Discover Science in Your School

Mrs. Gusepie's Science Classroom!

As often as I tend to feel sometimes stuck in the corner of the school's Tech Department wing, I often forget to realize that there are at least 40 other teachers teaching a variety of other subjects during the day. These teachers put in just as much hard time and dedication into their subjects. The awesome part of our job as an agriculture teacher is that our ag classes incorporate an array of standards including math, reading, writing and of course science! This past week I had the opportunity to branch out beyond the Ag department and observe a science teacher in her element. This was a rewarding experience because I not only built a great connection with this teacher, but I also was able to pick up some great tips and ideas that I could be implement in my own classroom.

I had to privilege of observing the Biology teacher, Mrs. Gusepie, this week. Mrs. Gusepie also teaches Forensic Science. This happened to be quite the coincidence because I was planning a Forensics lab in my Animal Science class and had no previous knowledge that she taught this course. Mrs. Gusepie also teaches Advanced Biology and an intro level of Biology. I observed her introduction class which consisted of 15 freshmen and one or two sophomores. The students were just finishing up their unit discussion on punnett squares. When Mrs. Gusepie introduced me to her class she mentioned that the same topics they are learning now also relates to what I teach in Animal and Plant Science courses. I thought it was interesting that she made the connection with her class. It helped to make that connection between biology and agriculture.

Mrs. Gusepie was working through a punnet square packet with her students in preparation for an upcoming test. I had the chance to walk around and talk with the students about the work they were completing. After reviewing the packet, I found it to be pretty creative and found that students were engaged. The title of the packet was "Bikini Bottom's Punnet Squares." The packet was related to Sponge Bob and the crosses of the different characters on the show. It seemed appropriate for a freshman class. These students were instructed to complete the packet and hand them in when they were done. At first I thought this might be a typical lesson if that was all they were doing the entire class; however, there was more accomplished in this lesson than just a packet.

Students were at all different stages of the game with the worksheet. Some were almost done while others had only just started. This is a problem that we face often as teachers. Mrs. Gusepie solved this problem by putting a challenging problem on the board for students to complete when they were done with the Bikini Bottom packet. It was challenging in a way that students were anxious to be the first ones to solve the problem but knew that they needed to finish their packets first. It was a motivational tool used to complete the task at hand. About half way through the period most students had finished their packets and were working on the problem. Mrs. Gusepie reviewed the problem with the students and assisted in leading them to the answer.

What I appreciated most about Mrs. Gusepie's teaching was that she helped students get to the answer rather than giving them the answer. She even challenged students to a higher order of thinking by asking questions about percentages of the heritable outcomes. Although the Bikini Bottom packet was a good hook, her challenging question on the board was realistic as it was related to guinea pigs. This made the this scenario real for students. This part of the lesson reminded me of the importance of hooking our students into our classroom content and also providing realistic activities that can be applied to real life scenarios.

In my opinion the students were interested in this lesson. I had the chance to walk around and talk to students while they were working on their packets. I asked them what they like most about the information they were learning and what topics they found most difficult. What I found interesting was that all students were engaged, even those that found the information more difficult. One student told me that she hated science and wish she didn't have to take the class; however, she completed her packet and she did it by herself rather than taking answers from her neighbor. It appeared that all students completed the worksheet and were motivated by the challenge that the questions presented. I enjoyed getting to know some of these freshmen and discovering what things in this lesson motivated them to complete their work.

On the flip side much of the student success in the classroom was a result of the teacher and her encouragement in the classroom. Mrs. Gusepie has been teaching at Octorara for 15 years. She is an older lady with a gentle spirit and can effectively communicate with her students. Students have a great deal of respect for her. I believe she possesses many of the characteristics that ensure an effective teacher. One aspect that I think she thrives in is clarity. Throughout the lesson she provided clear explanations and she brought forth questions and examples that made the classroom material more clear and easy to learn. She also obtains a very business-like behavior but also has a great sense of humor that is easy going with the students.

Some of these characteristics that Mrs. Gusepie possesses have helped me to evaluate my own teaching strategies. Often times I feel like I have a lot of enthusiasm but question if I can work on my clarity. I recognized how effective examples are in the classroom. The concept may or may not make sense to a student, but when you use an example that relates the concept to that student it all of a sudden makes sense to them. I have seen this "click" or "spark" in my own students but I feel that sometimes I could do better at providing this type of clarity that relates content to all of my students. Being able to observe another teacher has helped me think about my own teaching and evaluate areas in which I can improve on.

Having the opportunity to observe another teacher was a great way to refresh and reflect. Not only did I have the chance to check out other areas of my cooperating center other than the "tech wing" but I also got to know a really cool teacher that I otherwise would have never meet. Mrs. Gusepie even lended me a microscope and cover slips for one of my own labs in my classroom. This morning I had a paper jam in the printer and she helped me fix the printer. I just really appreciated making this connection with her and respect her for the lending hand she has provided. This experience also gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own teaching. I would consider Mrs. Gusepie a seasoned teacher and I was able to pick up some good "words of wisdom" from her. I also evaluated my own teaching effectiveness and asked myself if I do enough of this or that in the classroom. It was just another rewarding experience that has allowed me to grow into something better!

There are lots of cool objects hanging in her room!