In tutoring, what works is the one-to-one relationship between the student and tutor. They get the chance to test their understanding by making predictions and doing trials-exactly what one hopes for in active scientific learning. Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. h2 chemistry – Students will understand Chemistry to be the study of stuff of which the universe is composed.
In the seminar section I taught that accompanied the course we had a heated discussion about whether teachers were obligated to answer student questions. For example, flame tests are a classic lab activity for teaching atomic structure and emission spectroscopy, but they require students to work around an open flame.
The ACS also suggests that you have students keep a journal to write about the problems they solved or which real-world applications they learned about in class. However, there is a small but growing group of science faculty members who have developed ways to engage students in the process of thinking, questioning, and problem solving despite the large class size.
After 42 years teaching I think that the key to being a good teacher has to be developing strong relationships with the children. Research tends to show that higher achieving students have self-regulatory skills. If students did not understand concepts from their studies, they are able to ask questions during the relevant lecture.
Once you have a sound understanding of the fundamentals, you can spend time memorizing the details. I’ve got to admit, I’ve jumped into the flipped classroom this year in teaching biology. When lecturing is the chosen or necessary teaching method, one way to keep students engaged is to pause periodically to assess student understanding or to initiate short student discussions (see sidebars).