Looking for the "I wonder" in my students,

I believe we were born with a great sense of curiosity and the desire to pursue new knowledge. As young children we continued to ask the question of “I wonder”. A child encountering new things each day is struck by an enormous amount of new information and their curiosity drives them to pursue these new adventures, reconstruct new meanings of their world, and continue to ask “I wonder” questions. The child is in control of their learning. This simple truth lies at the heart of the constructivist approach to education (Brooks, 1999).

Students coming up with a "working definition"
of some terms used in an activity they finished earlier.

Learning is a complex process through which learners constantly change their internally constructed understandings of how their worlds function. New information either transforms their current beliefs—or doesn't. The efficacy of the learning environment is a function of many complex factors, including curriculum, instructional methodology, student motivation, and student developmental readiness. (Brooks, 1999).

Learning theories are typically divided into two categories: behavioral and cognitive. Both see the world as real, external to the learner with a goal of instruction to map the structure of the world onto the learner (Ertmer, 2013). But one could also add to the list of learning theories, constructivism, offering another framework of learning.

As educators, we develop classroom practices and negotiate the curriculum to enhance the likelihood of student learning. But controlling what students learn is virtually impossible. The search for meaning takes a different route for each student. Even when educators structure classroom lessons and curriculums to ensure that all students learn the same concepts at the same time, each student still constructs his or her own unique meaning through his or her own cognitive processes. In other words, as educators we have great control over what we teach, but far less control over what students learn.

But, something went wrong, something drastically went wrong over the years of our students’ educational careers. The opportunities for “I wonder” moments; opportunities to seek new knowledge and reconstruct meaning and understanding of the world, and be in control of their own learning, got suppressed. It may not have been a conscious decision by the educational system, but standard driven curriculum, standardized testing, and plethora of other environmental changes, changed our students ways of learning and their “I wonder” moments went away for so many of our students.

One story shared in the blog by Erica Warren (2015) paints this sad picture that occurs in many classrooms:

Recently, we visited a classroom in which a teacher asked 7th graders to reflect on a poem. The teacher began the lesson by asking the students to interpret the first two lines. One student volunteered that the lines evoked an image of a dream. “No,” he was told, “that’s not what the author meant.” Another student said that the poem reminded her of a voyage at sea. The teacher reminded the student that she was supposed to be thinking about the first two lines of the poem, not the whole poem, and then told her that the poem was not about the sea. Looking out at the class, the teacher asked, “Anyone else?” No other student raised a hand.
I believe that educators are finding themselves in a situation to bring back more of the learned behaviors that help students be once again more curious, motivated to learn, and resilient. Their learning experiences may have been suppressed in the methods of teaching as well as outside environments, but our students can be retaught to bring their natural curiosity to the surface. I believe grit and resilience can be developed and nurtured.

In my science classes I share with my students “I can” statements that helps them focus their learning.  My students and I review the statement at the start of class and then we review them again at the end of the class. Students assess their level of understanding and report back to me in terms of their comfort level based on the “I can” statement as we continue to explore this topic. As I proposed in our Module 2 discussion, we can also possibly use it to help drive the various competencies of SEL, and maybe even help foster grit and resilience. The “I can” statement can become a statement that begins with “I am”. For example:

I am actively persevering with a powerful and clear intention to find answers to my questions.
I am continually pursuing a course of action despite difficulties or opposition in order to help answer my “I wonder” questions.
I am acting effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations as I stay on course finding answers to my questions.

Once again we can do this and it will begin with our clear mindset that offers a nurturing, welcoming environment, built on a solid relationship fostered over time with each students.
As noted by Erica Warren (2015), research offers some important outcomes about resilience and grit in the classroom:

Students and can learn skills that can increase their resilience and grit.
Teachers start the transformational process by believing in themselves.
Teachers can change their own attitudes and improve connections with their students.
Teachers can learn to nurture and instruct these skills.

"Shedding Light on Ions" an activity that
explores some of the properties of ionic solutions.

Research conducted by Yeager and Dweck (2012) supports this approach as they found that studies show that implicit theories of intelligence could be taught in school settings and that changing them could affect academic behavior. In particular they discuss the two implicit theories of intelligence - entity and incremental, of which incremental helps make the argument for grit and resilience to be taught. Incremental world is about learning and growth, and everything (challenges, effort, setbacks) is seen as being helpful to learn and grow. It is a world of opportunities to improve (Yeager & Dweck,2012).

I believe that teachers can provide the environment that helps students build a growth mindset, recognize the wonders of the world, and be resilient in their efforts. Sagor (1996) suggests some key experiences that help students feel optimistic about their educational and personal futures and feel good about their experiences learning:

Provide them with authentic evidence of academic success (competence).
Show them that they are valued members of a community (belonging).
Reinforce feelings that they have made a real contribution to their community (usefulness).
Make them feel empowered (potency).

We must structure opportunities into each child's daily routine that will enable him or her to experience that joy of learning and the reconstructing of the new meanings of their world.

Building resilience in students need not take substantial time from teachers, but it can be taught.  Helping our students have a sense of belonging, feeling competent in ones pursuit for knowledge, seeing failures as opportunities for growth, and finding opportunities for creative expression, exploration, and creativity is in essence the definition of teaching.

Resources

Brooks,G. J., & Brooks, M. G. (1993). In search of understanding: The case for
constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Brooks,G. J., & Brooks, M. G. (1999). The courage to be constructivist. Educational Leadership,
57, (3), pages 18-24. ASCD.

Ertmer, P. A. & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: comparing critical
features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly,
26(2), pages 43-71.

Sagor, R. (1996). Building resiliency in students. Educational Leadership, 54, (1), pages 38-42.
  ASCD.

Warren, E. (2015, December 9). Nurturing grit and resilience:classroom strategies for success
[blog post]. Retrieved from https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/2015/12/nurturing-grit-and-resilience-classroom.html

Yeager, D., & Dweck, C. (2012, January 1). Mindsets that promote resilience: When
students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational
Psychologist, 47(4). 302-314. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.

SEL: What to do when students get themselves "in a pickle"?

This is an age where students are still somewhat awkward in their decision-making and problem-solving, not fully understanding the consequences of their actions, nor what to do when they get “stuck”.  If I can contribute to their decision making process, where they can look at both sides critically, then I have done what I have set out to do.  I talk with them quite openly, letting them know that they are at an age where decisions they make can have long-lasting, perhaps permanent, effects. Students might be attending events where they have to make decisions. It is important for them to think through the event. If it is a party, they should be asking, “Who will be there, and are they people I can trust?”  If they are at a movie with friends, and those friends want to leave the theater, a question should be, “If I told my parents that I will be at the theater, what might happen if I leave?” There are many questions that teenage students should ask themselves, and on a regular basis.

Figure 1: Love and Logic Poster (“Positive Teaching Solutions and 

Practical Classroom Management, n.d.)

I also strive to help my students when they get “stuck” and they need to do some problem solving. Years ago, our school went through some training based on the principles of Love and Logic (“Positive Teaching Solutions and Practical Classroom Management”, n.d.). I used to have the Love and Logic poster hanging on my classroom wall (Figure 1). I recall it being introduced as a way for teachers to assist students with problem-solving situations without having the student a set of positive techniques for maintaining calm and effective classrooms. 


During the training we learned that (“Positive Teaching Solutions and Practical Classroom Management”, n.d.):

1. Respect, appreciation and love prevents potential problems. When students feel respected, appreciated and even loved by their teachers, they are far more motivated and cause far fewer problems. 
2. Freedom to problem-solve and make decisions fosters motivation.Students are far calmer and more motivated when their teachers allow them to make choices and solve their own problems within limits. 
3. Focusing energy on problem prevention is rewarding.Successful educators focus most of their energy on simple tools for preventing misbehavior or keeping it small...rather than trying to provide consequences for every problem.
4. Showing empathy and compassion is effective. When consequences are necessary, effective educators provide them with sincere empathy or compassion. 

I see some of the Social Emotional Learning Competencies within the list; words such as empathy, compassion, problem-solve, decisions, but it may not be enough for my students in this time of age.  I no longer “use” the Love and Logic practices, per say, but some of the principles resonate with me.Quite simply, I love my students. I love teaching, but I know that learning does not have to stop once the standards are met.  Standards must be taught.  Standards must be learned. Standards, however, are only the beginning. There are the competencies of Social Emotional Learning that must be intertwined in the lessons and the daily lives of our students.

As Pennant states, a problem is something you do not immediately know how to solve (Pennant, 2013). There is a moment in which you recognize a gap between where you are starting and the solution. This moment is captured in my infographic in which I show what a problem looks like: one standing in the “now-state” trying to move toward the “goal-state”. 

Using www.piktochart.com, I have designed a simple infographic to help guide my students when they find themselves “in a pickle”, possibly stuck between a starting point and a solution. Guiding the students are five steps that allows the student to work through the process of problem-solving. Included are some statistics as to why this is considered an important SEL competency to develop.


Resources

Love and Logic (n.d.) Positive Teaching Solutions and Practical Classroom Management.
Retrieved from https://www.loveandlogic.com/educators/ what-is-love-and-logic-for-teachers

Pennant, J. (2013, September). Developing a classroom culture that supports a problem-solving
approach to mathematics. Retrieved from https://nrich.maths.org/10341

Thinking of SEL? Consider switching from "I can" statement to an "I am" and "I care" statement

Following the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), my colleagues and I write daily “ I can”
statements to help our students focus their learning. My students and I review the statement at the start of class and then we review them again at the end of the class. For example, during our chemistry unit an “I can” statement, for this one of the lessons was as follows: I can explain the properties of acids and bases and identify the similarities and differences between them. Students assess their level of understanding and report back to me in terms of their comfort level based on the “I can” statement as we continue to explore this topic. When our principal stops in to visit, he usually asks my students, “What are you learning today?”. The “I can” statements help my students verbalize their goal for the day and it helps them speak more about their learning rather than the “doing”.

The words that begin the statement; “I can”, have me thinking more about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and how these practices could be part of the classroom. If we can use the “I can” statements in class to help drive our learning, we can also possibly use it to help drive the various competencies of SEL. I have been examining more closely the competency of self-awareness in which the driving force is knowing what we are feeling in the moment; having a realistic perspective of our own abilities and a sense of yourself (self-confidence, self-efficacy, emotions, and awareness of our strengths). With the change of one word, the “I can” statement can become a statement that begins with “I am”. For example, in demonstrating that one is aware of their emotions, one could state: I am aware of what I am feeling. In demonstrating that one is aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and potential, the statement could be as follows: I am aware of my traits, knowing what I do well, and recognizing what I can work on.

Demonstrating an awareness of the value of others in the greater communities requires a step towards understanding the competency of social awareness. As stated by Patti & Tobin (2003), today’s youth are growing up in a multicultural world that requires them to have knowledge and skills to question, problem solve, listen to diverse perspectives, make decisions and act as socially responsible participants in our democracy. The “I can” statement, in this case, could be altered to begin with the words, “ I care”. For example, in demonstrating awareness of others emotions and perspectives, one could state: I care about the feelings and viewpoints of others. If we were to help students demonstrate and develop their awareness of cultural issues and a respect for human dignity and differences, the guiding statement may read as follows: I care about and respect the individual differences of others.”

I have begun to dive into the process of solving a problem or at least forming a plan to help enhance student thinking about their behavior, feelings, emotions, care about others, etc. by first discussing the format of a standard or a written phrase that would remind both the student and teacher what our focus is when we are working with SEL. But, I think that is OK, since there is no wrong path for an individual constructing new meaning when analyzing each of the competencies of SEL, afterall, I have identified myself as a problem solver, so after any reflection, reading of articles, viewing videos, the analysis will naturally occur and the challenge to make things better will be in the forefront.

After reading the article about implicit biases, I was reminded with almost a “slap in the face” that I in fact have some attitudes or stereotypes that affect my actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. I am guilty of sometimes reacting to misbehaviors in my classroom in a manner that shows my biases. In this case, I am talking about my reaction when students are not staying on task and they are talking to their friends or playing. During a recent lesson I noticed in one of my classrooms two groups of students off task. We had completed an investigation in the lab and my expectation was that students would complete a “post-lab” activity at their classroom table. Two girls were talking softly to each other in one part of the classroom. I was attempting to listen to their conversation in hopes that it was related to the post-lab activity, but it was not. Meanwhile, across the classroom, two boys were playing “footsie” and it looked as though they were off task as well. As I reflect back to my behaviors on that day, I am guilty of falling victim, as Fuglei states in her blog, to the phenomenon of unconscious discrimination (Fuglei, 2013). That day I approached the boys first, and I must have unconsciously thought to myself that the “boys are out of control in the classroom” (Fuglei, 2013). In fact, I am guilty of even more. I handled the girls being off task in a different manner, and in this case, disproportionated the discipline due to my implicit biases (Safir, 2016). I was more upset with the boys, who were playing footsie than the girls who were talking about their favorite TV show. My tone when talking to the boys was different than when I talked to the girls. I was clearly upset with the boys more so than the girls. I had forgotten that they may have a lot of energy and may need to be more physical. The class work was not conducive to their needs at that time. The expectation to sit quietly and work independently was challenging for the boys and I reacted. I was stern, showed some of my emotions (being upset and disappointed), and decided to separate the boys. Once separated, I talked to both in attempts to bring some awareness to their lack of impulse control, offer guidance as to how to stop the behavior, but in reality, I was the one who needed a reminder of my own emotions and the ability to recognize social and ethical norms of behavior. I approached the two girls, hoping that they had returned to work, but their conversation had continue. I was not stern, nor did I express my disappointment to the girls. I did not separate them, nor offer guidance as to how to stop the behavior. When I approached the girls, I asked them if they needed any help with the post-lab activity, and I moved on, circulating the classroom. In mind, at that time, I thought that this is all I needed to do to remind the two girls that they need to be on task. I did not separate them or even talk about their behavior. My goodness! I am part of the statistics. This event is an example of the number one bias listed in the blog by Monica Fuglei (2013): Boys are out of control in the classroom. If we are to hold on to the idea of a Three-Component Framework for SEL, that includes the learning context, SEL for students and SEL for teacher (Schonert-Reichl, K.A., 2017), then continued reflections such as this can be a powerful tool for veteran teachers like myself. In search for a solution, I feel as though I can make improvements, moving towards a growth mindset, by reminding myself of the implicit biases that can exist and possibly working on my own “I care” statements in the SEL competencies of social awareness:


I care about and respect the individual differences of others.

I care about others and do my part to make my classroom better.


I appreciate the suggestions made by Safir, S. (2016) in which I can replace bias with receptive listening and affirming thoughts. Taking a moment to pause when facing prospective behavior issues and keeping in mind my “ I care” statements could be the road I take for improvements.

Earlier this month when I was reflecting on the past events I was having a proud moment as I realized I did do a good job of perspective-thinking during some small group discussions. My students and I have been exploring some acid/base indicators this week. A familiar one to many is called the Universal Indicator. It is a common one to use since it offers a rainbow of colors indicating the pH levels from 1-14 for any substance one would test. In the following lesson, I introduced my students to nature’s indicator; red cabbage. First, I shared with my students how earlier in the day I had boiled pieces of red cabbage (we could all smell this “soup” later in the day) and then filtered the liquid to have red cabbage indicator ready for us to use in the classroom. My students came up with a plan to test the red cabbage indicator. They decided to use four different substances we had used in our investigation the previous day with Universal Indicator and examined what colors red cabbage indicator showed up. As I circulated the lab area I was curious to hear what my students were noticing. One group connected the colors observed with Universal Indicator to mean or represent the same levels of pH for the red cabbage indicator. This was an assumption on their part, and unfortunately an incorrect one, but I did not immediately say so. Instead, I took a deep breath, and quickly in my mind, asked, why were these students making this assumption? In fact, I was putting myself in their shoes, and thinking about how others might feel (or think as in this situation) (Smith, 2013). Listening helped a lot. I asked the small group of students to offer their reasoning, talk about what they understood and the connections they were making. I made every attempt to offer nothing but support and encouragement, as well as a comfortable and safe space to convey their newly constructed meanings. It was important for me to ensure that the students recognized that I was hearing them, understanding them, and ready to share my thinking as well. I was making every effort to demonstrate my awareness of other people's’ perspectives and I was doing my best to demonstrate consideration for other and a desire to positively contribute to our community (our classroom). The following “I care” statements in the SEL competencies of social awareness may have subconsciously been in my mind as I worked to have a positive experience with this group of students:


I care about the feelings and viewpoints of others.

I care about others and do my part to make my classroom better.

I am a big fan of the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I have read several of her books. One of my favorites is modified from a TED talk she gave in which she spoke about feminism. The word feminist, and the idea of feminism itself, is also limited by stereotypes (Adichie, 2014). She challenges our ways of thinking of the word “feminism”, offers a unique definition for it, one that is rooted in inclusion and awareness. Using a bit of “tongue and cheek” language, she gives herself a label that is as follows: Happy African Feminist Who Does Not Hate Men And Who Likes to Wear Lip Gloss And High Heels For Herself And Not For Men (Adichie, 2014). You can see it in this obscure, almost ridiculous label, how much explanation may be needed for one to “understand” or take the perspective of another. As with her Ted Talk about the dangers of a single story (Adichie, 2009), teachers must be careful not put a label on a student, recognize their many stories, along with the many “labels” that one could add behind their name. It’s time we took the time to know each other, be socially aware and appreciate the diversity.





References:


Adichie, C. (2009). The danger of a single story.[Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.


Adichie, C. (2014). We should all be feminists. New York, NY. Anchor Books.


Fuglei, M. (2013, December 20). Unconscious discrimination: How to defeat four hidden teacher

biases. Retrieved from

https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/unconscious-discrimination-

avoiding-teacher-biases/


Gregory, A., & Fergus, F. (2017). Social and emotional learning and equity in school discipline.

The Future of Children,27(1), 117-136. Retrieved from www.jstor.org



Patti, J., & Tobin, J. (2003) Smart school leaders: Leading with emotional intelligence.

Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.


Safir, S. (2016, March 14). 5 keys to challenging implicit bias. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/keys-to-challenging-implicit-bias-shane-safir


Schonert-Reichl, K.A. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teachers. The Future of

Children, 27 (1), 137-155. Retrieved from www.jstor.org


Smith, B., & Low, S. (2013). The role of social-emotional learning in bullying prevention

efforts. Theory into Practice, 52 (4). 280-287.

June 2018

I believe I toggle between a fixed and growth mindset when it comes to my self-confidence and the recognition of my strengths. I am a logical and reasonable individual, with a scientific mind that can recognize how my emotions play on my levels of self-confidence and the ability to see my strengths. According to Jain (2015), self-assessment may well be the single most critical element for self-growth. If I am to improve in this area I will need to move away from self-criticism and judgement of actions to a level of energy that can improve my role as a teacher.

As I analyze my own behavior within the Social Emotional Learning competency of self-awareness (CASEL, 2017), I see that I have displayed a fixed mindset that is according to Dweck (2006), rooted in various psychological complexities such as self-doubt and fear of failure. When I experience self-doubt, my confidence is low and I quickly forget the strengths I have and move toward worry and fear. In addition, I feel as though I hide these characteristics well and put up a front for my family, friends and colleagues to see. They may not know that inside I am struggling.

Jain (2015), identifies some steps that one could take in order to elevate one’s status as an empowered individual. First we need to recognize that we have a choice between a “fixed” vs. a “growth” mindset. Next we must find that underlying desire for continual improvement in one’s performance in spite of failures or setbacks. As we set up our S.M.A.R.T. goal, we are in fact becoming open to opportunities for growth as the plan of action is put forth. Finally, as further suggested by Jain (2015) we can open our minds to a positive "can do” attitude through continual reflective practice while reaching our S.M.A.R.T. goal.

During the last quarter of the school year I meditated at the start of each school day and attend a yoga relaxation class once a week. I kept track of my meditation using a short Google Form that I had designed for this purpose and checked in with the athletic clubs app each time I attended class. I changed the motivation quotes at my desk each morning, and reflected on the quote as part of my morning meditation routine. I also had made arrangements to meet with one of my friends at work each morning to reflect on the school day that is about to begin and ask for her to offer feedback on what is my level of self-awareness, focusing on self-confidence and recognition of my strengths.

I selected a S.M.A.R.T. goal of meditation because I believe that this moment of awareness can be as simple as inhaling and exhaling (taking a moment to pause and reflect) and ovearll a powerful exercise. During the meditation period I also asked myself guiding questions that could help me see my strengths and help boost my confidence. Questions I could ask are as follows:

1. What part of today’s lesson am I excited to share with my students?
2. What area of strength will be part of my driving force in today’s lesson?
3. Identify a positive attribute a student, a group of students, or a class that puts a smile on your face and gives you a sense of calmness.

I purchased a box of quotes and the small cork board two years ago as a decoration on my classroom desk. I am already in the habit of changing the quote each day. Some of my students enjoy reading the quotes as well. Incorporating the quote in my daily “morning meditation” as part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal offered me the opportunity to become more reflective and guide my focus towards a positive outcome. The quotes did not all focus on self-awareness; specifically self-confidence, or recognition of strengths, but they are positive in nature and can guide one's thinking toward all things good.

The morning meeting with my friend and colleague each day was also part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal and it stems from the idea I saw in the Teacher Channel video “Ms. Noonan: Morning meeting” (Ryan, C. & Slattery, I). The meeting seemed to help motivate the students for the day. Many of the students shared what they can do to make this day go better. That positive focus was a key factor in deciding whether I should incorporate this practice in my own goal. In addition having a good friend who I can rely on for feedback will be essential in reaching my goal. According to Tjan (2015) my friend played the role of honest mirror, letting me know in a candid, constructive, and objective manner if I am on the right track towards having a growth mindset and competency of self-awareness as the school day begins. When the two of us talked, we both had an opportunity to have as Jennifer Hawkins (Teacher Channel, n.d. 0:20) calls them, emotional check-ins. Both of us benefitted by thinking about how we felt and talked about it.

Overall, this was an amazing experience and I highly recommend my colleagues to consider a similar practice. I felt as though I had cleared my mind and was starting the day with a positive attitude and a lot of energy.

References

CASEL (2017). Collaborative for academic, social, and emotional learning. Retrieved from https://casel.org/core-competencies/

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success: How we can learn to fulfill our success. New York: Ballantine.

Jain, C. R., Apple, D. K., Ellis, W. Jr. (2015) What is Self-Growth? International Journal of Process Education, 7(1), 41-52.

Ryan, C. (Producer) & Slattery, I. (Producer & Director). n.d. Ms. Noonan: Morning meeting [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/classroom-morning-meeting

Teaching Channel. (n.d.) Emotional check-ins [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/emotional-check-in

Tjan, A. K. (2015). 5 Ways to Become More Self-Aware. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/02/5-ways-to-become-more-self-aware

More suggestions from my New Framework for Science in the Classroom for both Girls and Boys

More suggestions from my New Framework for Science in the Classroom for both Girls and Boys continues with 3 additional ideas.

3. Delegate More Authority to Students - To engage in making their own scientific knowledge, our students must learn to make decisions; ranging from interpreting a step in procedures to deciding how to design an experiment in order to answer a question – and we must give them the authority to do so.

1. What Should a Teacher Do to Delegate More Authority to Students?
1. Give students open-ended tasks for challenges that have a variety of solutions.
2. Assign and maintain procedural roles. Well-structured group work utilizes differentiated procedural roles for group members: task manager, summarizer, technology expert, materials manager, etc.
3. Keep your hands behind your back; refrain from jumping in and solving problems for your students.

Myra and David Sadker documented that we as adults can contribute to girls’ lack of confidence by stepping in and doing tasks for them, reinforcing that we do not believe they can do it on their own (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). These rescuing behaviors by adults or more confident peers translate into fewer opportunities for some girls to explore, thereby diminishing their capacity to develop the confidence to be successful in science.

Lowered confidence can lead to a set of behaviors collectively referred to as learned helplessness. If confidence is key in science, then these self-reinforcing recurring behaviors by adults in the classroom can result in learned helplessness that have academic consequences that are particular concern for girls in science.

4. Building Confidence - Having the confidence to explore allows us to reinterpret evidence and contribute our own voice and vision to a problem or explanation

2. What Should a Teacher Do to Build Confidence?
1. Offer plenty of opportunities for girls to investigate freely while pursuing science ideas. In other words, allow girls to explore their interests; not something that is teacher driven.
2. Use open-ended questions when responding to student questions: How could you figure this out? What do you think?
3. Encourage and promote girl’s beliefs that their efforts will result in increased skill and understanding. Give positive feedback on the strategies they are trying out. Remind the girls that what they are doing is what scientists do as well.

5. Developing Resiliency to Failure - Internalization of failure can affect a girl’s willingness to engage in scientific investigations where experiments need to be repeated, where they involve uncertainty, and where she could be perceived as “failing”. The notion of failure is critical in science, and it is critical for girls because girls, more than boys, tend to believe intelligence is innate and fixed over time. Girls tend to choose tasks that present little challenge, and tend to internalize failure (Dweck and Leggett, 1988).

3. What Should a Teacher Do to Unfold the Question of Equity?
1. Consider using a different term, other than “failure” when running an investigation or experiment. Instead use the term  “unanticipated results”.
2. Provide opportunities for analysis of why unexpected results occur sometimes in science and how these results can inform future experiments.
3. Guide girls on how to reduce risk and how to learn from mistakes. Discuss various strategies such as: thought experiments, making predictions about possible outcomes, start with simpler versions of the experiment before taking on the more complex versions, and building models.

Final thoughts on my New Framework for Science in the Classroom for both Girls and Boys:

Listening is complicated and an active process that requires a lot of energy, yet it is considered a passive form of learning and doing research. As a teacher I was trained to speak and guide meaningful lessons and to guide students in reconstructing their understanding of the world. My expectations have been that my students listen and learn, but I have only begun to truly develop learning contexts that help me listen and learn from my students.

Start implementing opportunities to leave the boundaries of content and walk the line between facts and feelings, the rational world, and the empathetic modes of learning. We should all aspire to create a classroom culture in which it is common to share what fills us with wonder and excitement about the world we live in, to question one another in a supportive way, to ask questions, problem solve, disagree and together create new knowledge.

American Association  of Advancement of Science states that coupled with an insistence that students be aware of the potential for current and future technologies to affect themselves, society, and the physical environment, contexts within which students can speak about challenging issues brought to us by science and technology are certainly ways for students to apply ideas in novel situations. Listening to students is necessary step in order to change student’s beliefs about science and their ways of doing science.

A New Framework for Science in the Classroom for Both Girls and Boys - Part 1

A New Framework for Science in the Classroom for both Girls and Boys - Part 1

I discovered several themes when collecting the data and focusing on the research question: How can I change my ways of teaching science so that I would better represent the needs, knowledge, efforts, voice, and dreams of all my students?

Allison Ryan and Helen Patrick examined 7th and 8th grade students - their social environment of their classroom, student motivation, engagement and achievement all were observed when they felt that their teacher understood and supported them. Keeping this in mind, along with my own research, I have developed a new framework for science in the classroom for both girls and boys. Within this new framework I propose a list of things to change and how to make the change.

1. Encourage Student Voice - Student success in science, especially for girls, requires that students have opportunities to find and develop their voice.
1. What Should a Teacher Do to Encourage Student Voice?
1. Help students recognize the moments during a lesson when you need to present and explain a concept and when you encourage and expect students to express their own understanding and ideas.
2. Collect data for yourself to see the participation rate of individual students. Keep track of which students talk and under what conditions.
3. Allow for student thinking time. Increase your wait time. Three seconds greatly increases student participation and  quality of responses (Rowe, 1987).
4. Encourage multiple voices and new voices. Use a talking stick or talking circles. Talking chips help equalize participation.
2. Unfold the Question of Equity - Developing an understanding of what equity means and why it is important requires that we be explicit with our students about the history, social structures, and resulting attitudes that have led to inequalities within the field of science and the science classroom. Explicit attention to gender and racial equity and helping students to see scientists as regular people, all seem to have a positive effect (Finson, 2002). Many of us are familiar with programs that expose girls to role models and career information, improving girls self-confidence as well as their perceptions of their ability to do science. In addition to these programs I suggest that the discipline of science must include the perspectives and insights of women; these ideas should be shared within the design of the curriculum. In other words, the contributions of women and minorities should be part of the historical analysis of the development of scientific knowledge.
1. What Should a Teacher Do to Unfold the Question of Equity?
1. Learn to see inequity. Educate yourself about how systems of privilege are constructed and maintained. Listen to each word you use in the classroom. Gloria Ladson-Billings (2006) describes this as developing sociopolitical consciousness and includes both local issues of the community and larger issues that affect equity.
2. Examine what is included and not included in your curriculum. Help students master this knowledge and help them see what has been omitted.

Science learning of non-mainstream students is influenced by a variety of factors associated with their racial, ethnic, linguistics, and social class backgrounds. Science has it own code of conduct and language, which historically clashes with the virtues of femininity. Learning science must engage student in constructing knowledge and linking new ideas to what is known.What has not been emphasized is that scientific inquiry in itself has emerged from certain political, cultural, and socioeconomic frameworks and bringing awareness to this fact can help unfold the question of equity in your classroom.

More suggestions from my New Framework for Science in the Classroom for both Girls and Boys will be shared in the next blog.

Steller Science Girls: Nurturing Middle School Girls to Become Scientists

I have been asking the following question for several years: How can I change my ways of teaching science so that I would better represent the needs, knowledge, efforts, voice, and dreams of all my students?

Here are some data points I have collected as I continue to research this topic:

• —Girls and women are still being steered away from STEM pursuits. In K-12, boys tend to be more confident about their math and science abilities than girls (Libarkin and Kurdziel, 2003).
• At an early age girls are more likely to develop negative attitudes toward science, resulting in self-doubt in their abilities (Steinke 1999).
• —Girls often internalize disabling stereotypes, including the belief that computers, technology, and science are masculine and that there is a biological explanation for boys performing better in science, math, and technology (Gatta and Trigg, 2001).
• —In traditional K-12 science and math classroom environments, girls exhibit less self-confidence and are less assertive than boys (AAUW 1992, Fenema 2000).
• Girls often experience and see science as a solitary endeavor laced with competition. They view success in science as available only to the smartest, not as accessible to everyone. Success in science can be viewed negatively among adolescent girls, potentially decreasing their social status among boys and attracting unwanted labels such as nerd (Sadker and Sadker, 1994; AAUW, 1998).
• Research on student perceptions of science have shown that science is viewed as a discipline filled with isolation and competition,  without the personal, the creative, and the relevant (Lederman, 1992).
• Social, historical, cultural and political context is part of the classroom.The ways of knowing and doing science of those non-mainstream individuals must be validated and connections can be made.

I propose a New Framework for Science in the Classroom for both girls and boys and plan to share this in the next blog.