Never Stop Questioning - The Importance of Science Education in Schools

A blog by Danielle Walker, Key Stage 2 Science Lead and Gaynor Lewis, Key Stage 3 Science Lead

We are born with curiosity and the instinct to question why things happen, how things happen, and science enables us to do that in school and throughout our lives. We should always question the world around us and the world beyond us. Without curiosity and questioning, humans would never have discovered the fascinations of space, the strange creatures in the deep ocean, inside of our bodies, our cells and atoms and MUCH MORE!

WHAT IF...

Mendel didn’t question why his plants grew different sizes? We may have never discovered inheritance and genes.
Darwin hadn’t wondered why certain bird species only lived on certain Galápagos Islands? We would not know about natural selection and evolution.
Sir Isaac Newton wasn’t confused about falling apples? We would never know about gravity and its effect in the world and outer space.
Dr Alexander Fleming had not noticed the mold growing in one of his petri dishes had stopped the bacteria from growing around it? Penicillin, (a group of antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections) would not have been discovered today. 

At DHA, our science curriculum teaches students how to think, learn, solve problems and make informed decisions. Science instils a sense of intrigue, enabling students to develop understanding and form questions based both on the knowledge they already have and the insight they wish to gain in the future. In fact, pupils who do well in science lessons are likely to develop a strong ability to think critically. 

We encourage our students of ALL ages to always keep questioning and never lose their curiosity! Here are some questions you can think about… can you find out the answers to these?

• Why do I yawn/burp/hiccup/blink/sneeze/sweatp?
• What are clouds?
• Are there aliens?
• What can we use instead of plastic?
• Why do giraffes have long necks and elephants long trunks?
• Why do spicy foods hurt my mouth?
• Why do onions make me cry?
• Why can’t we drink salty water?
• Is there water anywhere else in the solar system?
• How old is our sun and how long will it last?
• How long will oil reserves last in Dubai?
• Why do apples go brown but oranges go green and bananas go black??
• Why is it hard to breathe in high mountains?
• Why when we jump INSIDE a train/plane we land in the SAME place?
• Why when we jump OUTSIDE a train/plane we land in a DIFFERENT place?
• Why does water stay in the container when I swing it quickly over my head?
• How are frogs able to live on land and in water?
• Why can’t we live in the hot desert or the cold Antarctica?
• Why is Greenland icy and Iceland green?
• Why is the Earth heating up and getting hotter? How is this affecting animals and plants on Earth?
• Which animals are extinct and why?
• Why do flowers smell?
• Why is my second toe bigger than my first toe?
• Why can’t I feel any pain when I pinch my elbow?
• Why do I fall back into the seat of a rollercoaster and not fall forward?
• Why’s the sky blue but red/purple during sunrises/sunsets?
• Why do we have rainbows/thunder and lightning?
• Why doesn’t it snow in Dubai? Why is it so hot in the UAE?
• Why do polar bears live in Antarctica and camels live in the desert?
• How do water fuelled cars work?
• How would the world be without water/gravity/electricity/sun?
• Why does a bouncy ball lose height each time it bounces?
• Why can we see the sun but not hear the sun?
• Why is blood red? Why does it taste of metal?
• How is a snake able to eat a much larger deer?