Courtney James

IA

Thu, Dec 12, 2019 8:50 PM
Great Read!

This was a great read with a lot of useful information but I think one of the most important parts of the article goes overlooked, phenomena. Engaging students in a phenomena is the first step to having any discussion at all. Students need to be given the opportunity to become engaged in wondering about how something works or why something is happening. The article mentions how important discussion can be the younger the students are. As a teacher of lower grades, your students may not be able to read or write very fluently if at all yet. Discussions allow students to talk about what they found out and compare ideas with each other. It is important as the teacher you are not leading the discussion, only supporting it when needed. Students use discussions to make sense of the phenomena they were engaged in.

Thu, Dec 12, 2019 8:37 PM
Failure is OK!

Students grow up thinking they need to be successful in school and get good grades. I know I did anyway. It is important as a teacher though to make sure your students know that failure is going to happen and it is okay! With only success in mind, students are stuck in a fixed mindset. It is our job to model a growth mindset, especially when it comes to science and engineering. This journal article gives so many tips on how to help kids with the idea of failure. It talks about fail words and what design failure is. This is an important discussion to have with students before they are able to become frustrated with their work. Failing leads to learning, and learning is fun!

Thu, Dec 12, 2019 8:28 PM
Must Read!

This resource article talks about a very important idea that is happening all around us. The idea of cross-curricular activities. Not necessarily how to plan them, but to allow them to happen. When a student's interests lead you from one topic to another, let it. As an Elementary teacher, it is important to be able to teach on your toes and be ready to explore whatever may come next. This article also makes a great point about what labeling centers does for children. It allows them to have the mindset that science and literacy are not connected, false. They are connected, so let them be!