|
My Teaching Philosophy |
In My Classroom
Visitors to my classroom will see a supportive, respectful environment where
student-to-student on-task talking and questioning is valued. As such, students have an active voice in their own learning and can learn from each other. I focus on critical thinking, the process of science, and core scientific ideas in real world contexts throughout my science instruction. |
Frequent questions you will hear me ask (and encourage other students to ask) in my classroom are:
|
Students in my classroom engage in a variety of whole class, collaborative, and individual inquiry work designed to accommodate their diverse learning styles and scaffold within and across learning concepts. I follow the researched-based 5E learning cycle inquiry model of teaching where new concepts are introduced in an engaging, hands-on/minds-on, way. Only after time to explore a new concept are specific content components, processes and connections delivered. At this point students then conduct additional investigations of a concept, learning how it fits into the real world, and apply what they have learned, usually more than once, to the world around them. Added to this learning cycle is peer communication, review and explanation building. The process of science does not work without it and I believe that it is necessary in the science classroom as well.
Learning Tells a Story (Formative Assessments)
It is my belief that learning tells a story. Teachers need to see where students’ understanding starts for a concept, how that understanding deepens, and how understanding is applied. Through each step of the process formative assessments are key.
|
I use a variety of assessments depending upon the student, their learning style, the content, and the stage of learning cycle. Some of my favorite formative science assessments include probes (e.g. Paige Keeley); short videos that students watch and explain either verbally, on flipgrid, or in writing; current event articles; mystery photos; peer discussions; cartoon or art creation; in addition to individual, group, and whole class discussions.
|
I prefer three tiered summative assessments (1. factual, 2. conceptual, and 3. application understanding). By incorporating all three into a summative assessment students are able to show success in one or more areas of learning a concept. It is my belief that even summative assessments should be a learning experience.
|
Differentiation: I use many different teaching styles to bring to life the story of science. Thisi s important as is differentiation for my students. In my lesson plans section of this website I have examples of reinforcing physics concepts (force and motion) after students have conducted an investigation. At this point in the 5 E learning cycle I use a continuum of options--from multiple choice group discussions, fill in the blank and sentence ordering, a card sort, to a full written explanation. Once students mastered the higher order card sort and/or written explanation they had the option to apply the concept to real world scenarios and create and evaluate during an engineering design activity (Blooms Taxonomy).
|
Scientific Literacy with Claims, Evidence, Reasoning (CER)
Finally, key in my classroom are students’ making claims about the world around them, providing strong, supporting scientific evidence for their claims, and being able to explain the science concepts that govern the two. Investigations, in my classroom, rarely end with a question-based worksheet about the lab. Instead, I ask students to use the method of scientific argumentation to explain their understandings by provide evidence supported by science concepts.