Scientific Me

My earliest memory of science is from fifth grade.  The lesson was on different sources of energy.   I was introduced to wind power, solar power, and different fuels.  At the end of the lesson, the teacher asked the questions can you get power from anything.  She then gave each group of student a three graphic organizer with a list of objects on one side and yes/no boxes on the other. Each graphic organizer had a different title:  hypothesis, test one, and test two.  She also gave each group a set of wires connected to a light bulb.  When she set the box of objects in the middle of each group she asked us to fill out the hypothesis sheet.  The objects were potato, metal spoon, plastic fork, rubber band, plastic duck, paper clip, safety pin, a penny and piece of wood.  Without touching any of the materials, we were to guess which objects would turn on the light bulb.  After that paper was filled out, we set it to the side and took out the paper with test one written on it.  Now as a group we were to test each object by connecting both wires to the object and seeing if the light bulb would light up.  As we examined each object, we were to check either the yes or no box.  When the first test paper was done, we put that to the side and took out the paper that said test two.  Our teacher told us that good scientist always tests their experiments more than once. We ran our tests on the objects again but in a different order.  When we were finished filling out our test two papers, we cleaned up all our materials and as a group discussed our findings. We had to put the objects into two groups:  conduct electricity and does not conduct electricity.  We had to compare our hypothesis page to our findings.  I remember that our findings were the same as our hypothesis except for one object.  We stated on our hypothesis page that a potato would not turn the light on, but it did.  After we had discussed all our finding as a group, we presented to the class our results.  This was one of my favorite science topics I can remember from school. 

    In the elementary grades science was one of my favorite subjects. As I went on in my schooling science became more facts and rules, than experiments and exploring.  I remember not liking science through middle school and the first part of high school.  It was not until my eleventh-grade science class when I started to like science again.  In eleventh grade, I took a class called environmental science.  This class focused on how our daily living impacts our environment.  I remember we spent a lot of time outside observing nature, measuring rain and snowfall, finding patterns in weather, and conducting experiments on things like dredging rivers or effects of pollution on water and land.  My favorite part of this class was our final project, which was to design an ecosystem for the big courtyard that is surrounded by our school.  In the project, you need to have a balance so all living things could live without human intervention.  First we spent a week of class time in the football field to measuring the space, observing the amount of light it got, have much rain it received, and the temperature.  Then we spent a week of class in the courtyard were we observed the same criteria as the football field.  When we were done, we compared the results.  From our results, we had to decide on what type of ecosystem we would design.  The range of ecosystems was very diverse.  Some of the ecosystems people pick were the desert, rainforest, forest, grassland, and freshwater.  I designed a freshwater ecosystem based around a central pond in the center of the courtyard.  In this environmental class, I learned more about ecosystems and pollution.  I remember being personally invested in this class because I felt that the material I was learning could make the earth a better place. 

    As I look back on my science experiences, I feel that the classes or lessons that stuck with me were very hands-on and interactive.  For me being able to figure out the answers on my own by trial and error resonated better for me.  If a teacher had stood in the front of the class and told me that a rubber band and a plastic fork do not conduct electricity, but a potato and a paper clip do conduct electricity I would probably have remembered it for a short amount of time.  When I conducted the experiment, I got to find my results, and I developed the confidence of being able to find information on my own.  I also found that when the teacher makes a lesson personal, I would understand the lesson in a deeper way.  In the environmental class, the teacher always would give us suggestions on how we could individually help the environment and that each person could make a change in the world.  By making the learning about the importance I could make in the world, I felt that the material I was learning was critical.  It also made me feel that even if I could change in even the smallest way, I was helping the world.  I think it is interesting that I do not remember any of my classes that were taught just with facts and memorization.  These classes did not give me the opportunity to discover the material in an interesting way.  When I had to read and repeat, I did not internalize the information.  I think that each student needs to be able to personal internalize the information to understand their world.

    Science to me is the study of the way everything works and is found in your everyday life.  It covers everything from the smallest atoms to the biggest solar systems, and science is always being tested and changed.  From my experiences, I believe that science should be hands-on and interactive.  I am very appreciative of the teachers I had that made science personally for me.  I understand that facts and theories are relevant, but a teacher’s job is to find an interesting way to teach them.  My hope is to be an interactive science teacher.  I would like to be able to make each student feel at what they learn in science can be used in their everyday life and by finding an interest in science can help you change the world.