The Beginning for the Mad Scientist

Today is the first day of my Science Methods course. Dr. Smirnova engaged us in a few activities. The first activity was to draw a scientist. She had us draw our own versions of scientists from our perspectives.

My drawing looked a lot like Albert Einstein. The scientist was a man who looked much older. He had crazy looking hair and wore glasses. On his shirt, I had him wear one that said, "Science Rocks!" He also wore a tie with the planets in our solar system. In the picture, I also drew a half a table and a poster of the Plant Cell. I made it look like he was teaching students or other scientists about the Plant Cell. Here is what my drawing looked like on the classroom PowerPoint Presentation. 

After everyone finished their drawings, we went around the tables to look at each others portrayals of scientists. There were many funny looking drawings and some of the drawings were even well done. After we all observed each other's drawings, we went back to our seats and reflected for a moment on what our drawings all had in common. We noticed that the majority of the class's drawings of the scientists were male. Only one person in the class drew a woman scientist. I think it is important that we try to get rid of this stereotype. We need to show the students that men and women can be great scientists. Another stereotype that we found was that every scientist was wearing glasses and "nerdy" looking clothing. This is another stereotype that we need students to stop listening to. You don't need to be "nerdy" to be a good scientist. Scientists all look different and have different hobbies. 

This was a great activity to introduce students to science before getting into the material. It shows students that we are all scientists and they are not the stereotypical views that we tend to create. This is also helpful for the students who tend to struggle with science. It helps them to see that they can be able to understand science and that they are capable of being scientists. This was a great activity for students to do in the beginning of the school year.