How correct was my interpretation of a scientist? Before reading "Breaking Science Stereotypes" by Alec Bodzin and Mike Gehringer and "Teaching the Human Dimension of Science" by Donna Farland-Smith and William McComas, I thought that my interpretation was correct. I thought that scientists worked in labs and with test tubes and beakers. However, I was a victim of the science stereotypes and my interpretation was far from correct. Some of the common scientist stereotypes held by adults and students are that they wear goggles, are male, have crazy hair, make explosions and bubbles, wear lab coats and gloves, alone and indoors, and have a tendency to be mad or evil. Now, it is true that some scientists do work on labs, but not all of them do, and this is something that I had forgotten when I was drawing my scientist.
It is also true that students also believe these stereotypes about scientists, and it is our job as teachers to change these viewpoints, and to also change the way we think about scientists if we still think that there stereotypes are true. Students need to understand that scientists do more than work in labs with beakers and test tubes. They need to be exposed to the things real scientists do, learn about the profession, have scientific experiences and participate in activities that real scientist participate in. Teachers need to break these stereotypes so our students have an accurate portrayal of scientists. In my teaching science class, we came up with a list of how we can break these stereotypes:
-bring in a scientist
-videos/teacher tube/youtube
-personalize it
-field trips/virtual field trips
-experiments/materials
-going beyond the science tool kit
-having a scientist of the week
-having an egg incubator in second grade
-books about science from the classroom library
-real scientist
If we want to change the way students think about science and scientists, we have to start changing our own beliefs and changing they way we teach students about science.