Teaching
The Importance of Observation
Filling out worksheets is an important way to hone students ’ powers of observation , a skill both Dragon and Coughlin emphasize .
“ The power of observation is so important ,” says Coughlin . “ Noting the details behind their observations and just being critical across the board , not just in science but being critical all the time toward what you ’ re reading and observing , [ is important .]”
For Dragon , observation is linked to the creativity he brings to the classroom .
“ I talk about how observational skills are really important [ not just ] for scientists but also for artists ,” he says . “ The more you look at something in detail , the more you notice , and the more you learn about something from a scientific perspective , the more you can make sense of what you ’ re actually seeing .”
Writing also is important to students ’ work in the class and to their future work as scientists . One of the key foundational skills that students are practicing when they write those lab reports , says Coughlin , is writing clearly . Scientific writing is a special skill that requires clarity and precision , and students practice this skill throughout their time at Falk .
“ We make sure they ’ re exposed to writing with a scientific tone ,” says Dragon . “ We start them off with a template , so they have a lot of scaffolding , then work up to a point where , in eighth grade , Ms . Coughlin has lab reports with sections , and they ’ re responsible for putting the right information in there .”
“ We try to repeat it every year because writing is one of those life skills where , whether you go into research or any scientific career , you ’ re going to have to write and communicate with other people ,” says Coughlin .
One of the greatest points of pride for Falk middle school science , says Coughlin , is that Falk alumni have a reputation for writing strong lab reports .
Back in the hallway , a student steps onto the bottom rung of a step ladder and holds up her egg-protecting device : a cardboard tube with popsicle-stick struts and a parachute made of scrap paper .
“ Ready ? Three , two , one , go !”
The egg falls to the tarp with a splat , and the other students groan . But it ’ s just a cracked egg , Coughlin says , not a failure . After the student has used paper towels to clean up the egg , Coughlin reads out her time and the student writes it on her worksheet .
“ We want them to do what real scientists do ,” says Coughlin . In this case , that means going back to the drawing board . ■
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