Mike+K.

Journal 5
Agency and Gambare are two words that may be new to you this summer. What do you think they have to do with teaching science? What other words or phrases would you add that sums up your experience in this class?

Both have a lot to do with teaching science and teaching in general. Agency is applying what you've learned, that is one of the most important things you want impress upon a student. Gambare is equally important because it teaches students to exhaust all of their resources in order to find an answer. I would also add the word reflect. Refection encourages students to think about what you have learned and helps you to think about how to apply what you have learned.

If you answered the question above, you are being reflective. How can reflection help you be a better (science) teacher?

LOL....I had no idea that reflection was part of the next question. Reflection as a teacher will help you to think about ways to improve upon your lessons for future classes.

What have you noticed about the classroom where we meet each week? What aspects do you like and what would you change, add, or remove if it was your classroom?

I noticed that the classroom was very open and it encouraged leaning through visual exploration. I liked that there were a lot of things that were open/available for the students to explore. I also liked the access to the courtyard and rooftop greenhouse. If it were my classroom, I would love to remove the tables and add cubbies for the students items. I would also like to add an area of comfortable seating that would be a relaxed, laid back atmosphere.

Journal 4
How does promoting logical and critical thinking fit into a science curriculum? Does this save time or waste time? Critical thinking saves time because it gives the children the ability to think about their question before they ask it and try to problem solve on their own.

Is a textbook needed all the time? When is it needed and when is it not needed? No, I believe a text book is only necesaary when a child needs a quick reference for material, as long as the information is in the textbook. By using technology, such as computers, smart boards, and the internet there there may be little use for a textbook.

What would be the most interesting science topic to share with another subject? How would your students prove mastery? I think flight would be the most interesting topic to share. I would share the science lesson of flight with the history of flight. I would prove mastery by having the kids build a working model of an early aircraft.

Start a list of community science resources (institutions or agencies/ people, materials, or websites) that could be used to support the unit you are planning. St. Louis Science Center Challenger Learning Center Engineers at Midcoast Aviation (Danny Gegg) Pilots (Todd Reed) St. Louis University/Parks College Areospace Maintenance Engineer (myself) Missouri History Museum [|www.nasa,gov] [|www.ueet.nasa.gov/StudentSite/historyofflight.html]

Journal 3:

What is Differentiated Instruction and what can it do for students and teachers? Differentiated instruction is giving students different ways to learn a concept and help them create new ideas and concepts. It can help students by presenting material in a way they learn best. It can help teachers move more quickly through material once they find out how students that are having trouble learn.

Shouldn’t all students have the same opportunity? Is it fair for some students to do less and others do more? Yes, I believe that all students should have the same opportunities. I don’t think that it is about one student doing more or less then another student. I think my job as a teacher is to try to get students to learn what I need them to. If some students need to do a little more work to get a concept, in my opinion that is okay.

What is the difference: ‘What gets rewarded gets done’ vs. ‘What is rewarding gets done.’ Which is more true for you? “What gets rewarded gets done” is the idea that if you reward a student with something and “What is rewarding gets done” is the idea that if the student finds the task rewarding they will want to do. I like the idea that if a student find a task rewarding they will be willing to do it.

Journal 2: Did technology help you understand buoyancy? If it is still unclear, how could you find out now that we are not in class? Personally technology didn’t help me learn buoyancy but for my students it could be a valuable resource for them. If I left class and I still didn’t understand something, the internet has many websites like Yahoo and Google to help me find what I’m looking for. 

How could you do this without technology? To do this without technology I would have to go to the library.

How can technology leverage learning? Technology can leverage learning by helping students as a visual aid and additional information. Students can use many technological resources such as internet search engines that can guide the students to various sites with a vast amount of information.

What exactly is technology? What is available? Do I need the Internet? Technology is the use of a tool and there are many things available such as a smart board, computers, TV with DVD and the internet to name a few. You may not need any of these things to teach a student but they are very useful to tools.

Do I need a bunch of computers? No. but they are nice to have.

What role does technology play in schools? Is it used too much, too little? Depending on the school, technologies role is very deferent. When I was teaching in a rural school district we only had 6 computers and 3 TV’s with DVD players for the entire intermediate school. I am now in a school where almost every classroom has a smart board and is not used hardly enough.

Is it the teacher’s responsibility to teach the tech or expect a certain level of expertise on the part of students, or should tech be avoided? I think the children of today learn technologically quickly. If you show them the basics they we discover it on there own.

How does technology fit into pedagogy and curriculum? Technology helps a teacher demonstrate things they may have not been able to demonstrate without a computer. For example, there is a website that allows you to see a 3-D heart that you can project on a smart board. You can turn it to look at all sides and highlight different parts.

Journal 1: What was the best thing you took away tonight? What I took away from this class is that answering a question can lead to more questions.

This is how I would expand this idea… If I ask the right questions to my students I can get them to think about many different solutions and maybe different questions. The hard part is to sit there and smile while they wait for you to answer their question(s).

What is Inquiry Learning and is it a valid way to teach? Inquiry Learning is teaching the student to find answers to questions they may have. I think this is a very valuable way to teach. If a student can answer questions by themselves they will remember it a lot better then if a teacher told it to them. I also think it may open up the students thought presses and expand on the question they just answered.

What is ‘Gambare’ and does it have a place in science education? Gambare is a Japanese word it means to try to do your best and to not give up. I think it would help in science education and in all different type of classes. If we can teach our students to keep trying and never give up they may have a better attitude about school and in turn be better learners. And think of the society we would have in just a few years...