Laurel Plouffe
Grade 4
Pelham, NH
December, 2010

Reflection On Teaching Science

There have been many obstacles for me as a new teacher. One of those obstacles has been teaching science in a way that is engaging and productive for my students. So often my first year I assigned reading and answering questions as my science lesson. The same was used everyday, with a few short projects thrown in for good measure. My goal and objective was to impart as much knowledge to my students as I could…just in time for the Science NECAP in May. I struggled with finding the balance of making sure my students learned and re-learned everything they would need for the upcoming assessment and finding ways to engage them.

My second year came and with it the science inquiry workshops. It was not necessarily a new way of looking at science (I had taken a class on it as a sophomore in college) but another tool to help me become a better teacher. I was amazed at how quickly our workshops went. We would be so engaged in what we were doing, it was hard to believe that a day had gone by. I wanted my students to feel the same about science. I wanted them so engaged and interested in what we were learning, they wouldn't realize the afternoon had slipped by and the day was over. But as I looked around I had another realization. This way of science would require a lot of trust in my students and a lot of letting go of control on my part. Could I do that? I wasn't even tenured and I was always worrying that the principal would happen by the exact moment my students were talking, never mind if they were out of their seats and scattered working in groups, perhaps being loud. In addition, we were at a workshop with all adults. Of course we came up with the right questions and ideas…we knew a lot more. How could I trust that my students would somehow ask the right questions or get the right answer? It was not that science inquiry itself was scary, but the thought that I must take a chance and let go. I would need to trust my students and become a facilitator of learning, not a teacher who was giving the answers at every turn.

I can still remember one of the first science inquiry lessons I did with my students. We were studying magnets and electricity. The other teachers had already given their students magnets and various objects along with a worksheet. It was quite simple. Put the magnet up to object number one and decide if the magnet stuck to it. Then, check of the yes or no column in response. This was not a bad lesson; I had used it the year before myself. But this time, I wasn't going to play it safe. I had been attending my science inquiry workshops and I was ready to take the plunge. I decided to let go and take a different approach.

I gave my students a choice of magnets. (The fact that they were actually given a choice excited them). There were different colors, sizes and shapes. Each student was given the opportunity to come up and pick two to three magnets. Then, the students got into groups. I can still remember the look of surprise and delight when I told them their directions, "Go ahead and play with your magnets. Write down any questions you might have as you explore." The word play seemed to shock them. After all, this was fourth grade. Students shouldn't be "playing" with anything in the classroom during instructional time. It was amazing to see my students so engaged in something they rarely have time to do in school…explore. I gave my students free reign for 30 minutes. They shared magnets with one another and tried them on all different surfaces around the classroom. They tried them in desks, out of desks, on the floor. They used them to attract other magnets or push them across the room. They were a bit loud, it looked like pandemonium but there was no fighting, no arguing, no magnets were being misused. There were conversations taking place and I gave myself the task of walking around reminding the students to write down questions they had about the magnets. It was difficult to just let them be. I wanted to say "Maybe you should try this" or "this is the reason that's happening" but that was not my role as a facilitator, not that day.

The next day we discussed what questions the students had come up with. Again, this was an exercise in self control. I wanted so badly to answer the questions they asked. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and let them control the conversation. We eventually put the questions into groups. They were grouped as questions we can experiment with and questions we can research. The most common questions students asked was "Can a magnet still work in a liquid?" and "Would a magnet still work if it were frozen?". Again I had to exercise restraint. To me, these were ridiculous questions. Of course a magnet still worked in liquids. Of course a magnet would be weakened if it was frozen in water (it would be in a solid). But I instead took the time to listen to my students and what they thought. The more I listened, the more I realized my students were naturals in science.

The group researching the magnets in liquid question came to me with a list of liquids they would like to try with the magnets: white vinegar, sprite and plain water (hot and cold). I found these choices to be interesting, so I asked the group why they chose those particular liquids. Again their thinking and answers shocked me. It was because they were all clear liquids. They needed to be able to see the magnet through the liquid to see if it would work. Then, they informed me of why they chose each one. White vinegar was chosen because it is an acid. Would the acid erode the magnet so it wouldn't work? Sprite was chosen because of its carbonation. Would the bubbles keep the magnets from attracting one another? Water was chosen because it could be hot or cold. Would the temperature affect the magnets? I was amazed, and excited. It seemed that science inquiry in my classroom was working. My students were invested in the topic and were eagerly asking when I could have the materials ready for them to experiment. It was at this moment that I seemed to come to a turning point. I could let go. I could let my students ask their own questions and design experiments to come to their own conclusions. It was all a matter of listening to what they had to say and realizing that their thoughts were valid. I had originally thought the question about magnets in liquids was ridiculous. It wasn't until I listened to what they had to say and their reasoning that I realized how much thought my students were putting into science. I easily could have told them the answers to all their questions and, in my first year I may have done just that. But it was so much more meaningful for them to find the answers rather than have me tell them. Again, it was all a matter of me stepping back and letting my students and their thoughts take the lead.

Another group was experimenting with magnets frozen in water. After some discussion with the group, it was decided that I would put the same type of magnet in plastic cups and plastic baggies. Some of the cups and baggies would have more or less water than the others. They would then be frozen and taken out right before our science time. I already knew the outcome of this experiment as well. The more solid between the two magnets, the less they would attract each other. So, the next day, we began our experiments with magnets. The students wrote down observations, questions, and predictions. They drew pictures of what they were doing in their experiment and the results. It wasn't until we were all back at our seats and talking about the results of our experiments that I realized how the experiment of frozen magnets and magnets in liquids would be so important.

The group that had experimented with the frozen magnets were wondering why their magnets did not work as well as the magnets the other group had put in tap water. After all, they had both used water. At this point, I had become more confident in facilitating science in my classroom. Instead of answering the question I turned to the class and said, "What do you think? What was different about the water?" A few hands shot up and the discussion began. We determined that the water was frozen in one experiment, while the water from the tap was not. We talked about how when we first explored with magnets, the magnets did not attract through really thick, solid objects. Then, the light bulb went off and my students realized the connection. Magnets work in gases and liquids, but when liquids freeze and become solids, the magnets do not work as well. This conclusion was arrived at completely by the students. They took their knowledge of magnet behavior from the exploration, their prior knowledge about the three states of matter and the results of the experiments and came up with an answer to their question.

Fast forward a few months to our Science NECAP preparation. I have a group of students that are mixed from my class and two other classrooms. We are reviewing the released items and come across one about magnets and water. You better believe that all my students got that question right. They even took the time to explain to their friends from the other classes why the one answer was correct. I look back on that year and realize that I learned a lot in science too. I learned that teaching is not about giving the right answer; it's about giving students the safe environment to take a chance, explore and question the world around them. It may get noisy, it may get messy, but it is worth it. I think back to my fears about the principal walking in on a noisy room. I realize now that I wish she had seen my students exploring with magnets that day. I wish that she had walked in and seen my students excited about science and asking questions, exploring that simple phenomenon in front of them.