KLEIN's
GUIDE TO
SCIENCE EDUCATION
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadene Klein at Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
Don't rescue your students. Let them struggle so that they learn perseverance, resilience, critical thinking and problem solving. This is great advice, but is there a limit to the amount of struggle a student should endure. I think there is. A student should never get to a level of frustration where they completely shutdown. A student should never struggle so much that they lose their love of learning nor their love of science. That being said, I won't swoop in like Wonder Woman and give a student the answer they need. I still maintain my stance as the guide on the side for those struggling students. Here's a great example from my Physics class earlier this month. I asked students to work alone or with a partner to design and conduct an experiment to prove one of Newton's Laws. Student A chose to work alone. The first step in this process was for the students to write their experimental question and have it approved by me. I checked for safety, feasibility, and appropriate experimental level for the student. This was followed by writing hypotheses, conducting the experiment, and writing a complete lab report. Most students had their experimental question and hypothesis done on day one and were ready to conduct their experiments on day 2 or at least day 3. By the end of day 2, student A still did not have an experimental question. I had checked in with her several times. I asked probing questions to help her generate a question that was of interest to her. She is into body building/weight lifting and wanted to do her experiment at the gym. Everything she thought of was more of a personal test rather than a true experiment of any of Newton's Laws OR was a good question for which she had no way to measure her results. At this point, I could have given Student A an experimental question as a directive. I could have forced her to join another student who had their experiment set. However, I knew this would not engage Student A. I was now nervous because she was "behind schedule." So, I made this offer--"Would you like to look at my toy box and see if you find inspiration in there." Luckily she agreed. Slinky saved the day. Student A played with the Slinky for just a few moments and smiled her first smile that week. She designed her experiment on Day 3 and got her first trials done with the help of our principal as her lab assistant!!! The next day, a student was ahead in his experiment, took over as Student A's lab assistant helping take measurements. In the end, Student A proved Newton's 3rd Law of Motion and earned a B+ on her lab report. Without a doubt, letting Student A struggle and then find her own solution was the best learning experience for her. Aside from the science learning, Student A gained more confidence as a young scientist, realized working with others was helpful, and learned perseverance and resiliency. Thank you, Slinky.
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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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