Reflecting on the Interaction-Heavy Teaching Style
As a starter, I asked my students to write a response to the question, “What is Science?”. After 5 minutes, I told them to stop writing and to speak to their neighbor for 2 minutes about what they wrote. Everyone had a partner except for one student, so I decided to play that role for her. I went up to her and asked what she thought science was. She mumbled a few words while pointing to the 2 – 3 lines she had written. She wrote in cursive, so I could not make out any of the words. Nor could I hear what she was saying. Her words were uttered in a quiet and timid manner. She avoided making eye contact with me and kept fidgeting. Clearly, she was uncomfortable. So, I decided to re-phrase my question in a way that seemed to me was easier to answer. “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Science?” I asked. No response. And she seemed even more nervous. “This is not a test. I am just trying to find out how much you know about this topic already”, ...