Travelling the Road beyond the Curriculum through a Science Fair

In this paper we describe a model for a science fair, within the context of an elementary science methods course. We first describe the theoretical perspectives from which the idea of science fairs derives and we provide definitions as we sketch the characteristics of commonly used science fairs. We then describe the context and processes of a science fair that was organized by a team of university instructors, prospective elementary teachers, school teachers, parents, and friends. We argue that the main contribution of this paper is that it provides a concrete example of a personally meaningful and science-relevant learning experience that combines formal and informal learning activities. The implications of this work are associated with paving the path towards exploring the question, "How can we travel the road beyond the curriculum?" as it provides the basis for intellectual conversations for the place of science fairs in formal education.