Reading Fluency

I've been thinking about how valuable it is to be able to read well.  During the busiest times of this semester, I had to take in a lot of information from various print sources (books, online articles, textbooks, power-point slide, etc.).  When I was really tired or worn out, I would read words, sentences, paragraphs over and over, not comprehending a single word.  But I had to learn what was there in front of me!  There was a test, a meeting, a discussion; some kind of assessment that would force me to recall this information.  I had to read it, but not only read it:  comprehend it.  

In order to prepare students for success, educators must make sure students can read and comprehend well.  In college, students will be required to ingest incredible amounts of text; if students can't keep up with the reading, they may fail their courses.  In life, I've also had to read complex texts in order to get very basic, semi-low paying jobs.  I had a few jobs in retail and food service, and I've had to read binders-full of "company policy" and "employee expectation" information.  I was expected to know those business's procedures, policies, and legally, what I was responsible for and entitled to (e.g. health care).  These were pretty basic, entry-level jobs that someone right out of high school might seek. Being able to read well is important; yes indeed.

I'm grateful that I can be a focused, quick reader when I need to be.  I've always had a love for reading.  But from now on, I will be conscious of students who aren't so inclined to spend their nights and weekends reading novels (or anything but text messages...).  I will be prepared to teach my students literacy so they will be prepared for the future.

Take care, and have a great summer!
Mrs. Mullen
 

Reflections

I honestly thought I would have posted on my blog more throughout the semester.  I used to journal almost daily when I was younger; up through college and after for a few years.  I thought writing and reflecting would come easily to me again, but I never really had the urge to get my thoughts down in writing like I used to.  I would like to keep a journal when I do my student teaching, for my own personal record, and continue through my first year of teaching, but perhaps a blog (public as it is) isn't for me.

I can imagine using a blog in the classroom more for students' use.  I think a blog would be a good forum for posting an assignment and then having students respond and discuss in the comments section.  Blogging can be good practice for improving students' literacy through writing.  It might be a cool experience for students to see their words in print online, too.  I think for me, though, putting my words online just makes me feel sort of exposed.  When the content is personal thoughts and reflections, I worry that at some point, a reader may take my words out of context.  Perhaps I'm worried about misleading or offending someone, although I'm not sure that what I've said has been anything particularly controversial, by any means.  I've enjoyed the experience of having a blog, though; it was a great learning adventure.

Take Care,
Mrs. Mullen

 

Navigation!

I always underestimate the skill that it takes to navigate new websites.  I wanted to post some links on the side of my blog page, like I've seen on other people's blogs, and it took me a frustratingly long time to figure out how to do it.  I think I was successful (check it out!). 

I love visiting new websites and searching the web, but sometimes, there is so much information on one page, or one blog, that I get lost.  It's important to stay focused when looking for specific information!  If you have time to browse, then you can certainly take your time and click on every link in sight, but if you're looking for something specific, you really need to discriminate and not let yourself get distracted.  I'm talking about literacy on the web.  It's a different beast, being so interactive.  An important skill to teach students is to teach them how to discriminate and find what they are looking for.  I know I have to remind myself not to get distracted, and bring myself back to the task at hand.

Mrs. Mullen

Book Club

I like making science connections from the classroom to the "real world."  I'm in a book club, and we're reading Let My People Go Surfing, by Yvon Chouinard.  Chouinard is the founder of the company Patagonia.  The book has many great links to science (Patagonia is one of the "greenest" companies out there), but what I picked up on was a chapter about product development.  When I lived in NYC and studied fashion merchandising, I learned that there are careers for scientists in fashion.  The development of new fabrics, finishes, and performance wear are all heavily involved with chemistry.  Most people in my classes seemed to be there for the trends, but I was always very science-minded and was fascinated with the chemistry of it all.

I would like to show my students examples of career paths one could take in a science-related field.  Patagonia offers clothing that has to be suitable for extreme weather (cold, wet, potentially-life threatening).  Research had to be done to come up with the best fabrics for someone to wear when they climb Mount Everest.  I just thought it was cool to combine fashion and science.  Also, I really enjoyed the fact that I understood this chapter of the book (I've seen synthetic fibers being produced, like nylon and polyester, and it's kind of like making spaghetti!) having seen some of the machines and tools it discussed.

So, lesson learned for the day:  all roads lead to science?

Mrs. Mullen

First Impressions

I am so excited to be writing a blog.  I love blogs.  Most of the blogs I follow are fashion or cooking blogs, but they've always kind of inspired me to create a blog of my own.

So, you might be wondering why I've called this blog "The Squeaky Beaker."  Well, beakers are one of the many tools we learn to use in the science classroom, and it's important to keep your equipment clean!  Your experiment is only as good as your tools are clean.  Moving on.

I had a thought today about my future science classroom.  I want to teach my students how to read cookbooks, and how to compare recipes.  Following instructions for making a recipe is like performing an experiment.  In my experience, it feels very similar to gather your ingredients, read through the "recipe," make a plan, and then follow that plan to achieve a specific outcome.  I also find food science to be fascinating.  I thought about comparing and substituting ingredients for a particular recipe.  For example, I thought about making two batches of chocolate chip cookies, one using butter, and one using margarine, and then examining (ahem...eating) the results.  Although I'm not sure if this will be allowed in my future school, if it is, I would like to try this, or something similar, to examine differences in molecular structure and how that can affect the food we eat.

Until we meet again.

Mrs. Mullen