Teacher Thoughts

Last week, my students were on their final lab day of the egg osmosis lab. The lab spans 4 days and the purpose of the lab is for students to observe how water moves in and out of an egg that is placed in different types of solutions through the process of osmosis. The lab requires students to record both qualitative and quantitative data so concepts students have learned in the earlier part of the school year are being reintroduced like the different variables of independent, dependent, and control. I noticed that students still struggled with these terms and how to apply them so I spent my time working with small groups of students to explain the variables in different ways. At this point, I’m used to providing in class support to a few students at a time, but this time felt a little different. I feel like now my students really know me and I’ve established the rapport needed to instill trust. I will want to continue to build on that foundation with each of my stude...

My mentor has been teaching for over 20 years at the same school and has built a legacy behind him. His veteran status allows students to feel comfortable in his classroom and trust his instruction. He also sets expectations from day one and holds students accountable for their actions. The school offers a college preparation curriculum and because of that, students are required  to take an entrance exam in order to be accepted so the student population is either at the standard level or above average level. During my observation thus far, I have noticed that some students struggle to keep up with the college prep pace, and I have witnessed various differentiation strategies that my mentor uses. Since my mentor is a veteran teacher, he does not realize when he’s using differentiation techniques at times. He does not coddle students, but does provide positive reinforcement and uses a rewards system at times especially with food. Even though I’m observing at the ...

In my own experiences both in the classroom and in my Stevenson courses, it’s clear that STEM education holds a high importance in today’s society. STEM education is the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and with science and technology playing big roles in the world, we want to provide students with 21 st century skills to advance and succeed. STEM should be implemented as early as elementary school and should be continued throughout high school. The timing is crucial for students to develop and improve their problem solving and critical thinking skills. By introducing STEM early on, students are able to have hands on experiences and those kinds of experiences help solidify foundational knowledge and have a lasting impact. I also think it is important for STEM and other disciplines like Language Arts to work together to ensure students are well rounded in their education. The skills a student can learn in a humanities based course like ...