Anyways, we got started by me bringing up the first data set on the projector and asking, "So, what do you see?" I was met with the standard fare: silence. You'd think I'd be used to this by now. I let the silence soak in for a bit, intending that to be a hint that the data was not going to analyze itself, but using that approach we were getting nowhere fast. So I decided to try bargaining: I'll lead through the analysis of this first one, and then you take it from there. Okay, sure.
So I start out with the basics: At time T0, what's the temperature of the ungloved hand? What's the temperature of the gloved hand? Now let's do the same for T5.... and T10... and then T10 immediately after removing the glove. And now that we have these numbers, what does that tell you about the glove? How well do you think it worked? How do the two hands compare to each other at the end, and versus the start? And so on... Seems pretty straightforward, just work though making observations step-by-step. Right? So we get to the second data set, and I say, "Now take me through this." And we're back to silence. Sigh. I know they can do this! So I ask one of the students to take the rest of us through it. And they squirm with discomfort, and don't want to do it, but eventually they suck it up and take the lead. And for the next data set, another student leads us through. And we slowly make progress from there, with me occasionally stepping in where needed to keep things moving. Then it came time to see the bigger picture and come up with some overall conclusions, which apparently also required my intervention - So what was the most effective? Okay, why? How would you rank the different insulators? What did you observe about the effect of the material composition on its ability to insulate? (Okay, that one was a little advanced. But not beyond what I think these students are capable of...)
All of this seems pretty basic, but these kids don't seem to know to even ask these questions to generate these answers. Which really makes me a bit concerned, and overall skeptical of our education system. Has science really come down to this? Do lab reports really just consist of recipes to follow and blanks to fill in? Are conclusions just made based on leading questions? Don't students have to write actual lab reports anymore??!? But I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. I see this with the lab reports submitted as parts of intern application packages. And even when I was in high school, I could see that science labs were becoming a joke. But why? And why does this seem to get by as okay? Why are students only held to such low science standards? But I digress...
After a short break (since we were already more than half way through our day by this point), I tasked the kids with outlining their presentation and what should go into it. I had written the components of the abstract again during the break for reference (and as a hint as to what types of things should go into the presentation). Whiteboard marker in hand, I asked, "So, what sections do you want to include in you presentation?" As you probably have guessed, I was met with blank stares. "Okay, so I'll give you a hint, because I've already done it for you. We'll start with a title slide. So.... now what?" They started to get the idea, and we eventually developed a thorough outline. From there it came time to actually produce the slides, so I asked who wanted to do what. You got it - silence. Finally one of the students asked if she could do the first section. Fabulous - it's hers. One of the other students got the idea, and asked for a section. Done. As for the rest, I practically had to assign them - as if not volunteering for one was going to let you not do one at all? It's like some of these kids hope that by doing nothing, someone else will finally step up to get the job done for them, and they operate by putting in the least possible effort that's just barely enough to get by. Sigh. Are all of the workshops like this? Is this just how students are, now?
After drafting out their slides individually, the kids worked on the computers in pairs to put together their respective slides. This mostly went well, though I had to occasionally interfere when one student decided he'd rather criticize his partner's grammar and spelling than actually help her through getting it done. And I mean, this was going beyond what was in the slide and was getting quite offensive. I had to ask, "Is that constructive criticism? Or are you just being counterproductive?" Disappointingly, this was one of the older students. What grade am I working with here, again? Sheesh. These are the kinds of situations that I feel especially unprepared for. I don't usually have to deal with disruptive behavior or acting like a parent; I don't know how to do that...
Once everyone was done, we regrouped and started going through the slides to make edits as a team. We didn't get too far though before it was time to break for lunch, so we'll have to hope that we have enough time next week before the presentations to clean everything up. And as for the poster board we are also supposed to make... it is sitting in my office, still in its wrapping. Oops!
I told the kids as they left that they did a really great job today, and despite how critical or disappointed I may sound here on my blog I was not being facetious. We really did have to go through a lot of data and work, and I think their efforts are going to show when they do their presentation next week. Although sometimes it feels like I'm pulling teeth to get them to step up, I think in the end we are going to have something we can all feel proud of. I think I'll be glad I approached things the way I did and didn't give in to taking an easy way out or doing it all myself, no matter how exhausting it feels right now. And I hope I'm helping to fill that void that I so frustratingly feel school science curricula have. Hopefully the kids will look back on all this and feel similarly, too... Though I suspect I wouldn't have at their age, and probably wouldn't recognize the value of these experiences until many years later when I'd have more perspective. (Does this mean I'm getting old? Yeah, I think it does.)
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