Making Space for Science in Your Elementary Classroom
These ideas for prioritizing space—both physical and temporal—for science can help teachers give the subject the attention it deserves. It is helpful to envision the teaching and learning spaces in the classroom as multidimensional: physical (the actual classroom and physical materials within it), temporal (the instructional time we have and how we allocate it), and affective (how we feel and what we believe). Paying attention to these three aspects can aid in giving science the attention it deserves. I’ve always envied movie classrooms, like the one in Kindergarten Cop, as they have space, furniture, and materials I only dreamed of. Establishing the physical classroom to center science teaching and learning sends a signal that science is important. If teachers do not have lots of shiny new science materials, loose parts and found or borrowed materials can go a long way. I had a…