Just like Mathematics, Science fills the minds of many students with dread. It is not uncommon to see students avoiding these subjects throughout their schooling. National Center for Education Statistics report shows that students in the United States lag far behind European and Asian students in science achievement. Students are hardly ever directed to approach science as a puzzle to be solved. Instead, memorization is encouraged to the detriment of analytical skills required to like Science as a subject.
Science anxiety is not an innate characteristic, in most cases, science-anxious parents and teachers end up communicating their anxiety to young learners. Studies conducted at Science Anxiety Clinics reveal that in the USA, science anxiety starts as early as 8 years of age.
The need for scientific advancements to counter the threats and challenges of human society is at its peak. Sadly, the current statistics reveal the likelihood of that need remaining unfulfilled as learners are confronted by unprecedented challenges when it comes to science education in schools namely,
- Compartmentalized teaching i.e. teaching subjects without correlation.
- Exam-oriented teaching strategies.
- Lack of specialized teachers.
- Non-stimulating school science experiments.
- Students receive little to no training in analytical thinking during their early school years.
- Inefficient time allocation for science education.
- Less experimental and more theoretical approach.
- Broken links between lessons.
- Lack of real-life examples to understand the application.
- Crowded classrooms.
- Learning gaps from previous years.
- Students’ lack of confidence and motivation.
Science may make you feel challenged and frustrated but it is certainly possible to overcome the learning difficulties. With the right mindset and a little hard work, nothing is unconquerable. Practice the tips mentioned below and you can learn science with no difficulty.
It would help you to try the following:-
- Examine your attitude towards the subject– analyze if you are actually facing a learning challenge or you are caged by self-imposed limitations.
- Time allocation– unlike other theoretical subjects, science demands regular revision of your classwork to register what was taught in school.
- Science documentaries– help you visualize and understand the real-life application of scientific concepts. Watching science documentaries will surely tickle your neurons to view this subject in a different light.
- Group learning and peer teaching– various studies conducted on Science anxiety, prove that working with others in groups not only counters self-doubt but also motivates learners to think outside the box.
- Discuss Science anxiety and fear of failure with teachers, parents, and peers– you will notice that you are not fighting the battle alone. In fact, science anxiety is a very common phenomenon. Build a supportive environment instead of being a slave to your fear.
- Try School science projects – these offer the opportunity to apply the knowledge in decoding real human concerns. Of course, you are not expected to submit a Ph.D. level science project at school but you can definitely try to analyze a problem in accordance with your level of science knowledge.
- Don’t be afraid to make a mistake– the most important life lesson that science teaches as a subject is to be comfortable making mistakes and learning from it. Like Thomas Edison said a thousand wrong experiments were not failures, those were the learning steps to get to the right
- Do not restrict yourself to textbooks to understand a concept-Technology offers a myriad of resources to enhance your learning experience. School library, mobile applications, informative websites, online tutoring- take the opportunity to find the technique best suited to your learning needs.
- Fill your learning gaps– you will be astonished to see how it propels your learning once you get your grasp on the basics.
Take the help of online coaching to help you overcome science anxiety. eTutorWorld offers you a variety of online tutoring packages that will enable you to understand school experiments better, brush up on previously learned science topics and provide you to complete school science projects.
Our specialized teachers with years of teaching experience will not only help you overcome your learning challenges but also change your opinion of science from a dreadful subject to one of the most interesting subjects that it is.