Application of Scientific Concepts
How I have grown in my ability to apply concepts and scientific principles to practical problems and/or real world situations.
Evidence I
What the Evidence is: The first piece of evidence I have selected to illustrate my growth in the application of scientific concepts is an out-take selected from the Wintergreen Ester Synthesis and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) post laboratory question set from the course, The Chemistry of Living Organisms. This particular lab experience was my first in-class opportunity to apply the new concepts we had been working on in class to a physical situation that I could actually see the results as opposed to taking it on faith that the reaction would occur a specific way.
Why I chose it: In class, we spent a good deal of time discussing molecular shape and the physical and chemical properties that resulted. That concept was a foundational idea and was the basis of one of the course Enduring Understandings. I chose this piece as evidence because I believe not only is it a depiction of my understanding of the course material, but more importantly it illustrates my ability to apply the concept of molecular polarity to a real life laboratory situation. It was also a great example of an application of chemistry in the real world. TLC has many real world applications, often it is used in the field of forensics as a means to separate a compound into its constituent parts for identification. As I have been wanting to develop a forensics approach to the chemistry unit that I teach, this lab experience has provided a great example of a lab that I could do in class that would be tangible and meaningful to middle school students.
How it illustrates growth: I believe that this piece is indicative of growth, as I would have been hard pressed to describe the polar/non-polar nature of a complex organic molecule prior to this course. In my pre-class assignment I discuss polarity, but only in reference to a simple molecule like water. I would have never given thought to including a discussion on the existence of “London dispersion forces that exist between the solvent molecules” and the “non-polar product of the reaction or the hydrogen bonds that are made between the silica plate and the polar salicylic acid”. Prior to this course I had no conception of either of those concepts and from this I now have a deeper understanding of the interactions between molecules and am also more effective at making inferences about the behavior of a molecule based in its molecular geometry as well as its constituent parts. Now having an understanding of the basic mechanics of TLC will allow me to incorporate a similar lab in my own classroom.
Wintergreen Ester Synthesis and Thin Layer Chromatography Lab
Evidence II
What the Evidence is: The second piece of evidence that I have chosen to cover this rubric area is from the Physics- The Foundations of Science course. It is an excerpt from my final project which was a lesson plan that included applications of Newton’s law’s
Why I chose it:.I chose it because this project afforded me the opportunity to actually build an apparatus out of parts from around the house as a means of supporting the lesson plan. Just building the machine so that it would function properly was an exercise in applying the concepts of Newton’s laws.
How it illustrates growth: This excerpt is indicative of growth in that is is legitimately the first lesson plan that I ever wrote which includes applications/extensions of concepts that the students could make real connections to. It is also the first time that I have felt motivated to build something at home on my own time to be used in my classroom.
The Atwood machine I built for Dr. Gladney’s course
Excerpt:
Evidence III
What the Evidence is: The third piece of evidence that I have chosen to cover this rubric area is from the Environmental Science course taught by Dr. Susan Gill and Prof. Christine Medved. It is a simple black and white picture of a traditional McMansion style home. We were charged with altering the picture and applying what we had learned in terms of best land-use/management practices. We accomplished this by using pastels to change the picture in any way we saw fit. Some of the practices included are planting trees and using rain barrels as means to catch runoff. A permeable surface driveway is also included as are a number of wild-flowers which not only add to the scenery but also help with runoff.
Why I chose it:.I chose this as a representative of growth as it is a direct depiction of applying new content knowledge to a situation that is a very real problem in my community. Living in what was not long ago, a very rural area that in a short time span has exploded in growth, these McMansion style homes are the norm in the community that I live and teach in. As such learning about best management practices and land uses is entirely applicable and relevant to my students.
How it illustrates growth: The way that I think that this illustrates growth is not necessarily because I drew a nice picture that demonstrates best management practices, but more in that this activity perhaps more than any other showed me the value in using real life situations that are meaningful to the learner and the impact that it has on learning. because the concept of suburban sprawl and poor land use practices is something that has a regular impact on my life, it made learning these concepts all the more important to me, maybe better said it made it very personal and therefore the new content became personal. So while I have not actually applied this concept with in my classroom, the realization of the importance of making real world relevant connections will.
Evidence:
