Teacher Guide to Science Fairs
A science fair is usually a competition in schools where students who have become involved with the competition present a 'science project'. A science project is a topic which they have chosen to study about, and have produced a model or a working product that related to the science they have been researching. This might also be a report, a display board - or anything else they think will impress the judges at the school.
These science fairs allow the students who are enrolled in grade schools and high schools alike to compete against one another with scientific and technological activities and studies.
Many people know that there are some great educational benefits to using science fairs. Perhaps the best benefit you can get from competing in a science fair is that you end up completing a project all by yourself which can easily be included in the short periods provided by most schools. This is independent learning as its best, and you can really benefit from it!
Even though many writing assignments can take a long time to finish because they require many drafts, the larger projects you will do in a science fair are something you will never quite do in a science class. Because you are given total freedom about what kind of science you want to study! If you want to study time travel, you can study time travel. And as you will never study that kind of science in the classroom, you are getting to learn about something totally new!
Science fairs are also able to provide a way for students who have a specific interest in a certain topic to have time spent with mentors. These mentors might have come from nearby colleges and universities, and will have a lot of knowledge about the kind of thing you might be studying. They might even know quite a bit more than the science teachers in your own school! So this way, if you are going to compete in a science fair you will have access to some very knowledgeable people.
On top of that, it also means they will be able to get you access to equipment and reading materials that your school could otherwise not provide you with. There are really so many benefits to competing in a science fair!
Science fairs in the United States first became popular around sixty years ago - and were then known as the 'National Science Fair'. After the National Science Fair initiative was used, more and more people across the country became interested in science. This was perhaps also because of the recently developed atomic bomb and the large popularity of television.
It's an old tradition that offers so many benefits; it simply needs to be kept alive for the sake of everybody!
Related Teacher Resources That Are Worth A Look:
- Do Science
- Getting Ready for the Science Fair
- How to Choose a Topic for a Science Fair Project
- Science Fairs Directory
- Science Fair Projects
- Science Olympiad