Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thoughts on an AMSTI Lesson
Constructivism is both cognitive and social. This lesson provided multiple representations of reality, without over simplification of the complexity of a real-life problem. There was an emphasis on knowledge for the use of construction rather than a reproduction of information. The tasks were meaningful and had a predetermined sequence of instructions. Additionally, it encouraged thoughtful reflection on personal experience as well as new found information. Finally, it supported collaborative construction through social negotiation and compromise, rather than competition for recognition.
You could apply this activity to science using new vocabulary to describe force, inertia, and gravity demonstrated in this activity. Math could be incorporated by simply recording successes and failures to solve for accuracy percentages. This activity leaves many technology options open with numerous videos to introduce the lesson and the possibility of creating a video to document the group efforts and results.
Each element presented in this lesson carry some type of constructivist characteristics. Supplementary activities and concepts would only enhance the cognitive and social aspects of constructivism. The scientific vocabulary is directly related to real life. Applying the knowledge of new vocabulary to create the “roller coaster” presents the aspect of producing something using understanding and comprehension. The operations of recording data, use of tally marks, and solving for percentages meaningful tasks that can and will be used in real word settings. Recording a visual document of this project allows the opportunity for thoughtful reflection on this experience. Combined, these elements, further the possibility for enhanced social interaction and cooperative learning in order to assemble something together.
Meet an Amazing Scientist
The first roller skates were invented in the early 1700’s. He wanted to go skating in the summer and so attached wooden spools to strips of wood which he then attached to his shoes. This enabled him to roll in straight lines but not to corner. These first roller skates were called Skeelers.
The man that is credited with the invention of the roller skate was Joseph Merlin. He was born September 17, 1735 and at the age of 24, in 1759, he skated into a ballroom playing a violin. Unfortunately he had not thought of a way to stop and so crashed into the large ballroom mirrors and broke his violin. His introduction of the roller skate was a success however as the first pair of roller skates were sold in Belgium in 1760.
The roller skate was a wooden sole that attached to a boot. They had 2 to 4 rollers made of copper, wood or ivory attached to the bottom in a straight line. They were again not very maneuverable and could only achieve wide sweeping circles. Despite this public interest grew and the first public skating rinks were opened in 1857.
Merlin is also responsible for improving musical instruments and manufacturing automata. He created Merlin's Mechanical Museum to display his machines. His Silver Swan automaton is now on display at the Bowes Museum.
Science Books for Children
Check out some of these books to enhance your students' scientific library.
Click here for link to a great children's literature website.
Science Philosophy of Teaching
Being a teacher is not what I am going to become. Being a teacher is who I am. I am not the woman to cure cancer, fill a political office, or explore outer space, but I am the woman who will make those things happen. Teaching comes with responsibility. I am responsible for making a difference in all the tomorrows that come after today. Continued personal learning, community involvement, and daily doses of humor are important elements for classroom success. Being able to laugh at myself and find absurdities in the sometimes mundane mountains of standards and procedures will be the key to a positive perspective and ultimately happy life. Teaching is my life and I know that I was born to teach; it has never been a profession I just decided to join. More overly, teaching is what I do. Being an effective teacher includes always being willing to learn. Sometimes it is necessary to learn new things and more often times it is necessary to relearn things you think you know. Ultimately the more I know, the better I can teach. Teaching strategies, technology, academics, and life skills are areas that are continuously expanding. Learning more in every area of life grants me experience to pass on to the leaders of tomorrow. I plan to teach keeping common interests and livelihood of the group of people living in the surrounding areas and community in mind. Community involvement, service work, recycling, and outside activities are important to me personally. I feel, by allowing students to be involved, it gives them an opportunity to be an important part of a whole and become an asset to their neighborhood and society. These feelings contribute to success, not only in school, but in life. My biggest priority for teaching the future leaders of society is maintaining, sharing, and modeling a positive perspective. I feel more is accomplished when the proverbial glass is half full. A confident mental view, of the world today and what will come tomorrow, leads to a constructive atmosphere. My students can expect consistency from me. As their teacher it is my responsibility, which I vow to keep, by creating a stable learning environment with few threatening surprises and outlined expectations with constant examples of appropriate behavior, conduct, and opportunities. My philosophy seems like a classroom utopia, but I believe that is exactly what every teacher should strive for and at the end of the day; it is precisely what every learner deserves.
My Science Autobiography
In kindergarten I was chosen “student of the month” for math and science. I remember being the only girl, whose picture was on the bulletin board. I love the way you can find answers methodically and prove your conclusions without any subjectivity. This personal passion certainly puts a hinder on my literature reading and writing skills. Specific topics and lessons of interest seem too far gone, but a few field experiences made a heavy impact on my academics and confidence as a child and have left lasting impressions into my adulthood.
Two experiences stand out to me the most. The first being my yearly trips to Camp Beckwith in Weeks Bay. Each year I would go there for summer camp with my church and on numerous occasions my gifted class would choose that location for school field trips. We would perform numerous activities including: fishing, water sample testing, bug collections, rain gauges, leaf collages, bird identifications, and flower planting. One time I remember counting the rings on cut down trees to see how old they were and to determine the years of plenty and years of drought. Everything we did was very interesting and hands-on tasks.
The second experience, that I am truly grateful to my mother for, was my after school Science Labs. I grew up in a single-parent home, the oldest of four children. I am not sure how she managed, but one year my mother signed me up for a Science Lab program for elementary students. It met in the big high school once a week after school and was led by one of the high school science teachers. Each week he would talk about something different and do really fun and interesting science experiments with us. Often times he would let us carry out parts of the experiments ourselves. I was the only kid in my class that year that went to Science Lab. I cherished every week!
Later, during my secondary education, my teachers became more and more focused on what the text had to say and pumping us full of information, rather than experiences. However, I did attend the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, my junior year. During my time there, I came to appreciate the many resources that were so readily available to the students. Experimenting and thinking outside the box were not only encouraged, but often times required. I received valuable information from all of my professors, and it was there that I found my love for Chemistry.
I am partial to math and science, but I feel the need to be an advocate for science to my students more so than math. It discourages me to hear my own daughter say the only science they experience is reading the textbook. Current educational demands require teachers to put most of their emphasis on reading and math to keep up with standardized testing. I want to be the teacher that uses Science to enhance reading and math skills. My philosophy includes getting your hands dirty and discovering for yourself. I want my students to enjoy learning and for factual ideas to stick, because they have uncovered the solutions on their own through experimentations.
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