Science is fun!  

I found that the ScienceFix blog http://www.sciencefix.com/  by Darren Fix shows how excellent it can be to have interesting experiments in class.  

Mr. Fix is a middle school science teacher who uses to blog to display videos of experiments he has done or plans to do in the classroom.  He posts videos showing different chemical reactions that a teacher would be able to reproduce in the classroom.    The then gives a short description of the science that forms the basis of the experiment.  

It is a useful blog since experiments seem like a wonderful way to introduce hard to grasp concepts in science.   If you get the class to conduct an experiment they can prove that the scientific hypothesis in question is correct and true.  

Some of the experiments on the site show different ph reactions, different ways to classify and sort matter.   There is an experiment where Mr. Fix mixes two liquids to produce a solid and then proves that no mass was lost, or gained in the process.  He also has experiments with exploding eggs and one where he lights his hand on fire.  

As a former middle schooler I can verify that most kids love explosions and fire and this blog is full of safe experiments that are sure to capture a students attention and perhaps foster a life long interest in science.   I am excited to try some of these at home with my kids, but maybe not the fire hand.

What is the fundamental purpose in teaching?

I looked over my answers to the questions given to us in class last Tuesday, about the fundamentals of education, schooling and teaching.    My answers all seemed to be universal.  They would apply to a kindergartner, a teenager, and a 30-something stay at home mom, or a septuagenarian who is still interested in learning more about the word around them.  

For example, question number four asked what the fundamental purpose in teaching is.   I replied that it is to share knowledge and inspire a desire to learn.   I think at any stage in life or schooling there is an innate urge to try to better yourself.   For me, that is about learning and trying new subjects and ideas. 

The question that brings up for me is how do you share knowledge and inspire others to learn?   It’s easy when you are passionate about a subject to share your enthusiasm.   However I can imagine it would be hard to get others interested in what you are saying if you aren’t really interested in it yourself.  

My eldest son’s teacher uses humor, he can throw his voice across the room, and makes up silly words to get the kids laughing.   My kindergartner’s teacher uses attention, love and caring to get the kids to respect and listen to her.  

I have had a few teachers in my life that were very good at sharing their knowledge and inspiring a desire to learn.   My physics teacher in college was so dynamic (ha ha) that he had us riveted to the overhead projector with only his enthusiasm to make physics fun and to make sure that everyone of his 115 students understood the basic concepts of physics.   It couldn’t have been an easy task and he always had students coming up for help.   He took the time to make a personal connection with his students, and I think overall that is the fundamental purpose of teaching. 

John Dewey said in his pedagogic creed that education “is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.”

This belief caused me to think about a few friends of mine that home school.   They follow the un-schooling approach, and educate their children based on what they are working on in the home, or what the child has interest in at the moment.     

My friends don’t follow a curriculum and can often have topics fly off into tangents.  But the process is intriguing to me, considering that is how I feel I learn the best.   By having a hands on approach to what I am most interested in at the moment.   I tend to be more engaged and willing to work on things that I find important to me.  I find that the same is true of my children.  If they are excited about a topic, it is easy to teach them.  If they have homework to do and are just checking the boxes, they give me a lot more grief. 

My friend’s kids won’t be tested on reading or writing or math, but they will have amazing knowledge about the world around them.  Things like why baking powder makes pancakes puffy, how your stomach breaks down the pancakes.  Maybe, where the wheat comes from.  Possibly even the weather systems that bring the rain to make wheat grow.

Would this type of approach work well in school?   No, probably not.   Kids are interested in different things at different times.   I think it’s important for them to learn grammar and math.   However, I think if we allow ourselves to follow children’s lead, and make school fun and more relative to the world around them, a more meaningful and personal education will follow.