Science Fairs!

Throughout time, one of the most exciting ways to engage students in science would be through science fairs. Students would pick a problem, go through the steps of the scientific method and carry out their problem to test their hypothesis. Some love it~Some hate it. Science exhibitions originated in 1828 in New York. There is a lot of competition that usually takes place with science fairs. The competition of science fairs is usually reduced at the elementary level so that all students can have the self confidence and courage for their love and learning of science. Science fairs have grown in popularity all throughout the years all around the United States. They have been recently growing in popularity in other countries as well, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Sweden, United Kingdom and many more. A lot of times, when students have to participate in science fairs, there is a judging system. An article written by Lawrence Bellipanni and Edward Lilly, broke down the difficulty in being fair and partial when judging science fair projects. They believe that judges should be recruited from elsewhere so that there is no biased views. Judges should also be given instructions on what to be judging on before seeing any projects and should evaluate all projects on the same rubrics or scoring sheets. Students should also be judged on factors such as creativity, skills and  thoroughness of their work. They also believed that science fairs should be voluntary for students and the emphasis should not be placed on competition and winning, but instead should be placed on the experience of learning. One great quote that I found from this article said that "The elementary teacher has to be the guiding light for the student." Science fair should be a fun and rewarding experience for students and teachers should be an inspiration for their students and help propel their learning forward. The science fair project should be more of an opportunity for students to get involved with a hands on learning experience in science. This article concluded by saying that it is most important for science fair projects to be a learning experience that is rewarding and helpful to the students (Bellipanni and Lilly, 1999). 

In another article written by Janell Wilson, it was stated that science fairs are a great way for students to become engaged and interested in their science problems and their science learning. It gives students the chance to become an expert on a particular topic, have to put their project together in a way to present to others and then be able to explain and help educate others about their project. By having a science fair it can get students more involved with the material they are learning. By giving students the option of picking their topic it can also be a fun time for students. It was concluded in this article that science fairs can help to promote a positive attitude toward science and give students the chance to actively participate more in science (Wilson, Cordry, Uline 2004).      

Overall, I think that both articles made excellent points about science fairs and students involvement in them. Personally, I agree that with science fairs comes a huge deal of competition. Sometimes people focus more on the competition part and wanting to win more than they focus on the question they are going to be exploring and explaining. Although, I do think that it is crucial for students to be judged and evaluated on their projects. I also do think that science fairs give students the chance to become more directly involved and engaged with the science material. Science fairs should be another way that students are learning hands on and it should be a fun process as well as educational. 

Bellipanni, L. J., & Lilly, J. E. (1999). What have researchers been saying about science fairs?Science and Children, 36(8), 46-50.

Wilson, Janell D; Cordry, Sheila; Uline, Carol. College Student Journal38.1 (Mar 2004): 112-115.