Award-Winning Science Teachers Add Wow Factor to Their Classrooms
alliantgroup Honors area teachers in second annual award program
This time of uncertainty due to the Coronavirus pandemic is scary and overwhelming. alliantgroup wants to offer our support and hope for a brighter future ahead. We believe now more than ever it is important to keep our kids engaged and excited about learning. And we are excited to continue to recognize our educators especially through this unprecedented time.
alliantgroup CEO, Dhaval Jadav says, “It is so important to spotlight teachers that are making a positive impact on students and getting them excited about STEM. These teachers are creating a love of learning, interest in new experiences and the ability to apply knowledge in new ways. We have seen that teaching STEM even earlier gets kids excited about making those connections to everyday life, future academic success and future job opportunities. Spurring innovation and job growth is what we are all about here at alliantgroup.”
Teacher Kirk Coppes describes his classroom at Ashford Elementary as “intense and orchestrated.” As soon as students walk in, they get down to business – in an atmosphere almost like a quiz show.
Students start by working on word problems with their teammates. They only have five minutes.
Then Coppes shouts,
“Speed sheet!” That means it’s time for students to answer questions on the back of the paper using vocabulary terms they have been studying. They only have two minutes, before music starts playing over a speaker. Coppes uses a cordless microphone to cue them to simulate molecular movement. Liquids walk. Gases run. Solids move very slowly.
“Let’s move around like a liquid,” Coppes calls out.
Then, he says, “Show me less dense. Now, show me more dense.”
The students demonstrate the different movements associated with scientific terms. After a while, he asks them to shout out examples of things that are soluble in water or examples of things made of metal but not magnetic. He wants his students to have fun, to learn through stories. His goal is to get them to dive into inquiry-based, hands-on science and to play games that keep the subject fun and exciting. He has taught for 12 years, and the more he does it, the better he gets. The more he loves teaching, too.
Coppes is one of six area professionals nominated for the annual alliantgroup Elementary Science Teacher Award, presented in partnership with HISD.
The award recognizes that developing an interest in STEM at an early age often depends on a teacher, who serves as a catalyst for sparking a lifelong love of science.
Here are some tips from this year’s top teachers about bringing out the best in their students:
Keep science cool
Coppes painted an 8-foot portrait of Einstein’s head surrounding his classroom door. He designed the inside to resemble the indie coffee shops where he liked to hang out in college. The message is clear right off the bat. This place is cool.
“But I think the biggest thing that makes my class different is that the kids are having fun learning,” he said. “We don’t just watch science, we do science. We dance around and are silly, but we also work extremely hard. We work with lasers, build circuits, examine real skulls, and blow stuff up. In other words, we do everything that makes science cool.”
Gretchen Campbell, who has taught for 31 years, said a number of students report that science is their favorite subject. “I love when my students ask me in the hallway what are we learning in science today,” she said.
Go beyond the basics
Henrietta Dixon, who is in her seventh year of teaching science, turns to hands-on experiences, videos, rap songs, technology, anchor charts, workstations, cooperative grouping, peer teaching, and small groups, whatever suits the lesson. They go on scavenger hunts and enter into group debates.
“My instructional style is always changing and modified to help aid and increase student’s success,” she said. “I use meaningful hands-on activities and labs, technology programs that allow students to think they’re playing a game, but they’re learning.”
Shawn Flores, 5th grade science teacher at Bruce Elementary, has spent 19 years teaching and working in camps, afterschool programs, the Boys & Girls Club and HISD’s Outdoor Education Center. He uses multiple approaches and systems to help students grasp concepts. “I believe that the students enjoy my class by their engagement with handson explorations,” he said. “Students love to explore.”
Yolanda Guzman, who teaches third and fourth grade Math and Science at Smith Elementary, is always on the search for interactive, science experiments. For example, her students recently completed a unit on seasons and used Oreo’s to identify moon phases. “The students were so excited to eat their experiments afterwards,” she said.
Focus on experiential & project-based learning
Kassandra Rios, who has spent two years as a 5th grade science teacher at Marshall Elementary, continues to modify her curriculum to make it more experiential and to incorporate studentled discussions.
“Allowing students to become active and manipulate science has opened up the opportunity to spark curiosity,” she said. “Opening my class with an image, video or discussion has allowed students to ask questions and make a connection with the science they experience every day.”
Get technical
Technology is an often-used tool for these top teachers.
Not only can it help hold a student’s attention but it can also help with knowledge retention. Rios said that even schools with limited technology can provide opportunities for students to gain experience. Her students participate in virtual labs, virtual field trips, engaging videos and interactive science games – and that creates a lifelong learning impact.
Accommodate different learning styles – and languages
Rios wants her students to make the information she shares their own by the end of the day. “I often ask my students to learn and explain their learning through writing, art, movement or discussions,” she said. “I always look for opportunities for students to express their creativity and make connection with the content being taught.”
Guzman’s classes consist of newcomers that are transitioning from Spanish to English – and her instruction must recognize the individual needs of her students. “I begin my planning by reviewing our district’s curriculum guide and modify my lessons to endure I address my students’ learning needs,” she said.
Campbell also works with students who mainly speak English as a second language, which can mean that they are not at the same reading level as native speakers. In addition, her class accommodates students with learning disabilities.
Incorporate examples from real life
“Teachers can promote the love for STEM by exposing students to real-world experiences,” Dixon said. She suggests searching for hands-on activities, finding established programs and talking to experts in the field who are willing to share their experiences.
Rios said that even in school, students can adopt the roles of leaders, artists, explorers, engineers, and writers. They learn to take control of their own learning experience – and teachers can inspire them to become lifelong learners.
Be a passionate teacher
“It’s about being able to love what you’re doing,” Dixon said. “Take pride in your work and the children will follow suit. Continue to train and never stop learning.” She also recommends that teachers seek out inspiring continuing education and training opportunities.
Guzman said that keeping the energy alive can be difficult, but the required extra effort pays off. “Let the passion you feel for teaching shine in your classroom,” she said.
Value your students
Flores wears a t-shirt that reads, “Some people only dream of meeting their favorite scientist. I teach mine.” That’s the key to his motivation, helping his students reach their goals and live out their dreams. “I live by that phrase one hundred percent, and it keeps me wanting to do more each day,” Flores said. Guzman feels the same way. “My students motivate me to be the best version of myself”.
Share science with the rest of the school
Coppes encourages science teachers to get out of the classroom and relate it to other disciplines. “Don’t keep all the science coolness to yourself,” he said.
For example, he would bring in an animal for students to pet or teach kindergarteners how to create hypotheses by making different colored fire.
Don’t forget to play
Remember to make learning enjoyable. Coppes said that is the key for teachers. “If you think the lesson is boring, the kids will think it is boring,” he said.
The most creative way to spark an interest in science is by making his class a place to play with knowledge and explore imagination, he added. “We dance. We sing. We build,” he said. “Those are the foundations of my classroom.”
Vote for People’s Choice Award!
You can help recognize the best elementary science teacher in Houston by casting your vote for the winner of the alliantgroup Houston ISD Elementary Science Teacher People’s Choice Award. In an effort to support our local restaurants, the People’s Choice Award winner gets to select a $100 gift certificate to the Greater Houston Area restaurant of their choice. Just head over to the Houston Chronicle’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ chroncom/