Questions and Reactions to Reading I

Sarah Schneider                                                                                               1/25/06

Questions and Reaction # 1                                                                              ESCI 315

Questions

1.)    If inquiry-based education is the best way to teach/learn science, then why isn’t it being implemented into every science classroom? I know some teachers, who are fairly new teachers (3years or less teaching experience) that still do not use inquiry-based lessons.

2.)    Textbooks are proven to be not as effective in having students understand scientific concepts and engaging students in their learning as hands-on activities do. Therefore, shouldn’t every teacher be moving towards using other resources, such as primary sources, magazine articles, newspaper articles, journals, and the internet to convey a lesson purpose and to have students demonstrate their knowledge of a specific topic?

Reaction

            I strongly agree that inquiry-based education is the best way for students to fully understand and grasp the topic at hand. This includes both lessons and labs. However, if most labs in schools are being conducted though known answers and procedures, then aren’t we, as teachers, taking that inquiry-based learning away from the students? I feel that teachers need to show and teach students how to think for themselves. Even though their bodies might be maturing faster than years before, their minds are at the same state. So, shouldn’t there be a better way to conduct a lab where the students are allowed to think for themselves, possibly create their own procedure to find an answer to a question? For students to become an inquiry-based learner, the teacher must be one who embraces inquiry-based education and demonstrates how powerful it can really be. This means going away from the textbook and cookbook labs and becoming more creative and diverse when teaching.

Jessica Banewicz                                                                      Question and Response

“Sending Science Teachers Out To Challenge Their Past”:

Questions:

1.      How will I handle judgment by other teachers and the parents of my students concerning my teaching strategies?  Will I try to conform to their teaching ideology or will I do what I feel will work for me and my students regardless of any negative attitudes?

2.      Will teaching ever be solely inquiry based?  Is this even possible?

Response:

            I felt that the author of this article was rather negative, especially toward the beginning of the piece.  I was not sure what he was trying to convey until the end of the article.  I am not surprised that many current teachers and parents of students do not understand inquiry-based teaching.  I am not sure when colleges began refraining from educating teacher candidates to primarily lecture, but I do know that it was recent and this is the main cause for the alarm among older educators and parents from past generations.  The article mentioned institutional constraints of excellence which I interpreted as the examinations such as the New York State Regents.  This exam is given a negative connotation in the article due to the fact that its existence allows little time for teaching much other than the test itself.  This inhibits the educational process in that students get less of a broad understanding of their subject and teachers are confined as to what they can teach and when they can teach it.  I do not believe that classrooms will ever be solely inquiry based because educators, like everyone else, are individuals and hold different belief systems concerning educational techniques.

“Mind Expansion:  Inside the Teenage Brain”:

Questions:

1.      When does brain maturation come to a full stop?  Are there any exceptions?

2.      What are the signs of full brain maturation?

3.      Does the production of new brain cells during the teenage years result in bouts of intelligence?  Is this period of time the most opportune for the learning process?

Response:

            I feel that the study conducted that tested teenagers’ ability to read facial expressions is faulty due to the fact that fear can be a difficult emotion to put a finger on.  The study results claimed that teenagers misread the fearful facial expressions, misjudging them for sadness, anger, and confusion.  However, isn’t fear a mix of all of these emotions?  And therefore, wouldn’t the facial expression of a person experiencing fear convey many other emotions besides simply fright?  I feel that different scientific studies should be conducted to be positive that adults and teenagers process information differently due to the frontal cortex.  As for the issues that teenagers experience in regards to self-control, judgment, emotional regulation, and organization during the renovation of the frontal lobe of the brain; perhaps extensive research should be conducted to prove that these conditions co-exist.  Personally, I feel that everyone, regardless of their age, struggles with these issues that are so prevalent in teenagers.  Perhaps teenagers are more dramatic about their issues, however, from personal observations, everyone experiences them just as much as the younger generation.

Mark Gonzalez quote, Chart, and Textbook evaluation:

Questions:

1.      Why does the quotation by Mark Gonzalez follow such an odd format?  Is it for attention purposes?

2.      Surely, some lecturing should occur within the classroom for students who learn best through listening, writing, and studying.  What is the proper amount of this sort of teaching as combined with inquiry based learning to ensure a happy medium in the classroom?

3.      If science teachers are attempting to encourage students to pursue a life that embraces scientific thinking, why are we not encouraging real experiments, however small, rather than resorting to the opposite side of the spectrum?  Are we taking the easy way out for fear that students will struggle and lose interest in science?

4.      Why do we rely on textbooks so much if they are so inadequate in the education process?

Response:

            The format of Mark Gonzalez’s work is interesting and creative.  I believe its purpose is to help the reader concentrate on important words and phrases, as well as hold the reader’s interest.  My education classes are persistent in explaining the importance of hands-on learning.  Students should not be reliant solely on textbooks and lecture notes.  Although many students can learn by these means, it is not necessarily the most productive and worth while teaching method.  When students are able to learn through first hand experiences, they are more likely to learn and remember the material being presented to them.  I am not surprised that the textbooks prove to be of little help in the education process because I have witnessed this problem first hand as well as learned about textbook ineffectiveness in my educational literacy classes.  As for the science laboratory chart, it is interesting that as science educators we want to promote real scientific study, yet we teach in a way that promotes simple procedures with given answers.  This may be a safe means of education, but is it the most productive, motivational, and rewarding way to go about laboratory exercises?

Benjamin Tangney

QRS1: Sending science teachers out to challenge their past, Mind expansion

Questions:

Have methods and procedures for training teachers changed that dramatically over recent years?

Rather than all the methods and philosophies discussed in college courses, isn’t the key to becoming a successful teacher in the unrestrained time, such as the first year of teaching?

Couldn’t it be said that the brain of a teenager is evolving, rather than immature, because it can still complete the same tasks as the adult brain, it just does so with different sections of the mind?

In the quote from Mark Gonzalez, is the change in font size, italics, underlining, etc. done so in order to symbolize inquiry based teaching and education?

Why are textbooks such poor resources, considering they are what the majority of teachers depend on?

Reactions:

            I found it interesting when reading Jeffrey Weld’s piece, about the archaic style of teaching used in classrooms primarily because in High School I had experiences with both inquiry based classes as well as the old style of teaching.  My chemistry class in tenth grade was almost unbearable because of the way the class was taught.  Majority of us in the class ended up going to the other chemistry teacher after school to get help in it.  It was obvious that not only hadn’t my teacher received the proper training; she also was stuck in the boring lecture form of science.  It always annoys me when people say they didn’t enjoy their science classes, because with a little effort on the teacher’s part, science class should and could be the most enjoyable class of the day for students.  The demonstration of concepts through experiments in class are not just a better way to display things to students, I think it’s more likely that students would enjoy the classes.

            The second packet containing the second article, quote by Mark Gonzalez, and two diagrams/charts was interesting.  I liked how the article points out how comprehension is different at the teenage and adult levels.  It’s interesting to think about how the mind changes its functions over time and grows.  I also enjoy Mark Gonzalez’s quote.  I liked how the font was changed throughout the piece; it was a good way to display the concept behind inquiry-based education.  The next two diagrams annoyed me because it’s frustrating to see that science and the science classroom go in two completely different directions.  It is also frustrating to see how poor textbooks really are.  I guess that’s why it is so important to use other materials when having students read to help them get a better understanding of the material.

Ashley Gerace                                                                                                  ESCI 315

QRS 1                                                                                                             Jan 28, 2007

            In the article “Sending Science Teachers Out to Challenge Their Past”, I had a few questions that arose while I was reading.  My first question was why are students that are going into college more likely to teach how they have been taught to?  Is it because that is all that they know by experience, or is it that they feel that it is the most effective way? I think that future teachers should take what they see throughout their schooling, and decide what is effective and what types of lessons are students more likely to find interesting. 

            Another question that I had was why do teachers that have degrees teach the students the wrong way by using ineffective strategies?  It was stated in the article that students believe that the teachers that they had in high school are good teachers, but when they go to observe them while they are in college, they realize that the teachers are not using the teaching strategies that they learned in college.  This does not make sense to me.  One would think that teachers would use what they learned in college and apply the knowledge and skills in their classroom, but this is not always the case. 

            I also want to know why some teachers make their student teachers use the notes that the teachers already made through their experience.  Why wouldn’t the teachers try to get the student teachers more comfortable making lesson plans and developing their own tests and laboratory exercises? I think that this would be more beneficial for the student teacher.  I think that it is fine to use the hosting teachers notes as a guide, but I do not think that the student teacher would get the most out of the experience if they are just using the teachers’ material and not developing anything for themselves.  In the article it also stated that some student teachers just want to survive the experience and cannot wait to be able to run the classroom the way that they want to.  I think that the hosting teacher should realize that the student teacher is not enjoying the experience, and should try to accommodate a little bit in order to have the student teacher enjoy teaching.

            I found this article to be very interesting.  I liked the fact that the author recognized that there are ineffective teachers out there, and that college students notice this through observations and student teaching.  Some of my friends have already completed their student teaching, and I have heard stories about how hey were stuck grading quizzes and had to follow everything that the teacher told them to do.  I hope that my experience is a good one, and that I am free to run my own lessons with some input and advice from the hosting teacher.

            In the article ”Mind expansion: Inside the Teenage Brain”, a question arose as to why does the section of the brain that involves self-control, judgment, emotional regulation, organization, and planning shrink during young adulthood when this is the time where these traits are needed the most?  One would think that these areas would blossom due to the fact that young adulthood is a crucial time in a person’s life. 

I also found it interesting that teens misread certain facial expressions such as fear, and interpret it as sadness, anger, or confusion.  I think that those emotions look very different and I find it hard to think that it could be read the wrong way.  Maybe it is due to the fact that the teen sees an emotion on someone and connects it to the emotion that the teen is feeling or has recent felt.

In the piece by Mark Gonzalez, I agreed with the fact that students get more out of lessons that involve active learning and are inquiry based.  Active learning allows the student to be hands on with the material that they are learning, and the student can easily connect the activity to the lecture material.  I think that inquiry based learning is a great way for students to learn about science.  It makes the students formulate their own opinions on the subject, and can pull information for multiple sources. 

I think that these readings had a lot of interesting information.  I already knew some of the information that was stated in the articles, but I did learn some new things.  I did not find the readings boring, but I found the AAAS project report a little confusing to read.  Overall I liked the articles.

Jona Snyder                                                                                                     ESCI 315

Questions and Reactions #1                                                                              1/28/2007

Questions:                                                                                                                          

1)         How come inquiry based learning is a sudden “hot topic” in education at a time when society is increasingly reluctant to change?

2)         Jeffery Weld states that, “Parents need to be sold on our philosophy,” however; that may be easier said than done.  In what ways should we as teachers show parents and grandparents that our philosophies reflect the progression of education over the years while still maintaining the basics they remember?  (Especially in science!)

Reaction:

                   In reflecting on the articles I found myself thinking of my own high school education.  The graph provided in the reading clearly shows that most school lab activities falsely represent the field of “real science.”   I feel strongly that Inquiry Based Learning is a key component to more adequately aligning the two fields, however; I wonder based on my own experience if the pressure of high stakes testing puts time constraints on “real life” science activities in the classroom.  I feel that this testing view would have given both articles a third dimension. 

            On a final note, I really like how the one article is developed around the quote, “if ignorance is bliss, we must be the happiest people on the planet.”  It stresses the importance of teaching science to a world that is truly blind, and the difficulty associated with it.  Jeffery Weld’s paragraph on “teachers that weren’t prepared” was extremely interesting, as it portrays the harshness and reality of the school and classroom setting.  I feel this is something that pre-service teachers do not receive enough of. 

Gary Osarczuk

ESCI 315

QRS #1

Mind Expansion: Inside the Teenage Brain

Questions:

1.      In the article, Sharon Begley says that today’s teens mature physically at younger ages than their parents, and although they take on many of the behavioral trappings of adulthood, it doesn’t mean that they understand the full implications of their behavior. Why are today’s teens are maturing physically at younger ages than their parents?

2.      In the article, Sharon Begley says that teens often misread facial expressions, seeing sadness or anger or confusion where there was fear. She says that teens just process information differently than adults. But why do teens misread fear for other emotions?

  Reaction:

           As I read the article, Mind Expansion: Inside the Teenage Brain, by Sharon Begley, I found it to be very straightforward and not confusing at all. All the things that she proposed were backed up with articles and facts that made her argument very credible. I enjoyed reading this because almost all of the things I wondered while reading it were answered and as the article ended I felt like I learned something.

Sending Science Teachers Out To Challenge Their Past

Questions:

1.      In the article, Jeffrey Weld says that “their research, class discussions, and field experiences all point them to a vision of teaching quite different from what many had known. What are the differences in teaching that these future science teachers discover?

Reaction:           

            As I read the article, Sending Science Teachers Out to Challenge Their Past, I found it to be somewhat confusing, because Jeffrey Weld mentioned twice that there were differences between effective teaching practices, and the teaching that they are familiar with as clients of K-12 and collegiate science. He never mentioned what the differences were and that confused me a little bit. Other than that, the article was interesting, discussing future teachers and the questions and concerns they worry about as they mature.

Beth Cousineau                                             

January 29, 2007

QRS #1

Q-        How does one avoid falling into a “bi-pedalogical” practice while student teaching?

Q-        How does one prepare to handle administrators and parents?

Q-        When I student teach, how can I avoid being just a follower?

R-        This article reaffirmed the importance of being a life long learner, the need to constantly improve my teaching method, and be aware of archaic methods that are easy to follow/fall into. I thought that it was a great article. For at least half of my education classes I have had to write a paper outlining my philosophy of education, my philosophy has always encumbered discovery based, hands on learning. I wish I had this article to reference in those papers.

S-         In the article “Sending Science Teachers out to Challenge their Past,” Weld expresses his concern about how many preservice teachers follow their hosts lead. It is important to try out different teaching tactics without offending or overstepping the host teacher. Maintaining classroom management is a concern. If a student teacher holds back until he/she gets a class of his/her own he/she might not be able to manage the students.

Weld insinuates that without a good and independent experience student teaching preservice teachers, once graduated, find them selves lost in the classroom. This is due to lack of practice with students, administrators, and even parents. Based on the article having success stories ready and factual support about the discovery based lessons will help support myself against administrators. In addition, documenting success in the class will be beneficial. Teachers need to justify their methods. Through experiences while student teaching these lessons can be learned.

Q-        How does one tell the brain is maturing?

Q-        What effect does alcohol and drugs have on the brain “blossoming?”

Q-        What is an effective way to get students interested in their own “neural growth”?

R-        This article was very interesting. I found the explanation of emotional confusion in teens interesting. It also made me remember the stupid decisions I made when I was younger, specifically in junior high, and I didn’t see the outcome until after. I then recalled my friends who were boys, who continued to make rash decisions in high school, and today talk about how stupid those actions were. I can clearly see a point in my own growing up where I recognized an outcome to my actions. To me, this just emphasis the importance as a teacher of teens, that cultivating growth in a positive and educational way is not without its results. 

S-         In the article “Mind Expansion: Inside the Teenage Brain,” it is explained that the teen’s brain experiences a lot of development. When teaching in a class it could be useful if I was able to recognize teens that are capable of seeing an outcome to their behavior.

If when teens hit puberty new brain cells and neural connections form what short and long term effect can come from drinking or taking drugs on their brains growth. It would benefit students to be taught of the possible implications. Each of the lobes described a different form and time line of development in the diagram.

In response to the text book excerpt:

            I believe in a process. There needs to be an introduction to a lesson to initiate or spark an interest. This will get them to get the students asking questions. Once this has been developed self discovery for science students will force them to learn and to understand what they are learning. Reflection is key in acknowledging the importance and application of what they learned.

Matt Entwistle                                                                                                  1/29/07

ESCIN 315                                                                                                      QR #1

Ebert

QUESTIONS:

How do new teachers handle all of the pressures from administration and parents regarding inquiry based learning?

What is this new vision of science teaching that is so different from the past?

Why are teens maturing physically faster than their parents?

Is it really possible for teens to determine their own brain development?

Why does the frontal lobe containing such things as self-control, judgment, and organization shrink? 

REACTIONS: 

I found it really interesting in the article Sending Science Teachers Out To Challenge Their Past by Jeffery Weld that his high school physics teacher used to say “ignorance is bliss.”  It’s funny because my high school physics teacher used to say that all the time to his classes not only because he wanted people to get a better understanding of science through experiments and hands-on activities, but his name was Bliss.  Hopefully one day, Jeffery will get his wish and everyone will become ignorant of there ever having been an archaic method of teaching science and students will become more interested in science and want to learn more and pursue science careers.  The article Mind Expansion: Inside the Teenage Brain by Sharon Begley made me think of all the times that I would do stupid things with my friends and how temptation would take over instead.

d of reasoning.  For example, my friends and I put salt on our skin and compressed an ice cube to it to see who could do it the longest.  All of us new that it would cause a burn, but we did it just to see who could win.  After reading this article, it made me think back about the day I did this and whether or not I would do it again. 

In response the yellow graph:

How do we encourage students to question the unknown?

Mike Ballard                                                                                        January 28, 2007

Esci 315                                                                                               QRS #1

“Mind Expansion: Inside the Teenage Brain”

 Questions:

1. If today’s teenagers are maturing faster than their parents, why are their brains not keeping up with the pace?
2. If during their teenage years students brains are “pruning back” the circuits that are less often used, does this mean that during this period a student could be taught to do anything very well? For example, an uncoordinated student is taught to play baseball and eventually becomes very good.

 Reactions:

            I found myself questioning my own teenage years. If this information is correct and we re-wire our brains so that we can do a smaller number of activities better than could I have been much better student without sports, or vice-versa? If this is true then I feel that my own personal experiences as a teenager could help the teens in my class become better at specific topics, or activities.

 Summary:

            This article talks about how a teenager’s brain works. Although today’s teens are maturing physically faster, they are still maturing mentally at the same rate as their parents. During their teenage years the brain begins to redo itself and takes more space for the activities that are performed most often. During this process the brain of a teenager thinks differently from that of their adult counterparts. Teens still lack the :judgment, insight and reasoning power” that adults have obtained.

Sarah's Response to Jessica

            Jessica, I agree that classrooms may never become solely inquiry based, but isn’t that why we are attending college? I always thought, just as you do, that this is a new idea that has been proven more effective when instructing students. I have always though that classrooms will never be solely inquiry-based. However, I feel that as more time passes more and more new teachers will be using inquiry-based education. Eventually, all the teachers who do not use this type of education will not be teaching as many classes as our generation and the next generations are. Even though people have different opinions when it comes to education, educators who are teaching future teachers are shaping the pre-service teachers to be effective instructors.

Jessica's Response to Jona:

I agree that the graph regarding laboratory exercises and how they are conducted within a classroom setting is a concern.  Real science, as Jona refers to the true scientific field, is falsely represented by educators who facilitate laboratory activities.  However, there is hope.  Educators who adopt inquiry based learning as a means of gaining knowledge may help students recognize what true science is and how to go about being a scientist rather than regurgitating small bouts of classroom information is lab format.  I do not believe time constraints due to testing would be an issue because lab minutes must add up to a specific number regardless of how the lab is taught.  Yes, labs can over the set limitation of lab minutes, but educators should know not to push their students too hard for fear of frustrating them into hating their subject matter.  Instead of having small labs, perhaps teachers could create larger labs that take two to three periods.  The labs would be more project oriented, and in turn, be closer to the realm of ‘real science’.

Matt's Response to Sarah

Sarah, I agree with you on the fact that inquiry-based education is the best way for students to learn.  Even though many teachers do not use this practice, I feel that it will be incorporated in every classroom one day.  We are in school now to learn how to teach inquiry based classes and when we go out into the field we will use these skills that have been passed onto us to our future students.  This will give them an advantage over other students who are taught through the traditional teaching style.  Letting the students think for themselves is one of the best teaching tools we as teachers have.  This will let them get a better understanding of the topic and they will be able to remember and comprehend better.  It’s our job as inquiry-based teachers to make this change and implement it in the classroom.  It will take some time because the students are so used to being “spoon fed” everything that they need to know for school.  We might get frustrated, but in the end it will be worth it because the students will then be able to think and understand on their own. 

Beth's Response to Ashley

            In Ashley’s second paragraph she talks about teachers not using the skills that they learned in college. In the most recent observation that I did I noticed that the high school Earth Science teacher didn’t appear to be using any of those skills. But, at the same time I thought he was a very good teacher.

            I asked how he taught. He said, when he first got out of school he used everything he had learned in college, but over time he developed his own style of teaching. It was one that worked well with his students; it allowed him to maintain control of the class, teach something, and have fun. He is very sarcastic with the students, but the way he balanced sarcasm with seriousness worked very well with his students. I think that he does used what he learned in college, but he added his own style to it.

Ashley's Response to Ben

Ben,

I was also wondering why teachers feel that textbooks are poor resources, and then go against what they think and use them in the classroom.  Shouldn’t the teachers try to find better textbooks, or different ways to get the students the information rather than relying on something that they do not even feel confident with?  People are constantly bashing textbooks, and I think that teachers should try to find ways to enhance textbooks and change the aspects that they do not like.  This would decrease the amount of negative talk directed towards textbooks, and would increase the amount of interest in the classroom.

I completely agree with the part about everyone thinking that science classes are boring, when in reality they could be the most interesting classes if they would just give them a chance (which is exactly what you said).  The first time a student get stuck in the classroom with a “less than interesting” teacher, they immediately think that the subject is boring, when in reality it is the way that the teacher is teaching that is boring and dry.  In most cases, if the teacher is a good teacher then the students like the subject but I feel that science classes are the first classes to be deemed as boring, but this shouldn’t be the case do to all the hands on labs that the students complete.

Gary's Response to Sarah

ESCI 315

Critical Review : Sarah Schneider’s QRS

I completely agree that Inquiry based Teaching is a great ideal.  I would love to see this occurring in high schools everywhere. However I think that with the education system the way it is, there is little room for Inquiry Based Teaching.  With so little time and so much material to cover in a given school year, there is little room for students to perform labs in which the answer and procedure is unknown.  This would take a 45 minute lab and turn it into a week or several week long projects.  I don’t think one sporadic Inquiry Based Labs or Lessons throughout the year would be great, however this cannot be the basis of the curriculum. 

            In regards to Textbooks and their proven ineffectiveness, I think that textbooks are slowly being phased out.  Many disagree, but in college alone, I have experienced a drop in required texts since being admitted as a freshman.  This year I have several science classes that require no texts.  I see less importance being placed on textbooks, but in the public school system, I cannot see them being removed.  There is too much emphasis placed on textbooks, even if it’s just having them for a false sense of security. 

Jona's Response to Jessica

ESCI 315

2/5/2007

 Response to Jessica,

I was impressed with Jessica’s first question about the, “judgment by other teachers and the parents of my students concerning my teaching strategies.”  I feel this is a fear all teachers face upon entering the classroom.  Just because teachers are “professionals” doesn’t mean they are exempt from the human society and stripped of personal feelings.  It is perfectly natural to wonder what other people think of us and to take advice from them, however; it is crucial that as teachers we develop a philosophy of teaching.  This philosophy should be the driving force behind everything we do in the classroom, and should reflect our commitment to our students.  As for dealing with the insults, which we all know will occur, stop and consider the source.  If other teachers and parents are low and unprofessional enough to criticize your methods with out personally confronting you, they might want to evaluate their own lifestyle. (Just a polite suggestion!)  I truly feel if we each remember why we are becoming teachers we will be self driven to success.  In ending I will leave you with a quote to ponder from Lee Iacocca, “In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have.”

(Great JOB Jess!!!)

Mike's Response to Ben

In response to Ben:

Why are textbooks such poor resources, considering they are what the majority of teachers depend on?

I think that textbooks are still a vital resource for our classrooms. I haven’t, on the other hand seen a lot of teachers still using them as a basis for their lessons. Most of my teachers while I was in high school used them as supplements (maybe because we were poor and the books were pretty outdated)

I really think that textbooks contain a vast amount of useful information, and even good examples but the problem with them is that they are more like encyclopedias. They are not designed to be “read” but more as a complement to what we are discussing in our classes. These textbooks are also not designed for your own classroom but more for state curriculums, which is another reason we need to rely less on the book and more on ourselves.