The next revolution is in education methods I think. 2009/6/5 briana moore <[email protected]>
> > *My Greatest Teacher > By Harry T. Roman > * > > My Uncle Tony was a long-time janitor at Barringer, and for several years > before I arrived there, he was talking about my interest in the sciences and > engineering to Morris. When I arrived there, Morris talked with me and I > was tracked into his Integrated Science (IS) program. This course of study > was America’s answer to the Sputnik embarrassment; and designed to get more > high school students into the technical professions. So in junior year, > about 30 of us “techno-geeks” got initiated into what became the greatest > learning experience of my life, surpassing anything I would later experience > in college and graduate school. > > Our class was a tight knit group that took most of its other > classes together as well. We could talk science and technology, and even > thought we understood it, until Morris, the science department chairman, > introduced us to Integrated Science. We soon learned that IS was science on > steroids, and it packed a punch that cut across the entire curricula. > > Most high schools taught physics and chemistry in the last two > years. IS was a unique approach that taught both subjects together for two > years, moving back and forth between them, exploring their overlaps. It was > also my first experience with a double period class. > > First and second period every day was IS. In the first hour, Mr. > Lerner would saunter in with his lab cart and conduct an experiment, > whereupon for the remainder of the hour, the class discussed its > observations. No mathematics were used…..strictly verbal discussions. > > In the second hour, we explored the mathematics behind the > observations. It went on like this every day for the entire junior and > senior year. We were also required to set-up and conduct a detailed lab > experiment every week, and submit a formal written lab report. It was the > toughest and best course I ever took. > > The first experiment he conducted for our class was unforgettable. > He simply took a candle, lit it and said, “You have one hour to write down > as many observations of this candle as you can. A good observer will yield > over 100 observations”. He walked out of the room and returned in an hour, > whereupon we complained that the best we could do was about 60-70 > observations. His reply was, “That’s probably because what you observed was > only what you could see. What didn’t you observe?” By the end of the > second hour we all had well over 100 observations recorded. > > As if this classroom rigor was not enough, we were required to > complete 3 research papers per year, at least ten pages in length with > formal footnotes and references. The topics selected for the papers were > our own choice, but had to deal with science and technology. This is where > the really big surprise came for our class. The papers were graded > twice-once for scientific/technical accuracy and once for English/grammar. > > Mr. Lerner, “Are you kidding us here”, we protested, “Grading for > English in a science class!“ > > “Good ideas mean nothing if you cannot communicate them!” Morris > shot back. > > He was tougher on us than our English teachers. We all soon > started carrying a dictionary and a thesaurus. It became very apparent he > was not coming down to our level. We were going to climb up to his. > > Our term papers were also required to address the social and > economic impacts of the subject we were discussing. This was another unique > aspect of this incredible course. Here I learned how technological changes > influence history, art, music, society, government, and law; and > vice-versa. All this in a science class. > > Current scientific/technological advances as reported in the > newspapers or magazines, were often debated in class. We were called upon > to marshal quantitative facts and figures in support of our oral arguments. > > Could Morris be right? Is this really what science and engineering > was all about? Suddenly all my other courses paled in stature, almost > boring when compared to the intellectual challenge of his class. For the > first time in my education, all the subjects were being knitted together > into a tapestry, every single day, not just for a special project or term > report. > > ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ > > > > > > -- "When you know what you want,and you want it badly enough,you'll find a way to get it." "Successful leaders have the courage to take action while others hesitate." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "English Learner's Cafe" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/english_learners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
