Ted Willard 
As strange as it may seem, discussion of new methods of teaching science often has teachers humming music from the Muppet Show. Over the years, I have frequently held workshops where I emphasize that the key to engaging students during instruction is to focus on phenomena. But at some point in my presentation, I often hear someone at some point call out “Do Dooo Da Do Dah.”
This seemingly odd ritual relates to a song featured in the very first episode of The Muppet Show, where an orange-haired creature sings the phrase “Mahna Mahna” flanked by two pink frilly creatures singing “Do Dooo Da Do Dah.” The reason for this is that the word phenomena sounds extremely similar to mahna mahna.
But what are phenomena, you ask? To help teachers remember, I put together my own lyrics to the tune.
- Phenomena are events in nature.
- Phenomena! Let’s investigate!
- Phenomena are events in nature.
- That Scientists
- And Students
- Investigate
- And then try to explain.
I can tell you from experience, that this little tune is a big hit with teachers, particularly in the elementary grades. But let’s take a look at what my lyrics really mean.
Phenomena are observable events that happen in the universe. Some phenomena happen at massive scales, such as the collision of two galaxies. Others happen at microscopic scales, such as photosynthesis inside a plant’s cell. Some are spectacular, such as a bolt of lightning hitting a tree, while others are mundane, such as how a ball bounces on the floor when it rolls off a table. But regardless of how spectacular or mundane a phenomenon may seem, phenomena are central to science and scientific learning.
Scientists investigate and explain phenomena. At the heart of science is the quest to understand, explain, and predict phenomena. Scientists interact with phenomena all the time. They observe phenomena and ask questions about them. They carry out investigations and analyze data about phenomena. They construct explanations and models about phenomena and make predictions. Since phenomena are so central to science, they should be equally central to science education.
Students should investigate and explain phenomena. Since phenomena are so central to science, they should be equally central to science education. To learn science, students should investigate and explain phenomena the way that scientists do.
But all too frequently, phenomena have not been used effectively in science classrooms. In traditional instruction, teachers and textbooks often tell students science ideas and then have them consider a phenomenon. They do not provide students with any reason to learn. For instance, when learning about gravity and other forces, a teacher could tell students about the force of gravity and the force of air resistance and then explain to students that the reason a feather floats to the ground is that the pull of gravity on the feather is countered by the force of air resistance on the feather.
While this might at first seem like an effective approach, it often has had some negative consequences because it hands students answers before they have asked any questions. Thus, students really do not have an intrinsic reason to deeply learn scientific ideas. Instead, they frequently learn to play the “game” of school, where they figure out what to say or do to get a good grade but retain little actual knowledge. Or they disengage because they have little reason to care. There are decades of evidence that this approach has not worked.
In recent years, much more effective strategies have been developed. Let’s consider a different approach to learning about gravity—one that starts with a phenomenon of the feather falling and then lets students take the lead in figuring it out. Students could be shown a feather, and a steel block dropped two times in a chamber. In the first instance, there is air in the chamber, and the block falls quickly while the feather slowly floats to the bottom of the chamber. However, in the second instance, the air has been pumped out of the chamber, and this time, both objects fall quickly to the bottom of the chamber.
Instead of having students focus on just learning science ideas, they are asked to make observations and ask questions, just the way a scientist would. They now wonder why the feather fell so quickly in one case and not the other. Ordinarily, we think of questions as something teachers ask students. But in the scenario described above, students are the ones producing the questions. Thus, the process is student-centered. Rather than the teacher just telling the students why it happened, students now need to figure it out for themselves.
With their questions in hand, students now have a reason to plan and carry out investigations of how gravity pulls on objects and how objects move when forces are applied to them. Digital resources are a tremendous tool for these types of explorations. Not every classroom has a vacuum chamber to conduct this experiment, but students can observe a video of the feather falling. Other digital tools can allow students to conduct virtual interactive investigations where forces can be easier to visualize with vectors superimposed on diagrams.
These investigations will produce data that needs to be organized and interpreted. Students may also analyze information about force and motion. Phenomena play a key role here, too, as they provide evidence that students can answer their questions and justify their explanations. Here too, digital tools can facilitate the process of collecting and making sense of the evidence.
This work will lead students to construct their own explanation for why the feather fell slowly when there was air in the chamber and quickly when there was no air. And as they construct that explanation, they will develop their own understanding of the laws of gravity and of motion. But this understanding will be much more meaningful to them because they will have worked for it.
Young children are natural scientists, always trying to figure out the world around them. Traditionally, we have suppressed that curiosity. Instead, we need to foster that sense of wonder so that it thrives in each and every student. And the key to doing that is to remember that catchy little tune that the Muppets sing. Phenomena are events in nature that scientists and students investigate and then try to explain.
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