Science From the 'Hart'

I have started to assign value to what has been dubbed creative & cultural education. In science teaching, it is really hard to incorporate creativity and culture into activities, labs, and lecture. This IS NOT because science teachers do not want to, or because science educators cannot. IT IS because of the system expectations.  Administrators and parents alike have all found themselves in classrooms, and therefore have a pre-conceived notion of what it should look like. So much so, when a science teacher tries to practice scientific literacy by incorporating a novel, or scientific history by developing a timeline for the discovery of DNA, they are met with rebuffs. Activities that would be considered creative or increase a students' cultural awareness are often looked at as fluff items because they do not deal with a prescribed set of facts, but instead a dynamic system of thought. This is scary to individuals who do not understand the process of science as dynamic i...

It is already June, and I dont' feel like I've done anything of importance! Maybe, that is a good thing :) Today I have sat down to map out my biology class curriculum-again. I do  this every summer to incorporate ideas that I've discovered over the year. Today, I am focusing on my labs that I do/want to do in class. I still love my lab notebook and how it's changed over the last 13 years, but I'm not sold on my analysis/feedback system for the all-important: POST-LAB.  In the past I've incorporated both formal and informal write-ups, analysis questions, summary/conclusion paragraphs. About 10 years ago, after attending a summer workshop that incorporated white boards, I was sold. I purchased shower board and cut it into pieces (approximately 2'x3'.) Since then, I have used the whiteboards for the peer-review section of the lab with gallery walks and rubrics (check out whiteboard stands here.) The mini-poster is similar, in that the students will put t...

Columbus Signature Academy Just the other day I was applying for an "Innovation" team spot through my school district. I decided to start with the definition of 'innovation' and work from there. Change, transform, revolutionize, all of these words are perfectly applicable in everyday teacher-life, right? In addition to being uber-excited, I was so inspired looking back at old posts and clips of things that I've looked up before in regards to PBL and transforming classrooms. What a perfect time of the year to think about what will be done differently next year in terms of innovations. Transforming Classrooms New Learning Environments

Okay- joking on the "novel" part of this idea... Have any of you read about or heard of Sean Cornally ? In his blog: Think, Thank, Thunk he addresses 'cryptic' grading and 'boring teaching.' He even has a video on TED out that describes this radical idea that is so inspiring and practical: Let's grade students in a way that matters!

No, not reiterate- but iterate. By definition, the word means to perform repeatedly. If we are practicing a physical skill, we know the power of iteration (muscle memory, etc.), but what about mental exercises? We've all heard the old saying "practice makes perfect." We are also aware that if we practice something incorrectly we will be reinforcing bad habits, misconceptions, and falsehoods. This is the reason homework, in its traditional sense, is so frustrating. Not only to students, but to the parents as well. I mean- really, really, frustrating! Unfortunately, many students are 'practicing' at home WITHOUT a content expert! I know what you're thinking...flip the classroom! And yes, I think this is a very real strategy that can transform learning, but I'm thinking of schmo's like me. My student's have a low completion rate when it comes to any task that requires time outside of class. What if, our class time was spent in engaging students in the...