Computer Science in Science PD: Dispositions and Classroom Culture - Discussion

Differentiated “guiding” will be needed. Some students will still need more direct instruction than others and this needs to be done as always in a way that does not single the struggling student out.

I would like a culture where students take chances and use critical thinking to work with each other. I want them to be able to work without my constant help or direction because they “don’t want to mess up”. There will be a few that will take it too far and get way off task, and others who will be fearful. Hopefully, we will find a great middle ground where all students are engaged with the projects and the freedom of experimenting.

I want to strive to make my classroom a safe place for students to not only speak their minds but also to have no issues with making mistakes. I anticipate some issues occurring when students eventually do make mistakes and aren’t prepared for it. I want to use that to create a learning opportunity for those students.

I will also be using “Science Notebooking” this year which is highly collaborative. 4 person tables with a Table Captain that manages their table’s stamps…no one gets their stamp until the entire table has compared, discussed, and edited their responses.

Notebooking is wonderful as long as the groups are monitored that ALL ARE PARTICIPATING, and not just one or two while others sluff off.

Comp Modeling, with each kid with their own device, may ensure the purity of the work completed as well…

I have used group work and collaboration in my classroom and the barrier I run into is keeping the students focused on science. Middle school students are very social and often get off topic very quickly. It takes constant monitoring (walking around and listening to the conversations) to keep them on the subject they are working on. I have seen them benefit tremendously from each other and I look forward to their insight every year. When they are truly thinking about what they are doing, they can pose questions that are very insightful.

The culture of the classroom would be positive and encouraging. Students would be independent thinkers and I would be a facilitator to the learning process.

My biggest fear or barrier is that since I don’t know everything, then the class will take over and I lose control of the middle school student. I will work on my collaborative teaching skills and what I can do to set up for success. I will need to reflect on my own comfort level with this type of Guide on the Side teaching style. I know that will preparation on my end that I will be able to let loose some of the control to the students.

I am new to coding. I will be learning along with the students. I will definitely not have the answers. I worry that students will get frustrated, give up and then cause problems for other students.

I have done a little bit of coding, but I worry that I will not be able to help students and they will not find the answers they need. Middle school students give up too easily. They will be distracted and become behavior problems.

Developing culture in my classroom is one of my most favorite tasks as an educator. It is also the most difficult. Every day is an opportunity to begin again. Our school uses a school wide citizenship program as well as a character program to provide students with life skills. The largest barrier we encounter is time. There simply never seems to be enough of it especially when students and teachers are fully engaged in a project!

As a teacher in a large class, it is challenging to give up control of the room and allow for more student independence. To have students move, work in groups, and even on different projects allows the teacher the freedom to move from group to group and sometimes even participate in the learning. It does occasionally require more observation and might even mean that not everyone is actively engaged all the time. It’s a process that is mostly very rewarding, but can also be challenging.

The classroom culture that I would like to promote will be driven by Productive Science Talks used to help students share, expand, and clarify their own thinking. One barrier that I anticipate is some students reluctance to share because of the fear of negative peer pressures.

I strive to promote creativity and respect in my classes. My students know that it is exceptable to ask a friend for help with coding/experiment/question as long as they are helping explain the process not just give an answer. The volume needs to stay reasonable as well. There is no shouting across the room to ask a question. I usually answer a question with a question, not something my students love, but they get used to it and find they really wind up doing the same thing when another classmate asks them a question. One barrier that I hear from most teachers is that their students will know more than they do and then what. Another hiccup more than barrier is taking the time to teach a routine. Students love background structure, things that make the class run smoothly. This takes time, but it’s well worth it. Consistency is essential.

I want to create a classroom culture where kids feel free to make mistakes, be creative, think outside the box, work together, and over all enjoy science and what it can offer the world. MY room would be more project based and students would work in groups and individually on those various projects. The students would also be constantly learning how what we are learning in class applies to them.

I think some barriers I might run into could include students feeling left out or behind. I could also see some students who maybe haven’t had as much exposure with technology could start to fall behind or get frustrated. It might also be hard to break the model of always a right and wrong answer, do it right the first time, there is only one way of doing things, etc.

I agree that it takes time for students to understand the teachers role has changed. For the most part in student’s educational career, they have been taught or come with a preconceived notion that the teacher is the “knowledge giver” and has all the answers. I want to encourage students to use other resources and peers to problem solve. Which is a new type of learning culture.

I would like to promote a classroom culture built on respect. I’ve experienced that if students are able to respect one another and the teacher there is a more productive learning environment. Some barriers are students that are not willing to “play the game of school”, wanting to be defiant and not comply with classroom or school expectations.

I operate my classroom as an active-based inquiry learning format. In this format, I am more of a facilitator than an instructor. This type of format requires great structure that helps students to understand the process of learning. This type of format puts the responsibility of learning on the students’ shoulders. Here in lies the problem as many of you have mentioned, students want the right answer to every twist or turn in the class. Students have been programmed to believe that it is the teacher’s responsibility to cause the students to learn, not the student’s responsibility to provide the effort to learn. My classroom is built around student effort; students who are compliant and give minimal effort should achieve a “C” in class. To achieve above a “C”, students must understand the concepts and link concepts to other concepts as they progress throughout the year.

Hi gurradh!

I agree with respect being a major factor with learning. I think big part of “playing the game” issue is how ready is the student for learning? What is the student’s background? Have they eaten? Do they have the support at home? Are they worried about issues that are not school related? Are there school related issues? Sometimes, we have to be more than just their science teacher which can be very hard to do with the number of students that filter through each class period daily.

I’d like to promote a classroom culture that values curiosity, problem solving, cooperation and respect. Students collaborate, as well as break down tasks that can be pursued individually. I like the emphasis on not fearing failure. Some barriers I anticipate center around the seemingly inevitable scenario of one or more 8th graders deciding at any given time to throw in the towel of civil behavior and ushering in adolescent disruptions.

Good points you make! I like your expectations regarding students explaining concepts instead of supplying answers. And yes, consistency is the key.