Challenge Me

Science is an unknown world for me. It is that one subject where I feel very unqualified to teach. Therefore, I need encouragement and help! And so far, this class has given me both!

There are so many articles, rules, standards, regulations, laws, and so on; all items geared to tell us how teach. Honestly, it is hard to keep it all straight. It is refreshing because science methods has given me a brief reality check so far. A reality in that not every benchmark or standard will be met, or that each science fact or concept will be fully understood by all teachers. Each teachcer will have his or her own way at presenting a lesson or material. It does not matter if the material is learned along with students or that one benchmark might of been missed because in the end what matters is the growth and achievement of the students.

Along with reality checks I am blown away about the topic of misconceptions. I was never aware that so many students had similiar, common misconceptions. For example, the video which asked Harvard grad students "how do seasons change?". Almost every student answered in the same way. I learned that dealing with miconceptions will be challenging and they will exist. Hopefully through experiments, predictions, and explanations I'll be able to help my students see beyond their one and only answer. Another shocking realization is how crucial formative assesment really is. Without formative assesment we would not know the misconceptions our students have. Assessment guides our instruction so we can meet the learning criteria for ALL students.

So far in the semester, I am hopeful for myself as a science teacher but ready for more information to come my way!

My favorite Ted Quote: "If students are actively engaged in the lesson, you will not have problems managing your classroom".