Science Super Star: Laura Shield
We spotlight Laura Shield, CRS Science Super Star honoree, who teaches at Chabot Elementary in Oakland. Laura encourages the cross use of subjects to create an all-around more encouraging learning environment that suits all types of learners.
April 13, 2020
We are honored to announce Laura Shield, a 4th Grade Teacher from Chabot Elementary in Oakland, as a CRS Science Super Star!
Laura and her classroom explored parallel and series circuits, and she posed the question “Which circuit would you use in your house, and why?” after her students discussed the real-life applications of their discoveries.
They debated in class about their answers, using knowledge collected not only from their in-class experiment, but through texts she assigned to supplement their learning. (Many also recognized that a parellel series would be more cost-efficient over time!)
She highly advocates for this, and wants other teachers to know: Use your writing and/or reading block to deepen understanding of science concepts investigated in the lab.
Laura had her students incorporate their learning into their everyday lives, by asking them to discuss circuits with the families, and hypothesize on if their housing had parallel or series wiring, and why. She also scheduled a visit from a BASIS team to discuss alternate sources of power, such as renewable energy.
Since hands-on learning is a way to engage students who find focusing on lectures difficult, she ensures to make the material applicable for a comprehensive educational experience.
“A student of mine has an incredibly difficult time writing things down and his inattentiveness during whole group discussion makes you wonder if he is paying attention. The science investigation in the lab allow him to be hands-on and deepen his understanding so that he can refer back to his experiences, which hold more weight for him than trying to read his own writing in his science notebook.”