Learning by doing

When I took math in the lower levels of my education, I seemed to always ask:  “When will I need this (in life)?  Application of knowledge is crucial for understanding.  When we understand, we can synthesize and make new applications of the knowledge we gain.  Collaboration and networking comes through doing things together.

In the lab, we learn safety, how to use the microscope, look at slides under the microscope and prepare slides for the microscope.  Sometimes we have the privilege of dissecting things.  We look at models and touch them, naming the part as we touch.  We quiz each other.  We test things through experimentation.  We collect data and analyze it.  We draw conclusions.  We ask new questions.

Sometimes we go on nature walks and do community service.  My dad always said:  “If you want to create a memory with a child, do something outside.”  For this very reason, I love teaching biology, because I believe that when we go to the outdoors and serve, we put our biology lesson to work.  We learn to achieve, but we learn to help.  When we get busy, we get better!

Often, I will blend in music, sometimes random, into my lessons.  It is good to use different parts of the mind when learning.  Many people learn through music.  Music is the poetry of the soul and we will weave it into our learning experience.  You may be distracted by it, but others are not.  Patience.