Reply to comment

In high school, I discovered a passion for history class. I loved the stories, the discussions, and the new vocabulary I heard my teacher use, altercation was my favorite new word. The passion continued in college. I don't know if I was just lucky to have great history teachers or if it was the way these people taught. I hated science!!! except for chemistry lab days. I loved experimentation. In college, I discovered science. Come to think about it, the science profs were superb story tellers. They were so good, I decided to major in biology.

A number of years ago, one of my grade 7 bio student was struggling with the course. She was attentive in class, tried to participate in class discussions, completed her homework, and came prepared to class. She just could not pass tests. I asked her to meet with me. After a couple of meetings, it seemed that her lack of success in assessment was not due to interest level or work habits, but possibly to study technique. I asked her to name her favorite subject in which she also felt successful. I asked her why she thought she liked history. She had difficulty putting her feelings into words, so I shared with her that history had also been my favorite. I suggested that science was like history, that science was like a story. We practiced together with aerobic respiration. It helped her to earn C's which we celebrated.

The Brain and Behavior Workshop in 2006 helped me to put my personal experience with science as well as that of my student into words. Starting that next September, I began the deliberate use of story telling in my teaching of biology. I called it story telling and used that term in writing assignments for the students. Hey Paul, start with what they kinow. Kids love stories from the time they are infants. Stories continue through pre-school until I meet them in Middle School. Is a story right or wrong? only if the facts (set of observations) don't support it. Stories are a technique employed by teachers of many disciplines in the School where I teach. Perhaps, those of us who approach the classroom as a place to share stories should invite other teachers into our classrooms to see how well it works.

I have taught science to Kindergarteners as well as students in grades 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, and in professional school. I can share my love of biology at many different levels. I would not be an effective teacher of chemistry or physics at the Middle or High School levels. Students would sense my insecurity and I would be unhappy with my delivery. My teaching is impacted by my experience as a researcher; I share observations and stories of those 11 years with my students. They sense my commitment and adopt my enthusiasm. While I am not comfortable teaching the content of the other sciences, I am comfortable referring to them just as I refer to literature I have read, history I enjoy, math that I studied. As to other disciplines, I ask my students to contribute their knowledge to our discussions of science. Does it work? Well this past school year, one of my students earned D, F, D in the three trimesters but told her parents that science was her favorite subject. She is one of my successes. I love teaching