"Letters To A Young Scients" By Edward Wilson (1/4)

"Letters To A Young Scientist" is a book written by a Harvard professor, Edward Wilson. The first three chapters act as inspiration for people looking into life in the sciences. Chapter one, titled “First Passion, Then Training,” explains to the reader how to know if the sciences are a right career path. The author states that people who really want to succeed in sciences need to have a passion for it. That passion should be fed until someone is able to focus on a specific science or technology based career. “Put passion ahead of training… Obey that passion as long as it lasts. Feed it with the knowledge the mind needs to grow” ( Wilson, 25). This quote can be direct to the science classroom. So often students reach high school and have either found a reason to stay in school and succeed or they have not found a passion and are just going through the motions of school. And as often as students give up, teachers give up on them. Many teachers see a student who doesn't want to learn and they focus on the students who have more drive. As an educator I believe that it is never too late to find a passion in something. I will find ways to connect my students interests to the field of science. I do not expect all of my students to love having to take a science class and students can’t “ just drift through courses in science hoping that love will come,” (Wilson, 25). Some students just don't like the typical science classes so I will find ways to incorporate student interest in the class.

For every scientist, whether researcher, technologist, or teacher, of whatever competence in mathematics, there exists a discipline in science for which that level of mathematical competence is enough to achieve excellence.
Page 41

    Chapter 2 titled, “Mathematics”, really spoke to me. I am not a fan of math. I have never had a teacher who was able to work with me and the way that I process information. The words in this chapter were reassuring to me going into a science career and I hope to use them to encourage other people as well. Wilson explains that science careers do not often require a strong basis in mathematics. He also states that just because someone can understand math and do it well, does not guarantee success in a science field. Being a creative and innovative thinking is far more useful in a science field. Scientists have to be able to find evidence and make connections to current facts and potential theories. In my classroom, math will be prevalent but there is no reason for a student to fall behind in science because they lack skills in math. I aim to have explorative labs where students use what they learned and apply it in new situations. I have set up several of these target labs and design challenges( 1 2 ) and have recorded them in my best practices portfolio.

“Every problem is an opportunity,” (Wilson, 47). This is the main focus of chapter 3. The author speaks about how processes are important aspects of scientific discovery. One thing that I believe very fully is that students should be given chances to screw up and make mistakes. That is how they learn. If a student gets the right answer on every question on every test given, did they learn what they were supposed to from a science class? According to standards based learning they did. But I believe that understanding science is more based in making connections and fixing a mistake in the process. Mistakes and failure have such negative connotation but I do not see failures as failure. It is just another opportunity for students to grow. In my classroom students will be graded not on whether they did everything right or wrong but on whether they can explain and work through logically what they did. Standards: Learning Environment, Application of Content

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Current Atmosphere for Students in IEP and 504 Plan Meetings

While taking to a high school principal in a local area, he mentioned that IEP meetings are ran by teachers.  Teachers and other faculty are the ones who create the IEP and often the parents do not know the jargon or the legal terms that are involves so they really have no say in the IEP process. The same happens in 504 meetings, that is, if a meeting even takes place. In a 504 plan no meeting with the parents, student, and teacher is required. Unlike an IEP, a 504 plan doesn't have to be a written document an no meeting is necessary. The school has to inform the parents that there will be changes made to their students learning but unless parents know that they can ask for a meeting nothing will come of it. Teachers can make these plans with no aid from the student or the parents (Educational Advocacy).  I had the opportunity to speak with a student who has a 504 plan for ADHD and Anxiety. His parents are advocates for his learning but they have not taught him how to be an advoca
Read more

Student Led IEP and 504 Plan Meetings

An article by Christine Mason, Marcy McGahee-Kovac, and Lora Johnson outlines the need and the benefits for student lead IEP meetings. "Student led IEPs teachers students to take ownership for their own education and to demonstrate that ownership at an annual IEP meeting," (Mason, 2004). While a student lead IEP meeting is incredibly beneficial to the students they can not be expected to be put in that position of power all of a sudden. Students require scaffolding to get them to the point where they can be a self-advocate in a room full of adults. Mason,  McGahee-Kovac, and Johnson outline an excellent way to prepare students for an IEP or 504 plan meeting. They suggest a number of preparation sessions either individually or in small groups to identity what needs to happen in an IEP meeting. They go through about six sessions of preparation. The session will outline IDEA (1997) and the students rights in the school environment. Students will get copies of these law
Read more

How to Prepare Yourself and Your Child for an IEP or 504 Plan Meeting

The first 504 or IEP meeting you attend can be a daunting task but there are many resources and tips available to help you help your child to succeed. "ADDitude" is an online magazine that provides excellent resources for parents whos children have ADD and ADHD. There are two articles posed on their site that aid parents in preparing for an IEP or 504 plan meeting. The first article is written by Karen Sunderhaft and lists 12 tips that will help you prepare for and succeed at the IEP meeting. I will not go though all 12 steps but the one that I feel is the most important is that you need to put your child first ( Sunderhaft, 2017).  If you feel your child needs something in the classroom that the teachers are not willing to give, push for it and have reasons that support your belief of why specific accommodations would be helpful. The parent knows the child best and they have more of an understanding of what will work for the students. Parents, no not take this as an excus
Read more