What does it take to be a good science teacher?

Question

Hi, I am curious what people think makes a good science teacher. What do you want out of a science class? I'm have taught before and will be teaching again. I'd like to have some input from a broader sample.

Answer 1

Knowledge and love of science, patience.

Answer 2

I'm currently a college student hoping to major in astrophysics.

My best science teachers, the ones who kept me interested in science, were first and foremost passionate. They seemed to truly love what they were teaching and had a real desire to share their wonder about the universe.

But that's abstract so it won't really help. Some humor, but not excessive amounts, brings a bit of light moments to subjects which might otherwise be heavy. Demos do a great job, if they are explained and paired well with the subject-used more as picture would be in a textbook than as text. If you use equations, derivations can be useful for some students, but confusing to others. Ultimately showing the math behind everything does teach students useful skills though
Leave time for questions, but it seems that people never want to ask them-I think its fear- so set the tone by asking your own questions, this might help.

I think that will be the biggest challenge for you. To have the students be willing to ask questions and seek help when things are not understood well. As a student I know that this can be my greatest weakness, and that a teacher who makes it easier can be a huge aid to his or her students.

As someone who has presented experiments to grade school children, I also can say that its important to let students be a part of the class and as many, if not everyone, involved as much as you can, that its important to know what you are doing so that you have a backup if something goes wrong, and that its good to be serious enough so that people listen to and respect you, but not so much that the students lose interest. Costumes also help, but this is variable by age group, so I don't expect this to be a priority (though my favorite history teacher was a civil war reenactor who gave a class long lecture on the writing of the Constitution while in the character of James Madison-but not everyone enjoys doing that)

Perhaps a day or part of a day each week could be devoted to students taking their own course in the class by bringing in questions related to the subject or asking ahead of time for a certain related subject to be explained-science should be taught as something for everyone so allow it to be interesting for everyone as well if you can. Make things interdisciplinary whenever you have the time.

Answer 3

Okay well from my experience this past year, science can be really easy if you truly comprehend what you are doing- which was not the case in my science class this year! Our teacher never gave us worksheets or anything to do he would simply stand with his overhead projector and talk for like two or three classes then give us a test and needless to say i didnt do well until i actually learned that my teacher was not doing much and so i took matters into my own hands and did the questions that were in our textbooks even though they werent assigned to us but i truly think it would have helped if our teacher had given us more worksheets instead of just lectures...hope this helps

Answer 4

I had an awesome science teacher I will never forget, he kinda looked like Bill Nye The Science Guy..LOL but he was a great teacher! He had a fantastic sense of humour and would use it to explain science in a very amusing way, using funny every day occurences as examples, things that happened to everybody. He also never really got mad at anyone for being a little goofy, he would just use his dry witty sarcasm instead to embarass or tease as a way of keeping everyone in line, by making them laugh
and feel silly for acting a little out of line. He always seemed so enthusiastic about science and it was contagious when spread by his sense of humour. This was what made him a truly exceptional teacher and everyone in the class got much better grades because of him. Still to this day I feel his influence in my everyday life, and he had a huge impact on my education and love of science. Thats what I'd call a good science teacher, one that makes you WANT to learn....simply my sharing his entusiasm for the subject of science.

Answer 5

As a chemist by profession, I always enjoyed teachers who tried to make the classes fun and interesting. Try to relate what your teaching to everyday life and explain the more complicated things using easy to understand examples. For example, when learning how to balance chemistry equations, we used bologna sandwiches as an example. You want the same initial ingredients in the same ratios on either side. Build a sandwich using all the ingredients. That made it more comfortable for some students to understand.

I always liked hands on learning to supplement the book work.

Answer 6

BE PREPARED. There is NO substitute in any field of teaching for being REALLY PREPARED. 2 chapters ahead won't cut it. And remember, a good teacher remembers what it was like not to know what s/he knows, so be understanding and patient if they don't get it at first. Apply what you're teaching to their world so it makes sense, ask them to bring in articles they found that relate to the topics you cover. Invite science professionals to visit your classroom, so again, they see that it applies to the real world. Encourage writing in your exams, give at least one essay question to see if they've truly synthesized the information and can apply it, not just parrot back facts. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Answer 7

My favorite prof talked to us on a peer level. I appreciated that level of respect. Plus I was never scared to fess up and say I was about to have a lab accident.

(i.e. my lab partner put a healthy amount of Hydrochloric Acid on the hot plate instead of Sodium Hydroxide / water when I was helping the some other students in the class with the Soap/ Detergent lab

At a certain point I was just able to say...Um Prof? Yeah I have a boiling beaker of Acid at my station. He told me what to do... and no body got hurt. And he still trusted me, because it was an honest mistake, not stupidity.

Respect when it is earned is more valuable than gold.

Answer 8

I recommend making your lessons as hands-on as possible. Students love to touch and build with real life stuff. Bring into your class, real examples of Science, like bones, microscopes and plants. My favorite science teacher had real animals in his room, he even had a Rattlesnake. Wow, that was cool! If your students are kids, their parents will love your room and your style.
Having them work on experiments will make you very popular.
But since you are asking this question, you are awesome, growing, and will succeed hands down.

Answer 9

Honesty would be nice. Tell the students the truth about what they really need to know in the workforce of chemistry. Tell them that they need to know all of those chemicals up on the shelf, & what they are for, like the back of their own hands! Tell them that chemist are horribly underpaid for the first 5-10 years of their career. Show them what instrumentation they need to learn & train them! Explain to them that the best chemist don't need lab partners. So if they are going to go into chemistry, they should do labs all on their own. Explain to them about the MSDS sheets, proper hazardous waste disposal, ISO 9000, ASTM, etc.

Answer 10

I think the most important thing is that you need to find something in each subject that will captivate your class. Get them thinking about it and interested in learning. Its natural for kids of any age to want to learn its all in the way it comes across. If you have them from the beginning you will carry them to the end.

Answer 11

A good sense of humor mixed in with the lectures. All the science stuff sink in our brains much better.