A part of this chapter that really caught my attention was
hearing about Jeff James’s teaching style found in the section entitled Substituting
for the Textbook (198-9). James has a very unconventional approach to his
science curriculum: he teaches almost entirely without a textbook. He believes
that textbooks are boring, unreliable, and irrelevant material to both his
course and to his student’s life. Instead, James makes his own text in the form
of a PowerPoint or print out, which contains only the essential, relevant
information that his students need. In addition to this, James ties in several
trade books, scientific magazines, and even scientific novels (i.e. Big Bang: A Short History of the Universe)
to both engage and inform his students. The textbook is used on rare occasions
in his classroom as a reference book or to steal some diagrams or pictures from.
James also made a very profound statement that really moved me;
he says: “As the science expert in the
room, I’ve got to ask, what are the ideas that are fundamental to science,
things kids have got to understand so they can continue their study of science
in the future, and be able to consider a career in the field” (199). I love
that. To a class full of middle schoolers, you are actually the resident science
expert. You’re like Bill Nye the Science Guy!
So instead of allowing some textbook—which may even be over our own heads—to be the expert in the room, we science teachers should take advantage of our role as "experts" and use our knowledge to more appropriately communicate our material. We know our subjects, and we should know how to teach it well. Our students will benefit greatly from our expertise and passion for our subject, and perhaps it will inspire them to pursue a career in science someday.
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Emily
