Future Learning Goals
How I Want to Improve
As a younger teacher, I feel like I have just started a marathon and I try to just do the best I can on a day to day basis. Having a few years of teaching under my belt has allowed my thoughts to slow down a bit and wonder on how I want to expand my teaching practice moving forward. I have received my Masters of Arts in Education degree from Michigan State University with a concentration in educational leadership, but I did that to allow myself options, not because I had a concrete plan in place. I do see myself stepping into a leadership role eventually, but for now I will focus my learning on improving student scientific discussion, incorporating technology to increase accessibility to students, and continuing to incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards.
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When it comes to the majority of students, I have found that many of them are intimidated when it comes to discussing science. One can argue that in a class like English, there is room for interpretation based on the evidence in a reading, but science is filled with hard facts that you either know or do not know. I can see why students would find discussion within a science classroom daunting if it were really just an exchange of facts between individuals. The fear of saying something incorrect in front of your peers could cause anxiety for anyone, especially those who feel they do not know many facts.
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I want students to see and experience science the same way they might view an English class; where we are all experiencing the evidence together and attempting to make sense of it. I am fully aware that science does contain some base knowledge that students must know, but my goal is to provide them with enough support and comfort that they would be able to discuss their evidence and interpretation of a recent experiment as if they were explaining their thoughts on a story they had just read. This ability does not come natural for most of us and will require certain discussion tools like those found on AST (Ambitious Science Teaching) to make sure all voices within the classroom are heard. With this focused effort, my hope is that the students within my classroom will be discussing science with more risking taking in order to discover the true nature of scientific discovery.
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Using technology could help my students with this push towards, what many call, scientific literacy. It is not that I am some Luddite, but I do see areas of my instruction that could either become more efficient or enhanced through the use of technology. The topic of chemistry is sometimes difficult to discuss because the evidence gathered from experiments is all indirect; we do not actually see what the tiny particles around us are doing. PhET Simulations for instance could help students imagine this microscope world in a more accessible and group orientated way in order to further facilitate discussion.
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There are also many uses for technology when it comes to opening up communication in general. Students who have great ideas, but feel uncomfortable to share them out loud could certainly benefit from some type of idea sharing tool like Padlet. If technology can offer a voice to those who have these ideas, but would normally not share them, classroom learning would evaluate considerably.
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Finally, science teachers around the country have been given a new set of standards to base their curriculum on: the Next Generation Science Standards. In the coming years I hope to increase my fluency in these standards in order to present them more effectively in the classroom. The challenge with these newer standards is that the content is presented in a much more integrated matter. Problem solving and engineering are a higher priority than merely knowing facts. This is, however, reflective of problems scientists face in the real world. Fixing a collapsing bridge is not just a physics problem, but a group of scientists and engineers have to communicate about the possible erosion caused by the river that is below it and the chemistry behind the building materials used. The challenge for me is providing experiences and problems similar to this for my students in the classroom. Through research and communication with other teachers, I hope to.
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In order to implement these Next Generation Science Standards effectively, I must work towards the previous goals I mentioned earlier. Because these standards focus so heavily on problem solving, communication and discussion skills need to be incorporated into science classrooms more heavily than ever before. Technology will continue to be used to solve real world problems and students must be instructed within this context in order for them to succeed. Adjusting my instruction to incorporate these principles seems overwhelming, but I know that other teachers are facing the same task and together I believe we can get there.