{"id":65,"date":"2017-09-08T11:27:17","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T15:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=65"},"modified":"2017-09-09T21:31:30","modified_gmt":"2017-09-10T01:31:30","slug":"changing-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2017\/09\/changing-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing The Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For just a moment, let\u2019s take a mental field trip.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/admission-possible\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2016\/01\/iStock_000061223378_Large.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for test taking\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Picture yourself back in a high school science classroom\u2014it could be any subject.\u00a0 Sitting at your desk with a pencil perched lightly between your fingers, the echoing sound of the clock ticking loudly in the background mingling with the sounds of rustling papers and sniffling students.\u00a0 You stare blankly down at the paper in front of you, reading the words of the question over and over and over again before coming to the realization that <em>you don\u2019t have any idea to what the answer is.<\/em>\u00a0 Not even a slight <em>clue<\/em> as to where to start.<\/p>\n<p>Glancing up, you meet the eyes of a few other students who are in the same boat as you.\u00a0 In the very front of the classroom sit the students who somehow miraculously understand everything, no matter how poorly it\u2019s taught.\u00a0 And while you know you\u2019re supposed to do this worksheet by yourself in the strict silence of the full classroom, you can\u2019t help but wonder what the point is.\u00a0 You\u2019re in a classroom filled with intriguing plants and inspirational posters and empty lab tables, the environment bursting with possibility\u2014and you have learned <em>nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Many of us know this scenario.\u00a0 We\u2019ve all been there, seen teachers who have used the same worksheets and lab instructions for thirty years, never thinking that maybe, just maybe, the world has changed a little bit in that time.\u00a0 And the heartbreaking reality is that many classrooms are still like this today\u2014students stuck in an endless cycle of information shoved down their throats until all they can do is spit back the routine answer.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because that&#8217;s just how the game is played.<\/p>\n<p>But what if teaching were different?<\/p>\n<p>In a recent Twitter feed, Neil deGrasse Tyson addressed the problems many schools\u00a0aren&#8217;t admitting are an issue in classrooms today.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In school, rarely do we learn how data become facts, how facts become knowledge, and how knowledge becomes wisdom.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/neiltyson\/status\/904861739329708034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Exemplary teachers give students the opportunity to learn <em>how<\/em> to think rather than <em>what <\/em>to think.<\/strong>\u00a0 They explain the process of learning, fostering it in the classroom so that it becomes as natural as breathing.\u00a0 Teaching students in this manner has the power to change all of their learning experiences for the rest of their lives, enabling them to ask critical questions and search for answers themselves.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\">Allow students to problem solve rather than giving them strict instructions, encouraging them to come up with their own way of finding a solution.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\">Give students the opportunity to teach what they know to someone else-whether that be a student in another class who is struggling or a much younger student.\u00a0 Knowing is in explaining, and students who can teach a subject will think critically about how they think about the subject.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In school, we rarely learn probability &amp; statistics, leaving us victims of our mind\u2019s own inability to process random events.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/neiltyson\/status\/905135029814165504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Exemplary teachers explain the <em>why<\/em> behind the <\/strong><em><strong>what.<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/em>A classroom environment that encourages questions about the material rather than shutting them down and claiming the classic, \u201cIt\u2019s this way because it just is\u201d allows students to broaden the spectrum of their minds.\u00a0 By this same theory, students aren\u2019t left grappling with why something is the way it is\u2014rather, they are able to come up with definitive answers.\u00a0 And even when the answers aren\u2019t there, students are inspired to search for the why, creating endless opportunities for wonder and curiosity.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nischalsworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/5-Good-Reasons-why-Critical-Thinking-is-Important.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for critical thinking\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In school, students cheat because the system values high grades more than students value learning.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/neiltyson\/status\/905444488008523778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 6, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Exemplary teachers focus on the <em>learning<\/em> rather than the <em>instruction.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the curriculum, sticking with clearly defined test answers and seemingly foolproof worksheets.\u00a0 But if we want reform in our education systems, we have to give students the opportunity to truly learn in their own unique ways without being penalized\u2014not just by telling them that grades aren\u2019t everything, but by actually applying that in our own classrooms.\u00a0 Rewarding students for true learning experiences and working with them to achieve both a successful grade and an overarching comprehension of the subject is what teaching is all about.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Give students opportunities to receive grades in all forms-projects, worksheets, hands-on experiences, quizzes, oral reports, etc.\u00a0 And for every graded assignment, be willing to work with the students to ensure their success.<\/li>\n<li>Create student ownership by giving students options for how they will be graded on certain assignments (ex. giving students the opportunity to pick any type of chemical reaction and come up with a creative way of explaining it to the class).\u00a0 The less boundaries around the projects, the better!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In school, curiosity is hardly ever taught or nurtured, breeding legions of students who\u2019ve lost all love of learning.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/neiltyson\/status\/905796048882413569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 7, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Exemplary teachers <em>breed curiosity.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 How?\u00a0 By showing their own curiosity of the subjects they\u2019re teaching.\u00a0 By giving each and every student a voice in the classroom.\u00a0 By teaching in exceptional, interactive ways.\u00a0 Classrooms that foster curiosity are bright, bouncing with ideas and opportunities.\u00a0 Classrooms that foster curiosity are classrooms kids want to be in.<\/p>\n<p>I love this video of this young boy (2 years old) experimenting with his new chemistry kit.\u00a0 Watch the wonder and amazement on his face, and ask yourself&#8211;when is the last time I saw that same look in the eyes of high school students?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2 year old scientist opens Kids Chemistry Set\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/52b7HB9gbx0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Teachers have the power to change the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We can give students more than knowledge-we can give them a voice.\u00a0 We can empower them to become lifelong learners, to leave our classroom with an entirely different view on the outside world.\u00a0 We can break down the barriers put up by striving for an A, instead giving students the chance to truly\u00a0<em>learn<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>We can\u00a0change the lives\u00a0of\u00a0our\u00a0students today.<\/p>\n<p>((For more like this, or to tell me your thoughts, follow me on Twitter at @MsPattenScience))<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>For just a moment, let\u2019s take a mental field trip. Picture yourself back in a high school science classroom\u2014it could be any subject.\u00a0 Sitting at <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2017\/09\/changing-the-game\/\" title=\"Changing The Game\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2138,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exemplary-science-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}