Self-Reflection: Becoming a Better Teacher

Koch wraps up with chapter 14 about professional development and self-reflection. I'd like to focus a little more on self reflection here, not because professional development isn't important, but rather because self-reflection is something that teachers forget to do and it's something I believe that should be done frequently. Just like students, they need to reflect on what they've just accomplished and completed to let their new knowledge settle in. Adults are the same. Teachers are the same. Reflections allow us to not only know ourselves a little better as teachers, as individuals, as scientists, or as any other roles, but it allows us to think about our students. It provides us the opportunity and time to settle down and think about what we learned about our students and their understanding and reasoning. What did they already know? What did they learn? What else can they learn? What part of the lesson impacted them most? What didn't impact them? And so forth. The list of question continues, and we must allow us that time to process our day in the classroom.

Koch provided a list of great questions to guide us that I'd like to include here:

1. In what ways am I providing opportunities for my students to explore natural phenomena?
2. How can I tell whether I am allowing my students enough time to complete their explorations?
3. How much of the time are my students engaged and voicing their own thinking?
4. How do I encourage students to ask questions?
5. In what ways do I act as a coach and facilitator to guide my students to find their own answers?
6. If students ask questions that we don't have time to explore on a particular day, how do I make sure they have an opportunity to find the answers later?
7. How do I incorporate technology for research, communication, and presentation into our science explorations?
8. How good am I at letting go of my prepared plan to respond to students' own ideas?
9. What assessment techniques do I use, and how do I know they give me a good insight into students' understanding?
10. Am I having a good time doing science with my students? What is the best part?

Making Connections

Reading Chapter 5 from Koch made me think of something. Creating that real-life connection is always so important for students in all subject matters, not only science. However, when most adults are asked, "What subjects did you find to be most challenging when you were in school?" they would tell you math or science. Why is that? Well, probably because the two subjects were seen as subjects taught in school that you just had to know or get through, not subjects that really mattered. They were complex and unclear. They had a lot of levels and depth. They were.. irrelevant. Because students couldn't make meaning out of learning, it was harder to understand and harder to retain. So making connections is extremely important. Science is occurring all around us everyday. It is to our benefit to use those occurrences to our advantage.

I remember when 9/11 happened and my social studies used that tragedy to teach us about history. What better way to connect subject to meaning? My science teacher probably could have used the same tragedy to teach us about science. Why did the buildings collapse so long after the plane has hit it? How is the fuel on a jet engine different than the fuel in a vehicle? Many different connections could have been made, even if it means stepping out of the curriculum for a moment.

Using Comparisons

For this week's reading (chapters 7 and 13), I must spend a little time here and talk about using comparisons to help students distinguish differences. As we grow older, instructors like to use graphic organizers such as the venn diagram to help illustrate the similarities and differences between two concepts or ideas. However, even for adults, I believe one of the best ways to learn about these similarities and differences is through the actual object(s).

The Velveteen Rabbit

Versus a real rabbit (which happens to be mine.) =]

In one of Koch's stories, the teacher wanted her students to learn more about living things and non-living things, so she read to them a story about a velveteen rabbit who magically became a real rabbit. She then brings out her own stuffed rabbit and asks students what's the difference between her stuffed rabbit and a real one. Students plunge into their prior knowledge about a real rabbit and throws out what they've noticed that were different, essentially, creating a verbal venn diagram. The fact that the teacher brought a stuffed rabbit for her class to see helped students identify the similarities and differences, a more effective method of classifying living and non-living things than just reading a textbook or facts on a piece of paper. 

She furthers this lesson with a real plant and a fake plant so students could, again, see, feel, and even smell the differences between the two. These inquiries leave the teacher with an idea of what students already know and what she could further develop with her lessons - a great way to pre-evaluate and pre-assess. (Chapter 13 talks more in depth about different forms of science assessments.)

Owl Pellets and the Arboretum!

Today was really fun! My partner, Gaby, and I had the opportunity to dig through an owl pellet and we found some really interesting bones and even a skull! Based on the chart we were given, we suspect that it was some kind of rodent skull. I was so excited about this little excavation that I had to take one home and dig some more! I'll be posting anything interesting that I find. =)

Here are some pictures of our owl pellet we found in class today:

The skull is starting to show itself!

Teeth! 

My partner, Gaby, trying to put the skull back together again! 

Our professor is showing us a huge skull someone else in our class found...it was almost the size of my thumb! 

At the end of the day... We were able to uncover these remains of the little rodent our owl ate... 

Here's the chart we used to identify the bones we were finding: 

My partner and I - We were quite the happy diggers. =) 

After digging through those owl pellets, we all ventured out to the arboretum. 

Here's Briana, myself, and Gaby getting started!

Daffodils!

Random mushroom all by its lonely self...

This tree was GIGANTIC.

We found our mushroom a buddy!

What's more peaceful than a creek? =)

Perhaps a bench surrounded by bamboos?

Or watching turtles sunbathe?

What better way to end class on a Tuesday than in the outdoors?

Moving Beyond the Science Kit - Electricity!

Electricity has always fascinated me, perhaps because I never fully understood it. Reading the stories Koch provided in chapter 10 made me wish I had the opportunity to experience and play with electricity. The only thing I remember about it was from my high school physics class. It's unfortunate because the concept could be made so simple and attainable for children - providing them the motivation and fascination that they need. All it takes is some simple wires, batteries, and light bulbs and we can all become "electricians"!

Reading this chapter made me realize how essential it is that students have the opportunities to investigate the wonderful concepts of science. Science is such an amazing subject. Science is like magic! But most importantly, we need to remember that science can be limitless. Many teachers today have these wonderful scientific resources known as FOSS kits. Inside these kits are detailed instructions, lesson plans, background information, and supplement work that could be used with the students. With these kits are all the materials you need. With such convenience, it is difficult not to be tempted to follow its guidelines and seek no further. This chapter reminds us that sometimes, we need to take advantage of the moment, of our students' knowledge and curiosity, and simply move beyond the kits. Take it to the next level and allow expansion. 

Strategies for Doing Science with Students with Disabilities

Chapter 11 from Koch was such a great reminder of the importance of making our classrooms user-friendly for all our diverse learners. Not only must we make learning accessible to our "average" student, but we must also make learning accessible to students who might have difficulties. Technology plays a great role in accessibility. Assistive technology is a tool we must take advantage of if it means giving our students the opportunity to perform the tasks they would otherwise find difficult or impossible to perform. As teachers, it is our responsibility to help all our students with whatever resources we have.

This also includes our own teaching methods. By understanding our students and their obstacles, we will be better equipped to assist them. For instance, if our student has attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactive disorder, one of the tools to help the student is to offer them activities that will keep them engaged. We must understand that they might need to be paced differently than other students. Directions provided must be clear and straightforward. And whenever possible, the student should be allowed to interact with the activity. This, of course, is just one example. It is important that we get to know all our students so that we can accommodate to their individual needs as much as possible. We must provide them an equal opportunity to access the materials and content.

I love that this chapter provided a brief explanation of some common disabilities or impairments our students might possess and methods of dealing with them - a great source for the future. =)

Family Science Night

Janice Koch ends chapter 4 with Family Science Night. It's so exciting because we will be hosting our own Science Night at an elementary school, too. It's so important for students to have the opportunity to share their scientific experiences and knowledge with their families, a time when they get to show off and even be "smarter" than adults. Students get to see how proud their families are of them. They get to feel great about what they're accomplishing. And they get to build the confidence they need to know that they can be scientists. 

I can't wait for our own science night. Pictures to come!

Knowing Isn't Understanding

Read another chapter from Janice Koch's Science Stories today and was once again inspired by the two stories included in the chapter. I was learning so much from both the teacher's perspective and the students' perspective with the inquiry based science techniques. Instead of simply accepting students' "correct" answer, teachers took it further to test their understanding. Students' prior knowledge was probed through the use of questioning. It was a reminder that even though some students may provide an accurate answer, students may not necessarily understand what it means. KNOWING IS NOT UNDERSTANDING.

Another great tip I must note here is also the strong use of student-based learning. Students asked questions that piqued their interests and instead of ignoring them for the sake of time, teachers encouraged students to test and experiment with their questions and theories, knowing that what they are interested in and listening to their questions are the best ways to understand what they know and keep their engagement level high. And instead of shutting down a student if she or he provided the "wrong" scientific answer, students' inquiries are validated, tested, and challenged. Students are guided and encouraged to see from different perspectives.

It was interesting reading the two classroom stories that were included in chapter 3 of this text. What a great way to learn science!

Inquiry-Based Learning

After reading chapters 6-8 from Active Experiences for Active Children: Science by Carol Seefeldt and Alice Galper, I posted a response about what stood out to me most. And I would like to reiterate the following as a reminder to myself:


...I really enjoyed all the great ideas and tips on how to create a hands-on, inquiry-based science classroom. I especially liked the emphasis the chapters placed on using inquiries to guide student learning. In chapter 7, when the students asked if a spider is an insect, instead of giving the students a simple answer, “No,” to appease their curiosity, the teacher took out the insect book and they tried to look for spiders together. When spiders weren’t found, the teacher asked the question, “Why?” and encouraged students to explore the characteristics of an insect. Students then began to utilize their observation skills and noted all the characteristics of an insect and came to the conclusion themselves that a spider is not an insect because it has eight legs and insects should only have six legs. This specific example stood out to me because not only is it important for teachers to help students learn how to ask questions, but also to teach them how to find answers. It led to a great opportunity for students to become scientists and practice the tools and skills they have just acquired. 

What else stood out to me among the chapters was the general idea that students need to have their hard work validated. They need to have a place where they can showcase what they’ve learned and have an opportunity to discuss and explain their discoveries. In chapter 6, I loved the idea of having a gardening party where parents and friends are invited to the classroom so that students can share the new plants they’ve grown and then eat it! Not only does this validate their work, but it also shows them that they’re doing “real” gardening like adults.

Lastly, I liked how all four chapters included a section on reflection. During this time, children can evaluate what they have accomplished while providing an opportunity for teachers and students to discuss how they have used scientific skills such as observing, questioning, hypothesizing, planning, investigating, and concluding to learn as well as discuss what they know now that they didn’t know before. It provides a more concrete visual for the children and gives teachers an opportunity to assess learning as well. Overall, I thought the most important lesson here is the general theme from chapter 8, which is that all children are scientists.