Exploration Day Reflection

Prompt: Reflect in your teaching and learning journal about your exploration. What did you
experience (science content, pedagogy- the methods of teaching, and nature of science-
what is being practiced)? How does that learning influence your teaching?

In lieu of class today, we were assigned a variety of tasks to explore science content a bit deeper and more relevant to real world teaching.  While reading through specific sections in the National Science Education Standards, I was somewhat taken aback at how specific and easy-to-read these standards were in reality.  I found the standards very easy to read, and incredibly applicable to my future science teaching.  When reading about the Use of Content Standards, I enjoyed the clarification between content and curriculum.  The standards made the point that content is what students learn but not how they learn the information, how the information is organized, or how the information is emphasized.  This section additionally referred to the possibility of adding science content without eliminating standards from any category.  This allows teachers the freedom to add to the curriculum, as long as all of the required standards remain intact.  This section truly made me more excited to teach science as inquiry to my future students, especially regarding the national shift and recognition of the promotion of inquiry in science learning.  I firmly believe in inquiry learning, and was glad to see many of the standards reflecting this idea.  The actual standards were organized in an easy-to-read fashion that clarified a few ideas for me.  I felt much more comfortable with my content knowledge regarding science after reading the standards.  I also felt more comfortable with the idea of using these standards to help guide my lesson plans.  Particularly with some recent lesson plan ideas, I could visualize how these standards would seamlessly fit in to my plans. 

While exploring the webquest, I found myself contemplating many important pedagogical ideas.  I have had some limited past experience with webquests, and therefore, had a good idea of what the range of webquests available is.  Having created a webquest for a social studies unit myself, I understood the formula and the possibilities available in the webquest.  After performing my webquest as a student and reflecting from both a student and teacher view, I was somewhat disappointed at the activity.  Webquests are meant to be engaging, technology filled, and creative opportunities for students.  The webquest I completed was essentially computerized worksheets, with little to no active exploration or engagement.  I was disappointed to see a webquest being used in this way, having expected a variety of challenging, inquiry-filled, and real world connection activities.  After brainstorming changes that could be made to better the webquest, I became much more confident in myself as a future teacher.  I found some very realistic ways to make the webquest filled with inquiry, more engaging for students, and more challenging depending on student interest.  I want my science lessons to be exciting and individualized, with much relation to the real-world. Through this learning, I have reflected upon my own pedagogical views and contemplated what I find most important when teaching science.  As I have written before in my blogs, I continuously find added support for my belief in the use of science notebooks.  I believe, after reading much of the content for Science Methods, that science notebooks not only allow for active inquiry but also develop a variety of skills, most importantly aid in the development of literacy.  The standard sections helped me to strive for creating lesson plans that include with standards without revolving around the standards.  I hope to create lessons that my future students truly are involved in, plans that accomplish much more than simply affirming the content standards.