Perspective and Practice in Education", written by a group called the Resiliency Initiatives talks about what a strengths-based approach to teaching looks like for the students as well as the teacher. If you want to check it out, here's the link: http://www.mentalhealth4kids.ca/healthlibrary_docs/Strengths-BasedSchoolCultureAndPractice.pdf
Growing up, we all heard the phrase, "You can be anything you want to be!" Mostly it was from parents or authority figures close to you. However, according to the book, Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath, this may not be entirely true. Rath states, "You cannot be anything you want to be - but you can be a lot more of who you already are" (pg 9). Now for anyone reading this, this statement probably comes as a harsh shock. Your views on life may be being brought into question. But no worries I will endeavor to explain what this statement means. According to Rath, there are 34 different strengths that a person can have and they range from Achiever to Woo. With so many different types of strengths, each person is unique. thus by applying this to the classroom, each student is unique, each with their own strengths. An article written by "Embracing a Strength-Based Perspective and Practice in Education", written by a group called the Resiliency Initiatives talks about what a strengths-based approach to teaching looks like for the students as well as the teacher. If you want to check it out, here's the link: http://www.mentalhealth4kids.ca/healthlibrary_docs/Strengths-BasedSchoolCultureAndPractice.pdf One specific way you can foster strengths in children is to not make all the decisions. In the class room that can look like not telling them what article or book they have to read, but let them choose an appropriate text at their level of understanding. Or another way would be to let them decide how they want to present information whether it be a oral report, scrapbook style, or even a music video. These suggestions allow students to hone their natural abilities and form them into strengths. When looking at my own strengths, which can be found by obtaining the code in the back of the book for an online quiz, I have learned a few things about my self and how I will be in my future classroom. Of the 34 types of strengths, mine include Input, Intellection, Learner, Relator, and Harmony. The first three, and harmony, will provide me great strengths because I am always looking for new information that I can then share with people, especially my students. Also, I hate conflict and want everyone to be able get along, even if only being civil to each other . However, the relator could in fact be a deficit. This means that I like a close group of people. It's not that I am adverse to meeting new people, I just prefer my set group. This could prove to be a challenge, and something I will have to work at to overcome. Thus even a strength can be a weakness in certain contexts, that is why we must use our strengths to the best of our abilities in every situation.
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When I was in high school and participating in field type assignments, there were a few necessary components you would need to perform in order to complete the assignment. Many of these components included field notes of your observations, an artistic depiction or sketch of what you were studying, and if it was something you could hold (rock, leaf or an animal) you took measurements that you would later need to convert to other units. Well thanks to new technology becoming available almost everyday, taking field data has become exponentially easier due to ... the cell phone. In this case more specifically, the smart phone such as iPhone and Android. Smart phones can allow students to explore the world around them with the aid of a plethora of knowledge to answer their questions right at their fingertips. And using cell phones in the classroom The answer lies in the apps. Phones can be loaded with apps for language, games, and even ways of socializing. So it isn't much of a stretch to make the jump from using apps on phone to be useful in other areas of students lives. Here is a list of some possible apps for Android and iPhones that can be useful when performing field science. * Huffling, L., Tomasek, T., Matthews, C., Benavides, A., Carlone, H., & Hegedus, T. (2014). Using Mobile Devices in Field Science. The Science Teacher Sci. Teacher., 081(06). Now, what is the benefit of using phones/ mobile devices in science, and does it really help students. One of the major benefits is that it incorporates a timeless subject, science in any form, and a more modern invention, the cell phone, in a way that is helpful to students. When you teach students, in order for everyone to be on the same page with the learning, we as teachers need to incorporate components that are meaningful to them in their own lives. Thus making it more relate able to the students, and more accessible to boot. Lastly, this gives students the tools to begin exploring on their own, outside of the classroom. If they learn how to use these apps, and many others, they will begin to become more and more interested and curious about the world around them.
How often has we been shown a story on the news, in the paper, or even on our Facebook feed that showcases science? I know on my own Facebook feed, I can see between 10-20 science related posts or articles. So, in a world that seems to talk about science a lot, do they really know or even understand what they are telling the public, and you? Well I have created a few steps on how you can spot the difference between real science and just what the news and hype are saying. Let's use an example that has been in the news for a while now, genetically modified organisms or GMO's. Boiled down to the core, " A GMO is an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there" (Dictionary.com). And typically, people fall into one of two categories, people who support GMO usage, and those who oppose GMO usage. So let's start with the steps on how anyone can be a good scientist, even from their own home. By achieving these steps, you will sound smarter, more knowledgeable (and less likely to be embarrassed by people who do actually know the facts, :) ). Step 1: Receive The Information/ Claim Step 2: Always Be Skeptical Step 3: Research The Claim For Validity Step 4: Formulate Opinion Based On Sound Science Step 1: So let's say that someone has made a claim that GMO's actually do not increase yields and do not aid a starving world. Step 2: Hmmmm, that doesn't make sense to me. What I currently know about GMO's is that they are designed to be grown or raised in an environment that they typically wouldn't so it makes sense that they would have better yields. Step 3: NEVER just go to google and click on the first article you see! You need to obtain information from MULTIPLE and CREDIBLE sources! Google Scholar, and websites that end in .Edu or .Org are very reputable sources. But anyway, after doing less than 5 minutes of research I could find a ton of articles that tout the benefits of GMO's including yield, decreased pesticide usage, and even increased farmer profits. *You can read one such article here: http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/11/19/gmo-crops-increase-yields-benefit-the-environment/, by the Genetic Literacy Project, where Science Trumps Ideology. Step 4: After doing research on the topic, I come to the conclusion that maybe GMO's are not that bad, in fact they can be useful to farm around the world and to an ever increasing population. So what is the essence I am trying to convey with this post? ALWAYS BE SKEPTICAL! Just because the news or Facebook says that something is bad or bad for you (and not just in science, but in ANY realm), don't just take it at face value! Do your own research, come to your own conclusions based on scientific data and facts so that you appear to be a well educated individual who ACTUALLY cares about themselves, their families, and the world!
I have always prided myself on many things in my life, but there are two things that I hold very dear and have made me who I am today. 1) I am a woman, and 2) I am a scientist. I have loved science since I was a small child. Everything from playing in streams, finding snakes in the woods, spending time on farms, and always showing the most interest in my science classes, I was thirsty for as much knowledge as science could provide to me. This love was severely tested in my high school years however. I attended an all girls catholic high school and their motto was, "Empowering young women". And at the time it seemed a good motto. However, as I got older and spent more time with my family ad grandmother, I began to learn more domestic skills. I can now cook, bake, sew, knit, embroider, and do essentially everything involving babies and young children. I really started to question who I wanted to be. For a long time I had wanted to be a veterinarian, animals were the forefront of my scientific passion. But, my life experiences had started pushing me towards being a mom and having a family. From this life choice, from wanting to be a vet to wanting to be a mom, I actually lost a lot of friends. My friends would ask, "Why do you want to be a mom? We are EMPOWERED women! We can be anything we want to be, like I'm gonna be a CEO, and you want to be stuck at home changing diapers? Lame!" Now I never was able to fully explain to my friends that I didn't want to give up an academic career, I just wanted to be able to continue learning science but still have a family, which seemed a foreign concept to many. Many people even today question my choices saying things such as, "oh well if you have a career, how will you spend time with your kids, they are going to grow up bad because they don't have a very present mom in their lives!" And most times I will just look at them like this: Seriously! What on earth 1) gives you the right to question my life choices? and 2) why do I have to sacrifice one thing for another? And this is very much how a lot of people view women in science related fields. Even though it isn't the normal view point any more, a lot of people still think a woman's "place" is in the home, taking care of the children, and that women cannot balance a career and a family (even though it seems that men can). But there is a way that we can make the field of science more gender friendly, and it is through positive action. And I will say this loud so everyone can hear me: It is NOT enough to have positive thoughts or feelings, they MUST be backed by positive ACTION!!! This means that it is all well and good to say we should have more women in science, but nothing is going to change unless we make some actual changes to how we view women in science by actually putting them in leadership positions to begin making those changes.
A motto that I personally hold very dear is this: "books and schooling provide knowledge, but experience provides wisdom". you can learn all that you want from books and from going to school, you may have all the pieces of information that should work perfectly but once introduced into the field, your ideas and knowledge can and usually do change to then fit the situation at hand. One example I can think of personally was when I was in my internship at a goat farm during my undergraduate years. I had read every book there was on goats, feeding, housing, birthing, even slaughtering. I felt I had all the knowledge in the world. However, my knowledge was heavily tested one cold morning., One of the does had been in labor overnight and had become too depleted to push anymore. She had had twins and they had gotten tangled in the birth canal. I knew what I had to do but actually getting down to the task proved much harder than I had thought. While I had tried my hardest, none of the small family survived, and I still feel guilty to this day. I had, what I believed to be, all the knowledge I needed, but I still lacked the real world experience. I still hope one day to have a goat farm of my own, and now I have a piece of wisdom to go with my knowledge. The reason I told you all this story was to tie it into what I am learning in my field placement experience for teaching. We are learning different strategies and techniques in school and from books, and going into my field placement I was really nervous. For one, it was for a 7th grade classroom (side note: being a secondary educator typically means 7-12, not grades 9-12 like I thought) so I was just nervous in general, and second was the fact that I had thought back on the story I told above and kept thinking "I have the knowledge, but what if it isn't enough?" However, I couldn't have been granted a more knowledgeable or understanding placement mentor. My mentor has always been patient with me and my personal struggles with teaching. My mentor always answers my multitude of questions, no matter how little they seem. My mentor gave me a piece of advice that I know is going to stay with me everyday that I teach, "It's okay to mess up, some days you may completely fail with a lesson or part of it, and that's okay. Just reflect, change it for next time, and maybe try reiterating what you wanted the students to understand the next time you see them." And I have already seen that in the classroom. I recently got to teach a short lesson on density and I knew I wanted to use dry ice and helium, since the students were on their atmosphere unit. I had employed the 5 E's of learning in my lesson: Engage: I did a density activity of floating diet coke and coke in water to show density of liquids, Explore: I showed a density tower video, Explain: I did a short lesson on what density is and how to find it , Elaborate: helium vs "normal" air and the dry ice experiment, Evaluate: exit questions about density. What I learned from that teaching experience was that sometimes things will and won't work in a lesson. For example, the kids didn't seem to enjoy the density tower video, and if I did it again I would make it an actual activity for them to do. Second, the kids loved the dry ice and helium part but it seemed their excitement overcame them sometimes and they didn't seem to understand the purpose of using it. The technique i tried employing with the dry ice was the technique of See-Think-Wonder. I wanted them to see that the dry ice gas (carbon dioxide) was falling to the ground or staying in the bowl, I wanted them to come to the conclusion that CO2 is heavier than normal air thus it fell or stayed in the bowl. I wanted them to wonder about what that could mean for gasses in the atmosphere. A lot of the students got what I was trying to explain to them, some even asking more probing questions about dry ice and its uses, and some even realizing how gasses work in the atmosphere better. While I may say that my lesson was not completely successful, it was definitely a good starting point.
In an age of scientific advancement, so much emphasis is being placed on the idea of STEM in schools. As a quick reminder, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. With these areas being elevated in schools, and society, it leaves people wondering, "what about the arts? Aren't they important for growth, expression, and ingenuity too?" I know from my high school, we had artistic expression classes (art, fibers, ceramics, choir), but the main goal was on STEM classes. However, because of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), a new idea is starting to take the place of STEM in school... the idea of STE(A)M! So what would a lesson look like that now incorporates the +Arts into a regular STEM environment? Let's take a look at one that involves clouds! 1. Engage: Start with the students going outside on a day that has clouds in the sky. Have them write down the shapes, colors, perceived textures, etc. 2. Explore: "Tissue Paper Clouds" - Give students a sheet of tissue paper and crumple it up. Have them blow on them with a straw and write down what they see. How are clouds similar/ different from my tissue paper cloud? Maybe have students make a lot of tissue paper clouds and place them in a bin and blow on them to observe a larger example. 3. Explain: A short lesson plan on clouds and their structure/ function/ use in different situations. 4. Elaborate: Provide a real world example showing how clouds act in different places on the globe. Show them places such as England and Ireland versus Costa Rica and Africa. Have them make hypothesis about which areas will have more clouds and what types and to defend their answers. 5: Evaluate: The students could do a multi-genre project! A multi-genre project is a compilation project that utilizes different modes of expression. For example newspaper articles, poems, interviews, obituaries, magazine ads, or photographs, the list is almost limitless! The students would compile 4-8 (depending on age and length of time on the unit) modes for their project to explain what they know about clouds. Each mode would highlight a different aspect of clouds such as shape, distance in the atmosphere, color, or how rain is produced. By using STE(A)M in the classroom, you are reaching a different level for students who want to express themselves but typically can't in the context of a traditional classroom. This also is a bright way of hope for the future. One filled with students who understand STEM ideas, but who also have the ingenuity and creativity to search for answers in new ways.
For more information on steam, visit: http://stemtosteam.org/ Lesson plan adapted from: http://stemfun4kids.com/tag/stem-lesson-plans/ Constructivism. Most people associate constructivism with a teaching theory employed by teachers in an ability to help their students learn. And most people LOVE constructivism, including teacher. According to an article in The Science Teacher titled The Prepared Practitioner by Alan Colburn discusses constructivism and its applications in the classroom. Colburn defines states that there is two types of constructivism. The first being philosophical, "Philosophical constructivists say that reality is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, and that there is no surefire way to prove there is such a thing as objective reality" (Colburn, 2007). The second being educational, "This begins with the radical notion that human beings have brains, and that learners’ experiences affect how they understand science concepts" (Colburn, 2007). Colburn states that there are three reactions to when students are given new information. 1) They realize the information being taught is closely in line with their own views and the new information is easily assimilated into their knowledge base. 2) If they information is too different from their preexisting knowledge, they may write off the new information as false, unreasonable, or "stupid", thus rejecting it. 3) Students have their "lightbulb" moment. If students hadn't understood a concept before, with the addition of new information, everything falls into place and students can have an "epiphany"! So what does this mean for teachers, me included? It means that constructivism can be a very helpful tool, if you understand the uses and possible downfalls behind the concept. It means that teachers need to be aware of what they are teaching and how if could be received by all the students, since students all come in with their own set of ideas and life experiences that are different from everyone else. It is said that children need around 5-6 experiences with a topic before it actually cements itself in their brains. If children are only given information once and in a singular format, many will not grasp the concept. But if it is presented multiple times, through experimentation, questioning, research, and hangs on experiences, hopefully we can reach those students who have a harder time assimilating the new information into their current though processes.
To read the article in full, check it out here: http://static.nsta.org/files/tst0710_10.pdf Citation: Colburn, A. (2007, October 1). The Prepared Practitioner. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://static.nsta.org/files/tst0710_10.pdf There are two main schools of thought on how students can learn and complete assignments. They can either 1) work individually, or 2) work in groups. Now if the thought of "Group work" gives you chills and bad memories of your 9th grade history classroom where you ended up doing all the work for the group and nobody else helped, which ended in the group getting an A overall, even though you group mates didn't deserve it!!! ...... well, then trust me, many people think along the same lines. Traditional example of the outcomes of "group work" "But wait Mary Beth (you might be saying), knowing how to work in a group is an essential skill everyone needs once they enter the work force. If you can't work as a team, many times things cannot get done or run smoothly." You make a very valid point, there is a huge benefit to be gleaned from working with other people. However, lets use the second word that you chose ... TEAM. A "group" is a number of people coming together in close proximity to become classed together. A "team" is a group of people coming together for a common goal. So the idea of group work is a valid one, however it is quite often poorly executed. For example, a teacher says "okay class, we are going to be researching how animal life works and the different systems that can be found within the different life forms. I want you to get into groups and fill out this worksheet."... and that's it. Typically what will happen is one person will either elect or be relegated to the role of leader and they are then tasked with doing most of the work in the group. So how do we provide a "Team" environment, without the dreaded, unsuccessful "group work". We can incorporate Cooperative Learning! Cooperative Learning (CL) is a strategy that teachers can use to have their students form teams of different ability levels or with different special skills, to improve their understanding of a concept. Lets take out previous example of looking at animal life and the different systems and processes. Instead of doing a group worksheet, how about Animal Life Dominoes! Check out http://www.collaborativelearning.org/sciencebiology.html for more awesome ideas!
So instead of having a group of students do "group work", here they are actively using their own knowledge and then building that knowledge off of other players. They have specific "cards" in their hands, they don't know what their team mates are going to play, they have to constantly readjust their thinking to utilize the knowledge they have to build the knowledge of the team as a whole. Cooperative learning gives students a new tool they can add to their learning kit that can help them in school, in their homes, and in their own personal futures. I'm sure you all have heard this phrase, "what will I get if I do?" It could be in any context, but let me show you an example from my household: Mom: Mary Beth, could you do the dishes? Me (5 years old): I don't want to. Mom: I'll give you 10 cents! Me (5 years old): Okay! Mom: Mary Beth, could you do the dishes? Me (10 years old): I don't want to. Mom: I'll give you 10 cents! Me (10 years old): I don't want to. Mom: I'll give you a quarter! Me (10 years ago): Okay! Mom: Mary Beth, could you do the dishes? Me (15 years old): I don't want to. Mom: I'll give you 10 cents! Me (15 years old): I don't want to. Mom: I'll give you 5 bucks! Me (15 years ago): Okay! If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Many of today's youth are being extrinsically motivated either at home or in school. Being extrinsically motivated means the question "what's in it for me?" is at the epicenter of any decision. What can I get materialistically in return for this activity you want me to do? In a school setting, teachers may promise stickers for good grades, bonus points and if you stay on "green" all day instead of yellow or red, you get a prize. However, the problem with these systems arise when the kids/ students get wise to the reward system and then either do not care unless they get the reward or require a large reward. So you are left with continually providing that reward or upping the ante. So what do we do for our students then? We get them intrinsically motivated. Being intrinsically motivated means that you are personally motivated or have a sense of pride in the work or activity you are doing. So how do we help our students become intrinsically motivated? Here are three examples that a teacher can implement into their classroom to help their students build their intrinsic motivation.
2. Topics of Interest Going along with the previous example of allowing students to find and hone their own interests, allow them to possibly choose their own topics for papers and research/labs. For example, If a class is being taught about gravity, you can have groups of students create their own experiments for them to learn about gravity. One group may think gravity is affected by weight, so they want to develop an experiment to look at varying weights. Another group may want to see if size has an effect on gravity, so they use items of different sizes in their experiment. Also, teachers can allow students to pick their own research topics as to what interests them. 3. Tell Them Why One of the biggest issues when dealing with students is the subject of why. "why do we have to learn this?", and most teachers would reply that it is part of the curriculum or because it is necessary for the state. What teachers need to start doing is truly telling their students why students should study genetics in high school biology (because your genes are the building blocks of what makes you you. Your genes encode the proteins that allow you to function, and maybe others not to function. Study genetics can allow people to develop medicines and therapies to help fix the problems our genes can create). By utilizing these techniques along with many others, teachers can help their students build their own intrinsic motivation around school subjects especially science. From developing these skills, students can be afforded opportunities and life skills that will benefit them their whole life long.
Too often, society (and students) are placed in a specific location that makes them all look and think the same. Let's call this location, the center. We are made to fall into the same line, perform the same tasks, and learn the same information. Yet, we are expected to be creative and think outside the box. How are we supposed to achieve this foreign topic, when our whole lives, we have been taught to be the same? We all may look different, but many of us think in the same limited range. However, there is a way in which we can begin to learn in a new way. A way in which allows teachers and students to construct knowledge together, instead of a teacher just showing students the facts they need to memorize for the test (and then forget 30 min after the test). A way in which involves taking risks, engagement on a deeper level, and allows (if not encourages) the wrong answers. *In which I mean in discovering an incorrect answer, learners are personally driven to discover why that conclusion didn't work and in what way they can change their perspective to achieve a different answer.* So what could this "revolutionary way" be called? This crazy idea is called "Teaching in the Margins". Now you may be saying to yourself, why would I want to be on the margins of learning? How does it help me to only get the minimalist of knowledge possible? First, look at the terminology differences. Teaching IN the margins is different than teaching ON the margins. When a teacher (and students) enter the margins of learning together, they are entering an environment that is rich in diversity, risk, ideas, and freedom for the learner to discover their own learning. You can see here the uniform crop on the right side (the center), and the diverse flora and fauna of "the margins". You may be saying now "Oh, so you mean "the margins" refer to a teachable moment. Not necessarily (in my opinion). I believe a teachable moment is taking any moment in life, and using it as an opportunity to teach students a certain concept. However, what is born from that teachable moment, is then what is considered "the margins". For example, the students in a science class notice that the classroom turtle is laying eggs. The teacher might stop class to let the students observe the turtles nesting habits. However, one of the students then asks "why do turtles lay eggs in the first place?" NOW, the conversation has entered the margins! A teacher could then ask the students why they thought the turtle laid eggs. Which could then be followed by a discussion on biology and vertebrate similarities and differences. From here, the conversation could begin to cover the topics of reproduction, adaptations, and evolution. It is up to the students range of imagination and thirst for hunger and the teachers ability to let students learn for themselves. Now that isn't to say that all learning should occur in the margins. If that were the case, nobody would be learning any semblance of the same information. Instead, learning should start in the "center" and when the opportunity or occasion arises, move to the margins. Thoughts build on thoughts, questions lead to new questions.
Students can break to mold of being the same, and show the world that they can be thinkers and problem solvers who see beyond the "box" everyone has been trained to reside in. By allowing students the opportunity to take learning in their own hands, and to explore learning in the margins, they are being provided the tools to be individual thinkers in a world of monotony and sameness. |
AuthorHey, my name's Mary Beth and I am starting this blog to document my journey in becoming a high school life science/ chemistry teacher. Archives
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