Getting Messy with Matter

In this chapter one of the big focuses was classifying. Classifying, one of the basic process skills, beings with the simple recognition of properties and matures into a grouping and sorting process. In elementary school science children often learn classifying skills by identifying the properties of materials through careful observation, and then comparing and contrasting those properties. I especially liked the part of the book that addressed messiness  with science. In the book the author dreaded coming to a silent class that was much too clean. I remember when I was in elementary school that the majority of my classrooms were the same way. I agree, however, that talking amongst the students is a necessary part of the classroom, and that a little bit of messy can bring the children a good deal of experience and knowledge. If the classroom happens to get a bit messy, then create a 'cleanup' time in which the students tidy up their areas. I remember a song that I learned as a child "clean up clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up clean up, everybody do their share." Perhaps this is the reason why I'm a bit of a neat freak at the end of a great messy experiment!

Microteaching Experience

This is my Microteaching Script -

Introduction: 
Draw attention of the class with a clap or “Good Morning Class!”
Explain that my topic is Science Corners.
Ask the class “Can anyone tell me what a science corner is?”


Body:
Show the class the different rocks.
Have each table look at them really quickly and write down their observations.
Confer in groups their findings. 
Present findings as tables.


Conclusion:
Explain why Science corners are important.
Explain what they should look like.
Ask for questions.



I feel that since I was one of the first to present this microteaching activity that I did a great job with no real example to go off of. It was difficult for me to come up with an activity for a science corner with such short notice, and I wish I could have gotten more time to work it out. If I could go back and change one thing it would be that the activity took too long. It was hard for me to try to show what a science corner was like in such a short span of time, and my activity ended up taking much too long. If I were to repeat my microteaching I would collect rocks such that each group has their own set to speed up the observation process, and I would give each table their questions at the beginning of the observation process. I would allow one minute for observations and then ask each table to present what they found, then wrap up the lesson in the last minute. I feel that this was a good experience to have, making me more aware of how crucial time management is. I look forward to teaching not just snippets of time in the classroom but for entire lessons!


Here is a photo of the rocks used for this lesson:

Carnivorous Furniture?!?

I saw the link for this article on my cousin's facebook and the title caught my attention right away. Reading through the article I was both awed and a bit grossed out. It brings up interesting ideas to consider though, will all of our electronics one day be self sufficient and not need electricity? If this happens how will we prevent the furniture from accidentally devouring our beloved pets? 

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The World Around Them

One of the big topics in chapter five was how to explore a variety of informal science learning experiences and the ways in which we can develop them by using a classroom science corner and field trips. Informal science learning experiences are experiences that are unique and very personal to the students. One way to do this is with the creation of a science corner. The materials in the science corner need to be clearly displayed in a way that will engage the students. The book gave some great ideas for science corners, such as seasonal changes, materials related to the current science unit, or a class nature collection. I was really excited to read this part of the chapter because my micro-teaching subject was science corners, so I felt that I got a lot from the book and applied it to when I presented my science corner. Another part of the book that I enjoyed reading was the section on field trips. I always loved going on field trips when I was in elementary school, and learning how I can make the trips relevant and meaningful for my students has really helped me to see field trips from the teachers point of view.

The Circus is in Town!!!

Chapter four discussed science circuses, science notebooks, and extending our senses with computer technology. What I thought was very helpful was that the textbook provided an example of a science circus and gave an explanation of all of the stations. This is really helpful because when I make a science circus for my class I may need a few starter ideas of what to do. Knowing that these activities have been used before, I know that they will be worthwhile for my students. Learning about electronic probes was interesting, I hope that when I become a teacher I could use these in my lessons, especially about temperature and motion. I think it would be really cool for the students to use the probes to see the body heat of themselves and all of their peers in the classroom. You never know, they might find some other interesting things around the classroom.. hopefully not mice!!!! Another great thing about this chapter was the Family Science Night section. I believe that engaging adults in science experiences together with students is a way to not only bring families together, but also to encourage a deeper interest in science and science related activities. One helpful tip from the book says - the key is to engage students and their families in a genuine process of inquiry that relates to their own lives and challenges them to construct their own ideas.

The Weight of Knowledge- Letting Students Make Mistakes

Question 1:  What does the following quotation from an experienced teacher mean? “No matter how patiently I explain things to my students and no matter how often I repeat the explanations, I cannot learn for them.”

         The quote “no matter how patiently I explain things to my students and no matter how often I repeat the explanations, I cannot learn for them” primarily means that it is up to the students to want to learn and remember the information. It’s almost like the quote, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” What this quote is saying is that it is up to us to make learning engaging, fun, and understandable. We must hook the students into the lesson by making them pertain to things that interest them. Make it fun by giving them control of the activity, giving them a sense of ownership over their work. Making the information understandable means to be able to present it in many different forms, certain children learns things better from visuals while others are auditory learners. In addition to being able to present it in different forms we need to be able to reword the information if it’s just not clicking in one way, all of these skills are needed by a successful teacher.

Question 2:  Did you ever write something in an essay or exam simply because you thought it was the answer the teacher wanted? How common do you think that is?

Of course I have. I think that the majority of children learn that in order to get the best grade you put down what the teacher wants you to put down. I know that this is horribly wrong and everything we do is trying to give the children the opportunities to let them be heard, but the reality is that some students don’t care about getting heard, but about getting the best grade possible to bring home to their parents. It’s these students that we need to work most with in order to get them to put their original thoughts down on paper, one way to do this is to give them the option of how they do an assignment. Giving the students more choice more often will eventually have them putting their own words into their work and not the words the ‘teacher wants to hear’.

Question 3:  In the science story “Icicles,” when some students weigh the icicle incorrectly the first time, why doesn’t Mr. Wilson just correct the procedure? Many people think it is a waste of time to let students explore on their own. What might happen if Mr. Wilson stopped the students from proceeding with their plan? 

In the science story “Icicles,” Mr. Wilson does not correct the procedure for a few reasons. Mr. Wilson does not correct the students who weigh the icicle incorrectly the first time because the students need to learn from their own mistakes. It is important for students to correct their own mistakes and test how they are making the mistakes, finding why thier alternative conceptions aren’t working out. The teacher won’t always be there to help the students fix their mistakes and students need to find out on their own how to solve problems and their mistakes. Students can ask their peers to help them instead of turning to the teacher. One of the goals as a future teacher is to create a community of learners, such that they can look to each other for support and help. If Mr. Wilson stopped the students from proceeding with their plan then the students will never learn new things or won’t be able to create new ideas which will stop their creativity and problem solving. Students need to always be creativity and always problem solve. I think that it is important for students to explore their own way of doing things as long as the teacher is there to guide them if the students get stuck or confused or need help or have a question. When students explore they open up their mind to new ideas and different ways of looking at a situation. When exploring, students can find new things and new discoveries.

Question 4:  Considering where you live, what artifacts of nature might you bring into your class one day?

I live right on the coast of the Long Island Sound so I have plenty of neat things that I can bring into the classroom for the students to explore with. I could bring in fish, crabs, seaweed, water samples, and beachwood. There is also a bird sanctuary near where I live, so I bet I would be able to find nests that were knocked out of the trees and abandoned, or pieces of shell from hatched eggs. Since I live close to the beach, I could bring in samples of sand and rocks and explain erosion to my kids. I also live in a community with a bunch of different types of flora and fauna. I could bring in a few samples of these to teach about vegetation in certain ecosystems.