There were lots of things that I did when I was a kid that had to do with physics and chemistry. I remember rubbing balloons on my head and sticking them to the wall. I remember rubbing my feet on the carpet, and trying to shock members of my family. The first cake I ever made used vinegar and baking soda to make it rise. On trips to Yellowstone I always wondered how the geysers worked. I remember my dad telling me that the different colors in the hot springs were caused by the different kinds of bacteria in the water.
I've always liked trying to figure things out. I liked taking things apart to see how they worked, and try to fix them if they didn't. I had lots of failures and successes. In my own little way, I was doing science without knowing it. Many of the students I'll teach will probably have their own ways of doing science as well. I hope that in my teaching I can get the students to realize that they are probably doing science without even realizing it all the time, that its helpful, and that it can be fun too. I hope that I can also use examples from their lives to help teach concepts as well. When the kids can relate their own experiences to what is going on in class, they are more likely to learn and probably even enjoy class more.
When you said you were doing science without knowing it by fixing things and figuring out how they work. I know many of the kids that I work with say they hate science, but they love taking things apart and putting them back together. Helping show students that they are, in a way doing science would be a great way to help peak their interest.
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ReplyDeleteI also agree with Joelle that it is important to connect what they are doing at home to school with science or math especially. It shows that they will do it for fun and really does a good job at connecting their interests to subjects that many feel are not fun or interesting.
It sounds like you had a family that fostered inquiry. I think it would be great to draw from those real life examples in your instruction as well; it will show students how science is not something that you do in class, but something that is in the world around students everyday. Given your previous lesson plans, I suspect that will be the approach you will take.
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