Teaching, Learning, and me.......

What is the difference between a science activity and a science lesson? A lesson plan is a guide for a teacher to instruct directly, and give the students meaning of new content. A science activity is where the students apply the new material learned by hands on minds on, where they extend the concepts from the lesson and apply them in new situations utilizing critical thinking and process inquiry skills.




Do you prefer to learn independently or in small groups? I prefer to learn in small groups, when you have a productive group, you share thoughts and ideas. Collaborating with others allows you to explore possibilities you would have never thought of based on your own personal experiences. Learning from others is extremely important if you want to really explore and learn about something new.

How do you plan for the unexpected? How can you set up your science lessons if  you have only forty minutes in a period? Always have a backup plan. If something can happen it probably will. Keep your planning simple, you only have a short period of time, and it will be interrupted several times for several reasons. Reading these last few chapters and observing Mrs. Benfer at BDMS, I have realized that you can only do so much in a short period of time. You need to ensure you provide independent practice outside of class time for your students. They need the practice, and you should always review the day before's lesson before starting a new one. This way you activate prior knowledge and get the students into thinking mode before starting.

What is your own personal style when it comes to planning? I am very organized, and over plan. I do not like feeling unprepared, so I usually have extra worksheets or games on me just in case something may occur. I also like to spend time on new concepts and not rush into the new stuff until I feel there is understanding with the students. It is up to us teachers to ensure students are taking a piece of your instruction with them, don't just keep throwing information at them because it's on a test. TEACH them, be creative with them, get them to think, and do as many hands on minds on mini lessons as possible, engage your students and they will want to learn more!