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Scientific Me. Paper

Scientific Me 
Katelyn McCormick
Mount Saint Mary College 
Author Note

This Paper is for Dr. Smirnova’s Class ED 2520

Abstract
As found on the website oxforddictionaries.com, science is defined as “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” But that definition of science is broad and can mean multiple things to people.  For some people, science could be the study of stars, the study of plants or the study of micro-organisms. It could be the study of climate change, it could be the study of our surrounding oceans or it could be how humans affect oceanic life. But from my experiences, both in and out of school, I would define science as the study of the world and the people in that world.
Keywords:  Science, School, multiple things 

Introduction. 

Both in and outside of school, my experiences involving science have been positive. These experiences have caused me to fall in love with science and the exciting challenges I faced learning about science.  During elementary school, science was my favorite subject. I loved how it caused me to think differently in order to find a solution to a problem that was handed to me.  I loved that it involved trial and error and that there could be multiple ways to find the answer to a problem.  My teachers had taught me that science, while challenging, could be meaningful and fulfilling at the same time. They taught me that when studying science, and doing science projects, that it may take a few attempts before you are finally successful. They had also taught me to never give up and that, if you put in the work, science could be really fun. I took those lessons to heart and I want to use those lessons when I become a science teacher. I want to be a teacher who shows my students how much fun science can be.  



My experiences with science.

Both in and out of school my experiences with science have been extremely positive. When thinking back to elementary school, my memories involving science stand out more than any other subject. In fact, three memories stand out. My first memory was during second grade. My teacher, Mrs. Kushner, was doing a unit on biology. She brought in a tank of water with what seemed to be fish eggs. These "fish eggs" later turned out to be tadpoles that haven't hatched yet. On the day they started hatching, my whole class got excited and gathered around the tank. Mrs. Kushner then called everyone back to their desk and asked this question: "What did you notice and has anything changed since I brought the eggs in?" She then told us to discuss what we had noticed with the person next to us. After the discussion, she told us that we would have to observe the tadpoles every day until they were frogs and that we would have to write down what we observed into a journal that would be collected and graded. It was really interesting to watch the frogs and see how they changed every day. My second memory happened toward the end of second grade. Mrs. Kushner had brought in a box of caterpillars. But this time we were assigned caterpillars and were told to give our caterpillars a name. I had gotten two, a small green one that I named Apple and a larger, dark one that I named Chocolate. It was exciting watching them eat and grow. But I was amazed when they went into cocoons.  After they broke out of the cocoons, we had to observe the differences that we saw from when they were caterpillars to how they behaved as butterflies. We also had to note the similarities they had as caterpillars and butterflies. A week or so later, the whole class released the butterflies outside school and we all waved goodbye as they flew away. My third and final memory happened in fourth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Watson, asked us to bring in two soda bottles for a project. She brought in a bunch of Mentos. We dropped the mints into the soda and watched the soda bubble up and explode. The first bottle of soda was the "test" bottle. Using the first bottle we were required to determine which type of Mentos made the higher explosion. We had to record our findings and make predictions about how the next bottle would react. I can’t remember a more fun day in elementary school. I believe that these experiences stood out the most because they were very hands-on experiences and the teachers who created these experiences made them exciting and fun. 
  

The ways science is meaningful to me

The experiments that stood out to me had a few things in common. All three experiences had gotten me involved in some way, shape or form. With the tadpole experiment, it had allowed me to watch something grow and evolve into something else. With the caterpillar experiment, I was able to name these animals, which, for the first time, gave me a personal connection to a science project. Since I had named these creatures, I felt as though they were my responsibility. With the soda bottle experiment, my teacher allowed everyone to drop the Mentos into the bottle. I believe that these experiences were meaningful to me because they taught me something different. These lessons are something that I still value today. The tadpole experiment had taught me that something weak can become something strong in the blink of an eye. The butterfly experiment had taught me responsibility and the soda bottle experiment had taught me how certain substances react when they are combined.  I believe that I am successful in science because I came to understand how certain things work and why they work.  I believe that I am successful because no matter how challenging science was, and is, my amazing teachers helped me grasp complex topics. I also believe that I am successful because I still love science today and don't know where I would be without it.


How past learning shaped my attitude and my definition of science

Science to me is defined as the study of the world and the people inhabiting it. Due to my experiences, my view of science is positive rather than negative. While other people may shy away from science because they see it as too challenging, I like to dive head first into it. I love science and the challenges it brings.  I believe that my past experiences have shaped my definition and my attitude toward science because I had amazing teachers who were passionate about science and challenged me to think differently about my environment and the world around me. They encouraged their students to think outside the box to find solutions. 
 
 

 

References
Science | Definition of science in English by Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2018, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/science






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