Students and Teachers Exploring the World Together!

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A Fish Out of Water

by

Karen Broderick

I started my first year of teaching third grade with great expectations about what I was going to accomplish. The first days, weeks, and months flew by in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, it was December and I felt like I could finally take my first breath so I took this opportunity to reflect on my teaching practices. Throughout my college years the buzz words "best practice" became ingrained into my vocabulary. I wondered if I was truly practicing, in the best way, the theories that I had been taught. I came to the conclusion that my methods of teaching science indeed needed a serious makeover.

At this point in my novice teaching career I felt comfort in sticking strictly to the prescribed curriculum. Deviating from the adopted school district program made me feel unsafe, out of my environment, like a fish out of water. I thought I needed to surrender to the curriculum with true fidelity. After months of teaching about science, I believed that I was accomplishing this goal. Speaking every word from the book, copying every related worksheet, and administering all necessary assessments which aligned to state standards was the routine in my classroom. The only hitch that I, as well as my students had, was that we were bored to tears! Every afternoon when I uttered the words "take out your science books boys and girls", the underlying tone of "Urrrggh, science again!" fell over the room like some endlessly repetitive mundane factory job. I couldn't believe it…science boring? I knew that I had to change something quickly.

My belief is that science is meant to encourage and develop students' natural curiosity and imagination. Undeniably, my methods of teaching this subject was undeniable a lack-luster and ineffective. I knew I was not the science teacher that I had anticipated I would be nor the kind I could be. Purely by happenstance, around mid- January I was approached by a colleague regarding a science mentoring program at Rivier College. Aware as I was of my need to improve my performance, I figured that this program could be an opportunity to help myself and my students, to improve my teaching, and my understanding of science .

I had no expectations about the program or who I was going to meet. Truthfully, I had no idea what the program was really about. I just knew that I both needed and wanted help. The group I was joining had already been meeting for about a year or so now. The camaraderie of the group was apparent. As I entered the room, I heard discussions of previous meetings, enthusiasm towards the program, as well as the impacts it was making in their classrooms. I thought again "I am a fish out of water!"

A natural observer, I sat and listened to teachers from across all grade levels, They came from all areas of New Hampshire, as they spoke about science and their views on the inquiry method. I'd remembered hearing this buzz word "inquiry" used throughout college. I'd studied the theory of it, its methods and implementation, but thought it was just simply students asking questions regarding science topics. As I heard additional discussion of the inquiry method, I realized it went far beyond my limited, initial exposure.

Soon a teacher began to share her students' work from a lesson she'd developed on the ecosystem. Her students' science journals began to circulate among the group. The mumblings of teachers assessing students' work became louder and more animated. When it was my turn to review the work my expectations were standard and programmed, or so they seemed to me. I espoused the basic definitions, hypothesis, and conclusion model. As I perused the journals, I was astounded by the creativity and curiosity so obviously expressed by every student from all levels of ability. Their questions had an authentic quality that I had not yet seen in my own students. The journals were full of student directed questions. These artifacts were not from prepackaged guided questionnaires that students were required to fill in for further investigating an answer. I knew that there was real learning and understanding reflected in these journals. Her students were taking flight, soaring toward heights that I could only marvel upon. They were thinking and expressing their thoughts and ideas as real scientists would. They were thinking independently and critically! I was intrigued.

After discussing what we had seen in the journals we moved on to an interactive, more hands-on experience. It was then that my light bulb went off…This was what I was missing in my own classroom.

I quickly returned to my students the next day eager to try the inquiry method out. I was going to have them guide their own questions and tell me what they were curious about. Students looked at me with skeptical eyes. I could sense that they were thinking that I had lost it and had given up the desire to go on. In a way I had given up but now I realized, through this program, that I needed to put the learning back into the hands of my students.

Once my students began the activity what I saw was brilliant. Every student in my class was engaged in the lesson. I was amazed. I felt like I had awakened a "giant sleeping science beast" and I basked in the energy that filled the room. The questions and comments my students made reflected the processes and inquiries of real scientists. I was amazed by the thoughtfulness and quality of thinking that my young third graders were exhibiting. My students wanted to know more and more. By their own questions, I encouraged them to pursue what they were curious about. My class soon became a learning community. We would figure where we could find the answer and look it up or, even better we would try to discover an answer…together!. Each group would present what they found and share it with the entire class. Even with all this commotion I could see my students were learning what they wanted to know and what they were naturally curious about/ regarding the lesson. After what seemed like ten minutes the bell rang and I heard something that I had never experienced in my room. It was the sound of my disappointed students. "Ahh…do we have to clean up". A smile filled my face and that was the moment that I knew that I had not only made an impact on their learning as well as myself as a teacher.

The Impact

This mentoring program became an incredible asset to my teaching. It not only changed the way I taught science, but other subjects as well. Once I approached my curriculum with the inquiry based method, I really saw the potential of my student's ability to learn. I believe that teaching is not only giving students vital information in preparation for life, but also it's a vehicle for them to further develop their curiosity and imagination. As teachers we need to nurture this natural curiosity that students have. Inquiry method allows this to happen. Teach it all and teach it well. Don't pigeon hold students natural inquisitive and critical thinking minds. Our job is to create life long learners within our students. If teachers teach students to enjoy learning they will never stop. We need to create environments within the classroom that encompass students' natural inquisitiveness. Since learning and implementing inquiry practices in my classroom, I believe I have found that change I was seeking. I no longer feel stifled and lost. I am reassured that my teaching is based in best practices and my students are learning at their best. I no longer feel like a fish out of water.

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