There are many approaches to teaching and learning.
There are many different ways to effectively teach that don't include lecturing at the front of a classroom. I feel that teaching should include a balance of many different approaches to stimulate and engage all students. Listed below are a few examples of how I have used different approaches to teaching in my classroom.
Biology 20 Field Study
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To explore ecology outside of the classroom for Biology 20 Unit B:, I planned a field trip to the University of Lethbridge to study Prickly Pear Cacti. Students collected data on a North and South facing hill in the coulees and then analyzed their findings to determine the abiotic factors that affect the growth and dispersion of cacti. In this study, students got to see what Ecologists get to in real world situations. Additionally, students could look at data within Lethbridge to make conclusions about abiotic factors that we were studying in the classroom.
Play Dough Choroplast structures
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Unit C: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration of Biology 20 can be a very difficult subject to teach and learn because it is so abstract. To help students understand where the processes of photosynthesis are occurring, I made an assignment to build a chloroplast structure out of play dough. I had doubts about the students still wanting to work with play dough in grade 11, but the assignment was a hit. Students were very creative in their structures and seemed to really enjoy the activity. By having a 3D model of a chloroplast in front of them when we discussed the processes, students could better visualize and understand where and what is occurring.
Learning about motion in Science 20
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Physics can be a difficult subject to understand. Solving problems where you have to image the situation can be very challenging. I often try to make to questions where students can see what is actually happening. For instance, one day I students to stand on top of a desk and drop a book while a partner timed how long it took to hit the ground. By knowing only the time and the mass of the book students could then find the speed, force and momentum.