Week 11

 What did you learn this week? 

This week in lab we participated in a variety of different experiments. In one experiment, we had to observe what would happen to M&M's when placed in a plate full of water. After a few seconds, the color from the M&M's started to dissolve. After about a minute, the color from the M&M's were almost fully dissolved from the M&M's and started to move towards each other, touching each other. Another experiment we did was with ice cubes and we had to hypothesize which we thought would melt first- an ice cube in a metal pan or an ice cube on a piece of wood. We hypothesized that the ice cube would melt faster on the metal pan, however after observing the experiment, we were proven wrong. The ice cube started to move and melt at a way faster rate as compared to the ice cube on the piece of wood. Overall, these experiments this week helped me analyze and think about how students may address these experiments and allowed me to think from their perspective.

How can you apply what you learned to your teaching in the future? 

I can apply what I learned today in lab to my future in teaching because I will be able to utilize the same or similar experiments in class. As I previously mentioned, these experiments helped me think from the perspective of students. As I utilize these experiments in my future class, I will be able to ask student comprehension questions, as well as asking "why do you think __ happened?". As I was working through these experiments, I found myself asking why something happened, for example why the ice melted faster in the metal pot compared to on the wood. If future students ask me why this happened, I will prompt them to think about movement, and have them observe how the ice in the pot is moving more compared to the ice on the wood. When particles are moving, they melt faster, which may be one reason why the ice melted faster in the pot. Overall, these experiments will be very beneficial for student learning and understanding in science because they are able to use critical thinking skills, as well as their problem-solving skills. 

What are your remaining questions? 

Some remaining questions I have from these experiments are the following: Why did the plunger stick better on some surfaces and not as well on others? The plunger stuck really hard on the table, but when placed on the cardboard, it was easier to lift up and unstick. Another question I had was regarding the baking soda and vinegar experiment. My questions were how does the vinegar and baking soda separate from each other? Once it was sitting in the bag for a few seconds, the two separated from each other and I'm not 100% sure why. Lastly, I was also questioning whether the amount of air in the bag of vinegar and baking soda had any impact on the outcome, and if so, what? 






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