Josi Kramer

Thu, Apr 09, 2020 7:08 PM
Science Inquiry and the Common Core

Through many of my classes at the college level, I have learned the importance of interdisciplinary integration. There is only so much time in the school day and so much to get accomplished, so how do we do it all? They must be integrated within each other somehow. That is why I really enjoyed this article. I am obtaining a literacy minor, so this editorial appealed to me in the aspect of incorporating reading and writing into the science curriculum. Simply making written observations and taking noted could be done, as well as oral communication through discussion to build language development. The options are endless. I highly recommend this article for teachers looking for ideas on how to link the two subject areas together.

Thu, Apr 09, 2020 6:44 PM
Misconceptions as Stepping Stones

A great part of learning is that we get to challenge our ideas, and as teachers, we must set out students up with learning opportunities that are hands on and inquiry based. We can not just teach the information by giving the students the answer and have them memorize facts. According to this article, the authors states that "When their misconceptions are “corrected,” students learn that their own ideas need to be replaced by other ideas that they don’t fully understand. When this happens, students will likely memorize official “school” knowledge but fall back on their original ideas when thinking about and explaining the outside world, since they naturally reason with their own real-world experiences, language, and rules for validating claims." What we should do is allow the students to communicate and collaborate, building of one another's idea to develop an explanation for the phenomenon. The teacher should guide learning by being supportive. When students received high instructional support by reflecting and making connections with experiences they have had, their understanding and motivation is much more present. I love that, and that is why I recommend this article.

Thu, Apr 09, 2020 6:32 PM
Review of Bubble Babies Lesson

I am currently enrolled in a methods class at my college university, learning how to teach science in the elementary classroom. We have been working on reviewing lesson plans, identifying the phenomenon, and analyzing if the lesson is engaging and inquiry-based. I thought that the phenomenon of blowing bubbles was good for the content of this lesson. While students may have been forming questions of their own, the teacher was also prompting them by asking if there was anything that she could have done differently to make the bubbles stay intact longer. The students were able to come up with many ideas that they could test later on in the next phase of the lesson. It is interesting to think that something as simple as blowing bubbles could be such an engaging phenomenon. The only thing I would say to challenge this activity is that blowing bubbles as a hook might be more intriguing for lower elementary students.