About the Blog

Record, Reflect, Reveal

As I work towards implementing SBG in the science classroom, there's going to be a lot of things I'll try and find out don't work very well. Some things I'll try and really like. This blog serves as a place to record all that I'm doing, what's working, and what's not. 

As I work through all the nooks and crannies of SBG, there will be a lot to think about. I'll have to eventually address several questions as I go. How do I get my students to buy in? How should I assess homework or at least hold students accountable for doing it? Are the standards I'm using even good ones? What do I do when students don't learn enough? This blog is meant to serve as a place for me to reflect on these questions and more. 

Why bother going to the trouble of making a blog and publishing posts? When I became interested in moving towards SBG, I searched the internet for people doing just this - blogging about using SBG, and specifically in high school science contexts. I surprisingly came across far less than I expected. SBG is well grounded in research and many school and entire districts are moving towards it. I would have thought there would be a multitude of blogs of teachers figuring out this foundational shift. I did come across a few that were helpful, but not many. 

I was recently talking with a former college professor and he mentioned that a recurring problem is that good teachers often don't reveal what they are doing. They may feel territorial over their materials. After all, they put in the work to create them. They may feel threatened by differing opinions or unsupportive administration and parents. I think even more significantly, good teachers are busy. They constantly are revising their materials, collaborating with others, helping students, or leading other teachers in their department. They are doing the things that make them good teachers. 

It would certainly be easier to not blog about what I'm doing. It would save time, but the time spent blogging is useful. It reveals what I'm doing to others, allowing them to take what they like and apply it to their context. It provides me with feedback if people are kind enough to leave comments, and it gives me a place to write down what I'm doing and thinking for my own future reference. 

Thanks for finding and reading my blog. Please let me know what would be helpful to you, leave comments, and spread the word. Teamwork makes the dream work!