Sample Lesson

I'm in the midst of applying to teaching positions in the US and attempting to make something coherent of all the random thoughts and stresses I've experienced throughout my Fulbright research this year...  during those contemplations, I wrote the body of a cover letter in the form of a story--or really, a true account of a class I taught, here in Denmark.  I like the lesson--it has some implications regarding who I am as a teacher, and also what I have learned here.  I'm anxious to try it on American students--given the equality and philosophy here in dk, parts of the lesson had different impact.  Anyway, the topic is evolution, and in no way should the lesson materials presented here be construed as my personal view on the topic--in fact, it should be viewed as an opening for discussion and exploration.


A window into my classroom:

On the board is a single figure—an image meant to challenge my students’ current perception. It is a map of the world by latitude, the shades representing skin pigment in that world region. At the bottom, a question: Is variation in skin color a form of natural selection? 

Today’s problem was chosen deliberately, the topic playing on students’ interests and the content having real world and social relevance. Surrounding the unit is a single question: Are humans evolving? Students’ first task was to decide which of 3 perspectives on evolution best fit their own ideas. I note their responses for my own formative assessment, and afterward we hold a class discussion. Some students worry about how to answer correctly, or that they can’t express their ideas formally. I encourage them to explain in their own words: “Forget the vocabulary for now—tell us what you think.” Some students mention natural selection, others question evolution entirely. Clearly these are critical learners--that, or the topic has sparked some intrinsic thoughts and questions from the students.  I think being critical, or perhaps more appropriate, being objective, is an important component in students' growth as citizens.  After spending 40 odd hours a week in school, I hope students ask themselves: “Why do I need this class? What is the point of me being here?” To answer, I design engaging, authentic learning situations in order to put academics in real-world, social context and make other subjects relevant, enabling students to approach learning from multiple perspectives. After all, science is not confined to “science” in the real world. Today’s lesson is just one example of this.

The discussion continues, now focused on the world map figure, and I carefully note the important concepts students mention. Occasionally I probe for explanation or to keep the discussion on track. Students expect some questions such as “How do you know?” or “What’s your evidence?” or “What [tools] might help you answer that question?” I encourage students to understand the nature of science and inquiry by being explicit in class, and my students know that science has a tentative nature, but is based on observation and evidence. The discussion ends, and students create a list of learning issues needed in order to address the problem.

The final part of the day’s lesson covers one of the learning issues brought forward: “What IS natural selection?” Students will use tangible items to model the concept of natural selection, connect concepts from the prior discussion to the model and label the concepts they have been operationally describing with the technical science terms. We end with a wrap-up and a thinking homework assignment involving the 3 evolution perspectives and world map figure that will be used throughout the unit as students continue to develop their understanding of their learning issues.