KLEIN's
GUIDE TO
SCIENCE EDUCATION
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadene Klein at Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
Teachers know that reflection is time well spent for students to solidify their learning. This simple act of metacognition helps the brain hold on to and later apply new information. Yet, for me, it is often the task I let slip when there's a time crunch. The current circumstances of my teaching means that I see my students twice per week and engage them asynchronously for one additional lesson per week. Basically, I have them 1/2 time. Over the past several months I've neglected having my students reflect on their learning as much as I normally would in an effort to dedicate more of my sparse time with them to forging through our curriculum.
Two unexpected indicated reared their heads in my direction to call me back to reflection for my students. First, I was presented with a challenge in my application for the Shell Science Teacher Award. The application process was so incredibly reflective on my entire teaching practice and career. It harkened me back to things I hold dear from which I've strayed. It reaffirmed the work I continue to do with students. While I did not win the prize, I won a lot more through self-reflection. I watched myself teach, I reiterated my philosophies, I explored my impact on the profession, and I self-evaluated my impact on students. This powerful process has refocused me and reinvigorated me. This includes me challenging myself to offer this same experience to my students. The second indicator that reflection time was in desperate need for my students was the mounting evidence of mental fatigue. Students were lessening their effort in discussion and written assignments. There was less follow through turning in work than previously in our online work. I had a heart to heart talk with my students in every class. When I presented the notion of mental fatigue, there were genuine sighs of relief from these young people. They were grateful to have a label for this heavy feeling and more grateful for the empathy I imparted on them. This week our asynchronous assignment was a simple and short reflection exercise. It was a down shift from our typical rigorous science work, but not less important nor valuable. With less effort and less time involved, participation went back up. The benefit of that is the metacognitive process to commit more of our learning to long term memory. If February is feeling overwhelming as we head in to standardized testing season, as we trudge through third quarter, and head toward spring break, then you should read the signs that it's time to slow down and reflect. As John Dewey said, "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience."
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AuthorNadene Klein, M.Ed. has been an educator for over 25 years. She brings a passion and love for science to the classroom and through this blog to you. Archives
March 2024
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