All throughout high school I was asked to read the textbook, take notes, comprehend the reading, and I was often frustrated. The textbooks were wordy and though I thought my vocabulary was rather extensive, I often found myself having to look up definitions. I hardly ever actually grasped what the textbook said. I relied heavily upon my teachers, other students, my parents, and the internet to explain to me what the textbook was saying. After being continually frustrated, I gave up reading the textbook all together. It was not fun. It was not entertaining. It did not hold my attention. I deemed it not worth my time. I imagine that most high school (and middle school) students feel this way about their textbooks. And its time for a change...
This video made me so happy. I feel that a lot of times professional science-y people don't realize that they are being so serious. I feel that they don't realize that kids don't understand their big words. We are not asking to dumb down the content. We are just asking for it to be proclaimed in a way that kids understand and can comprehend.
A good teacher will let his or her students explain something for themselves. They let their students come up with their own ideas and thoughts. Science textbooks and research papers only give one answer. They should definitely be used as a resource, but not as the main event. Students need to learn that science is filled with endless wonder and possibilities. They shouldn't be turned away or discouraged because they cannot grasp the textbook readings. As a future science teacher, one of my main goals is to inspire students to enjoy and explore the world around them. I will not get that by forcing the textbook and it's wildly uninteresting, completely incomprehensible, serious readings. I need to make science (and learning) fun and engaging. I need to open up the doors of science and show the students that they can be creative and they can enjoy themselves in science.
A good teacher will let his or her students explain something for themselves. They let their students come up with their own ideas and thoughts. Science textbooks and research papers only give one answer. They should definitely be used as a resource, but not as the main event. Students need to learn that science is filled with endless wonder and possibilities. They shouldn't be turned away or discouraged because they cannot grasp the textbook readings. As a future science teacher, one of my main goals is to inspire students to enjoy and explore the world around them. I will not get that by forcing the textbook and it's wildly uninteresting, completely incomprehensible, serious readings. I need to make science (and learning) fun and engaging. I need to open up the doors of science and show the students that they can be creative and they can enjoy themselves in science.