Scientfically Speaking

A Former Tech Industry Luddite & Is Content Important 022026

(If your student has me for math and science - this part is a bit different!)

I spent 12 years in the tech industry. Most of that time was spent in sales calling on the C Suites of Fortune 500 companies. It was my job to convince executives that purchasing my employers hardware, software, and services was worth the millions of dollars I asked for. I’m a huge tech fan. I was there when business computing migrated from the mainframe to the desktop. I was there as the world wide web was literally being built. Yes..I am old.

Computer/chip technology has transformed every facet of society including education. So am I really a luddite? Not really, but I try to understand the costs and benefits of classroom technology. Why even write about education technology?

I’m a bit of a quiet observer of Dublin Facebook groups. I like to see what the community is posting about in regards to DCS. Recently a discussion about classroom tech use came up. I think it is important to share my views so you know what is, and isn’t being done in my room. As always, different people/teachers/parents will have different views. If you have concerns about my views, please feel free to share them with me.

In science class we will use computers a little more than 5% per year excluding assessments, my biannual anonymous students surveys, and the short temperature checks we do in class. A couple times a year students will work on an interactive science Gizmo and we do a couple projects where students use google slides/docs to put their projects together.

Why did I adopt this approach?

There is a lot of research between writing and making stronger connections to content in the brain.
Working collaboratively without a screen to distract works well in a classroom that focuses on a variety of tasks which include labs, reading, discussion, and other activities.
Using tech can sometimes become a cat and mouse game of students trying to game, watch videos etc.
Your students have told me that they are on devices a lot (this includes outside of school).

Tech has an important role in education and I don’t judge what happens in other classrooms. I am concerned about doing what I can in my room for your students.

So what about content?

Seems like an obvious question. Is content taught in 6th grade science important? The short answer is yes, but…

The long answer is a bit more complicated. How many of you were asked by your employer today to explain the rock cycle or to diagram the greenhouse effect? I suspect none of you had to do either task. In the 12 years I spent in the tech world, no one ever asked me how the lithosphere interacts with the hydrosphere.

I’ve taught science on and off for the last 22 years in Dublin and Ohio has dramatically changed what we are supposed to teach in each grade every few years. I expect the state to make dramatic changes every few years. So if content is paramount, why isn’t there more consistency?

Content is important to the extent that what your students learn builds upon their understanding of how the universe operates. How that “operators manual” translates down to the planetary level and how the different planetary spheres/systems interact with each other and life on the planet. It’s interesting (I hope), but how much will your students remember in 5 weeks, 5 years, a couple decades?

This post addresses the question students ask me all the time, “Why are we learning this?” I tell students that, while content is important, middle school is their opportunity to develop habits and skills that make them valuable in the future.

What are the skills I emphasize over and over in class?

One poster in my room states:

Think Critically

Analyze Information

Write Well

Speak Well

Project Confidence

Succeed!

Another poster states:

A Successful Person:

Sites Evidence

is Creative

Asks Questions

is Good Mannered

is Adaptable

is Persistent

is Resilient

The content, important in itself, and all of the activities within my room are devices intended to help students begin to master the above skill set. I used to tell my math students that a calculator calculates, but you can buy those for a couple bucks. Value comes from the person who can do something with the information gleaned from the calculation.

It is easier than ever to find information, but those who synthesize information from multiple sources, analyze the information and can make decisions or create new information from this process provide value.

That is why your students will continue to have opportunities that involve:

Long form responses that require integration of multiple concepts.
Speaking in front of peers, sometimes literally in the front of the room.
Using basic manners when making requests.
Having to respond to questions that require more than a binary response.
Taking responsibility for their learning/studying.
Researching a topic discussed in class from sources other than textbooks.
Showing me the source of their answers/their thinking when challenged.
Encouraging them to stick with assignments/concepts they find difficult.

I want your students to enter 7th grade, and beyond, more confident in their ability to present their ideas, better able to adapt to changing situations, better able to stand tall in the face of difficulties, while politely interacting with peers and others. I want your students questioning themselves, questioning the content presented to them, and politely questioning authority. I want your students to spend more time thinking/learning and less time doing. It’s a tall order for 11/12 year olds, but in the long run a lot more important than the differences between mass and volume!

As always feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.

Give Me 10! & Oreos 01/22/26

We are over halfway through the year! Your students are showing a lot of growth, but they are still learning how to learn and learning how to prepare to prove what they've learned.

I always announce quizzes at least one week prior to the quiz. Often students know 2 - 4 weeks before the quiz when a quiz is scheduled. I gave students a study guide that lists the concepts they are responsible for knowing and applying. The study guide lists the resources they should use to help prepare for the quiz.

Generally students have done an excellent job proving their knowledge, but that isn’t always the case. Success in 6th grade doesn’t ensure success beyond 6th grade either, so good study habits are necessary to help your students become lifelong learners.

I don’t like assigning homework, except for math classes! I am also a math teacher. I know students usually have math homework on a nightly basis. I don’t like to add to that burden, but it’s clear that some students need an extra push to get them to mastery.

I suggest your students spend at least 10 minutes a night studying the tools I’ve given them. I don’t want them to memorize material. I want them to learn the material by connecting information to what we’re doing in class. I want them to connect our current unit’s information to our animal vs. plant cell lab, our symmetry quilt, to our Oreo cell division lab (pictures below), etc.. Memorizing isn’t learning. Connecting and applying information proves learning.

10 minutes per night doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but if it’s quality time your students should see progress. How do your students get quality study time? It’s no different than if your students' coaches, music teachers, dance coaches, etc. asked your students to practice for 10 minutes.

Your students don’t look at their phones during extracurricular activities. Your students aren’t watching youtube/Tik Tok videos, texting with friends, eating, etc. at soccer practice or piano lessons. Your students are focused with few distractions. You’ve seen your students begin to master many skills…including video game skills!

Mastery always comes with focused practice. Should we expect anything less from school? I am committed to helping your students become critical thinkers who can analyze and apply information. I am committed to helping make your students better communicators. If I’m part of the school coaching team, I’m asking them to give me 10. By the time they get to high school those 10 minutes will compound and accrue amazing benefits.

As always feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

Here are some pictures from our recent Oreo cell division lab

Conferences Aren’t Just for Dinner Anymore 10/24/25

You are well aware by now that Middle School is a lot different than elementary school. Parent/teacher conferences are another big difference for parents to navigate. Individual student conferences aren’t possible when every teacher has over 100 students.

As much as we might like to spend part of our dinner with you discussing your students, it’s not logistically possible. What are parents to do if they want more than Infinite Campus provides to gain an understanding of student progress?

If you’re interested in getting some subjective comments about your student, please feel free to email me. I’ll be happy to provide you with some observations focused on the strengths and opportunities I see in your students. Please recognize that the more requests I receive, the more my response time may not be as fast as normal.

Of course, you never have to wait for an invitation. You are always welcome to contact me with questions or concerns you have about your students.

What’s going on in class?

We are moving through our rock unit. Students learned how to classify rocks. learned about igneous rocks, and learned about sedimentary rocks. Students recently made their own fossils. They are using that lab experience to answer questions about sedimentary rocks.

Today students took a graded Temperature Check. The best score is a 9/9. I expected students to score no lower than a 7. Ask your student about their score. If they scored below a 7 it might be a good time to reinforce how important it is to spend a few minutes reviewing their notes from class. Just a few minutes a day can help your students retain information, learn important study skills, and help them to make connections to material.

We still have metamorphic rocks and the rock cycle to learn in this unit. The format of each unit is the same. I introduce students to the topic by providing direct instruction. After each major subtopic introduction, students work on a series of reinforcing activities which may include labs, projects, worksheets, and group work. I remind your students that they should be applying concepts learned through direct instruction to their activities.

I continue to focus on character, soft skills necessary to success (manners, communication skills, thinking critically, etc.), and behaviors necessary to excel in a competitive market. Recently I’ve emphasized being thorough/detailed in responses and to use strong language connected to content when answering questions.

As always, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

Hands-On Doesn’t Mean Brains Off! & Mastering the Middle Meeting 091925

But first a Mastering the Middle Session Reminder

Transitioning to middle school can be difficult for new 6th graders and their families. With that in mind I am presenting a Mastering the Middle session 9/25 at 6PM in the Karrer Library. During the session I'll give a brief presentation with suggestions on how best to help your students more successfully transition to middle school. The suggestions come from my 21 years of being a middle school science and math teacher. After the presentation attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the first few weeks of school and how to best help students, and families, master the middle.

The session is NOT an opportunity to discuss specific students or have an extra teacher conference. It's really an opportunity for a live Q&A to help make your students' science and/or math year as successful as possible. According to the parents who attended last year the session was time well spent.

Please do not bring your students. Please RSVP here.

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog:

The first science quiz about minerals is coming up. Students spent a few weeks working on a variety of assignments and with hands-on concept application. Students worked with hot water, boron, actual minerals, test equipment, computer simulations and more. I always plan to have a number of hands-on opportunities designed to reinforce content.

Talk with your students and they might describe a modern school experience with a lot more demands, a lot more pressure, and higher expectations than when you were their age. Middle school is certainly a lot different than when I was 13. So I’m not too surprised when students look at a lab and think, “Play time!”

I’m okay with structured playtime, but I need your students to think this entire phrase when approaching labs, “Play time and think time!” I will tell your students all the time that if they are just doing something, but not learning from what they are doing, then they are wasting their time. We aren’t here to do; we are here to learn.

Hands-on learning may not always be the best learning approach. Some studies bear that assertion out. For example, see this story.

Provided I give students a well-structured lab preceded, or followed, by reinforcing information students should engage their hands and their brains. Students need to reflect on how the activity connects to content. 6th graders have a tough time with this, but as they mature making connections should get easier. Why am I taking the time to write to you about this?

I’m writing this for two important reasons.

You are probably thinking “Hot water?? Is that man crazy for giving students very hot water to use?” I hope I’m not crazy. I have high expectations of your students. I need to trust that your students are mature enough to use the supplies I place around the room responsibly and safely. When students can’t act maturely and safety becomes an issue, they are removed from the lab. If it happens more than once students may not be able to participate in future labs.
Your students do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to their education. Teachers play a smaller part than the students. You are an integral part of the education team as well. When you’re talking about the day and your students mention a lab, ask them to connect the lab to concepts discussed in class. If your student isn’t able to make those connections, suggest they look over class notes, spend some time asking questions in class, and have them practice making connections during the next lab. I’ll be making those same recommendations over and over throughout the year.

Is there something you’d like to see written in the next Scientifically Speaking? Do you have questions or concerns? Don’t hesitate to contact me if you do.

I look forward to seeing you at the Mastering the Middle session.

Mastering the Middle, 50 Miles to 0 Miles, & Pictures 090525

Mastering the Middle

Good Afternoon 6th grade math parents. Welcome to my classroom blog. Feel free to read, or not, as you see fit. The blog will inform you about what’s happening in the classroom and how best to help your students master the middle.

Transitioning to middle school can be difficult for new 6th graders and their families. With that in mind I am presenting a Mastering the Middle session 9/25 at 6PM in the Karrer Library. During the session I'll give a brief presentation with suggestions on how best to help your students have a successful transition. The suggestions come from my 21 years of experience as a middle school science and math teacher. After the presentation attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the first few weeks of school and how to best help students, and families, master the middle.

Please do not bring your students. Please RSVP here.

50 Miles to 0 Miles

Teaching is a second career for me. That’s a nice way to say that I’m not a young guy anymore. I try to fight my advancing age by staying in decent shape. In June 2024 I challenged myself to complete a 50 mile race. I had a pretty good day, but then while training for the next race I broke a rib, then I had another setback and before I knew it I was barely running. That’s how school is for a lot of your students. Huge strides one day and then they run smack into a wall.

We all face setbacks and your students will face setbacks this year, but they will also make huge strides. I hope to help your students learn science this year, but more importantly I hope to help them to learn to persevere, to construct their own knowledge, to increase their confidence, and to realize that they don’t always need me to help them.

Additionally I’m going to try to get your students to bolster their own worth. Too many students are content to hide in the classroom, not raising their hands, never having someone cheer for them when they cross the metaphorical finish line. Many of your students are hiding in the back of the race pack. Too many teachers are content to let students cross the finish line in the dark.

Everyone of your students deserves to be seen crossing the line. Everyone of your students deserves to be heard. Everyone of your students has something to offer. Everyone of your students can benefit from becoming better at speaking in front of others. That’s why I will call on all students to speak this year even if they don’t raise their hands. I told your students that too. I hope at the end of the year I have a lot less back of the packers in class than when the year started.

What else can your students expect this year?

I survey your students anonymously two times per year. I learn a lot from your students. Rarely does a semester go by where student feedback, anonymous or not, doesn’t change what I do in the classroom.

A few years ago students told me that I needed to make sure that they were on the right track more often. Students talked about how much information they were required to learn and felt that there weren’t enough times that I checked their progress prior to a quiz. I “heard” them loud and clear.

Students will have almost weekly Temperature Checks. The Temperature Check is designed to see what your students know and what they don’t know without affecting their grades. It’s also a chance for me to check their temperatures.

What do I ask on Temperature Checks? It depends on what’s happening in the classroom. The first check will ask how they feel about 6th grade and how they feel science is going so far. However, each Temperature Check’s primary focus is content.

If your students don’t know the answers then that tells me, and more importantly, them, that they need to be asking questions, they may need to see me during study center, and/or they may need to review information outside of class.

I don’t intend to give your students a lot of homework, but they do have to prove that they are learning the curriculum. I tell your students that middle school is very different from elementary school. If your student traditionally has difficulty understanding and retaining information, they may want to spend a few minutes (5-15 minutes) each night reviewing class material. Why?

Students who review information a bit each night tend to integrate their knowledge for longer periods of time. Students who spend more time internalizing information know what they know and know what they don’t know. Students are able to ask for clarification and reinforcement when they come to school the next day. Students who keep their classroom knowledge current don’t actually have to study (cram?) for quizzes because they know the information.

Cramming doesn’t allow students to engage in higher level thinking. When students internalize information they can analyze information, critically examine information, and build on their knowledge beyond what’s taught in class. It’s learning and growing, not memorizing.

I’m going to keep listening to your students and adjust as we go. I’m going to keep taking their temperatures too. Maybe you can check to see if your student is chill or running a fever.

I will continue to send periodic Scientifically Speaking to you. This isn’t life changing or required reading, but I try to provide insight into what’s happening with your students. I include classroom pictures in some blog posts. In late fall I include a link for you to fill out an anonymous parent survey so you can provide constructively critical feedback about your students’ experiences.

If your students have me for math too, then you will get Numerical News periodically sent to your email as well.

If there is something you’d like me to write about, don’t hesitate to make suggestions.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or concerns. It takes a team to help your back of the packers finish in the sunlight!.

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