Exploring the Earth and Beyond (SCIE - 6663S - 2) week 5

Implementing a Lesson 

 

As a teacher I seek learning experiences that address a question or problem that will lead my students into a personal journey for answers.  Lessons that utilize inquiry allow students the opportunity to act like scientists, deriving questions, designing and implementing investigations, and communicating the results.  Inquiry requires scientific reasoning and greatest cognitive demand for students (Banchi, & Bell, 2008).  I spend much of my time looking at what will make me a better educator and what kinds of things can I use to help my students.   My lessons and assessments tend to focus on the incorporation of contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning (ISTE, 2011).  With the incorporation of technology into my lessons I promote the STEM movement in my science curriculum which will be a long term benefit for my students.

As I reflect on my earthquake lesson I consider all the components that my students addressed as they progressed through the lesson.  The use of the Discovery Education resources has made the incorporation of multimedia easier for me as I plan my lessons.  I still choose to use many of my materials from our older text book companies as well as lessons that are hand-me-downs from other teachers I have worked with.  I have found that by incorporating the tech book resources with lesson I have used for several years I can address all my students learning styles.  I still struggle, as do my students, with our tech books and the lessons available as I to learn how to navigate the different websites and links.  I have found that my students learn with me as we look at the online lessons and we often work out “glitches” in the programs together.  Today’s students are so accustomed to media in their lives that I can no longer imagine teaching without it.  Starting the lesson with videos and having students take notes helps capture their interest immediately.  My days of long lectures and notes have been replaced with short, visually fascinating movie clips that my students watch intently.  Going through the steps of watching video, taking notes, answering questions, and doing virtual labs or looking at simulations allows my students to formulate explanations based on their gathered data.  They can then apply their gathered knowledge and answer questions effectively about the concepts addressed in the lesson.  I know they have achieved a deep level of understanding as I watch their presentations and ask questions that they can answer with confidence.  Some students even addressed their own misconceptions about earthquakes in their presentations and where they found the correct information.  These statements led a class discussion that addressed where and how we get wrong information and how to use inquiry to find the right answers. 

As I have spent the last year incorporating more and more media and technology into my classroom and lessons.  I have found it to be more effective then I could ever have imagined.  I no longer struggle to find lessons for my poor readers, now they can watch and listen to the information.  I do not badger my students to do notes from the book but now can give them a series of video clips to watch where the information is presented in a visually exciting manner.  These simulations and virtual labs allow students to “see” results that I may not have been able to reproduce in the classroom, giving them a better understanding of a particular process and its outcome.  Having such a deep understanding of the material allows my students to apply that knowledge more effectively in their own presentations.  With the introduction of more technology and media into my lessons I have at times felt like all I am doing is sitting back and watching my students work.  I realize that through their own exploration and inquiry they will digest the concepts at their own pace which allows for a deeper understanding of the material. Sometimes I must remind myself that an effective teacher enhances student learning more than any other aspect of schooling (Marzano, 2006). 

              

References

Banchi, H., & Bell, R. (2008). The Many Levels of inquiry. Science & Children,46 (2), 26–29.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). Nets for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx

Marzano, R.J. (2006). Classroom Assessment & Grading that Work. Alexandria, VA: ASCD