Our Lady of the Pillar School
The face of science at OLP School has dramatically evolved the past three years, primarily due to the guidance and leadership granted by Beckman@Science. Our Lady of the Pillar School is a small parochial school in the heart of Santa Ana. We serve approximately 200 students in grades K - 8. The influence of Beckman@Science has transformed our program from the very core content of the curriculum right to the instructional startegies utilized by our teachers. Our teachers and students are enthusiastic and excited about engaging in lab activities, all the while learning content and developing their science process skills. This wonderful perception into our science program is apparent after the induction of those big, yellow boxes into our classrooms. Parallel to the excitement we get from opening gift boxes during celebratory events, our students receive the same amount of glorified enthusiasm in waiting to see what is inside the yellow box. What they receive ultimately is valuable learning unparalleled to the latest gadget available in the toy market. What our students receive are tools, both material and intangible, that allow them to to unravel their world. Students begin to view their world through a different set of lenses, ones crafted through creativity and imagination and displacing the opaque ones highly stylized by passive learning and lack of interest.

Prior to the implementation of inquiry science into our school, our students received their dose of science content through a textbook. Needless to say, because the very nature of science requires investigation, thumbing through the pages has been the least effective method in delivering science content. Who can blame the students if the principle of electromagnetism is not as apparent on paper as it is through a hands-on activity of taking apart motors? Even the teacher cannot help to notice the increase amount of enthusiasm and understanding that is conveyed through the latter approach. The induction of the big Beckman yellow boxes has been the driving force behind our successful transition to inquiry science. The teachers appreciate the sequentially organized two-month lessons. The ease in immediately implementing the kits into the curriculum allowed our immediate adoption of such a progressive program. Each year, at least one additional science module is introduced at each grade level. Ideally, we anticipate each grade to have three modules in constituting a year's worth of science. We also want to increase teacher content knowledge and expertise in various modules.

Overall, our adoption of an inquiry based science program, through the help of Beckman@Science has been an incredibly positive factor in redefining our curriculum and helping to meet the needs of all our students. Prior to Beckman, OLP School lacked the materials required to have a satisfactory science program. Currently, we are very pleased with our progress in defining our curriculum, in refining our methods to deliver the curriculum and having access to the materials that support our curriculum. We plan to continue our service to the school community by maintaining our use of kit modules, sustaining professional development for our teachers and continuous assessment and evaluation of our students' progress.

For further information regarding Our Lady of the Pillar School’s involvement with the Beckman@Science program, please contact Eleanor Duncan at (714)542-5177.