The psychologist Carl Rogers has shown that student attitudes (toward themselves, their peers, their teachers and subject) are an integral aspect of student learning. He has suggested that a climate of inquiry, which is essential for critical and creative thinking, is fostered when students perceive the learning environment in terms of realness or genuiness, acceptance, and empathy. Throughout this book we have emphasized the importance of inquiry learning, and have substantiated the claims of cognitive psychologists that students must explore, invent and apply their knowledge in real situations in order to develop and construct science concepts. The science teacher must foster a classroom climate that projects and supports this cognitive perspective. Such an environment is characterized as follows:
• The teacher projects an image to the students which tells them: I am here to help you build your character and your intellect.• The teacher conveys the notion that each and every student is unique and is interested in them as a unique person.
• The teacher conveys the idea that all students can accomplish work, can learn and is competent.
• The teacher expects high standards of values, competence and problem solving ability.
• Teachers convey, through their own behavior, a character of authenticity.
• The teacher conveys high ethical standards by establishing a high degree of private or semi-private communication with students.
Rogers claims that the most important aspect of the teacher/facilitator role is that of empathy. In the context of science education, this makes perfectly good sense. The student who has "science anxiety" can only be helped in an environment in which the teacher empathizes with this state. Too often, the student who was interested in science in the early grades, gets turned off to science in the middle grades. Perhaps one of the reasons for this low interest in science is the lack of an empathic classroom climate.