Science Autobiography

At the beginning of the semester, you had an idea of a good science teacher candidate. Within this assignment you describe the differences between a good and a bad science teacher candidate.

  1. What were your thoughts then?

At the beginning of the semester Ibelieved that a good science teacher provided the class with hands onactivities, demonstrated lessons with authentication, worked on interactiveprojects and understood the content very well.

2. What are your thoughts now?

After taking the science course I stillbelieve all those things written above except now I know that teachers need tounderstand content, but also the pedagogies necessary to help student’sunderstanding and how to engage and inspire diverse learners. “An effectivescience lesson requires planning engaging activities, navigating tricky scienceconcepts, anticipating and working with students’ preconceptions andmisconceptions, and making difficult decisions on the fly.” (Daehler 2016) Amethod of teaching should always be creative and fun, never taught the same wayevery day.

3. If your thoughts changed, why have they changed?

My thoughts on a good science teacher did not change but progressed in development through observation. I realized how difficult teaching really is. As I performed my lessons in my field placement I noticed a bit of a challenge when trying to explain the material, even though I knew it and understood very well. “Good teaching is an art-one performed by those with specialized knowledge and skills.” (Daehler 2016)

Science in Your Classroom

  1. What is your personal philosophy for the teaching of science? 

My philosophy of teaching science is to always use hands on activities. Students will want to learn science if they are engaged and performing the projects themselves. Letting the students make those mistakes will give them a chance to correct and figure it out on their own.Students need to become aware that science is everywhere and asking question and trying new things/ideas is welcome once they step into my classroom.

2. How do you plan on incorporating science into your future classroom? 

If I was asked how I planned toincorporate science in my future classroom I would’ve hesitated because Iwouldn’t know how to properly integrate science in any other subject. Butbecause science is all around us and the practice I had this semester;incorporating science will be my pleasure. I can collaborate with otherteachers because science is the application in just about anything. Forexample: In science, math is used to analyzenature, discover its secrets and explain its existence. 

3. How confident are you in your ability to teach science in the future? 

I am much more confident teaching science than I did before taking this course. What really helped me was the execution of the group science activity because observing over 10 science lesson helped me understand science concepts and methodology.

Reflection over the Course

  1. How has this course helped you to develop your teaching philosophy and/or ability to teach science?

The course helped me develop my ability toteach science in so many ways but mainly the general structure of the course.We were engaged in active and inquiry-based science experience in each class. Igained understanding of how science impacts students’ lives, techniques used toproperly use in science activities, to construct and present the 5E model ineach lesson, and much more!

2. What recommendations would you make to improve the course in the future?

This was my favorite class this semester. I loved everything about it, I honestly don’t have any negative feedback or anything I can suggest at the moment. This class had a variety of methods and was something new each class visit.We even did assignments that had us get out and do something fun and exciting such as, my boyfriend and I going to the arboretum/botanical garden. I think you did great Prof. Yoon, thank you for  everything!

References

Daehler, Kirsten. (2016, October 25). The Key to Good Science Teaching. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/10/26/the-key-to-good-science-teaching.html