Leah Watters

aspiring geologist & HS science teacher

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@kye_lopez Yes! And I believe we, as teachers, have the power to influence students in ways that no other profession can. We can help them find things they are passionate about and encourage them to pursue those things.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

#TCH219Sum19Wk6 Q4: My goal as a future teacher is for my students to have confidence in their abilities and to encourage them to follow their passions and interests, wherever that may lead. I hope that they will see my passion for science while I’m teaching it and that it will

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@mlfran20 I agree that it’s important to make content in science as interesting as possible. It’s a difficult task because there are many students who really don’t like science, so helping them to make connections to their own lives can help a lot with engagement and critical thinking.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@TheReal_IzPiz I agree! I think there is a lot of work that needs to be done in public schools. A lot of administrators are so concerned with raising test scores that it does inhibit teachers from being creative and teaching things that aren’t necessarily on a standardized test.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@AudreyD42286041 I think this is a great goal to have as a PE teacher! Some students just aren’t good at sports and don’t enjoy them, so effort is a good thing to look for when assessing students and trying to help them grow.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@DylanRusinski I agree! I think there are plenty of other ways to assess students and there should be a variety so that all students have the opportunity to show their strengths. Some may not be great test takers, but excellent writers, so they should be given the chance to show that.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

make them want to discover their passions as well, whether geology or something completely different. I also strive to build relationships with my students and for them to see that I care about them and will long after they are out of my classroom. I want to encourage them to be

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

same or they will get easily burnt out and their students will too.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

#TCH219Sum19Wk6 Q3: I think a large issue in school curriculum today is that there are many teachers who are not willing to change and evolve. With new technology and research being done, we are continually learning and developing new ideas as to how students learn best. I think

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

it’s important for teachers to stay up to date on these things and to implement new ideas and strategies into their classroom wherever possible. So I wouldn’t say the traditional curriculum needs to be thrown away, but as things are continually evolving, teachers need to do the

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

of a test taker students are rather than what they really know or how they think. So giving a variety that allows each student to show where his/her strengths are is important.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

#TCH219Sum19Wk6 Q2: I do agree with what Diane Ravitch says about how assessment is too focused on test scores and not enough on students gaining critical thinking and literacy skills. I think the fact that so much weighs on test scores causes teachers to spend too much time

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

preparing for standardized tests and less on really teaching students to think. I think having more avenues of assessing students on these tests can help the issue. Virtually all standardized tests I’ve ever experienced contain multiple choice questions that often show how good

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

I think each part is equally important and vital in students developing literacy in the science classroom.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

#TCH219Sum19Wk6 Q1: I think a great way to get students to truly think in the classroom can be starting a new unit or topic with a question. It can be something as simple as starting the course off with “What is geology?” You can also have students brainstorm just ideas that are

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

of scientific literacy (BLL Ch. 6) is super important. It emphasizes the importance of three different aspects of learning science, including knowing the content, understanding the nature of science or what science really is, and then going through the process of doing science.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

important in geology. This allows students to begin thinking on their own about a specific topic and also allows me, as the teacher, to know what they are interested in learning or what they might need to get out of the unit.
I also think making sure to incorporate all aspects

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@mil_peyton I appreciate your response! I really am passionate about the idea of teaching students to learn beyond remembering things for a test and then forgetting it later. Especially in science where there are a lot of definitions, I want my students to truly understand the content.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

#TCH219Sum19 Q4- Demonstrations can be very effective in science classrooms as it is accommodating to many different learners. Auditory learners can hear and listen to what the teacher is saying and visual learners can see exactly what is being done and can see what they’ve

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

@kye_lopez Thanks for your response! I never realized how important it is either or thought that a student not understanding something could cause inequality. This chapter opened my eyes a lot too.

[Leah Watters @l_dwatters]

#TCH219Sum19 Q1 In BLL Ch 5, it really stuck out to me when the author explained how important academic language is and that it can create inequality in the classroom if not everyone understands the language. I’ve never thought about this before, but it makes a lot of sense.