Few Heads Are Better Than One

As I was thinking about my lesson plan and how I wanted it to look, I remembered that chapter 11 from Science Stories is all about planning. What I loved most about the chapter was that it talked about collaboration. I am a huge fan of group because I think students get a lot out of working together and it motivates them to work harder so they are a productive member of the group. As I was researching the best ways to do cooperative learning, I came across a wonderful video.

I was intrigued from the beginning because I was thinking, "This must be a joke, they are lego people!" But I decided to click on it anyway and I am so glad I did. I learned so much from the three minutes this video played, and I literally had to bookmark it because I loved the strategies so much. Here are a few things I learned:

1. Don't judge a book by its' cover. Okay, I know that's a little cliche, but it is the truth. I thought this person was making a joke, but it turned out to be amazing. I found a new website called Xtranormal. I don't think it is free, but the idea is awesome. Apparently you can create your own videos just by typing! The teacher that posted this video created a few more highlighting other topics and I'm sure her students love it. 
2. Teach the obvious. I thought it was really great that the video opened with the teacher explaining how to work in groups. It is easy to get so carried away with the lesson, and forgot the obvious things. Working together is a skill that has to be acquired, and just like riding a bike or writing in cursive, skills have to be practiced. I absolutely loved that she brought her class together and asked them what they thought groups should look like. 
3. Think like a child. I have never heard, or seen, better strategies than what the video described for holding students acceptable and pairing them up. Each idea was better than the next. I will 100% keep a can of popsicle sticks on my desk, and I know I keep repeating myself but I'm just so excited about these strategies! The playing cards and the pairs! Peanut butter and jelly! I really can't wait to try these!

After discovering this video, I realized another important function of the textbook. It's a resource that should spark new ideas and encourage research. While it has so many valuable lessons, its not the only thing to work from. I think I always knew that, but I sort of forgot it, and chapter 11 reminded me of what learning is all about. 

"Shouldn't you know everything already?"

Fieldwork started recently and all three sessions have been really exciting. I love the first day of fieldwork because I never know what to expect and I love to see what child (or children) I will get to work with. When our class first walked in the classroom, we were introduced to Mrs. Benfer and she could not have been any nicer. During the first meeting, we lined up along the walls and the students walked in. I had to laugh because their eyes widened and slowly sunk into their seats. I can't imagine how funny it looked with all these older people standing up around them.

As Mrs. Benfer got into her lesson, I absolutely loved her visual demonstration of mixtures and solutions. Her students were so excited to because she used M&Ms! It's amazing how something so small can bring so much joy to them! I don't know if it was because the kids were interested in the food, but I was so impressed at how well they were behaving! She didn't need to stop once to refocus them or ask somebody to pay attention. I think it shows how well she kept her students engaged. 

When she was finished, it was time to meet my students. I walked up to little girl who had not yet been given a "college buddy" and asked if she would like to work with me. As we were getting to know each other,  another little girl walked over who did not have a buddy either. The two students I work with are extremely bright and friendly. They love to talk, but I was impressed with them because if they felt they were talking a little too much they would start reading from the book. I wanted to get to know the girls a little better so I asked them what their favorite subjects were in school. One student said English, and the other one said math and science. Trying to make them feel more comfortable with me, I said, "Oh wow that's great. I'm not so good in math so maybe you could help me with that!" Of course I was trying to be funny, but I wanted to show the girls that it is okay and you don't have to be an expert in every subject. However, the answer I got actually made me laugh out loud. The student looked at me sort of confused and said, "Wait. You're in college, shouldn't you know everything already?" All I could say to that was, "I wish I knew everything!"

Another New Skill

I titled this post "Another New Skill" because I never knew I could do a snapshot on my computer. Because I have a Macbook, most things that are on the school's computers are not present on mine. For example, I do not have a Print Screen button on my keyboard, so I had to learn how to do it. Even though it only took a quick Google search, I was happy I learned about this because I think it will be able to help me greatly. Especially when I am working with friends at home and they are still at school. 

I inserted the snapshot of my quiz here and I thought the website was great. It was inviting and it was very easy to use, which I thought would be perfect for a young student. Children today love anything that is electronic, so I think this interactive quiz is a wonderful idea. Teachers can see how their students are doing, and the students will be more motivated to do their best if they are doing something they enjoy. 

A Jigsaw Journey

Since I've had some time to reflect on the Jigsaw Activity we completed in class, I have to be honest about my feelings toward it, and my feelings were conflicting. Before we started, I was excited to see what it was all about because I have heard about the strategy; but I've never had the opportunity to actually do it. Once my group was chosen and we began working, it seemed a little chaotic. All of the members of my 'expert' group had the same information and we seemed to hit a minor roadblock when it came to presenting the information to our base group. I think we all had so many ideas and just not enough time due to the craziness of each of our schedules.

When I got back to my base group, I was so concerned about getting my information across to my classmates that I honestly found it difficult to focus when the other members were speaking. I was frantically taking notes on their material just hoping to get everything written down that I needed. There was so much information on the different topics that I only remember facts from my 'expert' group. 

I'm not sure if I would do this activity in a classroom because I feel there are quite a few ways it could go wrong. I did some research on the Jigsaw Activity and I found this website which goes into much more detail on the history and steps of implementing this technique. However, I think it has potential for older grades because of its complexity and it showcases independence.

Wicked Weather

While I was running in the rain and sleet today, I was talking to a friend who told me that we were supposed to get snow on Wednesday! I honestly didn't want to believe it, so when I got home from my classes today I had to take a look on the computer. Sure enough, she was right. After the gorgeous weather on friday, it is hard for me to accept that the cold weather is back. I went to a weather website to get my information because I wanted to find out just how much snow there is going to be. However, it is still two days away so the weather reports aren't as accurate as they will be tomorrow. But even though we don't know quite how much to expect yet, nasty weather is on its way, whether it be snow, ice, sleet, or even more rain.

A New Perspective

Within reading the first sentence of this blog post, I had to stop and do some research. I had never heard of the website "Edmodo" before and I actually surprised when I found it on the internet. It was clean, neat, and very user-friendly. It even had a short video to watch which explained everything that Edmodo was about. It was exciting and intimidating at the same time. Even though I love technology and I can't imagine my life without it, it is a never-ending field of study. Sometimes I feel like if I don't do research on what is out there every single day, I will end up being completely lost. However, when I do learn something new I definitely feel better, both personally and educationally.

As I moved on to the actual blog post by the middle school teacher, I was inspired by his commitment and passion for teaching his students. He is truly dedicated to teaching his students in the best way he knows how, which is not as conventional as just a pencil and paper. However, he sees that technology is the way of the future and using Edmodo has made instruction easier and more entertaining for his students.

I also thought it was pretty interesting that he only gave his students a few directions. I was torn on this method because I think there is a fine line between giving students the directions they need to explore on their own, and not giving them enough directions so they become frustrated. Being someone that loves directions, I think it was a little intimidating for me put myself in his students shows and only be given four instructions. But as I kept reading, he wrote about how his students loved the activity and couldn't wait to do it again. I realized that it was great idea for older students who are craving independence and the ability to show their elders they can do things on their own. I can't help but think that if I was given more opportunities to explore on my own in grade school, I would be more enthusiastic about his methods.

I thought this cartoon was so ironic because of the nature of this teacher's blog and the exciting direction our own class has taken since the beginning of the year.

Organized Mess

I never thought an entire chapter in a textbook would be basically devoted to making a mess. Even though chapter six was called "Matter Matters," much of the focus was on messiness. Children are not typically 'neat' to begin with, so why would we expect them to be neat when we give them potentially messy, but fun materials? I completely agree with the author in that it sometimes is okay to be a little flexible and give the students a bit of control. How much control, however, depends on the students in the classroom. I think it is important to distinguish between letting children explore on their own, but still be there to scaffold them. To me, science is all about experimenting, and there is no way you can do that without being clean!

In my experience, science in elementary school was very black and white. I never remember discovering things for myself, but rather I was told facts or read them in a book. The only time I ever did an experiment, was in the science fair, in it was optional to participate. So, Lisa Schneier's quote made so much sense to me. I absolutely felt like an outsider learning science. During class I rarely raised my hand, and on tests I memorized all the definitions I could. Hopefully, I can change that for my students. No matter what the subject is, memorizing things is no way to build excitement for learning.

Another interesting thing I noticed in the discussion questions was how would handle a question I didn't know the answer too. Since I'm not a computer, I obviously won't know the answer to anything. I don't see it as something I need to "handle," it just is what it is. Moreover, I think my students would appreciate know that like them, I am not perfect either and there are some things we just don't know. I would use it as a learning experience to show that you can learn about anything you want to, and just because you don't know the answer to something, you should never stop learning.