Sheila Tobias spoke to us this morning at the general session. She has a new book “Science Teaching as a Profession.” I will post the link for it later when I get back to my regular computer. ( no wifi at the hotel, bleck!!!)
She discussed how teachers face a very unique challenge in being individual professional that are also employees. This is an area that is currently growing with doctors being employed with HMO.
One thing she mentioned that really struck me was the lack of collaboration between science teachers and scientists. I realize that I saw this and have been actively seeking out that connection through my studies and “extra” classes that I have been taking. But I never thought of seeking out a local scientist or researcher and teaming up with them.
Here is a new project for me. Find a research scientist and see if there is opportunity for me to learn from them. It definitely fits with my personal goals and would allow me to bring a better and more realistic experience into my classroom.
Let’s see what happens.
~Ms. O
O's Bureau of Scientific Investigations 