{"id":2295,"date":"2019-05-02T20:52:21","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T00:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=2295"},"modified":"2019-05-02T21:18:05","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T01:18:05","slug":"science-teaching-growth-only-happens-outside-your-comfort-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2019\/05\/science-teaching-growth-only-happens-outside-your-comfort-zone\/","title":{"rendered":"Science Teaching: Growth Only Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Introduction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many times when I tell people that I am going to teach high school, they give me a look of horror. This look actually becomes amplified when I tell them that I am planning on teaching biology and chemistry. I have heard things like, \u201cWhy would you want to teach high schoolers? They are nasty\u201d, \u201cMan, those high schoolers are going to eat you up.\u201d, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go into a field that pays more?\u201d, \u201cWatch out for the kids!\u201d.<\/p>\n

These statements make me a bit uncomfortable, but sometimes they make me just laugh out loud! For the record, I know that teaching high school is hard. I know that it is not a walk in the park, I know that you do not make as much money as I teacher.<\/p>\n

What keeps me going is seeing those bright eyes and glowing faces as you walk into the classroom, seeing how you have the power to make someone\u2019s day and allow them to learn something new, seeing that \u201ctough\u201d kid come through and confide in you, and being able to talk with students and provide them with support. These are the reasons that I choose to be a teacher.<\/p>\n

And for the record, high schoolers are not scary, they are some of the most AWESOME people that I know!!!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Teaching high school is tough. Teaching chemistry and biology is tougher. Chemistry, in particular, is really hard for students to understand. I get it, I have been there. All those nasty equations and stoichiometry can give you a headache. Biology is no walk in the part either. \u201cWhat is evolution?\u201d, \u201cWhy do we need to know this stuff?\u201d, \u201cHow do I explain mitosis vs. meiosis?\u201d. These are some of the concerns in biology as well.<\/p>\n

I picked these subjects because they are indeed important, but also because I want to fascinate people with science, rather than bore them. I want them to learn something new and get the help they need to succeed in chemistry or biology, as well as their adult lives. Teaching high school can be tough in many aspects. In this post, I will focus on 3 areas of difficulty in science and give some tips to combat the difficulties.<\/p>\n

As you see from the title of this post, you cannot expect to grow unless you get out of your comfort zone. Teaching is definitely not my comfort zone! It is, however, a place that I have grown and blossomed as a person and as a caregiver. I was terrified when I started teaching. It was no longer like teaching in my bedroom to my stuffed animals. This was real.<\/p>\n

I had to escape my comfort zone to become a better teacher and you will have to as well. The three areas that this post will cover are student engagement, classroom stage fright, and teaching students to be resilient. These are things that I have found tough about teaching. \u00a0I will go over each topic and provide tips on how to achieve success in a biology and chemistry classroom.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Student Engagement:<\/strong><\/p>\n

To tell you the truth, I had no idea what this was when I started teaching. Dr. Ann Mackenzie\u2019s class changed this completely. I used to think that teaching was just about lecturing and giving work. Boy, was I wrong! Students need to actually be engaged. This means that they are able to become enthusiastic about a topic that might be tough for them, they feed off the enthusiasm of the teacher, and they are doing actual activities that allow them to build their own knowledge and hold onto it. I have taught a class where kids were not engaged. They didn\u2019t listen or care what I was saying. I learned from my classes, that engagement is key. Kids that are engaged have positive body language, have their eyes on you, and are excited about what you will do next. They will be actually working on important projects that will help them to develop their own knowledge about a subject. This will also help with student motivation. If they are in a class where they are engaged, they will be motivated to do their best!<\/p>\n

Below is an image of engaged high school students!<\/p>\n

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Tips for Increasing Student Engagement in the Chemistry and Biology Classroom:<\/strong><\/p>\n