· Teaching strategies employed today are far more advanced than the lecture and test style of the past. The role of a teacher is constantly being redefined and reformed as the society it serves changes. I am the kind of elementary school teacher who believes that curiosity, the freedom to explore that curiosity, and genuine guidance from the teacher are the most important aspects to successful learning. It is commonly joked about when a child continuously follows a response with the question why, but it says much about their desire to explain and define their world. An example of this that comes to mind immediately actually occurs out of the classroom, but still demonstrates the concept of curiosity and the role that a teacher should take. A neighbor boy of mine whom I will refer to as Jim, frequents my driveway with a barrage of questions whenever presented the opportunity. On one particular occasion, I was tuning my mountain bike after a ride and he came over on his own bike. He was having problems with his gears and asked if I could help. While I was working on his bike he asked questions to figure out why I needed to tighten something and what is was called. I took on the role of a teacher and answered his questions and then also went further by asking him why he thought I was doing certain actions. This caused him to think about the event more in depth and also spurned his curiosity. Listening and responding with genuine concern to Jim's questions demonstrates that a child can and will learn with the proper support.

· The most important purpose of educating children in science is teaching them how to formulate questions, develop a method to research them, and finally, a means with which to test and reflect on their research. Educating children in science is more about "learning how to learn" as opposed to learning facts from a book. Ideally educators would be able to let the children of their classroom explore any venue that happened to interest them, but national standards require that certain topics be addressed. I believe that both needs can be met by providing framework in a subject area and then letting the children branch off in their own direction. An example of this would be to teach a lesson on marine life, covering such things as ecosystem, dangers, etc and then having the students do a project on an area related to marine life to be shared with the class. A lesson designed in this manner will meet curriculum requirements and also allow the children to explore and discover. Providing background information at the beginning will give the students a basis on which to create questions. The projects will develop their research skills by using technology and the libraries and the presentations will provide feedback and an opportunity to reflect on their work.

· I think children learn science best when they are actively involved in the process and can experience it for themselves. Hands-on activities that reinforce a concept or help the students to think about it further are the most effective when teaching a class, especially science. Children are naturally curious and therefore want to learn, provided that they feel that they are accomplishing something that is real. An example of this is something that I experienced as a student in science. As part of a science lesson on astronomy, my 5th grade science teacher offered and optional fieldtrip to look at the stars through his telescope. We looked at star charts and tried to identify what we saw. It was neat because there was always the chance that we would see something that no other eye had seen before. It was a genuine hands-on activity because it extended the lesson outside of the classroom and allowed the children to explore and discover. We were not instructed to look for certain things but instead looked at what figure in the sky interested us.

· When I think of teaching science to children I picture myself as a resource to them, providing guidance and information to aid their search for knowledge. In this search I will serve as a "tour guide" in way, because I will be providing background information on a variety of topics. In this role I will have to meet standards requirements, but attempting to meet them in a creative ways that can maximize a student's success. We will create questions together and seek the answers. A good example of this is one discussed in one of my classes where a child brings in a toy rocket to play with but the children are interested in how it works. The class could form groups and research various aspects of the rocket and address the questions. I would also be learning about rockets with the children because it is unlikely that I have a background in rocket science.

· After reviewing the EK ED outcomes framework and the SCIED 458 course syllabus, my personal goals for learning how to teach science this semester include learning how to balance curriculum requirements and the student's tendency to want to explore certain topics more thoroughly, learning to develop activities that actively engage the children and cause them to think using a wide variety of resources including technology, and to create a more vivid picture of myself as an educator. The courses I have taken so far have not placed me in the classroom for an extended period of time so I have not been able to put into practice and assess current theories we have learned and my own beliefs, which have since developed.