Scientist Comix

While looking for cartoons connected to the science and technology curriculum, I came across so many really funny strips / panels.  Many of them were hilarious to me, and yet are they kid-friendly? 

And so, I present you a few strips instead of just one. (The more the merrier!!)

theawkwardyeti.com

This one is pretty great.  I like it because it looks really silly at first, but it's actually a pretty good introduction to the basics of the water cycle, technically part of the Grade 2 curriculum: Air and Water in the Environment. Water exists in bodies of water found on the earth. Water gets evaporated by the heat of the sun, and "goes up into the sky" where it becomes clouds.  Eventually the clouds become saturated and it will rain, bringing the water back down to the ground.  In this image, the sun literally lifts the water up the the clouds, and then the water goes down a water slide! ha! I think this image might actually help students remember how the water cycle works. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have two other comic strips to share, just as an aside. Both are Calvin and Hobbes, created by Bill Watterson, which is my all time favourite comic strip ever.  Both of these aren't related to specific curriculum topics, but do relate to the idea of developing research skills and other science skills like making observations. 

In the first, we see Calvin going to his dad with a scientific question; why does ice float?  His dad answers him by coming up with a rather creative, and untrue, idea.  When Calvin expresses his skepticism in his dad's explanation, his dad makes the point that doing research is a better way to answer questions than asking people who aren't exactly experts. In the end, Calvin learns from his dad, but not the lesson he expected. 

In the second, Calvin and Hobbes meditate on the nature of scientific observation.  Calvin erroneously assumes that observation = looking with our eyes, and questions if we can really prove the existence of something we cannot see.  The very astute Hobbes is quick to point out that all our senses are used when making observations. 

I suppose my hesitation in using these would be:  is Calvin and Hobbes too sophisticated for the average.. 6th..7th..8th grader? Is the humour lost on kids? I've loved Calvin and Hobbes since grade 7, if not grade 6. In any case, I would certainly test these out and see how they're received in the very least!

Science RULES!!!

haha.  i love that. 

As per everything we know about classroom rules, less is more - less rules are more effective that having many rules.  However, I think there is a fine line between have too many rules, and having just a few rules that are too vague to be effective, so care must be taken in the wording!  Also, rules should as much as possible be positively phrased to place emphasis on the right, rather than the wrong, behaviours and attitudes.  

1. Always practice safe science!

When we're in the lab, there are a bunch of specific safety guidelines; some will vary according to the activity, and some exist all the time.  Some all the time guidelines:  Tie back hair and protect your body, We walk (not run) in the lab, never put anything in the lab in your mouth... 

I originally wanted to have a rule JUST about not putting things in the lab into your mouth, but depending on the students this could be perceived as condescending, plus I think it is more important to have a general rule about following safety guidelines rather than focusing in on the no-digestion idea only...

2. Be Alert, be Aware, be Engaged!

It's really important to pay attention and be on your toes when doing a science activity.  Be aware of what's going on around you, and if the teacher is talking to you or the class, do stop what you're doing and listen. Your safety could depend on it!

Student safety is not just about specific safety guidelines. Essential to their safety is that students are paying attention and being alert at all times. The lab is no place to drift off or stop attending to the teacher.  Students who don't listen could miss very important guidelines, or not notice what is happening around them (at other tables, for example.)  This always makes me thing of waitressing;  when I worked in a busy restaurant, I learned that waitors and waitresses often alert other staff of their physical presence by saying "behind you" or something similar, in order to avoid collisions that could result in dropped plates, or spilled drinks, and burns even! 

Conveniently, being alert goes hand in hand with being engaged, so this one is win-win!

3. Read, Think, and Ask before you act.

Before taking any actions in a scientific activity or experiment, we will read  the instructions, think them through and anticipate any safety needs, and ask any questions we might have. 

Students are individually accountable in the science lab; for their own actions, and how those might impact others.  Beyond being alert to their surroundings, students should always be anticipating and looking for potential sources of danger.  In order to do this, they must read instructions fully, think about the context they are in, and also not be afraid to ask questions!! 

Science - Mind Map!

My own personal experiences related to science are somewhat unique.  When I was small, I loved learning. I was (am) insatiably curious, and school was a way for me to continue to satisfy my curiosity ever day.  I loved solving puzzles and problems, seeing things from different perspectives, and creating things.  As I got older, I was a good student, and my favourite subjects were Science and Art.   I was always given the impression, however, that my two interests were incompatible. I came to accept this idea, but it never really rung true with me.  Later in my studies, I ended up studying science, and then fine arts, winding up in graphic design before moving into teaching. While studying design, I was often confronted with how science-like my work was, how logical and systemic, and sometimes totally uncreative. Similarly, I always had experienced science as something creative. And one thing that I feel is a huge overlap between art and science:  both practices are concerned with seeing the world in new ways, discovering "hidden" truths, understanding why/how the world works they way it does, and sharing the exploration of / answer to these questions with others.  Really, I feel that science and art have A LOT of things in common, perhaps more commonalities than differences.  I think this perspective is reflected in my mind map, as it focused more on the questioning and exploring aspects of science than on "domains", or other ways one could break-down the idea of science. 

In my own teaching, I want to bring an excitement for science to my students by focusing on the ways in which science is about exploring, testing, playing, discovering, and satisfying our natural senses of curiosity.  I think all children have a natural curiosity and desire to understand things, and that capturing our students' imaginations in science will help to engage them in it more now and as they proceed through their school experience.  The more engaged they are at a younger age, the more likely they will continue to be engaged in and excited about science as they grow older.   

In terms of ideas I will emphasize/de-emphasize, I want my students to understand that science is not infallible, that all of science is a series of theories and laws that have been observed, proposed, and tested to varying degrees.  An essential goal of the science curriculum overall is to develop students into adults who have science literacy, and are able to engage with scientific ideas and issues in a critical way. Too many people today see science as "fact", and this is a notion I want to rid my students of.

Learning Theories and Science

Last week, through slides and articles, we learned about the constructivist learning theory. 

This theory has two main points as it relates to the education process. First, that knowledge is constructed through genuine experiences, and second, that prior experience is hugely influential on new interpretations.  

This is highly relevant to Science since it is a domain that is largely based on experiences. Experiencing and observing is central to developing a science mindset and so it stands to reason that adopting a teaching style aligned with the constructivist learning theory, where learning happens through experiences, will be an effective way to engage students in science learning. Also, the notion that experience forms ideas means that students will already have constructed models of understanding for things they have encountered in their lives, even if they have yet to encounter them in school. As we saw in the video A Private Universe from Annenberg Learner, when students encounter a new subject at school, existing mental models may be ripe with errors, and will interfere with them developing accurate models, which can interfere with further science learning. These existing models, or misconceptions, are tenacious. They have to be challenged and discredited in the eyes of the student before they can be replaced with new models. 

With regards to the science and technology curriculum, this approach can be used as a guiding principle for science instruction:  that students will come in with science misconceptions, and that they will learn best by having a direct experience that reveals the information to them.  However, to me the tricky thing is that there is a lot of scientific theory that cannot be observed directly or simply, and therefore giving students an experience that reveals the ideas may be a more nuanced and difficult thing to do.  

As an example, in my practicum I was teaching some grade 7 science classes where I introduced the concept of matter and particles.  I felt it was very important for students to begin to incorporate this idea into their mental models of the world, but that it was a difficult thing for them to comprehend.  I introduced properties of solutions lecture-style, but I felt the students would understand better if they experienced the concepts in a more tangible way. 


So, we did an investigation on solutions that had two parts.  In the first, the students mixed together marbles and sand, comparing the respective volumes to the final volume after the two were added (the final volume being less than the addition of the two volumes, because of how the molecules are rearranged when a solution is created.) The marbles and sand were meant to represent different particles, and the sand went into the spaces between the marbles.  The second part of the investigation had the students adding a specific volume of sugar to a specific volume of water, mixing, and recording the final volume (the final vol = less than the two vols added together.)  My hope was that students would use the sand/marbles model to help create a sugar/water model. 

In the end, I'm not sure how well this approach contributed to their overall understanding, although in consolidation after the investigation, many of them were able to make the connection. 

Science Book: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba

Kamkwamba, William and Mealer, Bryan. (2012) The boy who harnessed the wind.”  Arlington, Virginia : Dial books for young readers.

This book tells the true story of William Kamkwanba (born august 1987) , an author and inventor from Malawi, a country in southeast Africa.

William lived in relative poverty with his family of farmers, and was forced to drop out of school after a drought brought hard times on his family who could no longer afford tuition fees. So, William undertook his own education at a local library, where he developed a passion for electronics.  William, inspired by what he was learning about, decided to build a makeshift windmill for his family to power a few electronic devices, which he accomplished with a variety of materials he had on hand.  William’s story spread around the world!  In 2007, he was invited to speak at TEDGlobal, in Tanzania. In 2013, Time Magazine named William one of the "30 People Under 30 Changing The World”.  This picture book is the children’s version of a longer biography he wrote, called “The Boy who Harnessed the Wind:  Creating currents of electricity and hope.” The children's book itself tells the story of the hard times his family encountered, him having to leave school, and finishes with him building the windmill.

This book is an excellent book to use in the classroom. It ties directly into the grade 6 science curriculum (electrical devices) by introducing windmills as simple devices which generate electricity. Also, It is an inspiring story about the ability for individuals to effect change, and have a voice, as such it is a great way to bring social justice issues into the class.  It could used in a cross-curricular manner, incorporated also into language arts, or social studies  (strand B - People and Environments: Canada’s Interactions with the Global Community.)

In 2007, Kamkwamba was invited to speak at TEDGlobal, in Tanzania.