SCIJim

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** Textbook Survey—Science **** (Investigating Safely) **

As you peruse your content area textbook, please complete the following activities and/or questions. You may place your responses on this page. 1. Write a bibliographical entry for the book using APA format.

Texley, J, Kwan, T, & Summers, J(2004). //Investigating safely//. (1 ed., Vol. 1). Arlington, Virginia: NSTA Press.

2. The book has several authors. What are some potential benefits of having several authors? The benefit of having several authors is that you get multiple points of view. With more ideas being used, the probability of getting the best possible practice is much greater. In addition, each author can provide their own experiences with teaching. I'm a firm believer that you can learn at least one thing from everyone in this world, so by having multiple authors, just means that there will be more to learn!

3. Read through the Introduction. What are 2 things that you learned about the book? I learned that the authors of the book have a great deal of experience in teaching high school science. I always thought that the people that write/teach education classes spent only a few years teaching so they can pursue their doctorates and become professors. I also learned that the authors seem to be a lot like myself. They admit that they don't know everything and suggest that this book be a guide to improving my science classroom and having it function safely. The authors also claim that they want the book to be entertaining and an enjoyable read.

4. What are the titles of the three appendices? Which one will be of the most use to you in teaching? Appendix A - Chemicals to Go Appendix B - NSTA Position Statement on Safety Appendix C - American Chemical Society Safety Guidlines

Appendix A appears to be of most use to me considering I currently follow all Flynn Laboratories safety guidelines and have a very good sense of safe practices in the lab. However, Appendix A provides a good quick reference on how to dispose of certain hazardous chemicals that I will encounter in my lessons and demonstrations.

5.Skim through some of the statements that begin the first four chapters. Which one do you like best? Why? The statement I enjoyed best was at the beginning of chapter 2. It mentions that learners are "no longer tracked or shuttled to leveled course work". In my current experiences as an emergency certified science teacher, I have found quite the opposite. Students are somewhat tracked into my Chemistry Concepts course. As a typical freshman, a student would take Integrated Science, then move on to Biology, and ending with Chemistry as all of the required science credits they need. However, students that do not perform well in mathematics or science are politely recommended to take Chemistry Concepts. Is this required of them? Of course not, but typical students will take the courses that have been recommended for them. Thus, creating a classroom where the students do not perform well in the content area as a whole, have little to no interest in the material, and often have special needs and IEP's that need tending to. Yet, it is my role as an expert educator to create an environment for these students to grow as scientists and as people, and to possibly get them to enjoy science. Last year, this often seemed like a daunting task that I could not overcome.

6.According to chapter 11, what are the 4 Ps for Professionals? The four P's for Professionals are Prepare, Plan, Prevent, and Protect. These are designed to ensure a safe environment for students while still providing the best possible lessons for students.

7.“Savvy Science Teacher” is a section towards the end of each chapter. Pick one of these to read. What is one helpful tip from that section? At the end of chapter 8, Ms. T and her physics class do a "magic" show to demonstrate their knowledge. I think it would be cool to do the same thing with chemistry. Students would have to come up with a magic trick using chemistry and then provide an explanation as to how it's done. I think this would be a good idea for an end of the year project because students could access all of the prior labs that we've done. Plus, with all of the information on websites such as chemistry.about.com, students should have no trouble finding a safe experiment that they could practice in class, and then demonstrate to their peers. 8. Of all the chapters in the book, which one interests you the most? Why? I believe Chapter 2 interests me the most because it seems to be about differentiation and how everyone in the class will have different abilities. I prefer doing scaffolding and giving students choice projects so they can learn what they want to learn about. I think this chapter will provide some good ideas for other differentiation strategies for my classroom.

9. Of all the chapters in the book, which one will you probably not read during this course? Why? I most likely would not read the chapter entitled, "The Great Outdoors". As much as I'd love to do more learning outside of the classroom, I feel like most of the applications would be to Biology. Also, the school that I teach at doesn't seem to have much outside that I would be able to incorporate into a classroom. Finally, the experiences I have had in taking students outdoors have not been good ones, so I am rather skeptical of the idea.

10. What is one section in particular that you would like to discuss further with your content advisor? The section I intend on discussing with my content advisor further would be, "Modern Alchemy". I've always been intrigued by the concept of alchemy and the process of turning an element into a completely different element. While I know this isn't possible, chemistry is my favorite subject to teach and I would love to get more ideas on how to improve my chemistry classroom. My hope is that my content advisor can provide me with more demonstrations and labs to do with my students. Read chapters 1-4. Highlight as you read a chapter. Then stop and list your “Top 5 Ideas/Tips” from the chapter. Read only one chapter at a sitting.
 * Instructor Recommendations for Reading:**

Chapters 5-9 are specific to areas of concentration (Biology, Chemistry, etc). Read the chapters that apply to your certification.

Three Trends

Three trends in science education are Science Inquiry, Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM), and Problem-based Learning. I believe the main objective of these trends is to prepare students for the modern world. Currently, technology is practically unavoidable when discussing the job market. So incorporating the use of technology in the classroom is imperative for students to be successful after they graduate. Also, engineering and problem-based learning is important because the fastest growing fields of employment involve engineering. Teaching students to approach a problem from a scientific manner could not only benefit the student, but the world. Students must be taught to be creative in coming up with new ideas to solve old problems. These trends are ideas that I am hoping to add to my science classroom in the near future.

Abstract

Education is evolving and it is important that teachers understand these changes and adapt to them. In the area of science, students need to learn how scientists think and act. Students must also be aware of the current technology that is available. Also, mathematics plays a significant role in the science classroom because it is the universal language that scientists use to communicate ideas and information around the world. By teaching students through more inquiry based activities, using the latest technology, and emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we can better prepare students as the scientists of tomorrow.

Writing Boost Learning

I have always felt that writing about a topic demonstrates further mastery than just regurgitating a bunch of facts. I agree that getting students to write and think about science can be more beneficial and students may even retain more information if they discuss what they've learned. I like how the article relates a lab notebook to the writing that is done in science. In a lab, a scientist will make a hypothesis, write a procedure, make tables, and write a conclusion based on the lab results. If these ideas cannot be expressed then the experiment and conclusion is rendered useless. I think the overarching idea behind writing in science is to be able to express your thoughts, opinions, and explanations as to why life and our universe functions like it does.

Summative Assessment

Cindy and I met and simply discussed how I can use my work in my Integrated Science class for my summative assessment. I just need to be sure to have the 5 types of questions as well as mentioning the accommodations I've made for students with special needs. Cindy also provided me with several articles discussing performance assessments and making further accommodations in a science classroom.

Why am I a teacher?

I am a teacher because I enjoy interacting with students and teaching them concepts they have never seen before. I love seeing their eyes light up and shout,"I get it!" and the enthusiasm that follows this revelation. I also take satisfaction in being a part of other clubs and activities such as coaching basketball and advising student council. All of these venues provide me with an opportunity to be a mentor to students. The greatest plesure I get from teaching is when I see a student go from a goofy, immature, unmotivated freshman and grow into an intelligent, ambitious, and still goofy senior. As nice as the summers are to have off, realistically most young teachers end up working through the summer anyway. Maybe I'll enjoy that aspect when I have more time and money to travel.