Events in School
Inspired to Perform: Observing Phenomena
I would like to tell you about a memorable day in high school. I remember hearing the tardy bell ring in the distance as I hurried to first period. It was a frigid morning, and I was irritated that I had forgotten my heavy outer jacket. I remember I could see my breath every time I exhaled. I walked down the hallway blowing into my hands to keep them warm and getting ready to face the consternation of Mr. Robertson, my science teacher, for being late. Just as I was getting to the classroom door, I noticed a glint of light out of the corner of my eye. It had been raining all week and then the night before, the temperature had dropped about 10 to 15 degrees F. The temperature that morning was hovering around 32 degrees. I turned to look into the quad to see where the light was coming from. I expected to see the sad stunted looking tree with brown withered branches that usually sits there. Instead I was awed by what looked like a magnificent ice creature covered with hundreds of small spikes, glittering in the sun. I stood there for a moment, stunned, then remembered I was late and I went into the classroom. I think mostly to avoid getting chastised for being late, I said to Mr. Robertson, "Hi, did you see the tree in the quad?" I saw Mr. Robertson pause and think for a second, (sometimes distracting Mr. Robertson made him forget things, like students coming in late). Then he completely surprised me by saying, "come on class, lets go outside". It turns out he had noticed the tree earlier when he had gotten to work, and he had formulated a plan.
As a class, we then did a lesson on scientific method using the phenomenon of ice formation on a tree as the basis of our research. Mr. Robertson explained, that the scientific process starts with an observation in nature that makes us ask a question, such as, "How did ice form on the tree overnight?" Next, after some research, we were to come up with a hypothesis that explained what we had observed. We were able to test our hypothesis in the classroom lab and analyze the results. I worked harder on this assignment than I had on any others. I not only was fully engaged in the lesson, but Mr. Robertson made the entire class feel like we was part of an important discovery.
Hoarfrost occurs when there is moisture in the air coupled with ground temperatures at or around freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit). The water molecules condense and form on open air surfaces such as blades of grass and branches (encyclopediabritannica.com)
Deflated in School: Mistake in my Performance
I would like to tell you about another day in high school where I had a different kind of experience than the one described above. My math teacher had assigned a project in which we were to build a 3 dimensional shape of our choice, and determine the surface area of our creation. We also needed to present our 3-D shape and explain the calculations done to determine surface area. I picked a Flying V guitar as my 3-D shape. I was excited about the project because I was really into rock bands at the time. I also knew I could take advantage of all the triangle and rectangle shapes to find the area sums quite easily.
Intrinsic motivation can involve incorporating student interests into content learning. "Hands-on" projects also help engage students in learning.
A Flying-V guitar shape could utilize rectangle, triangle, and circle (sound hole) formulas to determine total surface area.
The day of the presentation arrived and I was very nervous as I brought up my guitar and wrote down the calculations on the chalkboard (yes, I said chalkboard). Everyone seems really impressed by the guitar and I remember hoping that my fellow students thought I was a "cool" nerd. I started to present my calculations to the class when my math teacher, Mr. Jones, stopped me and said I was lying. "What?.." I answered hesitantly, not sure what he was referring to. He said I must be lying because my calculations did not add up. I realized he meant that I had made a mistake, so I looked at my calculations on the board to try to figure out what he was referring to. The room got very quiet as I searched for my mistake. I glanced back at Mr. Jones for guidance, but he just stood firm. I could feel the panic rising as starred at the board trying to figure out what he was talking about. I heard various students start laughing. They could see my mistake! I couldn't! I searched and searched, but I just couldn't see it. Soon, many more people in class were laughing. I truly felt stupid. I felt like the dumbest student that ever existed. Finally, Mr. Jones said, "Well, you were lying to us when you said that 3 times 5 is equal to 45." I had forgotten to write the 1 in front of the 5 in the number 15. I was supposed to write 3 x 15=45. How could I miss such a simple mistake! I disjointedly finished the rest of the presentation and hurried to my seat.
Reflection
TO DO:
Now that I am a teacher, I realize my old science teacher was taking advantage of a "teachable moment". Looking back I'm sure I was engaged because I felt I was part of a discovery. I liked that we were able to take our "classroom" outside (extrinsic motivation). It was fun and most importantly, it was interesting because it was happening right in front of us, in real time, in the real world (intrinsic motivation). My old science teacher knew how to use both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to support our learning. According to "Teaching Science Through Inquiry-Based Instruction", early childhood research indicates that young children have an innate sense of curiously about science that tends to fade as they get older (Contant, Tweed, Bass, & Carin, 2018). It is pointed out however, that students remember the pleasure of feeling curious and will remain curious when teachers show them how important it is to wonder about the world and to ask questions (p. 2) One of the best ways to motivate students to ask questions is to use a phenomena observed in nature.
To incorporate inquiry-based learning in my classroom, I often present the students with a mystery. Even using the word "mystery" piques their attention. It is my hope that I will increase the number of students I motivate to learn. For example, at the start of a genetic variations/mutations lesson, I play a mystery sound from a podcast that the students need to identify. I turn off the lights, have students put their heads down, and play the podcast.
Click to listen to the podcast to 5 minutes 32 seconds.
I then develop this story line and have students discover how the sound is made and what the organism uses the sound for. Using this example, I lead students to understand that mutations can sometimes lead to beneficial traits, and that to be considered a beneficial trait, it must help an organism survive in it's environment.
Another To Do in my classroom is "hands on" learning. After getting the attention of students and engaging them in learning, it is important to keep their interest by providing powerful experiences through out the learning process. This can be done by a "hands-on" approach. Some examples of a hands-on approach would be applying concepts of physics to design and build a roller-coaster, or applying chemical properties to design and conduct an experiment to achieve a desired result.
AVOID
Even though I liked my math teacher, and I don't think he meant any harm, it was many years before I could speak in public without thinking that I would fail. I also shied away from sharing in class because I was terrified that if I did, I would expose myself as the stupid person I was and everyone would laugh at me. It wasn't until college that I started taking chances again. When I was an undergrad at Cal Poly Pomona, I had a professor who was very encouraging when someone was speaking in class. He made the classroom such a safe place, that I felt comfortable speaking in class.
Therefore, one of my biggest rules in my classroom: Do not belittle or humiliate your students. I know there could be long-term negative effects from being publicly shamed in the classroom. This rule applies to handling classroom discipline as well. Joan Goodman highlights the difference between shame, embarrassment and useful guilt when disciplining. There is a clear delineation between a nudge of conscience to help a child improve and crushing a child's self-concept (Flanagan, 2017).
When teachers use shaming as a tactic to "prove a point" or "teach a lesson" they run the risk of interfering with a student's learning. They may instill resentment in their students (Curwin, 2015).
I realize the importance of always treating students with respect and care. I try to pay attention to their individual needs and learning styles. This can be a challenge, especially with 160 students to keep track of. There are days I have to take a deep breath before dealing with a situation, but I know that investing the time and care now, will produce many rewards in the future.
References
Contant, T., Tweed, A., Bass, C., and Carin, A. (2018). Teaching science through inquiry-based instruction. 13th Edition Kindle for Mac
Curwin, R. (2015). 12 ways to avoid student humiliation. Edutopia. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/
Flanagan, N. (2017). When teachers use shame as an educational tool. Education Week: Teachers. retrieved from https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/
Goodman, J. (2017). The shame of shaming. Phi Delta Kappan: The Professional Journal for Educator. Retrieved from http://www.kappanonline.org/goodman-the-shame-of- shaming/