response to the video

Priscilla

Judy

Amanda

What did you think about the video?

I thought this video was very eye opening. It made me think.

I agree. I thought that, visually, it was very appealing and made the video a lot more interesting because if it was just words I don't know how well I would have paid attention. Then I would have been diagnosed with ADHD.

I thought it was a little confusing. There were lot of topics put into one video and I found it overwhelming.

What were the main ideas?

Changing the way of teaching by focus less on the old way of teaching and incorporating new ideas.

divergent thinking is more than just creative thinking.

Other ideas?

Different states focus on age groups (like cut off dates for what grade you will be put it) rather that intellectual thinking. I think that the education system needs to think about the university mentality by allowing students to make a choice on what they want to be taught rather than forcing them to get the same education as everyone else. Of course there would be general education classes but less stress should be put on what grade they are based on what age.

On ADHD?

I agree that we do handle our ADHD children with drugs rather that working with them in helping them engage in the topic better. We feel that ADHD is a disorder to a certain extent but might have to be more of a discipline issue.

I think that students don’t have as many problems with ADHD as has been reported. I think that yes, there are problems with distractions but I don't think it's all in their head. Part of it is the environment that is surrounding them or that they are living in. Like he said, we live in a stimulating world.

On education as a whole?

I think that education does need reform, however it can't be so drastic or else it won't work. We need slow change, like the incorporation of technology that schools are starting to use. But we absolutely need change or else people will always be placed into those two groups of smart and dumb.

I believe that just because some one doesn't have a degree does not mean they are uneducated or not smart. There are people who don’t have a college degree who can teach people who do have degrees things they never knew they never knew (Pocahontas reference?) and useful things at that. 

I believe that in a classroom there are many different leaners. Some do better academically and others  are more creative thinkers. Also, I have an issue with the fact that we are raising children to choose a career or a degree that will make them the most money as opposed to tapping into what they have a natural talent for. We are brought into a world in which money is a high priority instead we should be teaching children that happiness is the key to success. 

Reflection

After re-reading my first blog I can conclude that doing the question activity has caught my attention about the steps needed for Higher-level critical thinking. I did mention in my first blog that we did need to critical think about science, but was unaware of the extensive steps needed. At first, I was kind of confused about the process. I’m usually not use to advancing my thinking process on the spot. It was difficult to come up with questions at first, but once the ball was rolling I seemed to have caught on pretty good. It was new and exciting to actually put so much effort into something and having such a good impact at the end. I found out that it did indeed make me think more about the importance of questions especially in science. I have learned that it doesn’t matter what the question is, but how you ask the question. As a student and future teacher, I can conclude that it does make a difference in wanting to learn. It allows the learner to think more advanced and engage in the topic more. Although this activity was to show how it related to science I can definitely use this in all subjects. I must add that the QTF experience was really helpful, but I did feel a little lost in the directions of the whole process. I do understand that we were the first bunch to experience this activity and I’m sure with practice this will flow more smoothly in later semesters. Overall, QFT was a great experience and allowed me to bring forth some creativity about the concept. 

What is Science?

What is science, in your own words?
What has been your experience doing and learning science – write about 1 good experience and 1 bad experience.
Describe a circumstance where you used a scientific approach to a life event or problem.



Science is something that we experience in our every day lives whether is may be at a grocery store, cooking a foreign recipe or even deciding which movie to watch at a theater. Science involves critical thinking, observation and collecting what you observed. Also, some forms science may involve working with mathematical equations or numbers, in general. When a question of any form is asked we are sub-consiously thinking in our brain how to answer the question. If we are unable to answer the question then we have to seek out the appropriate answer by critically thinking about the subject, observing, and then collecting some sort of mental or physical data to help us come to a conclusion. A good experience of doing and learning science would be last semester when I took environmental science with Mel Strong. I really loved the class because I walked out of the class with so much knowledge about the environmental issuses we are experiencing today. It helped me become a "green" person, which I probably would not have thought about prior to taking his course. What I enjoyed most were the real life experiences and challenges professor Strong encouraged us to conduct. He had many experiments that involved my full critical thinking skills and attention. He truly opened my eyes about unacknowledged topics that may be overlooked by a typical american. A bad experience would have to be quite long ago when I was in 11th grade chemistry. My teacher was unorganized and conducted experiments beyond my capability of the class. They were to advanced for my understanding and made no effort to helping any of his students understand the subject. I also was unable to figure out certain mathematical problems. The test were very difficult and I barely passed the class with a C. To my standard that was unexceptable and I was very disappointed in myself. The instructor made the experience and subject a horrible memory and even until this day am unable to like any form of chemistry related topics. An example of when I used a scientific approach was when I first bought my house. I was unsure of what color to paint my living room and kitchen. I was left thinking for days on "What color would look best in my living room and kitchen." I had many things to take into consideration such as cost, theme and family opinion. I first researched about color and how they can play on emotions. I figured out that red symbolized a vibrant and full of energy color which I thought was perfect for my kitchen. Then came across brown which symbolized inviting and comfort. I now had my two main colors. I then when to Home Depot and collected the first 5 red colors of my liking for the living room and five for the kitchen. I then went home and experimented the samples on each wall of my kitchen and living room. After that I had my family come out and choose their favorite. We all voted and came to a conclusion and then painted both rooms with the winning colors. 

Why I'm taking this class

I'm taking Natural Science 261 because I really enjoy science. Although, I'm not very good in the subject I enjoy the challenge. I expect to learn many new things about Astronomy, Geology and other natural science topics. I enjoy working with others and hope to have fun in this class.