{"id":935,"date":"2018-04-22T23:12:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T03:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=935"},"modified":"2018-04-22T23:12:50","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T03:12:50","slug":"an-interesting-perspective-the-struggle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/04\/an-interesting-perspective-the-struggle\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interesting Perspective: The Struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Howdy bloggers,<\/p>\n<p>Welcome back to the last installment of An Interesting Perspective for the semester. I know I&#8217;ve been less consistent these past few weeks, but things have been hectic. Today though, we&#8217;re back on track and here to discuss different challenges that science teachers face, and offer a few tips on how to overcome these challenges.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/markgoblowsky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Strength.png?resize=539%2C288\" alt=\"Image result for the struggle\" width=\"539\" height=\"288\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of my personal fears is to follow a career in which everything is mundane and repetitive. This is one of the reasons I chose to become a science teacher; every class period will be different. Working with and getting to know the students is something I am extremely excited for, but at the same time it can be somewhat daunting. You are influencing these kids, and may even have a long lasting impact on their lives. As great as that is, it&#8217;s also a lot of responsibility that you need to be able to assume.<\/p>\n<p>As a teacher, not only is it your responsibility to guide these students in the right direction from a personal standpoint, it is also your job to teach them the content. This can be difficult at times for multiple reasons.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bh5X-6eFiys\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bh5X-6eFiys\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bh5X-6eFiys\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Priscilla Rachel Art (@priscilla.rachel.art)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Standardized Tests<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Everyone talks about standardized tests like they are some sort of flesh eating disease. However, it&#8217;s important to remember that these tests are designed to assess the students&#8217; understanding of the standards. This means that if you are teaching your students the material well, they should do well on the test. Makes sense, right? Often times teachers get tripped up and focus on teaching students tips and tricks to do well on the test, rather than spending the time diving deeper into the content to build a better understanding in the minds of their students. So, remember, don&#8217;t teach to the test, teach to the standards and explore the natural world with your students. Don&#8217;t be afraid to use <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/2017\/10\/an-interesting-perspective-mirrors-and-wondows\/\">constructivism<\/a> to relate the content to specific personal experience.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevigornia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Standardized-Test-0201-900x600.jpg?resize=277%2C185\" alt=\"Image result for standardized testing\" width=\"277\" height=\"185\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Classroom Management<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We talked a lot about this in our <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/2018\/04\/an-interesting-perspective-drive-the-bus\/\">last installment<\/a>, but there is no denying that classroom management is a challenge that many teachers face, especially new ones. If you&#8217;re interested in a more in depth discussion of this topic, feel free to stop on over to my last post, but I&#8217;ll give the cliff notes version here. It&#8217;s important to love your students, but you must hold your expectations high for each and every one of them. This allows for personal growth, as well as shows them that they&#8217;re in your classroom to learn and grow. It is also crucial to have an engaging classroom environment that makes all students feel safe, as well as being properly prepared before each and every class period.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Presentation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The methods in which you present the material to the students is crucial for their understanding and engagement with the material. You cannot rely on just one method of presentation and expect all of your students to be engaged and follow along. You need to be flexible, and discover the ways that each student learns best. Often times, science teachers fall into the trap of using lecture to pass the information on to the students. This method may work for a handful of people, but many students struggle with this kind of learning. Instead, think about mixing up your methods by using <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/2017\/10\/an-interesting-perspective-less-me-more-we\/\">cooperative learning<\/a>, and don&#8217;t forget to venture into the <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/2017\/09\/an-interesting-perspective-marginal-teaching\/\">margins<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cooperative Learning! assign roles and limit resources! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Callawaycougars?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Callawaycougars<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KaganOnline?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KaganOnline<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillAtKagan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BillAtKagan<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/b7Oh58pVNm\">pic.twitter.com\/b7Oh58pVNm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Todd Shalz (@mrshalz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrshalz\/status\/969655242022375424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>The &#8220;Why Does This Matter&#8221; Mindset<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The reality is, not all of your students are going to like the material you cover in your class. Some students will come in with a wall up in front of them. They will ask things like why does this matter, or why do I need to know this. As a science teacher, it is your job to help take that wall down. This isn&#8217;t necessarily an easy task, but it is a rewarding one. Everyone finds something interesting, so finding your students&#8217; interests is crucial. This allows you to relate the material to something they do care about and are passionate about. Be sure to make every student feel that what they are learning has meaning in their lives. Don&#8217;t just focus on those that have natural interest in the subject. That would be mediocre; instead, be <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/2017\/09\/an-interesting-perspective\/\">exemplary<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/robbwolf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-struggle-is-real-post.jpg?resize=309%2C464&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for the struggle\" width=\"309\" height=\"464\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As with everything in life, there will be challenges that you&#8217;ll face as a teacher. Don&#8217;t shy away from them; rather, embrace them and allow them to make you even more exemplary!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Howdy bloggers, Welcome back to the last installment of An Interesting Perspective for the semester. I know I&#8217;ve been less consistent these past few weeks, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/04\/an-interesting-perspective-the-struggle\/\" title=\"An Interesting Perspective: The Struggle\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[98],"tags":[47,106,15,111,19,21,17,50,11,12,45],"class_list":["post-935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-challenges-for-science-teachers","tag-constructivism","tag-edt432","tag-education","tag-engage","tag-exemplary","tag-margins","tag-science","tag-science-education","tag-science-teacher","tag-teaching","tag-teamwork"],"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\/935","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\/2140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":937,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions\/937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}