My almost first year of teaching...

I am sitting here as my two sons play in the local arcade, writing in between keeping track of them. My life right now is not how I imagined it a year ago. I should be teaching science instead of keeping my children entertained.

I love being with my children, but after working my behind to become a teacher and being in the classroom for six months to all of a sudden doing nothing with it, feels like I have failed in a way.

I had to leave my first teaching assignment due to my husband's job transfer to another state. This has led me to take care of my boys full time at least until the younger boy is in school.

This move was good for our family. My husband has an even better position with more money. Iam so proud of him and thankful for the extra income. This has allowed us to purchase a home for our family, something we could not do before. We are closer to family from my husband's side and my side. We moved from the desert to the wooded mountains and now my boys are outside much more than ever before.

I am a good teacher and I would never leave my students in the middle of the year. Iam more professional and care more about the kids than to do something like that, which is why it kills me. I can't be perfect, I know, and I know the classes will be fine without me. I just hope I did some good in the little time I had as their science teacher.

Mrs. Jones Science

Hello Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to my website! I would like to share with you some information about how I teach your children about science and ways you can help them out at home. In my classroom I have students learn as much as possible by doing hands-on activities. The students are more engaged in learning when doing activities and they also retain the information better than if I was lecturing to them all the time (Sulaiman, Abdurahman, & Rahim, 2010). I also use inquiry or guided inquiry which allows the students to ask questions and solve problems in their own way. The students get to use what they learn in class to solve real world problems (Banchi & Bell, 2008).  

Vocabulary

Scientific vocabulary can be difficult for students to learn. I use strategies in my classroom to teach vocabulary that will work for all students; even those who are learning the English language. One way I do this is by talking to the students about the activities they are doing and I use the vocabulary the students are learning. This helps them to connect the vocabulary in meaningful ways (Carrier, 2011). You can do this at home by asking your child about what they did in class that day. I also use pictures and graphic organizers to help students make connections to the vocabulary.  

Here is a link to the PowerPoint presentations I use to introduce vocabulary:http://brightsideeducation.blogspot.com/p/vocabulary.html

Computer Games

It is not always possible to do hands-on activities in the classroom due to safety concerns or other reasons. That is when technology comes in handy to give students experiences they cannot get in the classroom. Educators are finding that students are motivated to learn and are retaining more information when they use video games to learn about science (Holmes, 2012) (Liu, Olmanson, Horton, & Toprac, 2011). One interactive online game I have used with my students is from switchzoo.com. The students get to build their own biome and learn about the plants and animals that inhabit the area.

You can go to my learning resources link to check out the game and others that I use to help your child learn: http://brightsideeducation.blogspot.com/p/learning-resources.html

Please leave a question or comment if you would like more information!

Resources

Banchi, Heather & Bell, Randi. (2008). The Many Levels of Inquiry. Science and Children. Oct. 2008. 26-29.

Carrier, Sarah J.  (2011). Effective Strategies for Teaching Science Vocabulary. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/7079

Holmes, Venita. (2012). New Digital Energy Game, the Use of Games to Influence Attitudes, Interests, and    Student Achievement in Science. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=games+in+middle+school+science&ft=on&id=ED536550

   Liu, M., Olmanson, J., Horton, L., &Toprac, P. (2011). Motivational Multimedia: Examining Students' Learning and Motivation as They Use a Multimedia Enriched Learning Environment. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=+middle+school+science&ft=on&id=ED522012

   Sulaimana, T., Abdurahman, A.R., & Rahim, S. S.A. (2010). Teaching Strategies Based on Multiple Intelligences Theory among Science and Mathematics Secondary School Teachers. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 8. 2010. 512-518. www.sciencedirect.com

Can Gaming Enhance Learning in Secondary Science?

Are video games a waste of time or can they be used to effectively teach students science topics they would otherwise learn in a textbook or lecture? Parents and educators may be hesitant about allowing video games into the classroom, but recent research has shown positive results from the use of such technology especially in science classrooms (Holmes, 2012; Liu, Olmanson, Horton, & Toprac,2011; Tromba,Peter,2013). This post will cover three research experiments that had positive results with video games in the classroom. 

Teachers are starting to look for new and better ways to teach students. Motivation is one factor in getting students to learn. If you listen to what entertains students, you will not hear about textbooks and lectures, but you will hear about what video games they are playing or what they did on the internet. If students are motivated to sit and play video games for extended periods of time, why not try it out in the classroom?

Some middle school and high school science classes in Texas were given the opportunity to try video games as a way to learn about energy. These students got to try out the New Digital Energy game which “combines aspects of strategy, construction, and game management, requiring players to build energy companies, gain dominant market share and meet the needs of cities throughout the United States (Holmes, 2012).” For this study the students were given pretests and posttests to determine their knowledge of energy. They were also surveyed before and after about their interest in science. The results found that a greater percentage of the students scored better on the posttest than the pretest. The flaw in this study was that there was not a group of students learning about energy without the game to compare to. However, the researchers also found that students became more interested in science after using the game. The students were involved in more science competitions and talked more about science than they did beforehand (Holmes, 2012).

Another middle school used a multimedia problem based learning environment to learn about space science (Liu, Olmanson, Horton, & Toprac, 2011). The researchers looked at whether the students would learn using the technology, if the students were motivated to use it, and if there was a relationship between their motivation and learning science. My problem with this study is that the pretest and posttest was based on a 20 question test on “essential knowledge identified by subject matter experts” (Liu, Olmanson, Horton, & Toprac, 2011) and the learning environment was about space science. The connection between what they learned and what they were tested on is unclear, but the researchers found that the students scored higher on the posttest. Most students were motivated to use the program and motivation was positively correlated with test scores. Another interesting finding was that the more students felt competent the higher they scored on the posttest (Liu, Olmanson, Horton, & Toprac, 2011). This may be something to consider in other research.

The popular video game Minecraft was used by Peter Tromba (2013) to find out how video games can be used for learning. He actually created a Minecraft class that he led and had the students set the goals of the class. The students were given the state and national education standards and set out to find whether the game could be used to enhance their education. The students interviewed other teachers to find out what they could build on Minecraft to go along with what they were learning in their classes. The students built pyramids, castles, and other structures to scale. This experiment was not based on scientific research, but parents and educators did see changes in the students. The students were learning about math, team work, logistics, chemistry, and more. It was also apparent that these students were attending school more often than they had previously. The students in this study were able to meet national and state academic standards by using Minecraft along with what they were learning in their other classes.

These studies are obviously not perfect, but I believe could be used to further research into using games to enhance learning. Should we rely solely on games? No, but I believe that game designers could look into developing more games that assist teachers in reaching students.

                

References

Tromba, Peter. (2013). Build Engagement and Knowledge One Block at a Time with Minecraft.

Learning & Leading with Technology, 40, 20-23. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=games+in+middle+school+science&ft=on&id=EJ1015174

Holmes, Venita. (2012). New Digital Energy Game, the Use of Games to Influence Attitudes, Interests, and Student Achievement in Science. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=games+in+middle+school+science&ft=on&id=ED536550

Liu, M., Olmanson, J., Horton, L., &Toprac, P. (2011). Motivational Multimedia: Examining Students' Learning and Motivation as They Use a Multimedia Enriched Learning Environment. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=+middle+school+science&ft=on&id=ED522012

                

Learning and Emotions

Kristen Jones

                The subject of how emotions affect learning is important to me, because I have had various experiences with strong emotions of children in the classroom and it can be difficult to handle, because I have no control of a child’s reactions. What I have learned from the article “How Emotions Affect Learning” (Sylwester, 1994) is that even though we cannot control someone’s emotions, there are things we can do to have an influence on emotions and learning.

                Continuous stress on a person can cause neuron damage in the hippocampus, part of the brain that converts short-term memory to long-term declarative memory. In my classroom I will involve the class in activities that will lower stress levels. Exercise and positive social contact can increase endorphins, which can increase positive feelings and counteract stress.

                The limbic system is part of the brain that regulates emotions and works in memory processing. If a memory is made during a specific emotional event then it will be easier to remember later on. This can be incorporated into the classroom by providing experiences that relate to the subject the class is learning. These experiences can be role playing, simulations, group activities, field trips, and others.

                The frontal lobe is another part of the brain that regulates emotions and it also is involved in critical thinking. Emotions can override rational thinking, but students can learn how and when to use rational processes. The article mentions that a way to overcome this issue is to provide students with a safe and nonjudgmental environment where they can vent their emotions. I would also add activities to help students use critical thinking skills.

                By using these suggestions from the article I hope to have a classroom where children feel comfortable and where they will be able to focus on learning.

Figure 1Kristen Jones brightsideeducation.blogspot.com

References

Sylwester, R. (Oct. 1994). How Emotions Affect Learning. Educational Leadership,vol. 52, pgs. 60-65 retrieved from  http://ezp1r.riosalado.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&bquery=%26quot%3bHow+emotions+affect+learning%26quot%3b&type=0&site=ehost-live.

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