happen in their classrooms.

并在教室里开展更多的科学研究的。

I had the opportunity to develop

我曾有机会来开发

my own professional development program

我自己的职业发展计划，

in the summer through an organization

那是在夏天的时候，通过一个叫

called Fund for Teachers.

”教师基金“的组织完成的。

The way they work is they're kind of like

他们的工作的方式有点像

面向教育工作者的风险资本家。

venture capitalists for educators.

You go to them with an idea and you say,

你带着想法去找他们，你说

'Hey, this is going to make me a better teacher.

“ 嘿，我有个主意，能让我成为更好的老师。

This is going to help my students learn.'

这将帮助我的学生学习。”

And if they like your idea and they're able,

如果他们喜欢你的想法并且有能力，

they fund it, and they make that idea happen for you.

那么他们就会资助你去实现你的想法。

So, the idea that I pitched to them

所以，我给他们的

was an idea that would get me doing more science

是一个让我能做更多科学研究的想法

because that was important to me.

因为这对我很重要。

但对我同等重要的是

But it was also important to me

that I do it in such a way

我能够通过我所做的

that it would capture the imagination of my students.

激发我的学生们的想象力。

So, the idea that I pitched to them

所以，我给他们的想法

was a thousand-mile expedition on the Mississippi River

是一个在密西西比河上一千英里的探险

to gather data on nutrient pollution.

来收集富营养化污染的数据。

And for 27 days that summer,

在那27 个夏日里，

I was immersed in the process of doing science

我沉浸在在这个星球上最为宽广的河流上

on one of the mightiest rivers on the planet.

做科学研究的过程中。

When we would come ashore,

在每天划行六到十个小时之后

after paddling six to ten hours a day,

我们行将靠岸，

we would set up a temporary lab,

我们当时准备搭建一个临时的实验室，

and we'd conduct water tests.

并准备进行水质测试。

In prepping for this,

在为此做准备的过程中，

I quickly realized how poorly my own education

我很快意识到我自己接受过的教育

had prepared me to do science

对于教会我如何从事这种性质和范围的科学研究

of this nature and of this scope.

几乎毫无帮助。

So, what I did was I reached out to experts.

所以，我去找了专家。

I just simply looked through journals,

我就是简单的翻看了一些期刊，

and I found who was the leading experts

了解了谁是主要河流富营养化污染

in nutrient pollution in major rivers,

这一领域的顶尖专家，

and I started firing off emails with questions.

然后，我开始接二连三的把问题用电子邮件发送出去。

And I was astounded at the responses I got.

当我得到回复的时候，我自己都很惊讶。

Scientists responded thoroughly,

科学家们都详细的回复了我，

and they were genuinely interested

并且他们都真心乐于帮助我更好地进行

in helping me do better science.

科学探究。

So, I kind of put that information in my back pocket

所以，我意识到在将来

that professional scientists were a resource

这些专业的科学家是一个

that I could draw from.

我可以获取的资源。

When I went back to my classroom in the fall,

秋天，当我回到我的教室，

my students were able to use the same methods

我的学生都能使用我夏天学到的

that I had learned in the summer

相同的方法

on a river in their own back yard, the Chicago River,

在他们后院附近的芝加哥河上

to do real science.

来进行真正的科学研究了。

And I could see this breakdown of the barrier

我发现在做科学研究和学习科学知识之间

between doing science and learning science,

的这个障碍被打破了。

and it was happening in my classroom,

而它就发生在我的教室里。

and I wanted more of it.

我希望看到更多这样的事。

So, the next summer, I reached out to scientists again.

所以，第二年夏天，我再次向科学家们求援。

And I pretty quickly came across

并很快找到

an evolutionary ecology lab at Iowa State.

一个在爱荷华州的进化生态学实验室。

And they shared my philosophy

他们和我同样认为

that there should be no separation

在做科学研究和

between doing science and learning science.

学习科学知识之间不应有差距。

They worked on turtle reproduction,

他们的工作是研究海龟繁殖，

specifically how climate change

尤其是气候变化

affects the evolution of turtle reproductive behavior,

如何影响海龟的生殖行为的演变，

and they worked on an island in the Mississippi River.

他们在密西西比河的一个小岛上工作。

So, I was thrilled again to be out

所以，我很高兴的在另一个夏天

on the river for another summer.

故地重游。

But, because they shared my believes on education,

但因为他们与我在教育方面有共同的想法，

we were able to bring high school students out there

我们也得以每次把高中学生也带过去

for two weeks at a time

两个星期

and turn them loose

让他们自由的选择

on their own authentic research projects

去完成他们自己的

on the biology of turtles,

有关海龟

snakes,

蛇，

lizards.

蜥蜴的生命机理的研究项目。

And, in that experience,

在这次经历中，

working side by side with people

一道工作的人们

at all different stages of their academic career,

都处于他们学术生涯的不同阶段。

we had the high school students working beside undergrads,

我们在一起工作的有本科生，高中学生

working beside graduate students,

研究生，

还有专家。

working beside professionals.

I left that experience absolutely convinced

我通过这段经历完全相信

that this is the right way to teach science,

这才科学教育的正确方法，

with no separation between doing science

才能做到让做科学研究和

and learning science.

学习科学知识有机结合。

I continued to keep up my relationships

我一直保持着与

with these scientists,

这些科学家们的关系，

and I got to the point where I wanted to try something new,

这使我意识到是时候尝试那些新的，

something that hadn't been done before.

以前没做过的事情了。

I wanted to bring those kinds of science experiences

我想要把那些我们与孩子们一起

that we were having with kids out at the river,

在河边进行科学实验的经历

and I wanted to put those into our classroom.

都带进我们的教室。

And it was important to me

它对我很重要

that it wasn't simply a one-off

这不是仅仅是那种一次

or a one-day special field trip.

或一天的特殊实地考察。

I wanted this kind of science

我想让这样的科学方法

to be a part of the everyday science curriculum

成为日常科学课程的一部分

for an entire school year.

并贯穿整个学年。

So, as we were thinking of this,

如我们所想，

in planning for how we could make this happen realistically,

为了规划如何让这些愿望成为现实，

we reached out to the National Science Foundation,

我们与国家科学基金会取得联系

我们申请了一个名为“教师科研经验”项目的补助金

and we applied to a Research Experience for Teachers grant,

or the RET.

简称RET。

And now, teachers have to partner

现在，教师们必须与

with a researcher who is already supported by the NSF

一位已经获得国家科学基金会资助的研究员合作

to apply for this grant,

来申请这项补助。

but I think that just gives you one more great excuse

但我认为这只是多给了你一个冠冕堂皇的借口

来与一个科学家合作。

to partner with a scientist.

And what we did is we used our NSF funding

而我们则用国家教育基金会的资助

to travel down to Florida,

南下佛罗里达，

with the permission of the state Florida

在得到佛罗里达州的允许后

catch a bunch of lizards,

抓到一群蜥蜴，

and FedEx them back to my classroom in Chicago

并用联邦快递将他们运回到我在芝加哥的教室。

where we had set-up a functioning, live animal lab.

在那儿我们已建立了一个运转良好的活体动物实验室。

So, when my students came to school

所以，当我的学生在九月第一天

for the first day in September,

来到学校时，

they immediately began work on a scientific experiment

他们可以立即开始着手进行科学实验

that would answer a very specific question.

进而回答一个非常具体的问题。

Our question was,

我们的问题是，

"How do females make choices when they lay eggs?

"雌性蜥蜴在产卵时是如何选择的？

How do they choose a nest site?

他们如何选择巢穴？

And what effect does that choice have on their offspring?"

以及这种选择对他们的后代有什么影响吗?"

And, by the end of the year,

到了年底，

they had generated data

他们已经收集到了数据

and performed science that answered that question.

并通过科学实验回答了这个问题。

And I was extremely happy

我非常高兴

when our work was recently published

当我们的研究结果最近被发表在

in the January edition of <em>Behavioral Ecology</em>.

一月刊的 《行为生态学》上。

And, to my knowledge, this is the first time

因为据我所知，这是第一次

that work conducted as part

一个普通高中课程里

of a normal high school curriculum

研究的内容能够

resulted in a peer-reviewed paper.

出现在一篇经同行评审的论文中。

So, I have three pieces of advice

因此，我有三条建议给

for teachers who want to make these connections

那些想要与科学家联系

with scientists and want to blur the line

来缩小科学研究和学习科学知识

between doing science and learning science.

之间的鸿沟的老师们。

Number 1,

第一

look out for those great resources that are out there.

留意身边那些丰富的资源。

申请“提教师科研经验"项目的补助金

Apply for an RET grant,

apply for a Fund for Teachers fellowship.

申请教师协会基金。

I know what a difference those resources can make.

我知道这些资源能起多大的作用。

And there's more resources available locally,

而且在我们的身边还有更多的资源可利用，

and you should look for those, too

这些也是你也应该去探寻的，

因为他们会影响

because they can influence the amount

that you are able to accomplish. I know that.

你能够完成的量。这我是清楚地。

However, my number 2 piece of advice is

然而，我的第二条建议是

don't let a lack of resources stop you

别因为缺乏资源而停下你

from making those connections with professional science.

与专业科学人事与研究接触的脚步。

Reach out to a scientist today,

今天就去联系一个科学家，

no matter what your resource level is.

不管你拥有多少资源。

You can start small.

您可以从点滴小事开始。

Invite a scientist in for a talk.

邀请一位科学家来谈谈。

Set up a Skype chat between a scientist and their lab.

通过Skype和一个科学家以及他们的实验室同僚们聊聊。

Then, maybe you can move up to

然后，也许你可以进一步

more large-scale project-based learning.

进行更大型的基于项目的学习。

But, whatever you do,

但是，不管你做什么，

make sure that you're forming these partnerships

请确保你一直在与那些专业科学研究人员

with people who do science for a living.

建立这种伙伴关系

And my third point acknowledges

我的第三点建议是首先承认

some of the realities that teachers are facing today.

教师们今天所面临的一些现实。

I know that the pressure of high-stakes testing

我知道高风险的实验所带来的压力

and the climate that creates

和它所营造的氛围

can make it feel almost a little bit subversive

会让人感觉到这种偏离常规课程模式的做法

to deviate from the standard curriculum.

有些太过离经叛道了。

So, my final piece of advice is

那么，我最后一条建议是

be a bit subversive if you have to.

如果是势在必行，你大可以尝试去颠覆传统

Make sure, though, that you are doing science.

不过，你得保证你是在进行科学研究。

And I don't mean be confrontational when I say this

而且我说这话并不是说要去对抗传统

because that's not productive.

因为那并不是行之有效地做法。

But take the steps you need to

而是应该采取一些必要的步骤

to blur those lines between doing science

来弱化科学研究和

and learning science for your students.

学习科学知识之间的界限。

And I think you'll find that when people see

我想你会发现，当人们看到

how engaged in learning your students are,

你的学生们都是多么专注于学习，

and you're getting good results,

并且成绩斐然的时候，

all your opposition is just going to kind of

所有反对的声音都会

melt away from that,

逐渐消失

and you're going to turn people into supporters.

而人们也将会转而支持你。

So, I think that this is the right way to teach science

因此，我认为这才是教授科学的正确方法

where we're teaching the doing of science.

那就是我们应该教他们去进行科学研究。

这样做的重要之处还在于

And I think it's important to do this also

because this is the way

因为这才是孩子们

that you would have wanted to learn science as a kid,

所期待的学习科学的方式，

and, more importantly, I think this is the way

并且，更重要的是，我觉得这也是作为家长的你们

that you would want your kids to be taught science.

希望自己的孩子所接受的科学教育方式。

And this is the highest standard

这应该是你作为一个

科学教育者给自己定下的最高标准。

that you can hold yourself to as a science educator.

So, good luck making those connections,

所以，祝各位在与科学接轨的道路上好运，

and go do some science!

去进行一些科学研究吧 ！

Thank you.

谢谢大家。