Final Vision Statement

            After taking this Science Methods course, it’s hard to know where to begin in describing what I’ve learned. All of this new information has greatly added to my vision of what I plan for my science classroom. Though I have added to my repertoire of knowledge of a good science curriculum, I have some commonalities with my initial vision statements at the beginning of the semester.

            First, what hasn’t changed from now since August. I do still believe that it’s important for students to learn first-hand examples of natural science in the world. For example, I wrote in my initial vision statement about taking my students on nature walks, showing them real-life images, teaching about outer space, the human body, and elements; not just reading from a textbook, showing students live demonstrations, and caring for a worm, for instance. I also wrote about my experience as an elementary student going to “Week of the Wild” at Lake McBride Nature and Recreation Center; and stated the importance of having outdoor programs such as these for students. In all, I still have the firm belief that students should learn about science naturally through use of real-life examples and going outside to a ravine or forest, for example, and discovering raw science materials. Also, I stated the importance of teaching students they can learn about anything they want by making a hypothesis and understanding the scientific method; which I definitely still think is important.

            Now, what’s changed. In my initial vision statement, I talked about the importance of doing hands-on activities. Little did I know that in my science methods class we would learn how ineffective this was in itself. I remember when I first started learning about “inquiry” there was an assigned reading on an article titled, “Activitymania.” This article compared typical hands-on lessons with inquiry-based lessons. I agree with the article, and still do, that these hands-on lessons aren’t bad and are better than a textbook lesson. However, they’re not as effective as inquiry-based lessons because students are being passive learners (teacher is giving them the steps and procedures they are to do rather than them creating their own experiment or making their own questions). I remember this article shedding a light on the differences between typical hands-on and inquiry-based lessons.

            Another thing I have learned which has changed, or rather added, to my vision is the issue of misconceptions. Everyone has them. I know I still have many I’m unaware of. In the Sweater article, written by Bruce Watson and Richard Konicek, they describe an elementary teacher’s classroom where the teacher conducts a lesson on heat. Her fourth-grade classroom has the misconception that “warm winter clothes” are indeed warm, and though experimentation with measuring the temperature and seeing no difference, etc. their misconceptions still linger. What the article really illustrated to me was the importance of just covering material in the classroom or instead uncovering information from your students, thus their misconceptions. With today’s “teach-to-the-test” problem, it’s easier to just cover material. However, I believe it’s more important to combat these misconceptions first, so then real learning can take place.

            Another thing I have learned is of Piaget and Vygotsky’s teachings. In the Peters article, “Theoretical Foundations for Constructivist Teaching” I learned the comparisons between aforementioned Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. I agree that it’s important to keep Piaget’s “stages of learning” theory (preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) in mind to know where your students are developmentally and intellectually. I also agree with Vygotsky in that people learn well socially and by using psychological tools and signs. I really liked the concept of schemata-sometimes we add information to our already existing schemata (present knowledge); but sometimes we have to completely readjust our schemata to make sense of incoming information. I think using both of these concepts from both of these educator’s is important in the classroom.

           Another thing that was re-emphasized through this course was the use of a science notebook. As read in the “Five Good Reasons to use a Science Notebook” article by Joan Gilbert and Marleen Kotelma, having students use these notebooks has multiple benefits. What I really like about this is the promotion of differentiated learning, teacher collaboration, guided teacher instruction, and promotion of literacy (and/or art) skills. For this, it’s cross-curricular, because students are using both their science and literacy/art skills. I really like the diversity aspect of these notebooks because since they are individualized, students can express themselves as they wish; whether it be in their native language, or drawing a lot of pictures to illustrate their findings. I also like how as the teacher, you can challenge and give each student feedback in accord with their abilities.

            Perhaps the biggest thing I have learned in this class is the importance of inquiry-based lessons, as touched on with the Activitymania article. Doing our two-day science practicum was an eye-opening experience of the advantages of teaching an inquiry-oriented lesson. In the second grade classroom my small group of student teachers went to, we made “Flubber” with our students. Though we gave students basic instructions, they had the freedom to make their own predictions, conclusions, and ways to test its properties. I believe that with inquiry-oriented lessons, students learn much more because they’re making their own predictions, instructions, conclusions, etc. I know that when I have had to create my own science experiment, such as in this class when as a small group we had a Long Term Investigation (LTI) experiment; I learned much more than had I just followed an experiment. We chose the way we wanted to test how fast or how much mold grows on a material, which we chose lettuce. Doing this peer-designed investigation really taught me a lot. Though hands-on activities are fine, it’s not nearly as effective as inquiry, as aforementioned. In point, inquiry-based learning is ideal in that students do their own learning within their ability, and grow because of it.  

            Thus, my vision for my science classroom now includes much more useful knowledge. Using science notebooks for students to record their observations, thoughts, experiments, etc. is such a valuable tool in that students can collaborate using their own abilities and also promote their literacy (and art) skills. Having discussions with students about common misconceptions, and recording them for my own records and/or a class list we could display in the classroom as they come up is useful in combatting misconceptions. Getting to the bottom of these ideas and uncovering information students is to be emphasized rather than just teaching them new information they won’t understand if not first dealing with their misconceptions. I will keep in mind students’ developmental stages, and their existing schemata when teaching new material. Teaching inquiry-based lessons is to be priority, so that students can learn as much knowledge as they can, truthfully. I still want to implement the importance of seeing scientific materials raw and in nature, such as through nature hikes or going to a program similar to “Week of the Wild.” Showing real images, demonstrations, and manipulating scientific material is important. I still hope that in my science classroom my students truly learn much about science through inquiry, observation, manipulation, and understanding the scientific method. I hope that after learning about science, students will have a better understanding of the world around them and that they will respect the environment.

SLPE Reflection - Flubber

            Maddy, Rachel, Tara, and I taught a second-grade class how to make “Flubber” and test its properties for our Science Lesson Planning and Enactment Project (SLPE). Flubber is a semi-solid, semi-liquid gooey, pliable substance that can be colored any way you would like, or left clear. We made ours green, based on the movie “Flubber”; and used a recipe which included water, glue, borax powder, and green food coloring.

Overall, it went very well. The students were all very enthusiastic and excited about making Flubber, and curious to see it form and how they could manipulate it. Despite peer concerns (when we went over our lesson in science methods class) about it being messy and children trying to eat it, this was not an issue at all. Despite little pieces of Flubber here and there on desks or on the floor, it was very neat. There was not even a need to put any newspaper or some sort of cover on their desks. Before we began the lesson, we asked students, “Now, do you think we should touch our face or our mouths when making Flubber?” to which they responded, “Noooo.” We also asked if they should eat the Flubber to which they also said, “Noooo.” They were very smart with it, and we made sure they washed their hands after the lesson was done and before we had our concluding discussion.

There were a few little things that didn’t go very well, but were easily corrected. There were of course children who wanted to make sure everything was fair. We had each given them a “job” so everyone would get to do something; though some students wanted other jobs, or were confused on the order of things. All but one group’s Flubber turned out right. The group whose didn’t turn out, Rachel made a batch at home for them. I wondered if we’d have some groups not follow directions correctly, or for whatever reasons have Flubber that didn’t turn out. All four of us made sure to walk around the tables while the students were making their Flubber to make sure it was going smoothly and safely. For the most part, children were good about taking turns and accepting what job they’d been given.

We didn’t make much change to our Flubber lesson after we peer-taught it, but one thing we did do is make sure to ask the students safety questions first. As aforementioned, we asked them if it would be a good idea to put their hands in their mouth, face, or eat the Flubber. We didn’t have this before, but after fellow classmates suggested something to make sure it would be safe, we added this. Another thing we did was make a letter home to parents before we taught the lesson informing them their child would be making Flubber. We told them that four university students would be teaching them, and on Friday their child would be sent home with their own bag. We told them that Flubber contains borax powder, which can be harmful if ingested in large amounts. However, we also told them that the amount of borax their child would have is only ¼ teaspoon. We also made a letter home from the students, in which they told their parents what they did and what they learned about making Flubber. Adding these modifications was definitely effective, clarifying safety information with students and parents’ is definitely necessary.

Students did meet performance levels. We made the students a worksheet the first day, asking them if four items were a solid or liquid. The sheet consisted of a pencil, rock, water, and milk. Not surprisingly, when I first started walking around the room, most students knew easily how to decipher each. However, I was surprised that quite a few students still had confusion. I saw many label the rock as “liquid” and the milk as “solid.” This was interesting, too, because the first question on the worksheet asked students what a property is, which most knew what this meant. The last question allowed students to make their prediction on what they think would happen when we mixed the solid powder, liquid glue, and liquid water. Most said “Flubber” (having seen the video clip-and one student had already made Flubber with his mother, as well); while a lot wrote “gooey.” After we had a more detailed discussion on properties, students seemed to grasp more the difference between a solid and liquid, and what can happen if we mix some of them.

We stayed mainly on point with what we planned in our lesson. However, who did what tended to change. The first day it was all as planned, with Tara and I doing the introduction, Rachel modeling and asking the safety questions, and Maddy concluding. However, the second day our roles got all switched. It all worked out, though, and we helped each other complete each task. There were little things we didn’t put into our lesson plan, such as clean-up and getting set up. It just so worked out for a few of us plus the teacher to wipe down the desks with antibacterial wipes while Maddy was concluding the first day; and then wash the bowls in the bathroom after we left the classroom.

The second day there wasn’t as much of a mess, but students had specials that day and had to get ready for the end of the day. We didn’t know this, so in addition to them getting their Flubber put away in their Ziploc bag and writing their name on it, they had to take everything from their cubby and get their backpacks and coats ready to go, and turn their chairs onto their desk. It was interesting to see the class get ready to go home an hour before they really had to. Thus, my point is, not only were we wrapping up our lesson, but helping to get them ready for clean-up so they could go home.

I learned a lot from this lesson, namely to reinforce procedures so everything goes well, and to keep the enthusiasm going for science. Just knowing we were going to teach them science made the class so excited. Reinforcing safety by checking for understanding if students should touch their face; and informing parents about what’s being taught is necessary, especially in science lessons. I also learned classroom management techniques. It helped having Maddy doing practicum already in the classroom, so knowing how to keep students under control was a plus. She knew the students’ personalities, so was able to effectively put them in groups to make Flubber. If we needed their attention, we simply did some sort of clap, or said “Garner” and they would be good about responding, “Gators.” I learned the importance of making sure you can do this, otherwise a classroom can get out of control pretty quick (in a good way in our case). Students got so hyped up about making Flubber, and it was great; but we also had to make sure we were keeping them in check.

Since our lesson was inquiry-oriented, I learned first-hand what this means. Importantly, I learned how positive this approach is! Modeling for students the basics of what to do, but then leaving it up to them is priceless. Students were so bright-eyed that they could make their own prediction and share turns; and on the second day of the lesson, decide how to test its properties. Some students really got into using the cookie cutters, some the strainer, some bouncing it, and some stretching it. One group of students (the one whose Flubber didn’t turn out) was actually able to press theirs on written paper, and see the words on the Flubber! (I believe this was due to their Flubber being made with white glue, rather than clear glue we used the first day of the lesson; this resulted in a much paler green). Then, students got to choose what they wanted to tell their parents about, and how they could use their Flubber at home. One girl told me she was going to divide hers in half so her brother could have some, which I thought was so nice. Since students are more independent with inquiry-oriented lessons, as a teacher you need to observe students vigorously and go over general misconceptions, safety issues, and check for understanding. If students know the basics and have common sense, they will excel while inquiring their own science learning. I noticed that the more students grasped, the more they got out of making Flubber.

Honestly, I wouldn’t modify much of this lesson. I think we constructed the plan well, took our peer classmate’s advice into good consideration while making modifications, checked for understanding with our students, and created an engaging learning environment. The only thing I might change is the introduction of the lesson when we talked about properties. As aforementioned, there were some students who didn’t seem to grasp the difference between a solid or liquid. I think it would have been helpful if we showed students the materials they had to decipher on their worksheet. For example, modeling a pencil, then a rock, then water, and then milk; we could go through what makes a property what it is, while holding the object. Students could physically manipulate them to understand why they are a solid or liquid. Also, talking more about mixing different properties would have been beneficial. For instance, showing that a pencil and milk might not make something new, but when you combine substances like flour, sugar, milk, and eggs, you can get baked goods. Modeling more aspects of what properties are and what they do would be very smart.

I don’t really think this lesson needs any more resources. We showed them the clip from the movie “Flubber” and then it was all inquiry-based from there. I really think this is all the students need for this lesson. Having more technology, books, or worksheets wouldn’t have mattered. The important aspect was teaching about properties, and what happens when we combine them. Then, testing how we can manipulate Flubber. Hands-on experimentation and discussion are all this lesson needs.

As stated, the only thing I would change about this lesson the next time I teach it is to elaborate more on properties, and make sure students really understand them. Doing this would be a great time to check for misconceptions. Inquiry-based science addresses misconceptions, but also allows students the freedom to make their own predictions and grasp what information they will from doing an experiment. Creating a learning atmosphere that’s enthusiastic and warm will help students feel comfortable in expressing themselves. I’m so happy that our Science Lesson Planning and Enactment Project involved inquiry-based science, which we’ve learned much about in this course. To actually do this hands-on with students put a tip on the iceberg for really understanding how this works. I feel this makes science come alive for students, and ignites a desire to learn as much as feasible.

Pendulum

1) What's your personal experience with flying on anything like a trapeze?

I used to be a gymnast, so I would swing on the uneven bars. I've also been on swinging monkey bars. However, for an actual trapeze, I think I've been on one, but not way up high like they actually are in the circus.

2) What applications to "real life" do swinging objects have?

Monkeys swing! Swings and monkey bars at the playground. Pendulums and yo-yo's swing. Hammocks swing. Metronomes swing. Trapezes swing!

3) What is your prediction if two people are on one trapeze and one person is on another trapeze and the all let go at the same time? Explain.

I think that the trapeze with two people will stop swinging almonst instantly because the force of both of the people pushing off a different direction will steady it. I think that the trapeze with one person will swing back-and-forth for awhile before stopping.

4) What understanding or ideas do you have about the science of swinging back-and-forth objects?

I think that if you get an object swinging at a steady speed it will keep swinging back-and-forth until it is stopped.

EXPERIMENT

One washer swinging from the pendulum - 12 swings in 10 seconds. Make a prediction for two, three, and four washers.
Two- 24 swings
Three-36 swings
Four-48 swings
We think that it will increase by 12 swings each time because the more weight the more force and thus, more swings.

ACTUAL

The average for one washer (swung 4 times) was 11.5 For two, three, and four washers the average was 12. Questions me/my lab partner have come up with now are:
Does mass even matter with pendulums?
What does this show us about mass and gravity?
Does the length of the rope matter which is being swung from?

QUIZ

If a child is swinging on a swing, and gets one big push on a swing with one shorter rope and one longer rope, what will the swinging experience be like?

I think that the swinging experience will be unbalanced, because as we learned through inquiry in our science lab a shorter string swings more times, and a longer string swings less time.

BB and W

Kirsten wants to know how many strips of wire she will need to connect a bulb and battery to make the bulb light up. How many strips do you think she'll need?

A) one B) two C) three or D) four and explain your reasoning.

I would say she will need two because I don't think it will take much wire, though I think it will take more than one.

CIRCUIT LAB

A strength of the pink lab was that it is more simple and straightforward. A weakness is that if you cannot get the first step easily, you can't continue with the steps so a student may get discouraged and give up if they don't get that first step.

A strength of the yellow lab was that it is more of a challenge which is good for a student who wants to further their understanding. A weakness is that this lab is more complex-students must make different circuits and compare them which may be hard for an elementary student to grasp.

What students will learn from this lab:

NCES Standard: Physical Science Content Standard B: Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism

Learning Goal: Students will know that electricity in circuits can produce light and heat and that electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass.

Learning Performances: Students will be able to manipulate a large battery, wires, and a light bulb to build a circuit in order to make the light bulb light up.

Magnetism

Magnetism...what I remember:

1) What are some "real life" applications of magnetism?

I think magnets come in handy for multip[e purposes, one being the basic holder to papers you need to display on a refrigerator, a door, or a board. Magnets also play a role in holding objects together through doors with tools on them.

2) What experiences have you had with magnets in your life?

I remember working with them in grade school. Other than that, just magnets on the fridge.

3) What ideas do you have about the science of magnets?

I know that they serve a grand purpose and hold objects together but I don't remember right now what those tools are.

4) What personal understanding about magnetism helped you make these predictions?

I know that they have attraction towards each other and help hold things together.

Magnetism...what I've learned:

National Science Education Standards

Standard/Benchmark: Content Standard B: Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism

Learning Goal: Students will understand that magnets attract and repel each other and certain kinds of other materials.

Activity for Students:

Lesson idea from ehow.com - How to Make a Magnet
I would like for students to construct their own magnets. I think that this would be a good activity for them to do, not only so they can have their own magnets they made, but also for them to see how magnets work better based on how they're put together.

Materials needed:
4-inch iron or steel nail
24-inch piece of thin-guage wire with 1-inch of insulation removed from each end
D-cell battery
Steel paper clips

Procedure:
1) I will place all of the needed materials in an open, clear area.
2) Wrap the center portion of the wire tightly around the nail 20 to 30 times in one direction, leaving slack on each end. The more wire you wrap around the nail and the tighter it's wrapped, the more powerful your magnet will be. Be sure to leave enough loose wire on the ends to attach to the battery.
3) Then we will attach one loose wire to the positive side of the battery, and one loose wire to the negative side of the battery. Once both of these ends are connected, the battery becomes a magnet.
4) Students can then use the nail to pick up the paperclips. The electricity from the battery has created an electromagnetic field on the nail.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2044934_make-magnet.html

Fifth feature of Inquiry

Learns communicate and justify their proposed explanations.

1) Summary - Students, acting as scientists, can communicate their results to classmates through questioning, observation, discussion, and discovery of their results.

2) Elaborate - In several different ways, students can show and communicate their results by using prior scientific knowledge and new observations, allowing for discussion. They can represent their results and experiment in a clear way so that it can be reproduced. Through this, a student community is formed. Being able to elaborate, add, and compare to each others' results forms a fuller, more complete inquiry experience.

3) "Looks" like in class - Sense of a welcoming, team, open environment. All students get the opportunity to communicate their observations and results. Students collaborate and work together by using different methods of presentation and communication. Everyone is partcipating and is included, and is student-led with teacher direction.

4) Video lesson - In introduction of lesson, students share ideas with each other when the teacher tells them to "whisper to their neighbor." Throughout the experiment, students were working together and communicating their discoveries. They were allowed to discuss among themselves throughout the lesson.

INES Chap 1 and 2

Shifting from Activitymania

Whew, this article really hit home! I agree that activities are better than text-book lessons in a science classroom and, prior to this science methods course, I thought hands-on activities were the way to go as well. From what I can remember, this is what it was like in elementary school-and most years I actually did like science. I agree with the article in that activitymania isn't bad, but inquiry is a step further, and allows students to learn better and more effectively as they relate it to their own lives.

The chart comparing the two also really helped me see the differences. One of the things that attracts me about inquiry is that students are not being passive; instead they are making their own hypothesis based on their questions and observations, and making their own list of procedures they will need and how they plan to go about their experiment. I think that is very important. I know from experience that when I, either individually or with a small group of classmates, have to totally design on our own experience, we earn way more! I'm glad that in our science methods course, we aren't all about activitymania and we are learning about this important inquiry procedure early.

Week of the Wild Reflection

    Going to the Week of the Wild on Wednesday, September 7 was a beautiful day filled with reflection and feeling like I was reliving the sixth grade. I was in the group called Outdoor Adventure with Kirkwood Elementary, and upon arriving shared my activity right away with the students, a book called Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes. I chose the book initially because of its wonderful illustrations, which I got the chance to peek at in my Children’s Literature class. The book also has poems with guessing games which offers clues as to what’s being described. Then, when you turn the page, not only is the animal/plant/aspect of nature revealed, but also an explanation of how it works or what it does in nature. For example, there is a page describing how dew works and how grasshoppers function both in the morning and in the night.

      Starting the morning, we first headed to a trail area near the main site of the shelter. First we played a game where one person was the “hawk” and everyone else hid from them but the rule was they had to at least have one of their eyes on the hawk the whole time. I got spotted right away, but there were some very good hiders in that group! Each time the leader had to tell them to eventually reveal themselves, because they were so hard to spot. We then preceded with animal tracking, where we walked through long grass and a faint trail, and then down a steep hill to reach a sandy/muddy beach area on the lake. The teacher gave the students and myself a sheet of paper with different common animal tracks. He then gave the students all an old plastic lid that was cut out which they could place around their found track. He then told them how he would make the “mix” (Plaster of Paris) which he described as looking kind of like pancake mix, but how it hardens quickly, though they were planning to pick up their track at the end of the day. He told the students a story of a student who's Great Dane ate the whole dried track once too, which amused them.                         

   The students then set out excitedly to find a track, not wanting to get the common found deer track. To my surprise, a lot of the students found and picked tracks such as raccoon, muskrat, skunk, and opossum. We then walked up a little grassy hill to an area with stone platforms which suggested they were once homes/structures. Human tracking was next. As we walked around all the platforms, the teacher asked the students to guess what was there once. Afterwards, some of the students thought a farm, some a boating/bath house area for the lake-goers, some a village. The teacher then revealed that it was indeed a farm, back in the 1940’s/1950’s before the Coralville reservoir was built. I didn’t know that the lake hadn’t been there before, so it was interesting to learn some history. Basically, the people who lived there were up on a hill, but other areas kept getting flooded. So for them, the farm people were asked to leave so the reservoir could be built to greatly reduce flooding. The teacher then showed us pictures of the structures that were there, which was neat.  

   Going back to the Week of the Wild was my first time there in ten years, when I had gone as a sixth grader with Roosevelt Elementary. I was intrigued to find out that Meredith, the leader, had been in her first year that fall of 2001 when I was there, and when she said she was with the Wetlands, I remembered her! The shelter and campfire and field area looked just the same as I remembered. It was so neat to be back there and even driving through the narrow road I felt like I was reliving the sixth grade. I loved going to Week of the Wild, and think that it’s a great, needed experience to have in the science curriculum. To get up and close with nature and be there for a whole week. Meredith told us that only some schools have a potluck and camp out there the last night, which my school did. What a wonderful and beautiful time to go to Lake MacBride and be touched by nature’s beauty.

ACTIVITY

            For my activity, I brought Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes (2006). This book has wonderful illustrations of butterflies, flowers, and the like. It is filled with poems which serve as guessing games giving hints as to what’s being described. Then, on the next page descriptions are given and explanations as to how these animals/plants/aspects work in nature. Here is an example of the fourth poem, “He trots through meadow-gold grass in dawn sun furred mysterious a word hunting its own meaning. Who is he?” The answer is then a rabbit and fox, and descriptions are given as to what they do in the wild. I think this a great picture book to share as a lesson in nature as well as with poetry as well.

 

Iowa Department of Education

Browsing through the Iowa Department of Education website, it is first noticed that there are flashing news coverage in light of education wizzing by. There's a tidbit of info about the story and you can click on it, or let the stories scroll by. There is quite a bit to do on the website- priority links which connect to helpful pages such as the Iowa Core curriculum standards and teacher licensure. There is a resources tab that gives gobs of info ranging from career opportunities to data, statistics, and publications. They have a research program called Intersect that gives the latest on educational issues. I really like that they have links available to different people- administrators, educators, students, families, and the community. There is info on the K-12 staff, state report cards, student data, the state board, etc.

Since there is so much info on this website, they do have a helpful A-Z index which lists everything. I like that they have calendars which tell events and due dates. I really like that they have archives in their newsroom tab of reports and events from 2011 all the way back to 2004. There is a contact page filled with not only contactee names and phone/fax numbers, but also a map showing their main location in Des Moines. There is helpful information to help a browser/reader get to know the Iowa Department of Education- about the department, director, Iowa schools, the state board, and department jobs. There is just so much info on this site! I like how they make a filled website so navigator-friendly with their helpful tabs.

Teaching for Conceptual Change - Sweater Article

I was very intrigued while reading this article about conceptual change in the science (or any) classroom. It is so true that we hold misconceptions about a variety of subjects, a lot of topics being science-related. I could see why the fourth-grade students in O'Brien's classroom would have the perception that "warm winter clothes" are indeed warm themselves. As I continued reading the article, it made sense that even after a few days of experimenting and the children's views being challenged and contradictory, their misconceptions would likely still linger. I think that it's a good question to consider as a teacher to cover material, or uncover information from students. It's hard to grapple with because of today's testing emphasis. However, I think this is the route to go-real learning...and it's what Dewey and Craig said more than ninety years ago.

Private Universe

What are your best understandings about...

1) How the phases of the moon occur? The phases of the moon relate to where it is in position to the Earth and the Sun. The moon goes through the phases of a one-quarter, half, three-quarters, and full.

2) What causes the seasons? Where the Earth is in position to the Sun causes the seasons. When the Earth is farthest from the sun, we are in summer, and when the Earth is the closest to the Earth, we are in winter. When the Earth is on its way closer to the sun, we are in fall, and when the Earth is going farther from the sun, we are in spring. This is true for the northern part of the equator. For the southern part of the equator, this is opposite.

3) What causes a lunar eclipse? A lunar eclipse is caused when stars fall and shoot through the sky.

A Social Constructivist Model of Teaching - Krajcik

I agree with a lot that this article has to say regarding ways we learn in a social context. For one, I do think that we learn better by having active engagement with what we're learning and having that be authentic. We do build on what we've already learned, and by having hands-on experience and multiple representations, as the text says, we can learn better. If we understand how something works in multiple settings, we better understand its true properties. If it's authentic, which means it is relevant to our lives outside of school, we are better apt to learn it better. I definitely agree with this, when I have a personal connection with something I learn it more true. I also agree that learning communities are wonderful in that we can learn a lot from others and also by teaching others. Often times I think that when we're teaching others, we learn more about the material and realize more ourself as we teach them.

I like that Krajcik also touched on the concreteness vs. abstractiveness, as this is a key point in looking at how both older and younger students learn, and how even as adults we learn in both ways. I agree that learning about resources and ways we can extend our prior knowledge to get even more knowledge are greatly beneficial. We also do indeed need multiple representations, and be able to express ourselves in multiple ways, such as through graphics, text, pictures, in a concrete way, and an abstract way. Incorporating technology into ways to learn is becoming more and more common and necessary these days as well. Furthermore, increasing our knowledge and being able to showcase it is as important as it is to relate it to our personal life.

Theoretical Foundations for Constructivist Teaching - Peters

Reading the ellaboration on the theories of constructivism was interesting. It was nice to get a review of Piaget, whom I learned about in high school psychology class. I remember learning about the developmental stages-preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. It was neat to compare him to Vygotsky who had a theory with people learning socially, and by using signs and psychological tools. I liked learning about the assimiliation and accomodation when learning through Piaget's eyes. I think it's true that when we learn we build what we're learning onto our present knowledge, and sometimes we adjust our schemata to add new information, and sometimes we have to readjust our schemata to make sense of incoming information new to us.

I think that as a science teacher, it'd be good to incorporate both Piaget and Vygotsky's theories of constructivism along with observing the individual needs of your students, which is most important. Everyone has different learning styles, and though it is likely true we all learn socially as well as with signs and go through different learning stages, each child will experience this in his or her own unique way. As the text says, understanding your science curriculum as well as your students should help you be a wise teacher.

Misconceptions in Science

This article shed light on a common, important issue: common misconceptions we as students tend to have in science class. I actually wasn't surprised by the results how elementary-age, junior-high-age, and college-age students tend to not get the same scientific concepts. Personally, I don't remember all those terms we learned. I don't know what some of the objects presented would do for sure-sink or float. It does surprise me, however, that students even college-age would think aluminium foil is heavier when it's crumpled in a ball.

I agree that ways science (or any) teachers can combat these misconceptions is to teach them to students. Review common terms used and take a poll first of what students think of them, then explain what common misconceptions of them are. I think that it would be effective to have a chart up in the classroom with these false ideas. I think it's also a good idea, as presented in the text, to note misconceptions in the textbook as they come up. I also think it's a really good idea to have them on the review sheet when students are preparing for a test. This article shed light on an important issue that needs to be resolved so students rightfully learn about science.

Rising to Greatness

Wow. I was so surprised by reading through this powerpoint. I was always under the assumption that Iowa, along with Minnesota, were among the best states for all areas education. This showed me otherwise, that we need to work on some things! I really like that the powerpoint presented the impact and opportunity of each fact that was revealed about Iowa's achievement. This presentation gives many ideas for how we can improve Iowa's educational world.

I agree that ways we can implement better learning is by having reasonable expectations for all students no matter race, gender, socioeconomic status, or native language. I think this is especially important as the gap between disability and non-disability students was so wide. I am glad to see that a majority of the students are at basic levels for reading and math, but I think we need to get more students at the proficient level. I think that if we raise our expectations, work to be effective instructors, teach a variety of subjects while implementing diversity, and importantly create a lasting love of learning, we will be on our way to success.

Five Good Reasons to Use a Science Notebook

This article covered many great reasons for using the ever more emerging notebooks in the classroom-the science classroom. I wasn't too surprised by the results as I recently learned about using notebooks during writer's workshop in language arts. It is true indeed that notebooks are thinking tools, encourage teacher collaboration, they guide teacher instruction, enhance literacy skills, and that they support differentiated learning.

Aspects I really like about the science notebooks is the grand ability to offer unique student feedback and challenge students individually in accord with their ability. I like this interaction that goes between teachers and students. I also like the different ways students can express their observations and findings, such as by drawing pictures, making charts, and in their native language. Being interested in working with students who speak different languages, either with ELL students in my class or a bilingual classroom, I think this would be neat and would provide a great opportunity for students to express scientific writing, among other styles, in the languages they know. I really like that students have their own notebook that caters to their own learning and that students are constantly using both their science and literacy skills.

Initial Vision Statements

Here's to my first blog post on my second blog ever-for Science Methods class! And here are my initial vision statements:

            For me, science in grade school was a positive experience for the most part. I remember loving Week of the Wild, making ice cream, looking at earthworms and mealworms and studying them, growing plants, Chemistry equations, astronomy, and learn about the human body, among more. I always liked opportunities when we’d be able to go outside, such as taking nature hikes and trying to find things in our school’s ravine. I remember my fascination when learning about the all the human body systems in elementary school, junior high, and high school earth science and biology.

            At Week of the Wild, my most memorable experiences were canoeing in the wetlands, and seeing all the swampy variety there. I loved going on the day-long hike through the woodlands and playing games, ending up to enjoy a picnic lunch on rocks by the lake. I loved going through the prairies and learning about the birds, getting an opportunity to hold them. A funny memory I have as well was going fishing. When we were leaving to get back on the bus, I walked right in front of a bull snake’s path. Being scared of snakes, I yelled, “Ah! A snake!” and ran to the school bus. Then, to my horror, and my friend’s laughter, I looked out the window to see the instructor holding up the snake, claiming it was 5 feet long. I also, of course, remember having the pot luck and camping out and playing night games the last night of the week-long camp.

            Some of my disappointments in science included not dissecting anything. Even though I didn’t take the college-level biology course at my high school, which seemed to regularly dissect organisms, I thought we would dissect something. We did do something interesting, though, we looked at some body part of some animal, I don’t even remember what kind, but it was indeed neat. I do wish I got the experience to dissect, though. Another thing hard in science was physics. I took it for two trimesters my senior year of high school, and though I had the sweetest, very intelligent teacher who helped me willingly, I just couldn’t seem to get it. It was interesting, but I didn’t do well in the class, which made me feel discouraged. I did, however, really enjoy chemistry. I actually loved working out all those formula math questions. In elementary school, I remember being confused by the electricity and battery units.

            I think that having hands-on experience, especially in science, is crucial. It’s extremely difficult to really understand science without seeing how it happens, and feeling it, testing it, making a hypothesis, and observing it. I believe that giving students a variety of scientific experiences is necessary to opening their eyes wider to the world in which they live. I think studying about the human body, animals, plants, and biodiversity is great-going on nature walks, hikes, catching butterflies and birds, letting students see the world in which they live. Studying about outer space, about food and how it’s made, about how elements work together, about habitats. All of these are important, and I plan to incorporate them into my science curriculum. I remember at first being grossed out by observing and caring for a worm, but it turned out to be fun. I think that teaching students about worms and how they help with the soil we need to do certain things like grow vegetables would be a great lesson, to let them see how important all the animals and organisms are. I do not want to just read from a textbook, ever. I want to teach students with illustrations and real-life photos, with demonstrations, and with hands-on activities. I also would like to implement the scientific method, showing students how they can make a prediction about anything and observe it, and then write about their results accordingly. I would like to ignite a curiosity about the different aspects of science, such as how things work in the forest, the ocean, with electricity, with speed, with us as people, etc. I hope to foster my student’s curiosity to the world around them, and that they would respect the environment, animals, and biodiversity.