Chemosensory Biology has come to an end and I am left with a pile of final papers to review and grade. The month seemed to pass quickly. By the middle of the second week, students took charge of their projects and with the end of the daily quizzes, I found myself with less to do directly and was amazed at the developing experiments. This is likely an experience peculiar to instructing senior level students. Next semester I will assist with a large introductory marine biology course consisting in large part of non-biology majors. Chemosensory students tell me that the course is rather general and full of people who don't care. This does not give me high expectations for the experience but I try to remain hopeful and will do my best.
One issue that came up with teaching students so close to my own level is that I didn't know all that much more than they particularly concerning statistical analyses. I am now eager to push ahead in my own education not only for my own benefit but to be able to better assist students in future years. Despite the possible lesser interest of the introductory students in the spring, I am hopeful that I will be able give better, more complete explanations to a lower level class.
Class Complete
Blog Action Day -- One Week Later
Unfortunately, I also missed the proverbial boat on the whole blog for the environment thing. However, as an avid recycler and environmentalist, here I come now with a great idea regarding integrating the environment and recycling into your classroom.
I saw this idea implemented in a first-grade classroom that I taught in last year; basically, the teacher took it upon herself to start a new station in the classroom called the "scrounge table." Essentially, it was a cardboard box full of recyclable materials. It had paper towel rolls, old wrapping paper, bubble wrap, pieces of cardboard, fabric scraps, newspapers, old magazines, plastic bags, etc. The kids were able to use glue and tape to make their own creations using as many of the materials as they wanted.
And honestly, it was a HUGE hit. The kids loved being unrestricted in the amount of materials they could use, because unlike pricey markers and clay, these materials were being used again and again, and are basically free. The teacher then took it to the parents and the rest of the school community. She asked for donations from parents and other teachers, and thus the amount and variety of materials increased.
Furthermore, since the concept promotes creativity, fine and gross motor skill development as well as focus, motivation and teamwork, it was adopted as more than a fun free-for-all. Eventually, this teacher was also able to use the scrounge table as a form of behavior management for some of her students who were particularly active or prone to getting in trouble. If someone was having trouble sitting still or listening during cirle time, for example, the teacher would send the child to the scrounge table to work out their energy constructively. If two students were bickering over something, she would ask them to both construct something at the table to give to the other person in an act of forgiveness.
Such a simple idea became a huge deal in the classroom and many of the students claim it was their favorite classroom station. Furthermore, the table encouraged students to recycle things at home and bring them in to use.
This concept can be adapted for use in higher elementary grades, and can succeed with a little help from a classroom in almost any type of school.
environmental education
I missed the boat...Andrea sent me an email about blog action day, and I assumed it meant post about the environment this week rather than specifically on Monday.
Still the topic is interesting and important enough to address anyway.
Public awareness of global climate change is higher than ever with many scientists and media sources promoting awareness. This trend itself reveals a trend in education but a type involving brief information sessions directed towards adults. What is often brought up is the need for action now and sustained future action. This implies a need for environmental education in the world's schools and colleges.
Despite the need for education, highly specific classes are often counter productive for students who were not previously passionate about the subject especially if the subject is one that requires a major reworking of the thought process (think of all of the college freshman taking say intro to creative writing or general chemistry). Morever, how should environmental education be approached at the elementary and high school levels?
A partial solution to both issues is the same, cut out the clear cut "education" and introduce more teaching by example. Make recycling and energy saving ubiquitous. Young children and young adults alike respond to observing instructors and peers depositing bottles into recognizable recycling bins. The problem with classes designed to affect lifestyle changes is their lack of context. Students of all levels go to school and appreciate new ideas but fail to see relevance to "real life".
We have increased our ability to alter ecosystems as well as imposed changes for long enough that effects are becoming visible. In the past, environmental concern was something that we "should" be concerned about, now environmental concern is something that we need to be concerned about. The way to create more than just interest and a vague feeling of concern in future generations is to demonstrate two things by everyday example 1) that the environment is not a vague or technical concept, it is our homes, our schools, our workplaces 2) change at the individual level need not involve high tech gadgetry or enormous fast paced lifestyle changes. It's probably analogous to increasing voting, however I won't go deeply into civic contribution here.
Kid Nation
I am not sure if any of you are aware of the recent media phenomenon "Kid Nation," but I have a few things to say about it.
To provide you with some background, Kid Nation is a television program on CBS that follows a group of forty kids on a journey to create their own city, free of adults. The kids, aged eight to fifteen, were shuttled out to the Midwestern town of Bonanza City, a city that apparently failed under the leadership of its former adult rulers. The posse of kids have forty days to prove that they can overcome many challenges and run a healthy and flourishing city on their own.
Each episode is set up in the following way: first, there is a recap of what happened during the last episode; secondly, a new central problem is introduced. On one episode, drama broke out over whether or not to kill the neighboring chickens for food. The following week, the kids dealt with how to proceed with a religious service. After the issue is explored, there is a manufactured challenge the kids have to complete in order to win a "handsome reward." For example, one time they had to choose between a microwave or a pizza party. (They, or rather the council, chose the microwave.) At the end of each episode, the coveted gold star, worth $20,000 is awarded to the child who has worked the hardest during the "town meeting".
But, there is more to the show than just the basics. First of all, there is the council -- four kids chosen by the producers of the show based on their leadership ability. These four rule each of the four districts (red, yellow, green and blue). They also make the final decisions regarding who gets the gold star and which prize they will accept.
I could go on, believe me, but this is not the point. The point is that among all the over-produced, marketable moments shine truth and the goodness of children.
Take the example of a little eight year old girl from Indiana. She wanted to go home, especially after some of the chickens are killed for food. Although her older sister is also in Bonanza City with her, she misses her family. When the rest of the kids discover that this little girl is thinking about going home (an option presented to each child each week), they band together to support her, eventually awarding her the gold star.
On the episode with controversy over whether to have separate religious services or one service for all religions, one little boy goes above and beyond the council and the older kids when he takes a survey of all the religions present in Bonanza City.
I fell into watching this show for the first time because of the kids themselves. I continue to watch it now because of the psychological and developmental undertones that become apparent to me as I watch.
I guess what I'm saying is that it still never ceases to amaze me that the true essence of children shines through everything, even an over-hyped, highly-structured, over-produced, media-created mishmash of controversy.
NY times
Last week's NY Times Sunday Magazine featured several articles on college.
The two parts that caught my eye were:
Don’t Worry, Be Students
Amazingly class is half complete
The end of the second week of Chemosensory Biology draws near. It's been an interesting experience thus far. I started out feeling very much the assistant teacher that I am, spending time photocopying documents and editing the syllabus. Over time (and wow it's only been two weeks), I've come to enjoy making quiz questions and to a lesser degree grading them.
On the first day of class students needed to choose their research animals and state a provisional project goal. Some of the students felt ready for this coming into the course with ideas prepared but most seemed intimidated by the immediate decision necessary. By the end of the day, choices were made with a few being subsequently changed later in the week.
The second day involved a field trip to Little Sippewissett Marsh near Woods Hole, MA. Students collected hermit crabs and snails to be used as project specimens. The day was clear and not too cold to comfortably wade in the water. For those unfamiliar with the area, the marsh is not to confused with a swamp. It is an open area with grass and tidal "streams" of clear running water. Following collection, I found myself wanting to stay. Many students voiced the same desire. Some discussion ensued on the fact that prior to 2006, the course and the entirely of the marine biology program at BU was stationed in Woods Hole. Prior to 2006, there would be no need to leave. Everyone agreed that the Boston location offered many more opportunities for collaboration and social events but the quiet of Woods Hole and the immediate access to uncrowded beach and marsh areas for observation and field experimentation is a great loss.
The conclusion of the first week saw the submission of the formal research proposals and the second week has been spent designing experimental set ups and the beginning of data collection. At first I felt semi-intimated by the students because we are so close in age and being seniors they have a degree of expertise in areas some of which are unfamiliar to me. Still, I have experience in general experimental design. My former advisor's advice came back to me that the path to the doctorate is one of giving oneself permission to express what you do know rather than question what you don't.
Math Manipulatives
This semester, two of my five classes are methods courses, or courses that are dedicated to exactly how to teach a specific subject to early childhood grades. I am taking Teaching Language Arts and Teaching Math and Technology. In my TMT class, we have been discussing the importance of using manipulatives, or physical and visual aids, when teaching math and technology to young students. As I interact with students now, I can see how important this is and I wanted to bring in some examples.
We had an assignment where we had to watch first grade students answer a word problem regarding (11 x 4). Then, each of the students answered it in their own way, using their own strategy. The thing that stood out for me in this video clip was how most of the featured students used some sort of visual aid or physical process to find the solution to the question.
There were no students shown who sat down and wrote the numeral eleven four times and then added the ones up on either side and got 44. This is the way I would have solved the problem, and the way most practice worksheets are formatted, so it was interesting to see that the majority of these students appear to learn best when they have manipulatives or visual aids present.
Some of these aids included counting beads, groupings of manipulatives, white boards where they could draw pictures, etc. This observation gives a lot of insight into the minds of first graders, which can be extended to include first grade mathematics students all over the country. Teachers can then take this information and apply it to their teaching to ensure that their students get the most out of each math lesson.
I think one of the largest advantages for students who learn mathematics in this way is that they can actually see the physical number in front of their eyes -- that there are concrete representations within the classroom, usually constructed by the students themselves, which depict the solution. This is a great advantage because abstract concepts are hard for students in the early grades to grasp; therefore, by employing concrete images, concepts are more likely to stick in students’ brains.
Another advantage of such teaching is the instilling of independence in students. The students we watched were not coddled by the teacher, but simply scaffolded in a very balanced way. If a student needed help, the teacher was there to repeat the question, but you did not see the teacher rearranging manipulative groupings or interrupting a conversation between two students. This is a very realistic and helpful way of teaching, since over-teaching will only create dependence in students.
Finally, a third advantage of this teaching is that students can see many different ways of solving problems. There were four or five students who came up with their own way of solving the problem; this too is realistic and illustrates that a problem may have only one solution, but that there are many ways of getting to that end result.
One disadvantage of such learning is that students may have a hard time translating their concrete manipulatives into abstract numbers. For example, after learning the value of eleven times four, or forty-four, using blocks, a student may be unable to come up with the answer without the blocks. Somewhat of a dependence may result from the constant use of manipulatives.
Another disadvantage for students who learn in this way is that they may work with groups a lot, and may be passive and overshadowed by their group-mates. Although a community of co-learners is a good thing to create, a teacher must ensure that all of her students are having the same amount of time to share and do the work. Otherwise, some students are going to fall behind, whether or not they actually know the material.
Interesting stuff...at least for a nerd like me, haha.
