VCU news

By Ahmed Asraf

Christina Moorefield has known she wanted to be a teacher since she was an elementary school student herself. She saw connections in the world and wanted to ensure children had a clear understanding of the world around them.

“Teaching was a way for me to bring those connections together,” said Moorefield, who is a science teacher at Ruckersville Elementary School. 

Teaching was a way for me to bring those connections together.

Moorefield, along with other elementary school teachers from the state, attended the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement camp this summer at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education to hone her teaching skills and discuss methods of teaching science to elementary school students. 

The four-week camp, which is a partnership between more than 80 school districts, six universities, SRI International and the U.S. Department of Education, aims to improve science teaching and student learning in central Virginia. The camp addresses educational issues and resolutions. 

The program is developed based on Standards of Learning scores. One of the areas in which students needed improvement was “Man’s Impact on the Environment,” which became the theme of this year’s camp. 

During the first week, teachers studied science with graduate students and faculty to prepare for the camp. They watched videos of teaching methods, analyzed them and answered a questionnaire addressing why those methods may or may not work. 

For instance, when a student prevents a shy classmate from participating in the discussion, some teachers believe they should be firm and set a strong example. Franklin Joseph, however, believes that kind guidance is the answer. 

“Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see,” said Joseph, science teacher at Miles Jones Elementary School. 

Through situation analysis, teachers brought up classroom issues ranging from implementing methods of teaching to how children would respond. The teachers then shared their experiences to discuss solving these problems. The outcome of the camp entailed shaping the classroom to keep students engaged. 

“With VISTA, [students] are not visitors, they’re citizens. It’s their classroom,” Joseph said. “I’m just going to act as a facilitator.” 

For example, before introducing a new topic to students, it was proposed to engage them and find out what prior knowledge they have about the topic. Some teachers agreed it would be helpful, while others said there is not enough time to complete the syllabus on schedule and discussed other options based on their experience. 

Teachers then applied those concepts during the next two weeks of camp by teaching at-risk rising fifth and sixth graders students. Students presented what they learned to teachers and parents on the last day. 

“[The camp] re-energizes you, gets you to think differently and be more creative,” said Pat Kite, science and mathematics teacher at Fox Elementary School. “Working around younger colleagues is always energizing.” 

 

Featured image at top:  Teachers at VISTA camp work with students on a science lesson. Photo courtesy of VCU School of Education. 

 

Subscribe to the weekly VCU News email newsletter at http://newsletter.news.vcu.edu/ and receive a selection of stories, videos, photos, news clips and event listings in your inbox every Thursday.