Assignment task: Using strategies to engage students in science and health instruction is important in helping them master the content. Strategies may include helping students feel like real scientists, implementing hands-on activities, and finding real-world connections.
Allocate at least 4 hours in the field to support this field experience in a K-12 science and/or health inclusive setting.
With your mentor teacher, review the lesson you created in the Topic 3 Innovative Science and Health Instructional Methods Lesson Plan assignment. Discuss strategies to further engage, motivate, and promote ownership of learning. Ensure you have met the needs of all students in the mentor teacher's classroom. Make the necessary adjustments and with your mentor teacher's permission, teach your revised lesson to the whole class. If you cannot teach your lesson, ask permission to teach a lesson of the mentor teacher's choice to a small group or whole group of students. Prior to teaching be sure you have time to discuss learning objectives and how to implement your strategies for engagement, motivation, and ownership within the mentor's lesson.
After the lesson, discuss the following with your mentor:
- Did I engage students with the content?
- Did I differentiate to meet the needs of all the students?
- Did I efficiently integrate health with science and/or address the learning objectives of the lesson?
- What did I do well and what could I improve upon?
Use any remaining time to observe and/or assist your mentor teacher or another teacher and work with an individual or small group of students on instruction in the classroom.
Write a 250-500 word summary of your discussion and lesson delivery experience, including the following:
- Discuss what went well and what you would change if you taught the same lesson again.
- Describe how the lesson was engaging and differentiated to meet the needs of all students in the classroom.
- Discuss the feedback you received from your mentor teacher, the lesson delivery experience, and how you will use what you learned in your future professional practice.