Reviewed by Donald Logsdon Jr.
Online Instructor
Many students graduate from high school with not just a limited understanding of, but often a real aversion to science. Although teachers address this problem every day in schools, research shows that a parent's involvement in a child's education is the single most important factor in that child's academic success. Spark Your Child’s Success in Math and Science, a new publication from the Lawrence Hall of Science, shows parents how they can encourage and support their children's math and science learning.
The contents are grouped into four chapters focusing on a parent's role, math and science education today, proven strategies, and the spirit of inquiry. Stories from neurobiologist Oliver Sacks and physicist Richard Feynman point out how important their families' involvement was for their development as scientists.
This highly readable book is crammed full of good ideas. Parents can turn to any page, read a few paragraphs, come up with a few good ideas, and then come back again later. The writing is clear, precise, and focused on the issue: how to get or keep kids doing well in math and science. The book is sprinkled with examples of how parents successfully encouraged their children. For example, when one daughter complains that science is “boring” and “for boys,” her parent starts a science night in the kitchen.
Plenty of resource boxes extend knowledge or suggest activities to further the goals of a specific topic. For example, one resource box describes Gardner's various forms of intelligence. The book includes appendices that describe the national science and math standards, recommend family resources, and outline a useful assessment tool for parents. The book also includes a subject index and a list of resources and recommended reading.
This is certainly a must-have for all parents or grandparents, and teachers will want it on their shelves to provide ideas for getting parents involved with their children's educations. Home school educators will appreciate the short synopses of methods and materials.
Review posted on 10/8/2002
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