The word exemplary can be defined as “worthy of imitation; commendable,” according to Merriam-Webster.com. Looking back on my high school years, there were some science teachers who stood out to me who I would love to “imitate” in my future classroom. Those teachers went above and beyond to ensure that their students had the best experience in their classroom.
My goal in this post is to explore the variety of ways a science teacher can be exemplary in his or her classroom. Some of which, my high school science teachers practiced themselves.
- Incorporating hands-on experiments
Below is a fun experiment to incorporate into a science classroom.
Why are hands-on experiments so effective?
- They can introduce a new idea.
- They can clarify a topic that students may find confusing.
- Allows children to keep their senses engaged.
- Experiments enhance critical thinking skills.
- Allows students to work together creating team building.
2. Keeping the classroom a positive place
It is a known fact that science can be confusing and not an easy subject for all students to understand. It is important for the classroom to be a positive environment for students to learn and grow as scientists. Some things that can be done to make sure the classroom remains positive are to encourage questions, praise good behavior, and have a good attitude, even on your toughest days.
What are some benefits of a positive classroom?
- Students learn better when they are surrounded by a positive learning environment
- Behavior issues can be avoided with positive student-teacher relationships
- Improve student mental health
- Assist yourself as a teacher with professional growth
3. Make science FUN!
It’s not a surprise that science doesn’t happen to be every students favorites subject. Exemplary science teachers do their best to make the subject of science as enjoyable as possible, especially the students who do not particularly enjoy science.
The Ted talk below talks about ways to make science fun. Mr. DeWitt talks about the importance of not having students simply memorize facts from a text book. If students are forced to memorize definitions and take notes, most of the time they will not understand the main ideas.
Mr. DeWitt created a horror story about the concepts of how viruses attack. He emphasizes the importance of erasing the seriousness out of science in order to keep students engaged.
I am convinced because some of my teachers incorporated these practices into their science classroom, my love for science was able to grow. I hope to bring these ideas into my classroom and possibly change students’ mindsets about science.
My goal is to have my students view science as a way to expand their curiosity. These techniques embedded into a science classroom are sure to make for an exemplary science teacher!
Great blog post Shelby! I really liked the second point that you made. The classroom can be a large source of stress or anxiety for students and having the tone and culture in your classroom that “not knowing answers is okay” is great! I think this also lines up with the Journey reading that we read in class by helping strengthen the argument presented that learning is a journey that we are all on and need to work together towards. Great job again.
I totally agree! Just switching an attitude can have a major impact on students. It’ll strengthen the student-teacher relationship, which will allow students to feel 10x more comfortable in the classroom. Staying positive is one of my main goals for my future classroom. I like how you made the connection between exemplary teaching and the journey article. This just goes to show how everything ties together.
Hi Shelby! I really enjoyed your blog post. In fact, we have very similar ideas about exemplary science teaching. I also included hands-on activities and making science more “fun”. Surprisingly, I even used the same video of Tyler Dewitt. What made you choose this video? To me, I think it accurately describes the feelings of students in many classrooms across the country- not just science. Too often students are forced to read chapters upon chapters that do not interest them and leave them confused. Instead of using this technique, it is essential that we engage our students and make science interesting to them. Overall great post!
I love how we have the same ideas! I’m sure if we both incorporated these kinds of activities into our classrooms our students would really enjoy our class. I had previously come across the Tyler Dewitt video about a year ago and his ideas really stuck out in my head. Actually, in my human physiology class last semester, when we were learning about the immune system, I taught myself the information, in story form, and that helped me enjoy learning about the material so much more than when I had heard the information in lecture. I guess this goes to show that this technique of teaching really does work!