Think Outside the Box!

Chapter two in our text really makes you ponder on many things. The author wants the reader to know that a good science teacher is one who is 'hands on' and 'minds on'. She wants you to reach for things out of your reach and try to figure them out, utilizing a constructivist approach.
I know I have had my share of teachers with both positive and negative feelings towards a subject. I was lucky enough to have many who loved the subjects they taught though. I had wonderful math teachers who came alive when they taught the class, and science teachers who got so excited to speak about science! We were asked to think about times like these, to show us how it affected how we felt about the subjects based on how our teachers felt. This is what we as future teachers need to keep in mind! If you are positive and excited about a subject and use those feelings to drive your instruction, chances are you students will get excited too! If you are down and negative about the subject, then your class will be too! We need to be a positive influence for all of our students, to grab their attention, spark their interest, and keep them motivated!!!!

We were asked to explore women and minorities in science to expand our thinking, reminding us and to show us that science is not the stereotypical guy in a lab coat; we are ALL part of science, males-of any ethnicity, women, and children alike.


This chapter made me realize that I have had it all wrong all along. Science is not about the typical guy in a lab coat with goggles, it is a way of thinking, it is exploring our surroundings and looking for the answers to all types of questions.


The teacher wanted to stress all of the ideas above by asking us how we can explore nature ourselves. There are so many ways of exploring your surroundings. Go outdoors, take a look around, listen for different sounds, look for different creatures, feel all of the different textures that surround you!!!!