Colavito McKie Educ.

423: Teaching Science to Children Michiko McClary, Instructor April 8, 2014 Laboratory Safety During my initial visit in Mrs. Wallaces classroom, I looked around the classroom to see if there were any signs of evidence related to reminding students of safety while in the lab or during a lab activity in the classroom. Just from observations, I saw a few general rules and consequences related to Mrs. Wallaces expectations for students; however no specific rules outlined for science. In conversation, she informed me that prior to her class participating in a lab activity or visiting Brookdales science lab, she verbally informs students of what to do and what not to do. When asked about why there wasnt any written evidence of the expected conduct of students in the schools science lab and/or during classroom activities posted in her classroom, she mentioned to me that she referred to the science lab safety form attached to this document and reviews each component with her students. During one particular science lab activity I observed in the classroom, I did not witness Mrs. Wallace reviewing the rules most appropriate for safety with students. Several factors that may contribute to this reason, could consist of a number of different students in the classroom misbehaving (i.e. one student to student argument; four to five students engaged in other activities such as writing, drawing, and/or looking in my face in an attempt to spark conversation with me about irrelevant discussion items; and other students deliberately making noises either

by mouth of with their chairs or desks). From this particular observation, I was able to grasp a number or various reasons as to why students deliberately misbehaved. Instead of Mrs. Wallace stopping the lesson to confront the misbehaviors in her classroom, she continued to teach. In my opinion, I believe this lesson would have been more effective had the students been actively engaged in the lesson and informed of expectations and rules during class instruction and specifically as it pertains to science. In another observation, I witnessed evidence of Mrs. Wallace reviewing lab safety with students. She informed students of the following: 1. Respect your teacher and classmates as well as the lab itself. Remember that science materials are tools, not toys. 2. Listen to directions and follow them carefully. If you are confused about the procedure for the activity or experiment, raise your hand and ask for help. 3. Stay in your seat, unless you are directed to do otherwise. If you do have to move around the room, do so slowly and carefully to avoid spills and incidents. 4. Dont taste, touch, or intentionally inhale anything, unless you are asked to do so. Wait to explore unless you are given directions. 5. If needed, wear goggles to protect your eyes. If you do get something in your eye, rinse with clean water immediately. 6. Clean up after each activity and dispose of materials properly. Let the teacher know immediately if you break glass, spills something, or if someone gets hurt. Some of the students followed instructions, while two or three still exhibited problems with following directions. During this particular activity, Mrs. Wallace placed students in groups

of three to four students to complete the activity focused on identifying the position of an object, using position terms such as above, below, inside of, underneath, and on top of. In this activity, students used everyday objects to describe positional terms. After observing the activity, I researched the standard, which was standard 3-5 that stated that The student will demonstrate an understanding of how motion and sound are affected by a push on an object and the vibration of an object. The objective in this lesson was based on standard 3-5.1, which identifies the position of an object to a reference point by using a position terms such as above, below, inside of, underneath, and on top of, and a distance scale or measurement. During this lesson, it was essential for students to learn the position of an object that can be identified by using a reference point. Mrs. Wallace used everyday materials to refer to such as a small wooden base board, a desk, the light fixtures in the classroom, and tables. Students in turn had to describe the position of each as a class and in small groups, figure out the position of objects and record their results, independently.