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Science
teacher Sarah-ann Friedman tries to instill a sense of wonder
in her students.
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For Sarah-ann Friedman, teaching
science to middle-schoolers involves a bit of sleight of hand.
"The strongest way to prepare our
students for their future success is to promote creativity and
innovation," says Friedman, science specialist and teacher at
Milwaukee Jewish Day School.
"I do magic tricks that create
excitement," she says, "and the students don’t realize
that they’re actually reviewing their science skills, including
observation and prediction."
Friedman and her bag of teaching tricks
traveled to Beijing, China in December for the international US/China
Educational Conference. The 400 participants — 215 from across the
United States and 185 from China — examined a variety of disciplines
including science, social studies, math and early childhood.
In her presentation, "Innovative
Science Teaching and Learning," Friedman shared information that
was part of her master’s thesis and which she has used with great
success in teaching her seventh and eighth grade students.
In another tantalizing science unit,
Sweet Success, students suck different colors of hard candy and chart
how long it takes each to dissolve. The unit was inspired by something
she read in a scientific journal. "While they’re doing this,
they don’t know that they’re studying science. However, it becomes
apparent later," she explains. Students then create a bar graph
and analyze the data to determine what variables might impact the
results. The unit is a natural lead-in to introducing the study of
statistics, Friedman says.
The China conference was not her first
international travel in the name of science. In 2004, she participated
in a science conference in Australia and New Zealand. And she makes it
a point to visit local schools whenever traveling for pleasure.
As a result of her journeys, she says
she believes the United States is doing a good job of preparing
students for the future. "The fact that we inculcate this sense
of wonder and allow students the freedom to be creative will really
keep us at the forefront," she says.
"Other countries may perceive our
knowledge base to be a weakness," she says. "I, however,
believe that creativity on the part of our science students, and
teachers who provide the opportunity to think in unique ways, are
great strengths."
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