Science Inquiry Lessons: Thoughts and Feelings

I believe that science inquiry is a way to provoke thinking outside of memorization and learning facts. I feel as if I grew up with more memorizing material and not enough experimenting and observing. Making definitions and observing new and interesting science phenomenon helps children to truly learn and apply what they know in other science experiments. This type of teaching not only allows the children to learn but also promotes entire lessons that stem from one question of curiosity. I think that it is important to not only go by the book and lesson plan but to make sure that you put the children’s thoughts and curiosity somewhere in the plan first. Their ideas need to be top priority. I am excited about learning along with my children and extremely interested to see what types of questions and thoughts that children come up with through this type of science. They may come up with questions that I do not know the answer. In this type of situation the children will use their prior knowledge to work with me to find the answer. I am most comfortable with observations because I think that you can learn a lot from simply observing. I think that I will be good at taking something little, for example sharks or spiders and turn it into an entire fun unit. In order to grow and improve on science inquiry learning I, as a future educator, need to be more patient and understanding. This type of teaching allows the teacher to invest into a lot of time for the students to think. I think that this might be something that I would struggle with. I also am a very organized person and sometimes this might allow for me to change and be flexible with my science life. I would need to work on this to instill science inquiry in my classroom.

What's So Special About Teaching Elementary Students, Anyway??

I recently had a conversation with my sister, a public relations major who now works in a law firm doing corporate planning. She warned me about the real world and how monotonous days start to get when you do the same thing over in over. After hearing this statement, I quickly responded happily and excitedly. Although the “real world” may be coming at me fast, my days would not be the same like with her job and many others. With kids, everyday is a brand new day. There are new things to learn and new ways to grow. There are different moods and attitudes each day and even different opportunity for lives to be touched. This is what I am really going to love about my job. I will not, in a since, have to ever enter “the real world.” I am given the opportunity to stay a child at heart forever and to never forget what it is like to be young again. Elementary student will be a constant reminder of what it is like to have no real worries and to be fascinated by the little things in life. I look forward to learning more on one day at the job then any lawyer or businessman learns in an entire year.
Elementary students, especially the younger ones, are like little sponges. They are eager to learn and want to soak up everything that is brought to them. The world is still a neat and happy place to them and they want to know and ask questions about everything that is on it. Their curiosity provokes learning that may not have even been on the lesson plans. Days may not go as planned, however, this is fine. Sometimes elementary students learn more on these “unplanned” days than on the most well thought-out lessons.
With elementary students, I believe, there is a real chance to make a difference in the child’s life. Unfortunately, not all children are put in ideal situations. Sometimes children are put into home conditions that are not appropriate for a child’s mind and their situations that are very unstable. It is very unfair for the child and there is nothing that they can do to change their surroundings. However, they can get away for 8 hours during this day. During this time I want to be and will be the stability in their life. By teaching elementary students I will be given the opportunity to show my students love, forgiveness, compassion and other emotions that they may not have ever experienced before. This truly excites me about entering the teaching field. I will always remember that I am not just an elementary student’s teacher. One day, I could be a student’s caregiver or counselor and on another day, I might just have to be their friend. At this age, these children might need a hug, a smile or words of motivation.
Teaching elementary students brings me the perfect opportunity to be an excellent role model to these children. In these years, students look up to their teachers. They think a lot more of the teaching profession than some, or most, junior high or high school students. To some students their teacher is someone that they want to be just like. This is why I want my students to see me in positive manner at all times. I want to show my students how to be helpful not just through school activities. It is great to give back to the community for all that they do. I want to help out in the community and volunteer where it is needed. Hopefully, seeing me acting positively by helping out the community will make an impact on my students. Some may even want to come with me and do the same. I can set an example that the children may not see in any other adult figures in their life. It is at this age that students need this guidance to help start them off to a better life.

Major Issues in Schools and How They Need to Be Addressed

Since the No Child Left Behind Act was passed by President Bush there has been a huge movement towards standardized testing. Some may say that this is a good decision; however I feel that it is a major issue in our school systems. Through this movement a lot of pressure is put on the student when standardized testing time comes around. Teachers are also now teaching just the test and not what they feel is an important part of the construct for the student to learn. Schools that receive the highest scores, receive the most money, therefore; lots of money is going into the preparation for theses standardized tests. I feel that this money could go elsewhere. Also, through this movement most extra activity time such as art, physical education and music classes are being pushed away. Schools and school systems are so concerned with SAT standardized tests scores that these extra activities are completely taken away. Teachers feel that they need this time to prepare for standardized tests. I think that this is absurd and that children need to have a well rounded curriculum. Studies have shown that students, early- elementary especially, tend to do better on assessments when they are able to rest their minds.
In addition art and music exposure has been correlated to improvement on grades and assessments. As an upcoming teacher this movement will affect my daily classroom practices tremendously. If these extra activities are not offered, I want to be able to incorporate music, art and these extra activities into the classroom myself. In college at Auburn University, I took college course in how to teach art, music and physical education and I would incorporate these activities in with my learning activities. Thus giving my students time to have fun and rest their brains. Too much pressure on the students is bad for their esteem and they need to learn more than just what is on the standardized test. With proper classroom management, I could help my students by making sure they achieve high enough on the SAT, but still allowing room for them to learn information and have a little fun outside of test preparation.
Another issue that must be addressed is school funding. With the economy at a record low, there is just not enough money to make sure that all schools are equipped well and are up to par with supplies. I plan to address this even before I become a teacher. I am taking advantage of opportunities that allow me the chance to start collecting and acquiring supplies as I go along. For example, yard sales have children’s’ books at very inexpensive prices. Also, trying to stay in contact with old teachers who retire is good for collecting supplies. I recently collected an abundance of books and posters for room decoration from a retried teacher who did not have a need for the materials. I will use these especially for being a first year teacher. When becoming a teacher, I can address this by brining in my own personal things that can contribute to classroom activities. .
The last issue that I want to address is overcrowding of the schools and school systems. Since No Child Left Behind, several schools have been shut down due to poor quality. This and insufficient t funding has caused schools to become overcrowded. Some schools are now looking at 30 kids in a classroom. If this is the case for my classroom, I will address the problem by giving my students as much one on one time as possible. I think that working in groups can contribute to this. If I can not allow one on one time to each of the students, a group of 5 gives the student more individual attention than a group of 30. I know that I am only allowed 8 hours everyday; however I plan on capitalizing on these eight hours and making sure each child gets enough individual attention to get the most out of their year with me.

Under What Conditions Do Children Learn Best?

There are many conditions that children learn better in than others, however; one condition clearly sticks out in my mind. Children learn best in safe environments. I want to make my classroom a safe place for my children to learn and grow. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs chart shows that children can not continue to learn until all psychological and safety needs are met. As a teacher knowing that children will not be able to learn until certain needs are met will help me create great learning conditions. For example, if the child is hungry because food is not abundant at home then they will not be able to focus on multiplication problems in math class. Thus I can make better learning conditions by planning to have packs of peanut butter crackers in my classroom for situations such as these. My reasoning behind this is to make learning and focusing on their work easier for the child. This is only one example, however; there are several ways that I intend to incorporate Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in my own classroom to help explain certain circumstances.
First of all, I plan to establish a routine to start and continue through the entire day. Children are at a better piece of mind to learn when they know what is about to happen. Having a routine, for example in the morning when they come in or when they go to centers, is something that establishes a safe classroom environment. If students do not know what is about to happen next, it can possibly create an anxious and nervous situation. I learned this when I worked and did service learning hours at The Discovery Club after school care program in college at Auburn University. The kids would come in from school and know that they have 20 minutes of homework time and then its snack and play time. They also knew that homework time is quiet time. Since they knew that homework time is right when they come in, they are quiet without even being told. This takes a little bit of stress off us as teachers to make them behave and have to remind them everyday to be quiet. This routine is established at the beginning of the school year and is reinforced everyday. It is amazing to see how the children quickly respond to the set guidelines. Children seem to show an appreciation for knowing what is expected of them daily. This also allows them to focus on what is being taught rather than worrying about what is going to happen next and when, for example, P.E or recess is going to take place. They know what to do throughout the day.
I also want to establish a safe environment by making sure that everybody is comfortable being in my classroom. I want to get to know my students and find out if something is bothering them by the classroom set up or when I set up seating arrangements. Teasing and making fun of other students will not be tolerated in my classroom. Every student deserves to feel safe in my classroom and I will not allow other students to ruin that for one of their peers. It does not matter what is going on before or after school, when students are in my classroom they will feel safe. This is especially important for students who do come from a troubled or dishearten situations when they are at home. I want my eight hours to allow the children a chance to feel that they belong. I want to help establish the best possible conditions for the student to learn. If students do not feel comfortable or something is bothering them it might make it difficult to focus on their school material. As a teacher, I feel that it is my responsibilities to establish belongingness and build esteem where I can help. When children feel good about their self it also contributes to having an excellent learning condition. My students’ needs will be placed at the top of my priority list.