With the continuing pressure in education on teachers to make sure their students get good test scores, the Kenan Fellowship experience supported what I already knew, teaching a student to think is much more important. Content is important and having a good foundation of knowledge is important. But as my mentor pointed out, knowledge is changing daily and with the Internet, students have knowledge at their fingertips. What is important is also discriminating through knowledge, understanding data and being able to discern what is correct, thinking… In addition, application of knowledge and creating new ideas, products, etc… is very important to help solve problems in the world or making life better for all.
I see myself much more like a coach than a teacher now. I teach the students the facts and give them opportunities to utilize them either through project based learning, labs etc.. I am much much slower at giving students “answer to problems” but want them to think why something works this way or utilize a lab or model to figure it out. I also have my students justify their answers which even if wrong they have to prove why they think they are right. We look for evidence and data to prove our points. Students get points for asking good questions an then finding answers or looking for answers we know so far. The kids are getting better at questioning and asking good questions. They are getting better at using the scientific thinking, mind mapping, or engineering design in a variety of settings… How to think across settings. I am doing better now at integrating topics, we not only look at the “science or technology” but also the culture or society impacts and if this effects how the technology will be used or accepted. The students are learning how to use their skills such as mind mapping in Language Arts. They are learning more how science is not isolated from the society.
I now keep portfolio’s on each student, so I can have evidence on all the students have learned which always does not show up on end of grade tests, specially for students who have disabilities and below grade level reading comprehension. My students might be on Grade 4 reading comprehension, but take a test on Grade 8 Reading Comprehension level. Although we work on vocabulary and reading, their science knowledge, many times it is even higher their peers but does not show up on tests. My students run a science fair yearly for 200 2nd Graders, have a Museum Exhibit at the NC Museum of Natural Science. They are leaders and learners of STEM but need to demonstrate this in another fashion besides end of grade tests. Other teachers are so afraid to do project based learning because they are worried about the end of grade test. I do not worry. I am preparing my students for life and workforce and hopefully STEM Careers. Through project based learning, daily labs and hands on activities my students are getting prepared for this not only by learning STEM but learning to think and do.
Communication is very important. I learned in the Kenan Fellowship how to teach anyone at any level even difficult skills is important and how to communicate ideas to other is important. My students teach daily a word or concept in the class. . They teach visitors at the Museum of Natural Science and 2nd Graders next door at the Elementary School. As the saying goes to know is to teach, they are improving their content skills and communication skills. This is important because after they think, they have to communicate their ideas. The one skill I hear over and over when I visit companies is the lack of communication skills in today’s youth. The other is team work. I have the students work in teams but bring out the best in each one and everyone can contribute if they work hard. These are two things we did in our Kenan Fellowship. We all had skills that contributed to our team and our wearable device and we all had to learn to communicate complex ideas to our students. I try to bring these lessons to my students.
Although some of my fellow staff members are still concerned about tests more than the students thinking and doing, I hope one day they will be Kenan Fellows and realize there is much more.