Science has been a recurring theme for me today. This morning I spent time trying the rock cycle experiment (modeling the cycle with bits of crayons) that my science methods group and I are planning for our 3rd grade science buddies, this afternoon I spent doing my own experiment for our science methods assignment, and I just read a few chapters of A Sustainable Start in which John Spencer compared his teaching to a science experiment.
- Teachers should put themselves in the shoes of their students more often.
- In trying out our 3rd grade experiment, I was able to identify aspects of the procedure that needed to be modified to suit our students and the timeframe of our lesson. I was also able to feel where our students might be tempted off task or where they might want to stop and linger to notice and reflect.
- In doing my own experiment, I felt a student’s frustration of things not going as planned, taking longer than I expected and having to repeat procedures that went awry. On the other hand, even though my hypothesis was proven incorrect, I was able to practice what I have been preaching, which is that in science there are no wrong answers, just new discoveries! This shift in attitude about science is critical for our students to adopt.

- Science is fun! It was a nice change of pace from reading textbooks and planning lessons to be on my feet and actively involved in a hands-on task. It was fun to wait with anticipation to see if the crayon experiment would work as described and if my predictions for my own experiment would be right or not.
- Teaching itself is a science. As Spencer says, “It’s the science of inquiry and observation, of testing new ideas and paying careful attention to the way we interact . . . it’s data, yet it’s creative” (pp. 87, 89). As student teachers, we are not in the position to stray too far from the curriculum given to us, but I am finding I can be very creative within its constraints, molding it and expanding it to fit the needs of my students and my own style of teaching. Experimenting, hypothesizing, collecting data and reflecting on how to improve lessons for my students and for myself.