Explicit teaching makes me uncomfortable.

WHAT?! Isn’t that your job?

Well, yes, educating my students is my job, but think about a time you were sitting morose in a lecture hall as an ancient professor droned on and on in an explicit, “I’m the teacher, now learn,” kind of way. How long did it take you to switch tabs from your word processor to Facebook or, for you analogue-type people, to start doodling in the margins of your notebook instead of taking notes? Now imagine you’re eight-years-old sitting on a carpet where you are expected to sit and listen and pay attention and KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF, DAVID. No matter how relevant the information, if it’s not presented in an interesting, engaging and, ideally, hands-on way, you’ll lose the class faster than you can say, “make good choices.”  So when I say it makes me feel uncomfortable, what I really mean is that I am reflecting the discomfort of my students.

In the spirit of engagement and hands-on learning, and my love of super fun and interesting science experiments, I presented the Savvy Shark Squad with the Scientific Method and the Borax Crystal Experiment.

Preparation:

• On the board/Smart Board/chart paper, write the title “The Scientific Method” and list the steps in simplified terms (see image below).
• Have a demonstration space ready to go, but do not put out the materials for the experiment yet. You’ll want to go over the Scientific Method first so that the students can make a connection between it and the forthcoming experiment.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBGabyTPQo9/?taken-by=ms.bayne

First, we reviewed the Scientific Method, having student volunteers read out the steps and explain, if possible, what they meant, with me providing any context or needed information as we went. I told them that every time a scientist wants to test out an idea, they have to follow these steps so that their findings will be accepted by the wider scientific community. Once I checked for understanding, I asked, “Do you think we can follow these steps?” The resounding answer was, “YES!”

I made sure not to tell the kids what the result of the experiment was supposed to be, and their predictions were smart, varied, and totally interesting. Some thought the pipe cleaner might change colour, others thought the fuzz would grow. One student even suggested that it would turn to acid and burn through the container and the table. Far-fetched, yes, but this prediction signaled to me that they were thinking about the experiment and the possible results. After sharing some predictions, with the help of our daily Special Helper, we followed the Scientific Method while completing the experiment. The next morning they observed the changes to the pipe cleaner and drew a picture of those observations.

The following week during my next class visit, after my SA informed me how interested and engaged the students were about the Borax crystals they had grown together, I extended it into a lesson about crystals. I researched some crystal facts and put them into a hat. The Sharks then took turns drawing facts and sorting them into a chart, classifying them into categories I had chosen. The students loved thinking about different ways of sorting the information, had discussions when there was a disagreement about which category a certain fact should go under, and learned some cool things about crystals while doing it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBYxQWIvQg2/?taken-by=ms.bayne

The most exciting part, though, was seeing the Sharks getting some hands-on time with different varieties of crystals that I borrowed from a geologist friend. They compared the shapes and colours of the crystals, looked at them through magnifying glasses, then recorded their observations by drawing a picture of a crystal and writing their favourite crystal fact in their learning logs.

Some great learning went on, wouldn’t you agree? The Sharks had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a topic rather than simply having it presented to them. They experimented, investigated, observed, sorted, organized, and participated their little hearts out. Most importantly, there was no discomfort because everybody was engaged together making their understanding crystal clear!

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