Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for all students and act in their best interests.
I was so pleased to be able to facilitate this science experiment with my grade 5 and 6 students during my EDUC 490 practicum. We were studying solutions and solubility and the objective of the experiment was to find out what would happen to gummy bears if they were soaked in 4 different solutions overnight. This was a very timely activity for my students as we did it in the second last week before Christmas break. Energy levels were high and desires to do traditional desk work were low. The engagement and excitement exhibited by the students during this activity was incredible however. There was so much chatter in the class before we did the experiment about the many possible outcomes for that poor gummy bear. The chatter the second day was almost deafening but so gratifying to hear, that I left them to discuss and elate over how much or how little their gummy bear had changed. Learning is loud, learning is messy and learning is sticky. It is so important that we allow our students to have these chaotic experiences to not only release their energy but to also learn with all their senses.
Another positive outcome was the aspect of team work. I used a random team generator on the computer to make groups for the lab work. The students loved the randomness of the online generator and watching them work in groups they normally would not have chosen for themselves was interesting to see. They were not able to proceed with the lab until all members of the team had completed question and hypothesis. This allowed them to help each other and encourage each other in a positive way to accomplish the work. At a time when the students were getting tired of each other, it was nice to see them working together towards a common goal.