Science/ Math Night at Huachuca City School April 27, 2011

I had a very educational visit with the students and teachers of Huachuca City School.  It was exciting to listen to the students talk about the Math concepts they were presenting and to hear from the students about the Science Experiment they were presenting.  I could easily see the amount of work put in by both teachers and students in preparation for the event. 

I was thrilled to see the 7^th and 8^th grade students using the Science terms to explain the experiment.  One student asked me if I wanted the explanation for kids or for adults.  Knowing they are learning to present their information based on their audience is important, not only for Science, but other subjects, as well.  I asked several ‘higher order thinking’ questions to assess the students understand of the topics they presented.  Some students were able to explain the connections of what they learned to their life experiences.   Most impressive were the students who understood the constant and variables of their experiment. As a former, 7^th Grade Teachers, I understand how difficult it is for students to understand the components of an experiment and make a concise conclusion based on the data from their experiment.

Seeing how the primary teachers are using the interactive white boards was such a relief.  All too many time the expensive tools purchased to increase student engagement and achievement are not at all utilize or aren’t utilize to their fullest potential.  Students interacted with the board to find answers for how deep to plant seeds or hypothesis if an item would sink or float, before they actually tested it out, was a wonderful way to engage the students in the learning process and get them to think critically during an experiment.

Thank you to all the teachers who gave purpose to Math and Science and to the students who presented, with excitement, their new found knowledge.