The Fence

"The Fence" is a very short video clip that offers a great starting point for discussion topics of man vs. nature. 

In choosing an agriculturist (taker) and eventually an industrialist lifestyle, man has positioned himself first as an enemy of nature and then the defender of nature.

How soon though, will either nature completely disappear or decide to strike back?

Discussion Themes:

Hunter Gatherer to Agriculturalist

Man vs. Nature

Takers vs. Leaver

Man as enemy of Nature

Man's control of the Earth

Endangered Earth

Progress vs. The Environment

etc...etc...etc...



Four Reasons Students Forget Information

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. 

                                               ~Clay P. Bedford

 

They Did Not Use The Information

"I told them this, fifty times this year!"

Unfortunately, sheer repetition of a verbal-auditory stimulus does not allow the majority of students to transfer knowledge into long term memory.  In order to synthesize information completely, students must be able to associate the information to some purpose.  Purpose typically means a specific use.  Students must determine that the information has some meaningful purpose.  When the student can apply it to something useful to some real life situation, they are more apt to retain the information and transition it into long term memory. 

They Confuse It With Other Information 

Let's face it there is way too much information out there.  The glut of information that students deal with everyday is overwhelming.  There are bits of information that I have garnered over my fifty years that I will never forget and never confuse.  There are also concepts and ideas that no matter how many years I teach them I still need to look them up and review them each year before I share them wiht my students.  If, I confuse things after twenty-five years of teaching, I think that high school students after nine months of a subject could very easily confuse material.  Teaching students to distinguish differences, to understand patterns and sometimes using logic and common sense can help them avoid confusion. In the long run we all get confused once in a while.

They Decide That Information Conflicts With Their Previous Knowledge

We all do this.  We get comfortable with an idea and that is that.  Sometimes, this is the most difficult part of being a teachier or coach.  Overcoming, ideas, skills and patterns that have been taught either incorrectly or in a matter that will not allow students to progress. Let's face it.  Habits are hard to break, and bad habits are the worst.  Unfortunately for most of us, our students are not clean slates when they arrive and we must find ways to allow the students entrusted to our care to see value in all knowledge and to learn to evaluate information and see it's purpose. 

Never Really Learned The Information In The First Place 

Just because a student completed the assignment, or passed a quiz does not necessarily mean that they learned the material. In today's, fill me up, take a test, empty me out, method of learning, what are the markers that we can use to truly measure what a student has learned?  Versus, what a student simply has processed in order to complete the assignment, quiz or test for the purpose of the grade?  How often do we ask our students to demonstrate what they have learned in a way that is meaningful for them as learners and for us as educators? 

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

                                           ~ Confucius ~

Why Do We Think?

 "I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework."
                                                     -- Edith Ann, [Lily Tomlin]

How do you get students to think? They are great at rote processes, but heaven forbid they are forced to actually think.  Most students today are driven by getting answers but far less interested in understanding what those answers mean.  I am often frustrated by the number of times, I ask students who turn in illogical answers, "Does this answer make sense?"  or, "Is that a logical possibility?" Students need to understand that it is not the answer that is important but, the ability to think that is the ultimate goal.

I use a series of statements I found in a book called Writers INC, to get students to look at the importance of THINKING.

I ask the students to complete the following statements, based upon the question,

Why Do We Think?

We can't help thinking ....

We want to think ....

We have to think ....

We enjoy thinking ....

We need to think ....

I have students complete these statements independently at first.  I then group them in groups of 4 or 5. I ask them to share and write down statements they hear from the group that they agree with.  I usually regroup and share a couple times in order for them to hear several points of view.  I then conclude with a class debriefing, asking the students to share common thoughts, unique perspectives and summarizing the importance of the thinking process.

Brain: an apparatus with which we think we think.

                                Ambrose Bierce

                                              

Elephant's Toothpaste

One of the most exciting classes I conduct in my chemistry classroom is the Elephant's Toothpaste demonstration.  While, this is an old standard and some students have seen it on You Tube or in other science classes, it never fails to capture the student's attention and create opportunities for discussion.

I conduct the demo in a 5 L graduate cylinder. I place the cylinder in an equipment tray placed on a tarp to protect the floor from overflow.

Pour 250 mL of 30% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) to the cylinder and add 1-2 tablespoons of dish soap to the peroxide.  Dawn is preferable, but any dish soap will work.  I drip food coloring down the sides of the cylinder to provide the toothpaste striping. I then add 4-6 grams of Potassium Iodide (KI)  to the solution. Step back and enjoy the reaction, both from the cylinder and the students. 

I do not ask students to complete a lab write-up for this demonstration.  I instead use the opportunity to  discuss rates of reaction. I will have students touch the surface of the cylinder with the back of their hand to feel the heat produced by the reaction and discuss endothermic and exothermic reactions.   There are a multitude of topics that can be discussed from this reaction.

However most important is the discussions that start with the students questioning, why does that happen? Will other types of salt do that? What if we used ....?  Why did we add the soap?  That is when the thinking begins and the learning takes over.
  

Creativity is a Process

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:

Look Closely

Don't just look at something. Truly study it. Eliminate all preconceived ideas about it. Keep on studying it until it gives you more than you want to know about it.  This is the beginning of the creative way to process the world.

Be Open to the Flow

The flow of creativity is worthless to you, unless you are ready to ride the current.  Allow yourself to be caught up in the energy of the flow and ride it to it's end.

Explore Without Bias, but Fully Energized

Gather all, uncritically.  Do not try to try to create form. Save that for much later.  This is a time to experience, grow, change, adapt, error, make mistakes and gain understanding.

  

Demonstrate Patience

Take your time to allow ideas to blossom.  Incubation is part of the process of development. Allow for down time in the process.  Separate yourself from the work and return with a fresh eye.

Let the Creativity Commence

The inspiration is not the destination.  The inspiration is only the initiation of the process.

The fun, the work, the experience, the real creativity begins with inspiration.  That is the time to cinch it up and take off, fully energized to take on all possibilities.

Remain Open to New Ideas

As you work through the creative process, keep the creative spirit alive. Expect and accept new ideas as the process may unveil them.

The Path is Not Always Straight

Be prepared for detours ahead. Realize some detours are simply a necessary part of the process and provide opportunities for continued development of your ideas.

Fine Tuning is Important

The ultimate outcome of the creative process is most often found in the smallest details.  Make every aspect of the creative process sparkle as you bring all of the connections together.

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

                        - Norman Vincent Peale

The BRAIN

What better way to get students and teachers to think critically about thinking, than to expose them to a few quality quotes about The  BRAIN.