So many competing interests coming into the public classroom make creating lesson plans a real balancing act. In my science classroom, while striving to teach an authentic curriculum that meets the state frameworks, I want to:
- create a constructivist learning environment
- connect the course to the students world
- meet the students on their individual levels and on their technological turf
- attain higher order thinking skills
- continue learning with my students and give them practice for becoming life-long learners
My teaching incorporates literacy, art, history, and math into the science lessons. It is hard work for the students and I reach out to them to let me know if the work appears too "random", if they are not understanding the "why" of what I am doing. My time during the school day is consumed by watching the students, reading the students, helping the students, and reaching out to them in many different ways. My lesson planning comes after hours and can become trouble when my home responsibilities begin to get neglected. I've often told people I feel like a starfish, trying to reach out in many directions to many people at once. It's hard to keep my head above water... or sand. But every day is a brand new day and an aha moment from just one student keeps me going.
Starfish photo attribute: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/ / CC BY 2.0
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