Today was the first day of class and Dr. Smirnova started the class with each of us introducing ourselves to our classmates and speaking about our own previous science class experiences. There were many mixed reviews on science class! It made me think back to how much I enjoyed science in High School- especially Biology with Ms. Salvati. She was an awesome teacher and inspired me to major in Biology when I went to college. Unfortunately, science in college was a lot harder in college compared to high school. Needless to say, that didn't last very long! Next, we had to draw our own idea of what a scientist looks like. Each of us had our own idea of what a scientist "looks" like and then we all walked around to view the other drawings. It was interesting to see how stereotypical each of our drawings were! All but one of the drawings depicted a male scientist. The stereotype of only males being able to be scientists is clearly evident throughout all (almost) of our minds. As a female teacher, I want to make sure that I show my female students that they can be anything they want to be, including a scientist. It will be important to break the gender stereotype for females going into the STEM field. Here is my picture of a scientist- Dr. Tube:
Next, we had an interactive lesson on the Scientific Method. Dr. Smirnova had a paper bag with an item inside it. We each had 5 seconds to hold the bag, shake it, squeeze it, etc. in order to hypothesize what could be inside of the bag. This was a fun way for each of us to think of all of the steps of the Scientific Method. Once we all had a chance to hold the bag, we brainstormed what we thought might be in the bag. However, what was inside was never revealed! After this activity, we discussed the Scientific Method and all of the steps in more detail. This is a very important aspect for all grades and students to comprehend- even us!
We went over so much information during this first class, it was a bit overwhelming. From creating an online binder, to this blog, etc. it was all new and very fast paced. I hope that it all becomes easier soon!
