I really enjoyed the chapter on inquiry because this
is something that will be especially important to me as a science teacher. In science, inquiry can be used to gain
knowledge and understand scientific ideas.
It can also be used to investigate and the suggest explanations based on
what has been found. Not only is this
strategy easy to incorporate into most units, it also provides students with
opportunities to learn more independently.
This independent learning will be very beneficial to them as
adults. Instead of relying on the teacher
to direct them and tell them exactly what to do and where to find information,
students will have the chance to explore different topics on their own or in
groups.
I appreciated that Daniels and Zemelman touched on the
Next Generation Science Standards because these are the standards I most likely
be using in the future. D&Z state
that “we can be more strategic in what we emphasize, going deeper into a
smaller number of topics exactly as the Next Generation Science Standards
suggest,” (pg. 273). When I attended the
RI Science Teacher’s Association conference last month, the key note speaker Dr.
Stephen Pruitt, who was a leader in developing the NGSS, discussed these new
standards in more detail. The standards
are based on tying together content, practice, and crosscutting concepts and I
can see that a lot of inquiry goes into the practice portion of this.
Chapter 11 discussed how to provide help and support
for students who struggle with reading.
This can be a challenge especially for teachers who do not have a lot of
background in teaching reading. D&Z
provide many suggestions, some of which have already been touched upon in
previous chapters. I agree that it is
important to have strong relationships with all students and that they have to
see that their teachers care about them and believe that they can succeed. I can now see how modeling, promoting
self-monitoring, providing the right materials in various formats, and building
engagement can also assist those students who may be struggling with reading.
Gemma, I couldn't agree more about the relationship with students. The students can see right through fakes. The teachers that come a few minutes before 1st period and leave right at the end of school are the people who think of teaching as a job. The students know who the teachers are that are invested in education.
ReplyDeleteHey Gemma,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting and crucial for the students that struggle in reading to understand science material. I was one of those students who loved science for the biologists and figuring out how our world came to be but hated chemistry. You didn't specify which science? but either way I will be working with the NGSS this summer and I am excited about it. Mostly, because there will be a lot of hands on learning and I think that what this chapter touched on especially. Which is having students do the work.