Teaching Integrated Science at MetWest (Part 4)
On a table next to me is a fan whooshing air. A few students are waiting in line to see if a design of a pinwheel windmill they made out of thin wooden rods, rubber bands, scotch tape , twine, corks, and glue will twirl its blades as it holds a cup of at least eight pennies. I watch as the teams of two to three students stand in front of the fan to see if their design works.
I am observing an integrated science class at MetWest taught by Jake Puzycki.* He is wearing a Lehigh College T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. As students entered the class, Jake held a basket into which each student dropped his or her cell phone. There are 18 students sitting in a horseshoe arrangements of desks–one side of horseshoe facing the other side–with a large open space with the teacher’s desk at the front near a large whiteboard. Next to one wall is a table holding raw materials for the pinwheel including a bucket of pennies and a fan blowing air.
On one wall of the spacious classroom is a poster:
Norms of Engagement
* I can participate fully
* I can honor my experience and the experiences of others
* I am Science-able and I can celebrate failure and learn from it
* I can create the environment I need to be successful
Previous lessons worked on the design and all of the variables that go into make a simple wind turbine that can carry weight. Today is the test of the turbine and the completion of a worksheet. Photo below illustrates one kind of prototype. Also see YouTube segments of students trying out his creation in other science CONTINUE READING: Teaching Integrated Science at MetWest (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice