Teaching Science Better
Have you ever thought about teaching the concept of photosynthesis by holding up a battery, a piece of moss and a light bulb?
Try it. Ask the kids what similar characteristics all three share, and after weeding out the obvious “Shape!” answers, tell them that the light bulb, the battery, and the piece of moss all provide and convert energy. This provides a good introduction to understanding the concept of photosynthesis.
When it comes to tips and ideas for teaching science, it is best to access all possible websites that are related to the lesson you want to tackle. That way, you can discover fresh introductions to things students might find uninteresting, and really make them excited about things like volcanoes or mitosis, for example.
Here are some sites that, while mostly based in the United States, are still rich sites for your task in helping young minds understand science better.
- Access Excellence – this is good for high school biology teachers with its science news and biology-related resource links
- Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education – shows more than fifty possible Internet applications for the classroom
- Cool Teacher Tools – directs you to some of the main educational links in the Internet
- Educational Resources for Science Teachers – a complete listing of science educational resources
- Education and Science Links – John Mullens maintains this extensive collection of the best science links and resources
- Eisenhower National Clearinghouse – resources for mathematics and science teachers
- ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education – has lesson plans, websites, publications from the ERIC database
- Exworthy Educational Links – educators can find these links with lesson plans useful
- Discovery School – utilizes the resources of Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, and the Travel Channel
- IMSE Net (Instructional Materials in Science Education) – has every possible resource for a science teacher, guaranteed by North Carolina State University
- Project Galileo – funded partly by the National Science Education, it has innovative teaching ideas and materials that have already been tested and guaranteed ready-to-use
- Quest – how you can use the Internet as a tool for teaching, all by NASA
- Science Analogies – to segue easily into the science lesson, here are useful humorous analogies that can help
- Science Education Resource Page – provides links, lesson plans, demonstrations and book reviews
- Science Teachers Lounge – an organized site for resources, all are categorized into teacher tools, demonstrations, labs, software, Internet utilities and search tools, among others.
- The Gateway to Educational Material – resources can be searched by subject, title, keyword or year level in this U. S. Department of Education-sponsored site
- Wilton High School Chemistry – highlights the 21 principles of a progressive high school chemistry course with an extensive library
So help your students by teaching science in a whole new way! There might not be enough time in a year to teach everything there is to know about science, but these links will be there for them once they get hooked. All thanks to your teaching science better!
Sources:
n. a. (n.d.) Center for Science and Mathematics Education. Retrieved January 20, 2008 from
http://www.towson.edu/csme/mctp/Technology/index.asp
n. a. (n.d.) Photosynthesis. Retrieved January 20, 2008 from http://chem.lapeer.org/Bio1Docs/Photosynthesis.html
n. a. (n.d.) Science Resources for Teachers. Retrieved January 20, 2008 from http://sciencepage.org/teachers.htm
(Published 28 January 2008, Smart Schools Program)
