Have you ever assigned a project to students, asked them to be creative, but not know exactly how to mark for creativity? We all know what it means to be creative (or, at least, what it looks like). When it comes to creativity in a science class, we struggle – even though the creative process…
Author Archive:
I always believe students need to have fun in science. Of course, not all the time. But, there needs to be an element of fun. This is especially true when we teach science skills like CER. CER stands for Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning, and it’s an awesome format for students to follow in order to…
Is creativity important in science education? Of course, the answer is yes. In an information-based world where knowledge is readily available (thanks to something called the internet), we don’t value what or how much our students know as much anymore. Instead, we also value how our students can solve problems they don’t know the answers…
What are the big goals for science education? To make life long learners? (Answer: Yes). To make students critical thinkers? (Answer: again, yes). Another big goal for science education is for students to apply scientific thinking in the real world. More specifically, we want students to be able to use their science skills to conduct…
What do teachers do with their class on the first day? If I was a betting man, I would say a lot of teachers run icebreakers to learn names and build a strong class culture. I run icebreakers too with my classes for the same reasons. One year, for our first day science activity, I…
Are we teaching students how to be great at doing science or at memorizing science? Of course, we all want students to be good at doing science. This why we do labs, find engaging activities, and have students practice important science skills. This is why we take students on field trips. But, is there a…
Does the development of new curriculum – where skills like analysis, critical thinking and collaboration are valued – mean that unit or chapter tests are obsolete? Absolutely not. However, teachers do need to make improvements to their tests. Especially if tests are important to both students and teachers. For teachers, chapter or unit tests help…
Should you start using interactive notebooks in your class? In theory, interactive notebooks are supposed to welcome creative thinking into the classroom and accommodate the multiple ways of learning can be observed in our classrooms. They’re supposed to help students organize their notes and assignments as well as give students the opportunity to express their…
How do you make learning hazardous household product symbols & categories fun? Make it relevant and interesting, of course. But, how do we do that? How do we make hazardous household product symbols relevant and interesting? Some may argue that these symbols are already relevant because they are there to keep us safe. That may…
Are you constantly looking for exercises to practice science skills like graph and data analysis and CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning)? For me, it’s not that I can’t find science skills practice exercises – it’s that I can’t find relevant ones. Ones that my students can connect with. Ones that are fun to do. That’s why…
Most Popular Posts
![Ep23 - Rapid Fire CER Practice [Holiday Edition]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a614ae53ebdfac808543ab9e1fe62b41?s=200&d=mm&r=g)
