The Melting of Our Polar Icecaps

As I mull over the repercussions of our Polar Icecaps melting I immediately reminisce the time I spent in class with my students teaching about Environmental Science. It was 2006 and the former Vice President Al Gore had released his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. I remember watching the movie with my classes and having some very deep conversations with my students, which is rare for 8th graders. The movie addressed the impact that melting icecaps would have on the world as a whole. It described the loss of land due to the rise of ocean levels. It made clear the impact on humanity by such a drastic loss of inhabitable living space. The students expressed their concern and fear for their future should such a dramatic event take place in their lifetime. Questions from them about where will the people go, where will we get our food from were among many they expressed.

These are the types of learning experiences teachers seek in their classrooms. Finding a question or event that leads students into their own journey for answers is the basis of inquiry. As a seasoned science teacher I look for topics and lessons that cause my students to ask questions. I want them to have the desire to learn. I still present information in my classroom in a manner that allows my students to come up with questions of their own and then be able to seek the answers. Authentic assessments drive student to learn and allow them to seek information that interests them. Students then become vested in their learning and that gives their education value.