In our last class meeting, we discussed several important topics that we will have to address in our future classrooms. One of the issues that we discussed involved girls and science. Why do girls tend to shy away from the science field? Can these reasons be found in the classroom? This may be an issue that needs to be taken into consideration.

My personal experience with science has been a positive one. I enjoy learning about science, so I tend not to shy away from it. But in so many classrooms, girls will tend to do the opposite. In class we talked about possible reasons. These reasons included: science lacks creativity, science lacks everyday connections, and science lacks a social element. I agree that these three factors may turn girls off to science if they aren't present in the classroom, because these factors are so important to young girls. I also agree that we can  eliminate these deterring factors pretty easily. In our science methods course, we focus heavily on creating an inquiry based learning environment. This means that students are given the opportunity to explore and create new ideas using purposeful, hands-on activities that will develop new concepts. It also means that students are encouraged to ask questions and discuss their thoughts and ideas. If this type of learning environment is present in the classroom, I believe we can help reduce the number of girls to shy away from the science field.

It is our job, as educators, to provide the best education possible for our students. It may be possible that girls are interested in science, and their classroom experience is what discourages them from pursuing it in the future. If this is the case, it is our responsibility to create a classroom environment that encourages all students to pursue and engage in science.

Class Thus Far

Our most recent task is to create a blog that describes how we feel about class so far. Well, I will be honest and say that I was sceptical in the beginning. Professor Kruse began the semester explaining that this class wasn't going to be what we had expected. He informed us that we wouldn't be focusing on the "science" in this class, but focusing more on the "teaching". I had a lot of questions. How is this relevant to my future teaching? What is expected of me? Will this class help me become a more effective teacher? These are just a few of the questions that were running through my head.

Now that we are a few weeks into class, most of my questions have been answered. We have sent a lot of time focusing on teaching and how to use specific teaching methods in the classroom. I really do believe these concepts will be useful to me in the future. My goal is to become the most effective teacher I can be. I hope to do this by learning as much as I can in this class and in this program. I'm hoping that the information that I take away from this class will help me accomplish this goal.

The Nature of Science

What is the nature of science? What do we mean by "nature". Does nature mean the great outdoors? Well, yes, but not in this case. This "nature" refers to the essence of science and what it means to really understand science.

We teach the Scientific Method in our schools today. This method sends a message to kids that science has one right answer and that you must follow specific steps to reach that answer. This message can't be further from the truth. Science is messy and there is no one "right" path. In science we collaborate, gather evidence, ask questions, reflect, and revise our ideas. These are just a few of the steps that we use and they can be used in any order. We need to be sure we are teaching our students this same understanding of science. Science is fascinating and always evolving. Our students should be excited to explore the unknown, but instead, they can't wait for class to be over. We can't expect them to be excited by a process they don't understand. We, as educators, need to take what we understand about science and integrate it into our classrooms. If I knowingly teach my students a process that I know is false, what does that make me? It is my job to be an effective teacher and ensure that my students get the best education possible.

What is Science and how does it work?

What is science? How does it work? We’ve spent a lot of time in class discussing these questions. I believe that science is the exploration of life and life processes. I think it is human nature to want to explore the unknown. The unknown fascinates us and fuels our curiosity. Scientists make it their job to observe, investigate, and explore the nature world.


Our most recent class discussion focused on the “how science works.” We talked about theories and laws. We discussed the difference between the two and how the two are directly linked. Laws explain the “what” and theories explain the “why.” We also focused a lot on how scientists come to form these theories and laws. Science can never be objective. We can try to control as many variables as possible, but personal bias will always be a factor. Everything we do and everything we experience shapes who we are and how we see the world. These personal experiences will directly affect how we interpret an observation. I think it's important to remember this, but I don't think it dismisses the importance of science. I believe science is extremely important and we should never stop exploring the unknown.