Pedagogy in Practice

Although this year had a rough start due to the COVID-19 pandemic, first day procedures this year were a little different. We started class with the usual introductions, albeit virtually, but Class Norms were decided together, as a class. In an effort to encourage inquiry, we started off with a conversation about what makes a good teacher vs. a bad teacher, then what makes a good student vs. a bad student. Student responses were hilarious and insightful. This was then followed by a discussion about classroom norms, and we were able to come up with a list together. Students were also encouraged to ask more questions in class and beyond.

I decided to implement culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom from the beginning of the year, and thought that the best way to do so would be to start with a survey asking the students about themselves. I also included a Funds of Knowledge questionnaire to find out more about student experiences and backgrounds. The hope is to incorporate this information more and more often into the lessons using examples from the students' lives. I was inspired to do this after the Saturday session with Dr. Tamika Pollins.

During our unit on Nuclear Chemistry, students were able to design their own nuclear facility using information learned in class about the process and structures, as well as information about the safety features that must be built in. This also followed a discussion about the fact that nuclear energy is the cleanest type of energy production as far as carbon footprint, and it also brought up the responsibility that humans must exercise when designing a system such as this one. During this unit students acted as though they were chemical, nuclear, and system engineers.