Initial Vision Statement

            Overall, I have had wonderful experiences in Science Education. From earth science & life science in middle school to “IPC” (Integrated Physics and Chemistry) in high school. Unfortunately, 9^th grade IPC was my last positive experience with Physics. My wonderful teacher let us ignite gas bubbles, acted out the Doppler effect, and explained wave forms with a slinky. In middle school, I remember drawing the planets with correct size ratio to one another and also drawing the planets with correct distance ratio to one another; we were so proud of our long and calculated rolls of paper! We also created cells (the castle), gave presentations on different animal classes (the mammal group had it easy!), and used blocks to learn about plate tectonics.

            I also finally remember something from elementary school! I loved love organ systems. I had trouble remembering the order in which the circulatory system got oxygen from the lungs until I hammered it out in high school, but I loved the digestive and respiratory systems in elementary school. I specifically remember getting sick in fourth grade and completely missing skeletal week, so I got to make a skeleton with all the little paper bones connected by brads at the joints, but I did not have to take the bone test. I think I still have trouble with naming bones today because I got bronchitis in fourth grade! 

             Even into college Biology, I am still fascinated by the complex and organized design of anatomy.

            Compared to the long hours of consideration I have given to my future reading and language arts curriculum, I am ashamed to realize that I have not thought much about teaching science. I think subconsciously I just planned to use the textbook for my guideline and then have lots of hands-on experiments and projects. Now that I’ve articulated this to myself, I’m pretty stunned at such an unformed plan. I need a game plan!

            So, with very little authority whatsoever, I think the major components that create a quality science education are having students physically engaged and cognitively challenged. Although diagrams and worksheets can provide great references for students to refer to, I want them to be physically taking apart flowers and watching plants grow (and none of this lima bean in a wet paper towel business). Instead of only marking all the major fault lines and volcanoes on a world map, I want students to push blocks (or more sophisticated materials) together and record how mountain ranges are made.

            As for cognitively challenging my students, that is where I foresee my weakness. I jump at the chance to let students physically touch what they are learning, but I struggle to implement inquiry-style lessons in which I stop talking 

and wait 

and let students discover at their own pace. I look forward to not only learning more projects and experiments for students, but how to internalize the inquiry and student-centered methods of teaching into my own style.

            Beyond helping students to discover and touch science, I truly hope my own excitement will be a model for them. We can all remember teachers who were not interested in their subject matter or made it abundantly clear that they had been given assigned this class by administration. We all also remember teachers who were so excited about what they had to say (or show) that they were downright silly. We may have laughed or made fun of their exuberance, but we were drawn to them. I hope to show my students that I am excited about doing science with them because I am not  an expert, but a learner with them.

Now I’m all excited again!