Lubna Ali
September 22, 2003
Science Interview
WHAT’S A PLANT?
The first child that I interviewed about plants was a first grader named “Hillary.” Before I conducted this interview, I took into great consideration that many first graders are not exposed to much science. After equally placing apart the pictures, I asked Hillary to show me which were plants. She said that the grass, flowering plant, oak tree, bush, seeds, mushroom, walking stick, pine tree, and fern were all plants. Therefore, she had stated that the venus’s flytrap, telephone pole, and bread mold were not plants. I asked her why she chose to place the pictures in the plant group. She said that all plants grow and they have leaves. I asked her if seeds have leaves, and she said no but they will grow to have leaves. I then asked her if mushrooms have leaves, and she said no but they grow in the ground. She told me that a walking stick is a stick and you walk by it, and it’s a plant because sticks are on the ground. Hillary was pretty confident in her answers.
My next subject was an eighth grader named “Allen.” He said that the plants were the following: grass, flowering plant, oak tree, bush, mushroom, pine tree, venus’s flytrap, and the fern. He said the reasons he chose these as plants were because they grow, they have leaves, and they come from out of the ground. He said the reason that the seeds, walking stick, telephone pole, and bread mold are not plants is because they have no leaves. Allen viewed this questioning as rather simple.
The second part of this interview consisted of asking which of the pictures do plants need for growth. Hillary said that plants need the sun, light bulb, water, bee, plant food, worm, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and potting soil to grow. She said plants need the light bulb to get more sun. Bees are essential because they release the nectar and worms help the soil. Hillary was not sure why they needed oxygen or carbon dioxide but she believed they do. She said they do not need cereal and sandwiches because they are for humans (she found that amusing).
Allen answered my question with utter confidence. He said they need the sun, water, plant food, air, oxygen, and potting soil. They do not need a light bulb, cereal, bees, worms, carbon dioxide, and sandwiches. The reason for these answers he said were because it is what he was taught in school.
After looking through my findings, I have learned a lot about the level of science each grade is exposed to. First graders have somewhat of an idea of what a plant is. They associate plants with leaves and particles from the ground. They use their prior knowledge of trees and their daily experiences in order to decide what makes a plant. When Hillary decided what makes a plant grow, she thought about things she has heard and seen in the past. She sees worms in the ground and bees on flowers, which makes her believe that they have part to do with the growth of plants. She also has some understanding of air and breathing and oxygen. She heard of carbon dioxide and oxygen but did not know what they were. I was glad to see that Hillary had heard and discussed the elements of plant growth before. It is important for children to learn outside of school through observation and discussion rather than solely in the classroom.
Allen, the eighth grader, knew a lot about plants and their growth. He had never heard of venus’s flytrap but decided it was a plant from its picture. He knew the difference between a plant and seeds, which Hillary did not. Allen said in order for things to help plants grow, they had to be natural. He said that a light bulb is not natural, and therefore is not needed. He understood the elements of oxygen and carbon dioxide but concluded that carbon dioxide wasn’t necessary in plant growth. It seemed to me as though there is confusion in the upper elementary grades over the different elements. Allen’s answer to why he chose these options for plant growth was startling yet not surprising to me. He said that it was information he was taught, and that is why he believed it.
Sadly to say, a lot of children, if they are not stimulated, just take in information and don’t think twice about it. There was no application in his answer. Teachers must be ready to teach with the intent of inquiry and application. Also, in order for children to apply meaning, teachers must present science with connections and student-centered lessons. I clearly saw the difference between the two students as they ranged greatly in age. After doing this interview, I truly understand the importance of inquiry and see science as a subject that needs it considerably.