Teachers on Teaching Science, Bringing Students Eureka! Moments

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“Robotics was lots of fun! Every day I looked forward to it.”

“I really loved learning computer graphing. It was cool how those numbers could turn into a chart.”

“What did I like about robotics? Everything . . . cool models, the challenge, racing, and the computer programming was really nifty!”

“Computer graphing was super. I not only learned how to make graphs, but now I am so much better at reading them.”

“It was such fun changing the graphics of graphs!”

“Google Images is the best. I can now find pictures of EVERYTHING!”

“I enjoyed programming the robots. After this unit, I tried other programming on my own. It was almost like magic how you could move things from the computer to the Lego brick. Where else could someone my age make something come to life?”

“Eureka! moments” are what science is all about, and the quotes above from some of my students show how technology has brought more and more of these moments to our elementary school classroom. Two years ago when our school’s technology committee decided to provide computer carts with twenty laptops for classroom use, our world of technology opened considerably. Now all students had their own computer and could connect to the Internet from their desk. There was ample opportunity for everyone to do research, graphing, or robotics. Not being a computer whiz myself, I have to admit I was hesitant. However, after our first exploratory work, the students and I have all been thrilled with the possibilities. Computer graphing, robotics, and Internet research are all standard parts of our curriculum. In addition we use flex cams to show work on our classroom TV and have digital cameras available for recording data.

What value did adding technology contribute to our classroom experience? Students have learned the value of persistence in a project. “Try, try, again” is often the motto when working through how the computer program they have written translates into the movement of the robot. The excitement evidenced by all when it finally responds as planned permeates the classroom. Students from other groups come running to celebrate with the designer, often questioning the strategies used by the inventing group for success.

Girls have learned that they can be just as successful as boys in designing prototypes and programming. Girls working in groups have often become the leaders in writing programs and working on designs. It is evident that they feel very proud of their achievements. What a great boost for self-esteem!

Robotics and graphing seem to offer students success no matter what their learning styles. Some children excel at the programming, some at the designing, and some at embellishing the graphics. All of the projects seem to offer everyone some area where they can make a valuable contribution.

Technology has enhanced the creativity of the students. Once students begin to work on these projects, there is no limit to where their imaginations can take them. The different ways to use robotic sensors and solar panels especially seem to get the creative juices flowing. Availability of the Internet has provided a plethora of information that formerly would have been difficult to keep available in the classroom. In addition, sites such as Google Images allow the teacher to show pictures on virtually any science topic. Our computer is linked to our classroom TV screen, giving us the equivalent of a file of millions of classroom posters.

Technology empowers both the teacher and the students to be their best. What a great opportunity for students to coach teachers while teachers are coaching students. Working on these projects not only increases the communication and critical thinking skills of students in the group, but also puts them at ease with technology. When new projects come along in middle school, they will be ready to dive right in!