tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post4624456748010046003..comments2024-03-21T05:30:03.220-04:00Comments on Science teacher: If Randall Munroe were Secretary of Education....doylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-75161280844556155372010-12-12T16:51:15.293-05:002010-12-12T16:51:15.293-05:00Dear J Bowie,
Thank you for the warm words.
If s...Dear J Bowie,<br /><br />Thank you for the warm words.<br /><br />If science teachers are not getting his work, maybe they're in the wrong field.<br /><br />It takes a lot of time to unlearn "science"--I'm at a critical point, but I'm leaning towards spending more time unraveling nonsense than attempting to teach new concepts.<br /><br />We'll see....<br /><br /><br />Dear Tyler,<br /><br />I agree, letting student drive the curriculum would be ideal, and, ultimately, would result in a better educated student.<br /><br />None of us, of course, have all the answers, but (unfortunately) too many see uncertainty as weakness.<br /><br />I'm about as uncertain as they come. The more I trust my students, the better I get at this.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-50114986672864384412010-12-11T15:35:55.722-05:002010-12-11T15:35:55.722-05:00In the quest for rich inquiry (easier said than do...In the quest for rich inquiry (easier said than done), this is a core goal. Student questions and curiosity must drive the curriculum awhenever possible.<br /><br />When I, or the state standards, drive the curriculum train with what we think is important, engagement is a fickle mistress. Often, key topics bore many (most?) students to tears. Sometimes, students are hooked by topics I expect to incite mutinous apathy.<br /><br />I'm getting better at knowing the difference but it varies dramatically from student to student, group to group, year to year. Every time I think I've found a topic that kids love or a method that keeps them engaged, I'm brought back to earth by a group (or a vocal minority) that reminds me I don't have all the answers.<br /><br />Better to let student interest drive the train, methinks.Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14486074729856186372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-29945268781060802862010-12-06T17:56:41.962-05:002010-12-06T17:56:41.962-05:00This is such a fantastic post and I agree that xkc...This is such a fantastic post and I agree that xkcd should be read by every science teacher. Strangely enough (or not) my curriculum coordinator has begun putting a cartoon (from xkcd) into our monthly curriculum review. What I find the MOST odd is that some science teachers don't get it and this scares me a lot! <br /><br />I think many students really have no idea much of what they learn are simply models. A large majority think the atom is a (relatively) giant nucleus with electrons going around in nice circular orbits. Definitely one of the major flaws in science education and I'm as guilty as the next person for not stressing this enough.Jody Bowiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00074247926009310250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-69061741044202038882010-12-05T11:22:15.764-05:002010-12-05T11:22:15.764-05:00Dear John,
You handled it brilliantly, as you do,...Dear John,<br /><br />You handled it brilliantly, as you do, by keeping it within what we can imagine.<br /><br />The science, well, I've talked a bit about that elsewhere, and the two bombs were different. One split, the other fused atoms. In both cases, you end up with less mass (whatever "stuff" is) and released energy (whatever energy is).<br /><br />The children learn something more important than physics, though. If we could unleash unfathomable power, would we? It's already been answered.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-45793412352243179262010-12-05T09:08:59.448-05:002010-12-05T09:08:59.448-05:00I'd love your take on how I handled Hiroshima ...I'd love your take on how I handled Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Friday. Kids wanted to know the science of it. I couldn't tell them. I didn't really even try. I don't understand nuclear physics. (You can read about it on my blog today)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10956056168256756705noreply@blogger.com