Interactive Teaching - Group 3 FW

Today in fieldwork I have learned how crucial it is for the students to have fun while learning! I was able to observe the students and I noticed how thrilled they became when kahoot was introduced. Group three conducted two experiments with the students today and it went great! The lesson started by the teachers pre-assessing the content from the last class through a kahoot that asked questions about plant morphology and reproduction. I thought this was a great idea for the students to get engaged, they were really excited to compete in kahoot! Once the teachers told the students in the class that they were going to play kahoot, the energy in the room shifted. Kids were eager to begin the lesson!I think it is so important for the students to have fun throughout their day. School should be a place of learning but also enjoyable! The students were ready to compete and show how much they remembered from the last class. I thought this set the tone for the entire lesson because the students were now enthusiastic about the lesson and were motivated to learn! I have learned that if students are engaged from the very beginning then the outcome of the lesson will be more meaningful.  I think it is very important to have creative and different ways to pre-assess because it could be very boring if a teacher just hands out a worksheet of questions to see what the students already know.  Throughout this course, I would like to learn other creative ways to pre-assess my future students.

How Do You Settle Down a Class?- Group 3 FW

Is there a way to grab the attention of a group of students all at the same time? During fieldwork today, group three taught the students today about plant reproduction. The teachers grabbed the students attention by telling them to touch their face, then cheek, and mouth to "shhhh". I really liked this because the students caught on quickly and it made them focus on the teachers. I have learned through this experience that it is important to have different ways to catch the students attention. It is difficult to control twenty-five or more children and have their full attention, so it is important to have some techniques that could settle them down and make them focus throughout the day. I learned that students respond better when different methods are used rather than just one. For example, when my group and I were teaching we tried clapping and having the students repeat. This technique worked the first couple of times, but became less and less powerful as it was used. The teacher of this fourth grade class has a button in the room that begins to play classical music at it is pushed as a way to have the students focus. I was intrigued by this because I've never seen that in a classroom and I thought it was a good idea. I also noticed the teacher assistant in the room had a different way of grabbing the students attention. She would say clap once if you can hear me, clap twice if you can hear me and so on, I thought this was another cool way to quiet down the class because all of the students quickly catch on.  It is so important to have the classroom quiet and on track before the lesson begins because then the students and teacher are all on the same page. I was interested in this aspect of teaching so I found this article about 25 different ways to obtain children's attention in a school setting. I really liked this article because I was able to see the different and unique ways teachers can gain the attention of the students in the classroom. Although it could be tricky getting the attention of a room full of 4th grade students, there is a way to do it! Through this session at fieldwork I have learned some new ways to help the students settle down and have observed what students respond better to.

How Important is Organization? - Group 2 FW

During fieldwork today I have learned how important it is to have an organized lesson plan. Group 2 began their lesson plan on vegetative organs and plant tissues. Today was a direct instruction lesson plan, therefore the teachers gave the students a note packet to help follow along with the notes. The packet seemed well organized which helped the students write their notes and understand what they were learning. I liked how the notes had a pencil in the corner of the page to let the students know when they should be writing. After seeing how well an organized note packet kept the students in order and on track I realized how important this truly is. I have learned that students work better when it is clear what is expected of them. Having an organized note packet will benefit the students learning experience.  I  also really loved how this group had a plant waiting for each student at their table. The students were able to observe their plants and could write down all of the things they noticed(smell, touch, size, parts, etc. ). I thought this was a great way to peak the students interest in the topic and have them stay engaged. The students were able to have a visual aid right in front of them to help them learn about this topic. In my future classroom, I would love to bring in as many real-life examples for my students to help them have a better understanding. These are definitely some concepts I would like to incorporate in a classroom. I thought this group did a great job overall and the students seemed to really enjoy what they were learning. It seemed like the group was well prepared to teach this lesson and it was very interesting!

Teaching an Inquiry Lesson

The second day my group and I taught to the fourth grade class, we prepared an inquiry lesson plan. During this lesson we wanted the students to solve a problem with the help from their classmates. We told the students that our friend Mr. Alien came to earth and had never seen a plant before. Mr. Alien was so confused by the plant and wanted the fourth graders to explain to him what makes up a plant. Before the students began the activity, we went over the inquiry process with the students. Reflecting back on my teaching now, I would have liked to give the students a visual representation of what is expected of them when working in a group. The students had to tell Mr. Alien all of the cell organelles that made up a plant. We thought the students would enjoy making their own plant cell diagram. The classroom was set up with different stations that had riddles for the students to answer and pieces of the plant cell. The alien only spoke in riddles, therefore each organelle was described through a riddle and the students had to figure out which organelle was being talked about. Once the students figured out what organelle matched the riddle they were given a cut out of the organelle and was asked to glue it to their paper. We tried to keep the class under control by having the teachers move from table to table with the different riddles and plant organelles. I learned a lot through this experience. It was difficult trying to not help the students with their ideas but just letting them talk to each other and discuss. I thought the students enjoyed this activity because they all wanted to figure out the riddles. After all the students were done with their riddles and gluing the plant organelles to their papers, we asked them to write a letter to Mr. Alien about what he needs to know about plants. If I could go back I would definitely want to be more organized, but I thought my group and I did a good job being the first group.

Teaching a Class for the First Time

My group and I were the first to teach the fourth grade class at Bishop Dunn about plants. We had to teach the students about botany and plant organelles. I was anxious because I wasn't sure what I was walking into, being the first group to go. This was going to be the first time I taught to an entire class, and having my peers watch me was a little nerve racking as well. With all of that being said, I thought the lesson went well and I learned a lot from this experience. We started the lesson by introducing ourselves and going over the classroom rules and expectations with the students. We then showed the students a word wall and asked them if any of the words were familiar to them to access prior knowledge. Following that, we began to explain to the students what botany was and what organelles help make up a plant. I introduced three organelles to the students, endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplast, and nucleus. I had the students repeat the vocabulary words I introduced to them and checked on their understanding. After all of the new organelles were taught to the students, I had three volunteers come up to the board and show the class were the organelles were located. Looking back at it now, I would definitely want to ask the students if they agreed with the students placement of the organelles as they were up at the smart board. My group and I then showed a rap video reviewing all of the cell organelles they just learned. We let the video play through once without interruptions, then once again but paused the video and asked the students questions. Every time the rap video introduced a new cell organelle, we paused the video and asked the students what the function was. The students really enjoyed this video and I thought this was a great way to review in a way that was interesting for them. Unfortunately, the day my group presented the students had to pack up early because of an emergency dismissal drill. The slides had to be rushed through quite a bit, but this was a good learning experience. Schools often has drills or interruptions throughout the day and teachers must work around these issues and stay on track. Although everything did not go as planned, I thought my group and I did a good job. I learned new things through this experience and have learned what I need to work on as a future teacher. I am excited to learn more about teaching and observe others journey as well!

Flipgrid Presentations

Today during Science and Technology Methods, I learned more about my classmates. Everyone in the class presented their flipgrids and shared some information about themselves. Before we presented, we all created a forum on eclass for our classmates to make comments on our presentation. Once a student presented we wrote three aspects about their presentation we liked and one thing we wish they could've changed. This was something new for me because I never gave my classmates feedback, vise versa. I liked seeing my classmates comments on my presentation because now I have an idea on what I'm good at and what I need to work on. I thought my classmates did a great job on their flipgrids and presentations. I enjoyed learning about my classmates' talents, majors, science journeys, interest and more! All of my classmates seem very passionate about teaching and I think they would all make great teachers. The flipgrids were really interesting to watch and was something completely new to me. I never heard of flipgrids before my first Science and Technology class, but it is something I find very intriguing for kids. I will admit, I felt a little uncomfortable pulling out a camera and talking about myself but I think it's a great way for students to interact with their teachers.  It is important to find new and creative ways to include technology in our future class, so this is definitely something I would use with my students. I am excited to learn more about teaching science and technology throughout this semester! 

Scientific Me

I remember loving science in elementary school, the science projects throughout the year made me excited to go to class. My earliest memory was learning about plants and the entire class received a cup, dirt, and seeds. We all planted our seeds and checked up on them everyday then report about it in our science journals. I thought it was so incredible learning about the process of photosynthesis then being able to actually watch my plant grow. The following year, I remember my teacher created a butterfly habitat where we watched 5 caterpillars turn into butterflies. This was so exciting to me to be able to watch these caterpillars morph into beautiful butterflies throughout the weeks. Everyone in the class would write observations on the metamorphosis process and share their thoughts with a group. Once the butterflies were ready to be released, the class went outside and watched the butterflies fly away. This is a memory that I will always have and something I would like to do with my future class. Later on in middle school, I remember making homemade ice cream in chemistry class. This was so much fun because I was learning about chemistry, which could be a hard topic, while doing something really fun. Throughout high school, we mostly did group projects, that’s something I really enjoyed doing. One memory from high school that has stuck with me is making tie-dye shirts in my chemistry class. I thought this was a great experiment because it was something that was engaging and I created a tie-dye shirt that I was able to keep! Throughout my entire school career I loved science, maybe it was the fun experiments and projects I participated in, or  my great teachers, but I’m grateful for all of my experiences.

I loved science and I wanted to pursue a career in this field. I came to Mount Saint Mary College as a bio major and was really excited about my classes. Throughout the semester I started to change my mind about a career in science, and found teaching to be a better fit to me. I am eager to teach science to my future students because my teachers and great experiences during elementary school shaped my love for science. When I teach my future students I want to take away the stereotype that only men are scientist. Women are scientist too! I would like to introduce the book Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky, this book is amazing to show students because women are usually overshadowed in this field but they have made incredible advances in the world. I want everyone in my classroom to find a love for science and not lose it. Science is the knowledge and study of the natural world based on facts that have been learned through experiments and observations. I'm not sure if my point of view of science will change throughout the years. I find it to be fascinating and the best way to learn about this subject is through engaging activities. Some concepts in science could be quite difficult to fully understand, therefore, it is important to make lessons hands on and interactive.

The Reality of Climate Change

     Today during Science and Technology Methods my professor, Dr. Smirnova, brought in her husband, Dr. Michael Edelstein to give a lecture on climate change and The Climate Reality Project. Dr. Edelstein has been teaching at Ramapo College for the past forty-four years and is a member of the Climate Reality Project. The Climate Reality Project was created by Al Gore after he was influenced by his professor to explore the issue of climate change. This is a non-profit organization involved in education and advocacy related to climate change. 

     Throughout the class, I learned how much the Earth is actually changing and that we must acknowledge this if we want to make a difference. I was first informed on the concept of scientific distortion. Overall, this means there is a systematic effort to distort information about certain scientific issues to impact the public opinion. Climate change is a major science block that has been going on for years. Major oil companies know that climate change is an issue and this would be a huge threat to their business model, therefore, this is one of the reasons that this issue is typically overlooked. This is not the only time information has been distorted to avoid business failures. For example, cigarette companies would block the information that the public would receive about the dangers of smoking in order to not lose business. Isn't it a little scary to think information is blocked to the public for economic, political and social issues? With that being said, the United Nations formed a panel to look over scientific questions about climate change to further prove the issue, this study was compiled from reports of scientist all over the world. All of the information that was collected was found to be convergent, meaning that everyone had studies that agreed on the topic. Climate change is a reality and we have to address it. We live on this earth, but we often talk about it as if we don't, this is something that has to change. This planet is our home and in order to take care of it, we need to learn about the outcome of our actions.

     Climate change is never making headlines in the news and it could be difficult to find reliable sources on this topic. However, the first step towards progress is to learn as much information as you can. Prior to this class, I was not aware of the amount of carbon dioxide that is found in the atmosphere. Our planet's atmosphere cannot pass a carbon level of 350 ppm (parts per million) or else the Earth will be permanently damaged. Are you aware of the amount of carbon dioxide that is in our atmosphere? We are now at 405 ppm so now we face challenges of the habitability of the Earth. If the Earth becomes less habitable we must make changes. For example, climate refugee, this will be intensified more in the future but people will have to move due to the climate change because of droughts, terrible storms, higher sea levels, etc. Hurricanes across the world have wiped out peoples' living spaces, but what if we continue to neglect our actions. Climate adaptation is something we also have to look at because how are we going to live in the future? 

     Dr. Edelstein taught me that the earth is a closed system in regard to matter but an open system with regards to energy. However, the quality of matter can be degraded therefore we must be cautious of our actions. All around us are opened and closed systems, which is something new I learned and found to be very interesting. It is important to notice the impact of our actions. For example, we should all find use in renewable energy because the sun, as of now, is a constant source of energy. Yet, we use nonrenewable energy, fossil fuels, mostly because of the financial profits companies make. The use of fossil fuels only further damages our Earth. For example, the glaciers are melting, and it is impossible to refreeze these glaciers because we passed that point already. The more ice that melts means there will be less reflectivity, hence the Earth will absorb more heat which creates a  never-ending cycle of more ice melting and a warmer Earth. Due to all of this the oceans are warmer, storms are worse, weather patterns are changing, droughts and fires are more common, etc. In general, we are constantly changing the habitability of the Earth permanently. Now that we know this information it is important to make changes to help our Earth. 

     As a future teacher, I would like to educate my students on climate change and discuss the ways we can help our planet habitable. We can make small adjustments in our lives to help save our planet. For instance, reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles, or even recycling those plastic bottles. Solar panels could be a great way to use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. The list can continue, and in my future class, I would definitely want my students to brainstorm ways that we can help our planet. Overall, I want to teach my students about this issue because they can be educated about climate change and know how to make positive changes. 

Let the Journey of Teaching Science Begin!

Although summer was relaxing and lots of fun, it is time to jump back into school! Today was my first science and technology methods class with Dr. Smirnova. I was thrilled to see that my professor was not a typical college professor that had the students sit down and jump right into the curriculum. Instead, Dr. Smirnova took the time to learn about everyone in the class and made sure we understood what our target of the semester was. During class, we watched a video about how much technology impacts students today. The video was created to encourage educators to use technology in the classroom to elevate their students' abilities. I thought this video was interesting because it showed how often students use technology in their day to day lives. It is important for educators to incorporate technology however, educators need to be provided with the tools and information to effectively use technology in the classroom. Often times educators drift away from technology in the classroom because they are not properly trained in ways to make technology beneficial to students. With that being said, it is important to find the creative ways to find a use of technology since it is part of the students' daily lives. Throughout this semester, I hope to learn useful ways to bring technology to the classroom while making everything fun and enjoyable for the students.

Science and Technology is such a broad topic of science, above shows all of the fields of science that branch from this subject. We can teach these fields of science to our future students in interesting and engaging ways with the proper tools.