Improving Science Education

The Solution

Teaching science is not as much about what our children learn as it is how we inspire and incite them to inquire, imagine, and learn. Inquiry is the essence of a scientific mind. This is the approach the Novato Charter School is taking by developing a science curriculum that challenges our students to think, and prepares them for science in high school and beyond.

When surveyed in early 2008, parents cited Science as a top priority for improvement. Our alumni have confirmed that NCS needs to better prepare students for the rigorous science curriculum in high school. In response, in the fall of 2008 we took the critical step of searching for the right individual to train our Faculty in the design of an inquiry-based science program. We wanted an authority on inquiry-based learning, and with intimate knowledge of the principles of Waldorf education. We found this rare combination in Dr. David Jelinek, Professor of Science Education and Curriculum Design at CSU Sacramento. Dr. Jelinek has been collaborating with our faculty since January 2009. This ongoing process also provides our teachers with paid substitutes to allow them to observe their colleagues conducting inquiry-based science lessons and so foment a cross-pollination of ideas. Furthermore, we have bolstered this initiative with new resources, more opportunities for professional development, and incentives for our Faculty. At the end of the 2008-09 school year, extraordinary improvements in our Science Program were evident by the quality and breadth of the multi-grade projects:

Kindergarten

3rd – 5th Grade PowerPoint Presentation, 1.1 MB pdf file

You can help us raise the quality of our Science Program to world-class levels by donating here.