Back from the Brink

-
 Sorry this took so long. I have been prepping to take a test so that I could get a science endorsement on my Teaching certificate. I took a diagnostic test to identify what my weaknesses were.  I was stressed out because the breadth of the test seem too much. But a funny thing happened along the way. I begin having fun. A lot of fun. It was engaging to learn again. It was fun to revisit concepts and skills I haven’t used Since I was a highschooler. The day of the test, I was anxious but excited. I felt I would do well. I’ve studied hard.
 It was the worst test I’ve ever taken.  All the skills and content I learned were for nothing. It really wasn’t a test in science, it was more like trivial pursuit. It was a relief to pass but I was ready for a real test. The questions asked on the test were in no way indicative whether I was qualified or not to teach science at the high school or middle school.
It made me reflect back on my own learning, my old high school and college experiences.  I never really questioned why we were learning things, I was just focused on doing well on the test.  I reflected on my teaching in my classroom.  I truly don’t believe that what I teach is a mile wide and an inch deep. Yes, I want my kids to be scientifically literate but I also want to be critical thinkers.  I really want them to be self-directed learner‘s and that seems to be the hardest skill to teach. There is a disconnect between the students’ability to get the right answer and their ability to ask the right questions.  What am I doing to address that?  What are you doing to address that skill in your class?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Embedding Technology

-
Image
 How do we authentically embed technology into our teaching of science? We have been lucky enough to have chrome books then our classrooms for the last four years. At the beginning, it felt awkward to try to integrate it into her lessons. I remember presenting the same material in roughly the same ways and then giving a kid a Google challenge at the end.  As the years have progressed, it has gotten easier and easier to integrate the students use a chrome books into the classroom. Now instead of showings students in animation we can’t send them to the animation and have them answer kadyn questions after interacting with it on their own. In my classroom, the transformation has been dramatic. It is the middle of November, and my students have only used two pieces of paper. Last year as a school, we went from 850,000 copies to only 500,000 copies by the end of the school year. This year the number will be half of that. But is it authentic?  I think it has been authentic. Students no longer
Read more

Television Sick

-
Image
I remember the feeling. Mom and dad were gone before the sun was up. My brother and sister were dropped off at the daycare. I was alone. By the light of TV, I pulled the Nintendo out of moving boxes and ran the wires to the back of the TV. Mario Brothers. I was alone in this world. Just me and my 8-bit friends. Nine hours and four worlds later, I prepared for my parents return home. I packed the Nintendo back into its box. The silenced in the room revealed the buzzing in my head. My breathing light, I felt sick throughout my body. I was screensick.  I see it in my life now. I crawl out of bed and cuddle in front of a TV screen. The little one sneaks downstairs and switches it to Netflix. The older one slumbers down and grabs his Chromebook. In her bed, my wife picks up her phone "to check for messages". Her fingers flick through her daily Facebook scroll and illuminates her face in a darkened room.  We're plugged in. We are connected. We are worlds apart.
Read more