Specialist Science Teachers Send the Wrong Message

Science isn't just people
in white lab coats

There is apparently a push in Australia to put specialist science teachers in every primary school.  On first blush, this sounds like a good way to ensure that students have access to high-quality science education in early grades.  However, Charlotte Pezaro, educator, scientist, and PhD candidate says that this strategy is misguided.  She has a couple of concerns, most notably that this will "perpetuate the myth that science isn’t for everyone; that it’s for 'special', 'smarter', or 'nerdy' people, instead of the diverse group that primary school teachers are."  As she says, the science you learn in primary school is something that every adult should be able to understand, and having generalist primary teachers teach the subject helps demonstrate that fact.

Especially at a young age, the message should be that everyone should learn science, regardless of whether they think they want to be an elementary school teacher or an astrophysicist.  This is, by the way, the same concern I have for many "girls in STEM" programs - that they send the message to girls that it's abnormal to be into STEM subjects.

But wait, you say - we have specialists teaching music, art, and physical education, and those aren't just for "nerds."   True, but it is clear that those subjects are not part of the core curriculum.  And I think even as a child I subconsciously understood that those weren't really things I had to learn, unlike what we did in the normal classroom.  The fact that my teacher may or may not have been good at music, art, or sports probably did send the message that it was OK for me also not to be good at those things; given my lack of artistic abilities, that was probably good for my self esteem.  On the other hand, I don't think we should be giving such an easy-out for science.

But I do think there is a place for science specialists to enhance the regular curriculum.  I remember in 3rd or 4th grade, we had a scientist who was the parent of a kid in another class come in once every two weeks for a special science lesson.  These were highly interactive, visual, and fun. We built electro-magnets, saw chemical reactions, and had other demonstrations of the type you'd see on Mr. Wizard's World (pictured left).   If the purpose of the science specialist is to make science more fun, rather than to teach the core science curriculum, then I think it's a great idea.