University of Arkansas proposal to the National Science Digital Library

The Investigative Mind in Development

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Our proposal to the National Science Digital Library is to start a collection of science demonstration videos that we believe will encourage more and better live  science demonstrations in the classroom. It would be an addition to the digital library that will contain audiovisual presentations of lecture demonstrations in physics and chemistry that tutor science teachers on an effective presentation of specific lecture demonstrations.

Many of us were excited and driven to science by the natural investigative nature of the subjects.  We who teach try passionately to convey the excitement of uncovering an answer to a scientific mystery. Still, it is all too easy to miss the difference between teaching science and teaching about science. Science is a process of discovery. The integration of that process into the classroom, the development of the investigative mind, remains the great challenge for all who teach.

Intellectual Merit – Science demonstrations, short experiments done live in the classroom, can provide the opportunity for students to think critically through arguments and concepts being developed. They can be used to stimulate the investigative mind, to get the student to actually learn science, going far beyond learning about science.

Unfortunately, it is all too easy for science demonstrations to fail. A demonstration may fail to work properly or, worse, fail to engage the investigative mind of the student. It is known that students generally enjoy demonstrations.

Research has shown, however, that demonstrations do not significantly improve student understanding unless the students are encouraged to predict the outcome, discuss it with their neighbors and explore weaknesses in their own thinking.

Many practicing science teachers are unaware of science education research in recent years. Many do not realize that students do not always see what the teacher expects them to see. Many do not appreciate the importance of proper presentation when doing a demonstration, of making the most of prediction, observation, and discovery.

The NSDL could be a fantastic vehicle in providing encouragement and assistance to science teachers by giving them access to video examples of effective lecture demonstration presentations and effective research tools by which they, with minimum time investment, can explore and compare presentation styles so as to improve their own science demonstration skills. Unfortunately, the word is not yet out about the National Science Digital Library and examples of lecture demonstrations videos of suitable length are rare.

  A recent survey of science professors on our campus points to the fact that 99% have no knowledge of the NSDL. Over 90% of those surveyed would make use of lecture demonstrations if the digital library provided clear audio/video tutorials of lecture demonstrations as they are actively being performed in a classroom.

Broader Impact - Recognizing the challenge, the library and science faculty at the University of Arkansas propose an addition to the digital library containing audiovisual presentations of physics and chemistry lecture demonstrations that tutor science teachers on effective presentation style. This series of audio visual productions will be captured on video at various educational institutions around the country, selecting individuals who, by reputation, are effective demonstrators. This will provide a model for science librarians-science faculty teams working together to make a series of audiovisual tutorials easily available on NSDL. The content will be organized with appropriate metadata, prepared with needed pedagogy for K-16 integration, and carefully assessed for effectiveness in the classroom. Moreover, these tutorials will be tested, made perpetually useable, and will create an awareness of NSDL as a research tool, at least in Arkansas, through science librarians-science faculty team workshops.