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EDU 636 |
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| Reflection
#7 Reflective Practice, i.e., Classroom Research |
"The participant demonstrates a
disposition toward inquiry
on teaching, and an ability to apply educational theory to do research on teaching and learning
in his or her own classroom."
| <--Previous Reflection Next Reflection--> |
Related Courses:
- Education 536-The Teaching & Learning of Chemistry
- Education 636-Advanced Topics in The Teaching & Learning of Chemistry
I have chosen to include reflective statements on how I have conducted research in my classroom. First, the Baseline Evidence 1 is a reflective statement on my teaching in 2005. Second, the Baseline Evidence 2 is a reflective statement at the end of my lesson plans from 2005. The depth and quality of the reflection are highlighted. Third, I have I have chosen to include an excerpt from my applied research paper on critical thinking in science (Later Evidence 1) because it demonstrates how I used my understanding of current science education theories/literature while implementing a curriculum which reflects in-class research. Lastly, I included an excerpt from my autobiography (Later Evidence 2), written in 2008. The evidence shows how my reflective practice has changed over time.
How:
Educational research and maintaining a reflective practice was a foreign concept to me as a teacher. I only every thought of myself as a teacher not a teacher/researcher. I frequently asked the question, "what is happening in my classroom?", but I never could understand why certain phenomenon were happening. I determined to use my new understanding of science education as it relates to my current classes. Initially, my reflections about my classroom were shallow and lacked depth. I used words such as, "it seems" and "I wish that" rather than having a much more full understanding of what was going on in my classroom. The research I conducted in my classroom was to determine how to develop critical thinking skills while teaching science. I sought to have students better prepared for their current intellectual challenges and future schooling. Twelve seniors from Mastery Charter High school participated in the six month study. Lab reports were the primary means of assessing critical thinking. I created a curriculum to teach critical thinking skills and established a rubric to evaluate skills through the use of writing lab reports. I conducted co-generative dialogues with my students, actively listening to students' concerns and suggestions around the topic of critical thinking in science. This allowed for reflective practice throughout the research period. My autobiography relates to the rubric item because it demonstrates how I have grown over the last few years in my approach to science education. The excerpt includes discussion about my research on student/teacher interactions within the classroom and how to create the appropriate cultural alignment to maximize student learning. The excerpt references my video analysis from the Education 636 class.
Why:
I selected this evidence to show how my reflective practice has grown. Initially, the level of reflection consisted of my desire "to be actively involved". I did not have the tools to make this happen, thus I desired "that I had better classroom management". Because students were not effectively engaged in learning science, they were not thinking deeply and did not seem to care about science. As a result, I started action research within my classroom to determine how to get students to think more deeply. Also, I conducted research to determine how the student/teacher interactions positively or negatively affected the teaching and learning of science. Through these experiences, I have learned the importance of continuing to conduct classroom research.
Baseline Evidence 1:
| From Reflection
on Teaching Video, UPenn STI Application, 2005 "Next time I complete this lesson, I wish that I would have allowed the students to follow instructions on the mini-lab with less guidance and more inquiry-based questions. Also, I thought the worksheet could be improved with deeper questions. In addition, the worksheets probably should have been collected to see if students were correct in their answers. My philosophy of teaching was demonstrated in this less by allowing students to be actively involved in guided practice, actively involved in independent practice, and actively asking questions about the world around them. This lesson demonstrates that having a pre-class, having a review from the previous class period, conducting a mini-lab, and requiring students to complete an exit quiz forces the students to demonstrate their learning. I believe that the nature of science needs to be experienced by the students and relate to the world around them. I desire for students to be challenged and to prove their understanding to themselves. After looking at the video tape, I noticed that there were several issues that can be addressed. I wish that I had better classroom management strategies to keep students on task and focused on the questions. Many side conversations prevented students from learning the material. Incentives, deadlines, or other motivators could have been used. Lastly, I noticed that as I answered questions, I openly gave students more information that they could have received on their own." |
Baseline Evidence 2:
| From Lesson
Plan Reflection, UPenn STI Application, 2005 "The “nature of gases” video was a great overall summary. Students were very interested and participated because of the anticipatory set. Many could relate the 2 L bottle decreasing in volume to milk jugs and other real life examples in their life. Students seemed to understand the objectives. Kinetic molecular theory was a bit unclear because of the abstract nature of the topic. The closure was effective because of the questions that I asked (What are the assumptions associated with ideal gases? What are the variables associated with gases?" |
Later Evidence 1:
| From Classroom
Research Paper, Education 536, 2006 CONCLUSION: "Writing was a moderately effective way of engaging students in critical thinking. The results indicated that students improved in writing lab reports and expressing deeper levels of thought. Teaching applicable skills, allowing for deliberate practice of critical thinking, and providing feedback for students on written reports all proved valuable to the success of the research. The instructor observed a change in deep critical though the six lab reports that were written. In the future, the instructor plans to continue co-generative dialogues and writing assignments to asses critical though on scientific concepts. The instructor also plans to teach critical thinking skills to students and model the components of critical thinking." |
Later Evidence 2:
| From My
Autobiography,
Education 636, 2008 The Context of Content "Since the beginning of my journey as a science teacher, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my practice in various ways. My experiences in the classroom provided insight that lead to an alteration in my mode of science format and presentation. The shift from lecture style learning to inquiry learning dramatically changed science education within my classroom. From strictly pedagogy to new methods of presentation, I quickly came to realize that learning science greatly depends upon the intrigue of the material and the practicality and applicability to life. When teaching bored teenagers, context dictates the acquisition of content." A More Crystallized View of Science Education "I have begun to understand the value of cultural alignment and social/cultural capital within the classroom. With the improved student/teacher relationships, students can perform better in an urban setting where relationship development provides a critical link to learning. As a result, students more actively understand and pursue scientific ideas within the classroom. Spending time and energy to carefully analyze visual and verbal student/teacher interactions has been a valuable tool for my ongoing reflective practice. As seen with the conversational and video analysis, I am able to reflect on my classroom routines and use the data to change the way I interact with students. This constant change is at the heart of my reflective practice." |
