Science Education in Context: CONTEXTUALIZING SCIENCE PRACTICES TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE Dr. Anne Leak Assistant Professor, Department of Educator Preparation, Stout School of Education
Since kindergarten (or possibly before),
I have loved asking the question “why?” Why does the sun shine? Why do we
only see it during the day? Why do plants grow straight up? Why are rectangles considered both rectangles, polygons and squares? How did we develop this organization system in the first place? I actually wrote a letter to a math professor in sixth grade about these last two questions. Luckily, I found the field of physics where everyone loves asking “why?” However, when it came time to start my senior thesis as a physics major at Gettysburg College, I was more interested in questions about why some people persist in physics and others leave than in questions about physics itself. Are the reasons people persist in (or leave from) physics cultural? Are these trends similar in other countries? The questions I most cared about had more to do with science access and equity. After graduating from Gettysburg, I took my questions abroad as a Fulbright Fellow to explore access to science and mathematics education in Cameroon,
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The Lighted Lamp | Fall 2020
