"Challenge Me"

One of my strongest beliefs that I have acquired through learning about the constructivist learning theory as well as through various education classes, is that learning is done on the deepest level when done first hand by the learner and expressed through communication. With that said, through the activities in class including dissecting the NSES standards and the Bread Mold Growth experiment, I have gained new knowledge in some areas. Since I had to study a specific standard of NSES with a group, I worked practiced comprehension, discovery and social communication skills that I plan to teach my students. This also goes along with the Bread Mold Growth experiment I mentioned above because we had to work together and wrestle with our ideas about predictions and results. I plan to store those activities in my "teaching science" brain folder and refer back to them when creating futher lesson plans.

However, not everything is perfect about such strategies and the NSES. I feel as if I have been taking in these activities and being able to store them in my mental log, however they have yet to really brighten a new light to me. I admit I am yet to be a science teaching wizard, but since it is more my "jam," these things come naturally and clear to me. Some thing that I found new or interesting were the strict guidelines placed by NSES and Iowa Core. I am nervous to put my passionate ideas about exploring and discovering science into play and then realizing that I have to alter them so much to fit a standard that an over arching power thinks is most important. I just feel as if there are so many standards for just the science portion and as much as I would LOVE to only teach science, that is not reality and I will have to incorporate the standards in my lessons for reading, language arts, math AND social studies. Now that sounds like headache to me. I just hope to gain more strategies and skills through the semester that will make creating lessons and activities that fit standards a thing of ease rather than a tedious chore. Not to glorify it too much, but isn't teaching and learning supposed to be about exploring and putting meaning into the wonders of the world? I guess we shall see..