Chinese Proverb

In preparing for my final post, I thought of a Chinese proverb that I think sums up this experience perfectly.

"Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I'll understand."

Powerful, right? And so true! Wow...I can't believe it's over! I really loved this experience. I will miss all the students, I will miss teaching science on Mondays, and I'll even miss being "Miss Rich" (which sounded so strange at first!). Our final lesson was nothing short of amazing, though. We walked into the classroom to find a huge pile of cards that the students had made for us. They had drawings on them and pictures, and they wrote the nicest things about how much they loved learning science with us and how much they enjoyed the experience. Wow...what a pleasant surprise, and something that I will always remember!

We had the students do one final science experiment this week, which was to see if sugar granules would dissolve quicker in cold or warm water. We asked them to write their hypotheses before beginning the big race. Most of the students correctly predicted that the warm water would win, and much to our delight, unlike last week, the warm water actually DID win, so it was a nice way to wrap up the unit.

Following the race, we played a game of Science Jeopardy with the students. We were being evaluated on our ability to assess learning, and we thought this would be a great way to do it that would involve the entire class and it would be fun and engaging at the same time. We split the class into two groups and had them work together to come up with the correct answers. Our categories included: "Science Process Skills," "Science Tools," "Science Terms," "Science Experiments," and "Science Vocabulary".

We had three questions in each category. As we progressed through the game, I was so surprised and proud that they were getting the answers right! It showed that we had actually taught them something, and I couldn't have been more proud. After each lesson, I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I think it was mostly because I was happy that we had managed to get through everything we wanted to do each week. When I started thinking about whether or not they had learned, I had my doubts! I even created a "cheat sheet" that had the answers listed in alphabetical order so that they would have something to help them along if they got stuck. We decided not to use the cheat sheet, and I'm so glad, because they didn't even need it. I almost cried with delight when they properly answered our question about "classification" as a process skill. We had mentioned it weeks ago, and it was clear that it was a new word for most of the students. And they remembered it!! Amazing!! The game ended in a nail-biter as the final team risked it all in their Double Jeopardy question. If they got it right, they'd win the game, and if they got it wrong, they'd lose and...they got it right! In fact, out of all 15 questions, only one question was answered incorrectly! How about that?!

For our final post, we've been asked to answer a few questions. I've always wanted to be on The Oprah Show, so I'm going to pretend I am...since it's her last season and all, and my chances of actually being on Oprah are pretty slim.

What was your overall impression of this experience?

Tremendous. I really got so much of of this experience...more than I thought was possible at the beginning of the semester. I was so nervous the first day heading into the classroom. I had stage fright about speaking in front of the class, and I did not feel ready to be teaching so early in the program, even though my partner, Megan, and I spent hours preparing for and discussing how we were going to approach the lesson. I felt like I needed more time with Michelle and Bindu because we really hadn't talked much about how to teach. We hadn't discussed classroom management, time management, materials management, etc. and even though we had these great lesson plans that were easy to understand and execute, and we were provided with beautiful, high-quality materials for the kids to work with, it still felt like I was being thrown in to the sharks. But, we did it! And I think we all did it really well. Perhaps my fears "upped the ante," so to speak, and forced me to do more preparation and planning than I would have had we eased more into the program. And I'm not sure what I expected would be different. Being in front of the class and leading a lesson really isn't something that can be taught. It has to be learned by doing, which is just how it happened, and why, I think, I got so much out of the experience.

What did you learn about teaching science?

First and foremost, I learned that kids really love it! It allows them to be hands-on and interact with learning in a way that they don't get to do very often. The lessons are designed to allow for a lot of individual exploration and experimentation, which lets the students use their prior knowledge to guide them through the experience. I also learned that science programs are being cut from many curriculums in place of more reading and math programs. Seeing first hand how much the kids enjoy it and how much they learn from it, it makes me feel very sad and frustrated at the same time.

Was the weekly feedback you received from your supervisors helpful?

Yes, it certainly was. What a better way to learn then to be observed and helped by experienced teachers?! The only thing that was odd was that due to scheduling (the observers having to observe two classes in the same day), we were often not observed on the skill we were supposed to be observed on because we would address the skill at the end of the lesson, for instance, when our observer had left the room already. Not sure how this could be remedied, but something to think about going forward.

How did the classroom teacher help you learn about teaching science? What did you do with this information?

The area that our classroom teacher helped us the most was with classroom management. Particularly in the first few lessons. There were times when the noise level would start to get loud, and she demonstrated some of the techniques she uses to get things under control again. Once we saw her successfully use clapping or "thumbs up" to get students' attention, we used those methods in the future with success, as well.

Do you feel that your content knowledge about your topic increased?

Absolutely. Prior to this experience, I didn't really know much about solids, liquids and gases and certainly could not have articulated the difference between a mixture and a solution, for instance, but now I can! (A mixture is when two substances are combined, but they maintain their own properites - like salt and rocks, and a solution is when two substances are combined, but one substance combines completely with the other substance - like salt and water!) I would feel very confident teaching this same lesson in the future now that I've had success with it through this experience.

What did you learn about process skills?

I learned that it's really important for students to understand that each science experiment uses a different set of process skills and that understanding the purpose of each skill will lead to more successful investigations. I also learned how important is it for us, as teachers, to make sure we properly introduce, define, and model each skill so the students can understand and employ the skills properly.

Do you feel that your level of confidence has changed as a result of this experience?

Most definitely. As I mentioned earlier in my post, I was really nervous going into the first lesson. I was afraid I would not come across with enough credibility and that the students would ask me questions I wouldn't be able to answer. I understand, now, the importance of being properly prepared for each lesson through careful planning and research which reduces that tension and helps with confidence. I understand that I won't always know the answer to every question but if I'm honest with the students, they won't expect that I will always have every answer, and that it's OK. I learned that if I'm enthusiastic, upbeat, and high-energy, the students will feed off of me. I also really appreciate something that Michelle taught us early in the semester...that we need to treat each child with dignity and respect and that we should never talk to them in a demeaning or condescending tone. She mentioned that if you wouldn't speak to your neighbor in a certain tone or with certain language, you shouldn't speak to your students like that either. I really love that reminder and will take it with me into every classroom in the future.

Did you feel that blogging was useful? Do you feel that you'll continue using a blog? Why or why not?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. While I do appreciate the archive I now have because I created and maintained an experience blog, I will admit to dreading it each week. I've never been much of a writer and don't enjoy the process. It feels like a chore to me, and I'm never sure what I'm going to say to make it interesting while meeting the requirement. I loved reading the blogs of my classmates because I was always able to get useful ideas for what I could have done differently, and I felt like we created a collegiate community of sharing. And it was definitely a more interesting method than the online discussion boards. So overall, yes, I think it was and will continue to be useful, and I'll admit that just because I didn't enjoy it, doesn't mean it wasn't worth my time and effort!

As far as continuing in the future, I probably will not. Simply because I lack the discipline to make myself do something I don't like to do if I don't have to do it. I will try, because I see the value in it, but I can easily see my posts becoming less and less frequent. But who knows. I may miss it once it's gone!

Do you have any suggestions for doing this again?

Without a single hesitation, I would absolutely recommend that you continue this program. I feel very fortunate to have had such a tremendous experience so early on in my program. As nervous as I was about it going into it, it could not have been more enjoyable, educational, or rewarding. I am amazed at how well we were able to connect with the students and how well we progressed from week to week. I enjoyed Mondays (and really, who enjoys Mondays) so much because I had the science lessons to look forward to. I am amazed that Megan and I actually taught the students so much during our short time with them. The experience completely exceeded my expectations, and I am so grateful. I cannot wait to get back in front of the students, and it really makes me enthusiastic about my future.

I also want to mention what a pleasure it was working with Megan on this assignment. Megan is always prepared and has really great ideas for how to make the lessons even better. She's very collaborative and easy to work with, and the students really like her. Megan, thank you for helping to make this such a great experience! I hope to be able to co-teach with you in the future!!