All posts by koshea

Anti-bias Curriculum, Upper School

Values and Beliefs about Doing Science and Science Class

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Essential Questions:

  • If we want students to learn to do the work of scientists, not just learn about science, how can that be done without recreating within our classrooms the culture that currently exists in science outside of our school?
  • If the past 500 years of science had been created by everyone, what values and beliefs would we hold about science? And if we want to do something about that now, what values and beliefs should we aspire to hold in our classroom?
  • What routines, activities, and systems of feedback are necessary to create a culture of science that is built by and for everyone and that can be carried beyond a single classroom?
  • How do we help students align their actions with their values in science class?

Continue reading Values and Beliefs about Doing Science and Science Class →

Science, Upper School

What if we didn’t finish all of the questions?

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This entry was originally posted at https://kellyoshea.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/what-if-we-didnt-finish-all-of-the-questions/

My Physics 10 (a trimester-long class exploring E&M topics for 10th graders who haven’t yet studied mechanics) was wrapping up some extensions to an electrophorus activity. They were already pros at explaining and predicting electrostatic phenomena, but this activity gave them yet another way to test out their thinking, practice their charge diagrams, and add depth and subtlety to their understanding. (I adapted instructions and ideas from this activity that I found in a quick search and that I had left for students last trimester when I needed to miss a day of their class.) Continue reading What if we didn’t finish all of the questions? →