All too often, kids are taught the result of other people's thinking and are not taught to think for themselves. A program called BioKIDS  at 22 Detroit schools hopes to change that by teaching fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders complex scientific reasoning skills. Students will learn to explain, predict, and pose scientific arguments based on evidence, and apply conclusions to new contexts.

This Detroit district has struggled with low test scores, high dropout rates, and job losses from the auto industry. But on a recent April day, students were darting around their urban playground, turning rocks over, and digging in the patchy grass. They returned to their classroom with a collection of worms, centipedes, slugs, and other bugs. Over the next days, the students examined their collection, documented their observations, and presented their findings to the class. They will learn to divide the schoolyard into zones and acquire the vocabulary needed to study the biodiversity in their corner of Detroit.

Results so far have been promising: at the 22 participating schools, science scores on the state exam have risen. Individual students are also getting higher grades on tests of their science-reasoning abilities.

Programs like this and our own Science A-Z work because they combine multiple powerful learning methods. Students touch, observe, discuss, and question. Rather than being taught the answer, students are taught how to find the answer.