Week Two Science Methods Thoughts

This week in science methods class we talked about the culture of science. We learned that scientists and science teachers have their own way of thinking and acting that seems like a foreign culture of sorts to students and other people we come in contact with. While I partly considered this concept in other classes, such as our course on content-area literacy, thinking about science as so conceptually different to students that they might see it as another culture, is important to realize. In understanding this concept I hope to make myself more actively aware of my interactions with students so that they can truly understand topics and ideas I take for granted.

Week One Science Methods Thoughts

This week in science methods class a new idea we discussed was the importance of inquiry in the science classroom. In observing science classrooms this summer, I have been frustrated with activities that seem to have no real purpose. While many of these activities offer a break from lecturing for the teacher and a chance to wake up students, they don’t help students grasp the material. While I have always thought of inquiry and teaching the scientific method as crucial to a science classroom, our discussion of inquiry and creating genuine learning experiences will be a huge help for me to ensure I meet these goals. Learning about these frameworks for enhancing learning in science has helped me reconsider my previous ideas of how to effectively teach science in the classroom. While I have always strongly believed that a good science classroom teaches much more than the memorization of facts, this week’s class has provided me with strategies to ensure this plays out in my classroom.

Classification Presentation

This link will bring you to the PowerPoint I will present during our introduction to taxonomy class. You may print out a copy for your convenience or use it as a tool to review for our next test.

Form and Function of the Cell

Complete this webquest to learn about cells.

Podcast Worksheet

Use this document to help script your famous scientist podcast.