Something that stuck out to me in the reading was the idea that school was meant for imparting knowledge while informal science learning places a greater interest on interest, emotion, and engagement. I think that this shouldn’t the case. Formal education should be able imparting knowledge, but also about encouraging interest, emotion and engagement.

I work in a school in the Lower East Side with a third grade class, and they do a lot of experiments and hands-on work throughout the day. The school’s philosophy is “teach to play,” meaning it emphasizes learning through fun activities. A couple times a week, kids have a period called “project time” in which they can work on a project related to something that piqued their interest during the week or during their various units. It’s really interesting to watch them start their own activities and come up with ideas to synthesize information. Some of the students even go into the classroom library to look for more books to read so that they can gain more information. The unit they’re on is immigration into the united states during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. A lot of kids chose to make replicas of Ellis Island during their project time and some chose to read more about immigration in order to make informational posters. One girl even came in with a tenement model she had made at home for fun on her own time.

I think including some room for freedom to pursue and engage with interests during the school day is necessary. When kids get the chance to express themselves or learn for themselves, they become a lot more excited to be in school because they know that the education is for them.

I also enjoyed reading about collaboration between informal and formal science institutions. If schools continue to be very regimented in their teaching, it’s important for kids to have a less formal outlet to learn. I hope that in the future, more schools choose to partner with informal science learning groups to encourage kids to get involved.