Rain on the East Coast

A recent storm in Eastern Massachusetts dropped more that ten inches of rain in certain areas. Winchester, Quincy, Waltham and Newton are just a few of the towns that were severely affected by the excess rain. Many schools and businesses were closed due to flooded streets, as well as any damage the water may have done to the buildings themselves. The Aberjona River in Winchester, the town where I currently teach, flooded the surrounding land and streets. Our middle school was closed Monday and Tuesday of this week and the high school remains closed until the water, which is half way up the walls of the basement floor, recedes. Today, one of my students told me that he saw someone canoeing in what is normally a soccer field. Another student could only see the roof of a car almost fully submerged in water. Although the rain has since stopped and the sun is now shining, the cleanup is not anywhere near finished.

By now, you may be wondering why I am sharing this experience with you. This unfortunate occurrence is a good example of how the Earth Science course has made me more aware of my surroundings. Prior to taking this course, I probably would not have given this event a second thought. What connections can I make to what we have learned so far? Winchester, as well as the towns mentioned above, are lower in elevation than other surrounding towns. The rainfall in the towns higher in elevation eventually makes its way down to the towns lower in elevation. It can be said the towns higher in elevation are part of the Aberjona River’s watershed. We learned that a watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. In Winchester, this “same place” is the Aberjona River.

We have been working our way down the Nile River and as of recent have been focused on the Aswan Dam in Egypt. Using our knowledge of the river system so far, we were asked to anticipate what we think will happen to that part of the river in the next 1,000 years. Our group’s responses were quite varied; however, we all seemed to agree that the water in Lake Nasser, just before the dam, is going to be greatly affected. Some of us thought that as sediment continues to settle in the lake, it will become shallower and force the lake to become wider. Others thought that as the water continues to flow into the lake, it will make its way around the dam and form tributaries and streams and eventually the lake will be gone. It is a tough job to project 1,000 years into the future, but we do our best given the information we are given. As we continue to move downstream, our next focus is on the Nile’s delta!

The Other Side to Being a Teacher

As I have said before, this online technology class is showing a whole creative and fun side to computers. I feel like I am allowed to play like a child. I have watched grown men in my class get excited with these projects when they build truss bridges and place cars on the bridges and make them crash. It is like seeing a four year old boy with with his trucks. I am able to teach them the different uses that the programs can perform. What joy!
Unfortunately, teachers in the public schools are having to cut back on fun due to some of the NCLB regulations. Our online class got to vent our frustrations about the craft of teaching becoming a testing factory. The goal always being keeping jobs and schools open according to the test results they produce. The government is becoming so entrenched in producing little robot children that can score well. How unfair is all of this? Are we all meant to be the same? Isn't variety and differing gifts what makes this world work? Do we really want a "Stepford Wives" world? In order to prepare for testing the fun and creativity is being forced out of the classroom.
Last week I read an article which reported the changes that Obama wants to make in regards to NCLB. Initially it sounds good. As with everything we will have to read the fine print to know for sure. He seems to propose that not every child should have to perform on the same level. Some children have creative abilities which will lead them into productive lives that do not involve higher education. Our goal should be to prepare children for the world no matter their goal. There is also talk of federal funding which sounds like it will increase competition among states to receive the funds. So, it sounds good in some respects and so not good in others.
I guess we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, I sure do hope that those great, fun and creative teachers don't shrivel up from all the test preparation and boring lessons.

The Weather Outside Was Frightful...

I'm sure that by now you have probably all been made aware of the crazy weather patterns that have been hammering away at the U.S. Well, last week, my family and I experienced mother nature's wrath firsthand in NH. On Thursday night during the most horrifying wind storm I have ever witnessed, the power went out along with the heat, water, and flushing toilets! I panicked. I was freezing, it was dark, and I had...oh no, what was I going to do about my two five page papers that were due that evening? I can't even flush my toilet let alone submit my Week Four Self Assessments. Thankfully, all it took was one quick email to each of my professors (from my in-laws house in MA, of course) and my mind was put at ease. Both of my professors were so understanding about my situation that they actually were more concerned about my anxiety to complete my work than me actually submitting the assignments. They asked if everything at the house was ok because they had heard about all the tree damage. They completely reassured me that I could do the work whenever and not to worry. Where else in the world can you go and get that kind of support and patience? I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to learn under such wonderful professors at Lesley who recognize that above the idea that we are students, we have lives too.

Student's Perspectives

As teachers, we put a lot of time and energy into planning lessons and units for our students. We collaborate with other teachers to expand on our ideas in the hopes of providing positive and effective experiences for our students. How often do we ask our students what they think the most important pieces are to their science education and why? Personally, this is not something that I do frequently with my students. With that being said, I recently devoted a full class period to “interview” my students about their thoughts and insights regarding our science curriculum. I was very pleased with their responses and felt a sense of satisfaction in all that we have accomplished so far this school year. After reflecting on the year thus far and using that information as our foundation, together we devised over-arching understanding goals for our class. As Tina Blythe mentions in her Teaching for Understanding Guide, I explained to the students that over-arching goals relate to what they think is most important for them to learn by the end of the year. After revising our list multiple times, we posted them in the classroom and will revisit and refer to them throughout the remainder of the school year. Each unit we cover relates to at least one of the over-arching understanding goals.

Within each unit covered, Blythe mentions choosing Generative Topics – those that are central to the discipline, interesting to the students and teacher, allow access to resources, and offer opportunities for students to make connections between themselves and their experiences in and out of school. The students were quite enthused as we listed the main topics and labs we have covered so far this year. This gave me clues as to what the students were most interested in, which will now assist me in developing generative topics.

In session five, we shifted our thinking back to the Nile River. Our focus was on the precipitation, drainage (how much water flow there is) and cloud coverage of a specific region along the Nile – Dongola. This particular location is surrounded by desert where there is zero precipitation all year and so the question remains; where does the water come from and when does it come? Each group member analyzed the data presented and put together a convincing case to answer the question. Similarities and differences existed within our thinking; however, we were all able to come to an agreement that there is a direct correlation between precipitation at Lake Victoria and Lake Tana and the drainage at Dongola.

This can be Addictive

This week our online class did not have to post our projects and I felt lost. I so much missed the contact with my new online comrades. I have enjoyed viewing their creativity and receiving feedback and helpful hints. This class has opened so many avenues in my mind. Feeling like an addict, I just could not stop myself from adding a thread on the Discussion Board. I just needed to see if anyone else was missing our weekly contact. Sure enough many others replied. My addiction was not the only one.
The thirst for knowledge and creativity really motivates and drives us and can be addictive. The juices start flowing in the mind and we need to feed that creativity with more. It makes one feel alive. Even though his online class is a technology class, there is so much creating involved through our instructor's lead. This is what teaching is all about. Teachers need to make it fun for their students and get their creative juices flowing. What students need is inspiration. As teachers we need to inspire and make learning creative and fun. Then learning will become addictive.