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. As a result of my semester of coursework and field experience I have also developed a few more critical aspect that are necessary to facilitate learning. These criteria are a well-managed classroom (use of management skills), the ability of the teacher to instill curiosity in the children, and the ability of the teacher to recognize when a problem with learning takes place and being able to adapt to compensate. 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. In hindsight after my new experiences I could have offered to let Jim use my repair book to look up anything he might be interested in. This would encourage self-discovery.

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. In addition to these aspects I also believe that the class should establish parameters for assessment criteria. I have learned and discovered that it is important for students to not only be involved in making the lessons but also having a voice in the assessment. If they are able to provide input they are more likely to genuinely strive to attain the highest standards.

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. I have learned however, that hands-on is not necessarily great unless it is minds on. If students are only repeating a mundane activity it will not help them. It must actively engage their minds and force them to think and apply their prior knowledge to attain a greater understanding. 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. It is important to meet the needs of the children but it is also important to establish the norm that everything may not be covered that interests them. This acknowledgement will make the lessons go more smoothly and also enable the teacher to decide which tangents can be followed up.

One of my strengths as a science teacher is that I have the ability to create engaging activities that still incorporate national and state standards. Evidence of this is seen in my science unit on tracks, fingerprints, and diversity. The curriculum and standards called for a focus on differences, use of technology, and structure and function of living creature's features. The lessons on tracks and prints were engaging and met the standards because the lessons included hands on activities such as taking their own print and analyzing it and also working with technology during the animal tracking lesson. I was also able to meet the technology standard while creating a lesson to analyze the ocean floor with a motion sensor. This lesson incorporated using the instrument and also graphing techniques, and data collection practices, which are vital in science.

Another strength of mine as a science teacher is that I use what the students know to design lessons that will expand on their prior knowledge by using it as a support structure for learning. I have demonstrated this ability in my lesson activities such as the pre-mentioned unit and also when I conducted the Bubbleology activity. These activities reflect my strength because in both cases I assessed what the children knew prior to conducting the activity. In the unit on tracking, the Science Talk was the method that was used to determine what the children knew. The whole purpose of the class period was to have the children what discuss what they knew and what they though they knew. The information provided by the science talk allowed me to customize my lesson to fit the needs of my students. I also was able to fine tune my lesson when I used a KWL chart for the bubbleology lesson. This chart was very simple and consisted of a column for what students know, what they want to know, and what they have learned. We went over this at the beginning and then reflected at the end.

One aspect of science teaching that I would like to improve on is my overall knowledge of the content area being explored. An example of where this would have helped is when some of my students wanted to know some information about fingerprints but I did not know the answer. If I had researched the material to a greater extent then maybe I could have answered their questions. I also believe more background research on bubbles and the inherent principles being explored. If I would have developed my knowledge I could have answered the questions. Instead I had to look up the answers afterward.

Another area of teaching science that I would like to improve on is my incorporation of technology into my lessons. I have used technology in several of my lessons but I do not know if it will be as easy when the materials provided by Penn State are not available. I have used technology in the steps lesson using the motion sensor and also computer software for my unit but these may not be available in my own classroom. I plan to rely on a vast network of peers and the internet to provide access to technology.