Science. . . Noun or Verb?

The way science is being taught in high schools desperately needs changing. In the last post we looked at how students are highly interested in sciences, but that the current teaching methods do not take advantage of this interest. In order to take advantage, we will look at the root of this area of study; the word science. Science is defined by dictionary.com as "a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws" or a "systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation". These are the first two definitions listed on Dictionary.com. When taking a deeper look at these two definitions, it can be seen that science is both a verb and a noun. What is the difference between a noun and a verb? Let this infographic from pediaa.com refresh our memories.

With this in mind, science as a "branch of knowledge" is much like saying science is a concept or an object. Therefore, science is a noun. But wait, isn't science also a verb? Indeed it is. When looking at the second definition we again see science as a noun, but a noun that is "gained through observation and experimentation". Observation, an action word, and experimentation, another action word, are both verbs. Therefore, science is both a noun and a verb.

Now that we understand how science is both a noun and a verb, let's delve deeper into how we can use this understanding to change the way we teach both aspects of science.

Applying Science (Noun and Verb)
Can you think back to college, high school, or even elementary school? While you are reminiscing, try and think of something you were told to memorize. For me it was the scientific method my freshmen year of high school. Now, think of the moment it actually stuck for you. Many times the moment it stuck is when it became applicable to your life or you did a hands-on project. Take my example of the scientific method. In high school I learned it, put it to memory. Yet it never truly stuck. Once I began research in college it finally clicked. I would observe a problem, try to hypothesize why this happened, and then develop and perform an experiment to check my hypothesis. All the pieces just fell into place.

My example works well as it is science related. However, the core issue here is that many times, if not most, information actually sticks and is made enjoyable through hands-on, applicable activities.

This is where science educators must apply science differently. More focus must be on the verb! The observation and experimentation. Here are a few ways to make your science class more hands-on and less rote memorization.

• Perform experiments like you work for CSI. Pull and match each others fingerprints!
• Take field trips to waste management plants, fish hatcheries, or even the local aquarium.
• Research different household cleaners and determine whether they are safe.
• Work with local organizations to clean up the environment.

Just sit and think for a minute and you can come up with idea after idea on how to apply science the verb!