We are on the last leg of the Academy, and it is still fun and packed with new and old ideas for the classroom. Today, we explored pendulums. It's not a new concept, but the lesson allowed us to use our previous days learning. The scaffolding technique was great because our table said, "We did this yesterday, so let's see if it'll workd today". We created a table to record data, we conducted the experimented, discussed our findings (i.e. were there any outliers, did we control variables, did we follow the procedures).
The class readily used patterns, relationships, asked for clarification, asked "what if?", and respectfully debated different viewpoints. The presenters lent time to discussion/reflection; both verbally and written.
I do recommend this experience for any teacher wanting more content/pedagogy lessons in math and science. If you are interested, discuss it with your administrator and/or department head. Then, visit the website at www.sendmyteacher.com. The deadline for registering is October 2010. It is designed for 3rd-5th grade teachers, but you still ask if you are a PK-2nd grade teacher. The worst thing they can say is "no".
I'm going to add some new weblinks, so please take the time to view them. It'll add to your classroom "toolkit".
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