sandcastle

So my Year 8 students came with many interesting and creative questions that could be carried out by Amy Rogers as she takes up the challenge of her Antarctic adventure in November. We vetted our list and finally came up with four questions to explore. We sent off three detailed experiments that Amy might choose to do while there. The nature of the fourth question meant it couldn’t practically be undertaken, but it was a great question, I couldn’t just leave it out altogether. So I’ve turned it into a new form of homework for the whole family, called Dinner Table Science! I told my students that they could share the pain of homework with their entire family at the dinner table, and that they should work as a team to explore ways of finding an answer to the question. The question is:

Would lava erupting from Mt. Erebus in Antarctica melt the surrounding ice or would the ice freeze the lava?

So I’ll see next week what creative problem-solving they’ve managed.

How to start a new topic? I asked my Year 8 Science students the question, Who remembers the information best when I teach a lesson? They were unanimous: “You do, Miss!” Having agreed on this point a discussion ensued about why this is so. This was our launchpad for the next topic, Body Systems. The students would take the lead. Instead of delivering a short class presentation on an aspect of a body system, the students became excited at the prospect of being allowed some responsibility to plan and deliver a whole lesson. Of course, there were clear guidelines and parameters within which they were to work.  Each group’s task would be to deliver the key ideas of a particular body system within a single lesson. But they had to:

• cover key ideas listed for their topic
• present the information in an interesting way to keep the class focussed - mostly this was achieved by breaking the time into 4 x 15 minute  blocks that included different activities
• be guided by the relevant section of their textbook and plan to cover the material in such a way as to have the class prepared for a test question on the theme.

I pondered the merits of this approach, wondering whether or not they were up to the challenge of actually teaching the class. The answer was crystal clear. Our students are experts at what makes a good teacher. Why wouldn’t they be? They’ve been sitting in our classrooms day in and day out for years observing their teachers and their different styles. In terms of some of the technologies we use, they are obviously more adept than many of us. They know what makes a lesson interesting or boring. So the question became Why not? instead of Why? They had two lessons dedicated to preparation. They didn’t need to look beyond their textbook to find the information they needed. So we started.

I was blown away by their work. Each group was able to fill an entire lesson. The lessons were interesting and included a range of activities and approaches, including:

• PowerPoint presentations of notes and graphics to cover key points, structure, functioning & problems
• practical activities such as taste tests, kidney dissection, enzyme action
• reading & discussion from the textbook
• note-taking (and very succinct-to-the-point-summary notes they were too)
• worksheets 
• quizzes
• crossword puzzles & wordsearches that the students generated themselves, using dedicated software 
• glossary terms

Students planned the work well and kept me posted about anything they needed for practical work, photocopying needs, data projector, models, etc.

They owned the work and so they were engaged in it. They were fantastic! I learned a great deal from them.

• Not to underestimate them.
• Always engage them.
• Include them in planning.

I was inspired by them. One group even taught the class about urinary system problems & conditions, not by discussing them or writing notes, but by presenting a rolling slide show of some very vivid, informative and icky graphics put to just the right lyrics. The room was silent, the class focussed. It was a great moment, a wonderful exhibition of student creativity and engagement, as well as an inspiration informing my own teaching.

The next step is to evaluate the process. I’m curious about what their responses to this opportunity will be. The bottom line is clear…I teach - I learn!