PHILIOSOPHY
Science education is often neglected in the curriculum of elementary schools, particularly during the  primary grades.  If it is taught at all, it is often reduced to a compilation of facts that are not meaningful to young  students.  This shortchanges both the students and their teachers.

To achieve meaningful approaches to learning, teachers, as primary gatekeepers of early childhood  education, must be willing to include science in an already full curriculum that focuses intensely on  literacy and mathematics.  The trick is to integrate science into math and literacy curricula, so that both literacy and math  programs gain meaning and so that children are exposed to science-based topics that will impact their  lives throughout high school and beyond.Science and mathematics education should not be limited to simply increasing students' knowledge of  content, for there is a much broader and more important goal for K-12 science and mathematics  instruction: the development of students as critical thinkers!Possessing a wealth of math algorithms and random science facts will do students little good if they do not  understand how to apply this knowledge in real world environments, rather than just on standardized  tests.  That students value and are literate in both mathematics and science is vital for the future of society.

REASEARCH INTERSTS

• Early Childhood Science Education
• Teacher Beliefs