Science Under the Microscope

Because of the somewhat mythical nature of the first weeks of school, there exist many "old wives' tales" and bits of wisdom that are constantly recycled by veteran teachers, instructional books, and (worst of all) pre-service workshops taught by Master Teachers.  

These stories and suggestions give new teachers the idea that there is one recipe for success in the classroom.  I see too many teachers with tremendous potential leave the profession because this half-baked recipe didn’t work for them.

In the interest of clearing up misconceptions and righting some wrongs, I’m busting the top five myths about the first days of school:

When it comes to the school day, how long is too long?  

Educational technology leader, Will Richardson, recently said “If you're not uncomfortable right now in education, you're not paying attention”. It is clear that our American education needs to change in fundamental ways. One of these seems to be the amount of time that our students spend in school.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No... it's a science teacher!

For me, any summer get-together has always brought one of the strangest phenomena related to being a Science teacher. I am both perplexed and amused when it happens. Surrounded by distant relatives around picnic table or rubbing elbows with newfound friends watching a baseball game, it inevitably gets out that I am a Science teacher.

What makes humans different? Being teachers and loving it!

In a recent panel discussion I attended,  Alan Alda and the producer's of the PBS documentary, “The Human Spark” tackled the question of what makes us different from the other animals. Each speaker made a powerful case for their response, and many fell into the theme of cooperation. My favorite answer, however, came from the hilarious Alda.

Great teaching is contagious, according to a new study.

A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that adding an accomplished teacher to a teaching team or department has a strong beneficial effect on student achievement. Many have reported this as “old news”, since most teachers could tell you that good teachers help students to do better work.