What is the Science Conference at High School Movement?

· An idealized version of students acting, speaking, and thinking as a young scientist

· A grassroots effort to help promote authentic science understanding in schools

· A bottom up approach to empower students and teachers to engage in real science

· A resistance against standardized tests, textbook companies, and scientifically illiterate administrators

Science Conference at the High School is a Reaction to the artificial “School Science”

· “School Science” typically teaches, assesses, and promotes science solely as content

· “School Science” is typically devoid of the epistemic and social aspects of science

· “School Science” rarely, if ever, devotes time to how science is practiced, how scientists inquire, the philosophical underpinnings of scientific knowledge, or the social structures that makes science unique

Why have a Science Conference at the High School?

· It may be the one and only authentic scientific experience that students experience

· It is the best way to let students know if they want to be a scientist

· It makes students the primary agents of the learning science

· It pushes the students to their limits, elevates the quality of their work, and gives them a more accurate understanding of original research  

· It is rewarding, fun, and breeds confidence through hard work

How to register for a Science Conference at the High School?

· There is no registration, no forms, no bureaucracy, no admission fee, and no kits to buy

· Teachers simply designate one day where students will present their original scientific work to an audience of their peers

· Students should be given several months to work on their long-term projects

· Teachers should help the students by engaging in at least one communal/whole class inquiry

What are the rules of the Science Conference?

· The research should not have a known answer—if the answer can be Googled, there is no need to do a long-term on it

· The students are totally in charge of their project. Teachers, parents, and others may only ask questions, offer suggestions, and constructively critique

· The internet should not be used for any part of the long-term project. This is to ensure that the work remains original.

· Spending money, using black-box technology, and attempting to impress simply by using professional tools is frowned upon

· Ingenuity of techniques, protocols, and analysis are held in high regarded   

What steps need to be followed to complete a long-term project?

· A set scientific method is more of a myth than reality. Scientist do not follow a step-by-step guide to engage in science as is often portrayed in textbooks.

· Long-terms usually start with a claim, which give the inquiry direction. After that students usually try to determine ways to unlock natures secrets.

· Data collection is usually the easy part—determining how to collect and analyze data is much harder and often requires many starts and stops.

· Thinking about the presentation will inform others of what you have done, along with questions that the audience may ask is a good way to guide the project.