January | 2018 | Rebecca Potter Eportfolio

When entering 1F06 before our first science lesson I was nervous. The prospect of having to teach a science lesson is an area of learning I felt I couldn’t do. However, instantly the lesson grabbed my attention and showed me that science can be engaging.

We were all given the task of demonstrating an experiment and explaining how it works. I chose to show how to create ‘cornflour slime’. For this you only need cornflour and water. Once the consistency is right the liquid becomes hard when force is applied and returns to a liquid when there is none. It becomes a solid when force is applied as the particles of the cornflour lock together and then a liquid when there is no force, as the particles are suspended within the water. I believe that this experiment can intrigue children of all ages and is extremely simple to conduct. However, the science behind it is more focused towards those in upper level and this can be broken into the concepts behind the experiment.

Richard made us aware of the importance ‘P-O-E’ (predict, observe, explain). Firstly, you can get the children to predict what they think will occur in the experiment and the outcome. This could be formally written in a report as a hypothesis or just verbally. Secondly, they observe the experiment, this means they can repeat the experiment in groups or later at home. Lastly, explaining why the experiment occurred and what it means, will get them thinking about a variety of science concepts and thinking about real life scenarios that an experiment would apply to.

Science is extremely important to teach within primary schools as children will engage with active learning, whilst learning new concepts. There are many possibilities for future lessons from experiments such as; report writing, presenting, measuring distances and calculating time. Furthermore, I am now less apprehensive with teaching a science experiment and have seen a variety of other experiments that I can now use for a class lesson. These science workshops have demonstrated the many possibilities that science can bring – something which excites me.

Throughout my first semester I have learnt that hurdles and challenges are what makes you a better person. When reflecting on the Working Together module, I overcame many hurdles. All of which helped my confidence. Just before our presentation a member of our group couldn’t attend. Although this sent us into a panic, it taught me that when things don’t always go right – it’s about how you deal with these problems that shows who you are as a person and your own capabilities. Following this, I can see that in teaching things will not always go to plan. Some lessons may not be successful and others may need adapted to go right on the day. This is the joy that teaching can bring. I am excited but anxious about placement, however I know it’s a learning curve and will provide me with key skills that I can use throughout university and the rest of my professional career. I am aware that my confidence is still developing, yet by interacting with new people and learning new skills, I know that university will change how I perceive things. From what I have learnt so far, it is fine to have push backs once in a while, as these are how we become better in our profession and life.

General Teaching Council for Scotland states that it is vital to critically examine personal and professional attitudes and challenge assumptions. I feel like I did this through the Values module. I came into the module with the assumption that I knew a lot about stereotypes, race and gender. Little did I know I was barely scraping the barrel. I am now more conscious about how I present myself and the things that I say. This is a vital quality to have within teaching, as you will meet people from different backgrounds and cultures, everyday throughout your career. Starting with the values module in semester one was more crucial to my learning as a student teacher than I could have imagined. I have challenged myself and my outlook on life and the world and this is something I never thought would occur.

The Science Behind the Experiment

Reflection – Semester 1