Time to Use What I've Learned

Summer is done, teaching starts tomorrow... Lately, I have been working with my fellow Lesley classmates on bringing together what we've learned over the summer.
From comparing interviews to sharing strategies, we've been working quite hard. I found it interesting to see how a professional physicist performed during a similar interview to our own with children. We could see that he questioned himself deeper and deeper whenever something happened in during his investigations of motion. Our investigations seemed very basic, but the physicist broke it down into very small detailed parts by asking more and more questions. Even when he was surprised by an outcome, he laughed it off, and proceeded to ask himself, "Why did that happen?" He then began sharing what he thought was the answer. After more testing he'd finally be satisfied with the result. This probing, we've learned can be very useful in the classroom. Of course my students are not yet physicists, but they can benefit from some great probing questions-from us. In order to understand what ideas children have about motion, or science in general, I have found that I need to spend A LOT more time probing my students for their own ideas. Asking a student to explain why they think the way they do is new to me. I've been moving on after a right, or wrong, answer during class rarely pausing to ask, "Why do think?"
This probing approach will help my instruction and give value to childrens' own ideas. I have noticed over the years that my students are always trying to feel important-to family, to teachers, and mostly to each other. Taking time to listen to my students will help them feel important in my classroom. I value what they say about their personal lives when we chat about their activities outside school, but I need tostart listening more closely to their interesting ideas about science.
I look forward to my 12th year of teaching more so this year than others. I have gained some new skills and a new respect for what my students might say. I plan to continue sharing my experiences here at Lesley, and most certainly how I incoproate them into the classroom .
-Mark