Blog Activity 8: Final Post

1.      Work with any of the Chemistry Simulations (PhET) and/or develop a demonstration (do a web search, there are many demos out there) to create your own Teaching Ideas. The criteria for this is as follows:

 

a.      Must identify and meet three (3) next generation science education standards within      the K—2 grade band.

 

·      K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to                                   illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve                           a given problem.

 

·      2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of                              how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and                           made into a new object.

 

·      2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify                                     different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

 

b.      Must be original work.

 

c.       Must be scientifically accurate and appropriate for the directed grade level.

 

d.      Must have an accompanying worksheet with at least 7--‐10 questions related to each activity/simulation. Answering these questions should be related to meeting the science standards identified.

 

 

 

 

2.      How do you feel your understanding of science, and chemistry in particular, has changed due to your experiences in this class?

 

            My understanding of science and chemistry has been increased due to this class. Before this class, I saw chemistry as something that didn’t really have an impact in my life. From this class I realize how so many things are reliant on chemicals and chemical properties. From this class I learned things that I can use in my own life relating to density, chemical structure, chemical processes, scientific methods and much more. Overall I think that this class is a great way for students to do hands-on learning and present their ideas and results in a way that is applicable to what we are becoming accustomed to with social media. The chemistry that we learned along the way is more basic level chemistry, but it is these types of things that actually have a purpose in my life and they have only added to my knowledge of everyday things.

 

3.      What was the most challenging concept covered and why?

 

            The most challenging concept for me to learn was gases. This was difficult for me because I understand that different temperatures and pressures have effects on the gases but it is hard for me to relate it to situational analyses.

 

4.      How could you facilitate future learning to your students who might also find learning about science and chemistry challenging?

 

            I have never really enjoyed science in school and it is something that I tend to shy away from. The times that I really enjoyed science were when the learning was activity and inquiry based. I find that when you really get students involved in the process and relate the topics to things that they encounter in their everyday lives you have more of a draw for them to learn. Also I think that taking an investigative approach, almost like a detective, is a great way to engage younger students because they really get into the idea of solving a mystery and the learning becomes more fun for them. Also taking the time to really explain the concepts and make sure that they are retaining and processing the information instead of just going through the motions is essential for teachers to facilitate because then students will feel a sense of achievement when learning the information.

 

5.      As you think about your future in education, give three ways you think you’ll be able to implement the skills you’ve learned in this class (it doesn’t necessarily have to be chemistry content based).

 

            As a marketing and business education major, I do not foresee myself teaching students about chemistry content. However some of the different skills that we learned and applied in this class are things that I could see myself utilizing and implementing into my future lesson plans and classroom activities. First, I think that the problem solving skills that I learned and used in this class are essential in any discipline. When I present case studies to my classes on the topics of marketing and business, I will emphasize the importance of critical thinking, problem solving, and thinking outside of the box. Activities that include critical thinking are important for students because it is something that they will constantly need skills for. Also I plan to implement the use of blogs and other social media in my classroom to facilitate learning and discussion. I think that social media is an effective tool to use in schools because it creates an outlet where students are more willing to share and discuss than if they were doing a worksheet or discussing in class. The blogs that we made had a framework, but we were able to make the postings our own and then see what other people did. Finally, I plan to implement different simulations and hands-on activities for my students. There are multiple business simulations that I can utilize and I think that this is a great way for students to put their skills into practice. When students have a way to get involved with their learning I believe that they retain more and have a better connection to their learning. Even though I will not be teaching science or chemistry, there are things that I have done in this class that I can utilize to create an engaging and effective learning environment for my students.