Children are natural scientists, possessing innately the most essential driving forces of scientific discovery: the desire to notice the workings of the world around them, to wonder, and to ask questions.
Scientific experiences feed this natural curiosity and inspire learners to look closer and engage deeply with new ideas, each other and with their own selves. When scientific learning is designed to be responsive to the experiences and needs of the learners, these experiences can both challenge and supports learners as they cultivate new skills.
Science is an active process; "doing science" invites us into an active learning space where we are building our own understandings through experience and discovery. At Hollingworth Science Camp we are scientists and engineers, makers and problem solvers. We are designing, building, testing, improving, experimenting, gathering data, and analyzing information. Together, we are communicating findings, forming new questions, and forging new connections
What skills and mindsets does Hollingworth Science cultivate?
Making Observations and Inferences
We practice looking for both observation and inference. We challenge ourselves to look just to notice. By looking closely, we cultivate patience, focus, and attention to detail. When we look to make inferences, we cultivate reasoning skills, connecting what we observe to what we already know.
“What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?”
鈥� Rachel Carson
Asking Questions and Reasoning
We follow our curiosities, using questions as the sparks that drive our investigations. Through experimentation we learn how to ask even more detailed questions, and we learn how and where to seek scientifically robust answers.
By practicing analyzing our findings we learn to apply deductive reasoning, connecting cause and effect based on evidence. We also practice synthesizing information as we draw conclusions and communicate findings to our peers.
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
– Marie Curie
Stamina for Failure
We cultivate a growth mindset by valuing progress rather than perfection and tenacity rather than easy wins. Instead, we learn from every try and tinker with our ideas and designs until they are just right. As we stretch our stamina to try and try again, we are learning to see setbacks as part of the process of discovery and innovation.
“Scientists fail all the time. We just brand it differently. We call it data.”
– Ainissa Ramirez
Critical Thinking
We are learning how to view information critically rather than accepting it unquestioningly. This encourages us to consider alternative explanations for what we are seeing, and remain open to multiple perspectives. By doing this we are learning to think for ourselves, look beyond surface-level understandings, and practice dialectical thinking. We are developing a solid foundation in logical reasoning and evidence-based thinking, which will help us make informed choices throughout our lives.
“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for critical thinking.” - Leo Tolstoy
Collaboration and Communication
While actively engaging in explorations, experiments and engineering challenges our campers are working collaboratively, voicing their needs and findings, and navigating conflict in healthy ways. As campers work together, they are co-creating knowledge, coming to conclusions through interaction and conversation, and this knowledge, acquired actively, becomes more memorable and meaningful.
“We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson
SEL
Scientific engagement doesn’t just cultivate robust scientists. It cultivates robust thinking and feeling humans. It reminds us of the interconnectedness of all things living and not on this Earth. It asks us to find compassion, empathy, understanding, not only for others but for ourselves.
We cultivate SEL in many ways; co-creating community agreements and engaging in community-based discourse, figuring out together what an effective classroom community looks, feels, and sounds like. We utilize restorative techniques to work through conflicts, while collaborative games and reflective prompts ask us to consider ourselves as members of a larger community.