Mark Parker
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
CA

Engineering Encounters: Optimizing Your K–5 Engineering Design Challenge

Sun, Oct 21, 2018 9:26 AM
Practical Resource

This article provides practical methods for optimizing Engineering Design Challengs. For example, ways to test challenges prior to students doing them gives teachers insight into what to expect when students do them. Methods for safety procedures are given which is important for keeping all participants safe. I would,keep,this article on hand for my school’s staff becoming we just opened our new science lab, and it’ll be imporformteachers to keep these methods in mind for doing challenges in the lab or outdoors.

Methods and Strategies: Hiding in Plain Sight

Sun, Oct 21, 2018 9:16 AM
Very helpful!

This article is very useful for evaluating trade books to support the 5E Instructional Model. I liked the charts it provides for each phase of the model to help determine the best trade books for each phase. I also like the suggested titles for each phase because it gives me some titles to start with.

Questions for the Sunflowers

Sat, Oct 20, 2018 11:41 PM
Planting the Seeds of Science Learning!

This article introduced the Reggio-Emilia approach to teaching.The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It is a pedagogy described as student-centered and constructivist that utilizes self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments. The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery through a self-guided curriculum. At its core is an assumption that children form their own personality during early years of development and are endowed with "a hundred languages", through which they can express their ideas. The aim of the Reggio approach is to teach how to use these symbolic languages (e.g., painting, sculpting, drama) in everyday life. It was developed after World War II by psychologist Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the villages around Reggio Emilia, Italy, and derives its name from the city. This is how Wikipedia defines the approach. Kindergarteners express themselves in a year-long sunflower study through the arts like painting and literature and present their findings in a culminating video project. Students develop language throughout the unit through "questioning" the sunflower and discussions about its parts and growth which helps build questioning strategies in science. It was a very interesting tool to teach science and other subject areas. I will be interested in finding out more about this philosophy.