Thursday

I apologize for not posting regular this week. I have enjoyed meeting everyone and our activities. My favorite activity was the crystals lab we participated in yesterday. There are kits that you can buy at Hobby Lobby and catalogs that have crystals you can grow on rocks in the classroom. I thought this crystal lab could be used for many different activities and enjoyed listening to everyones suggestions.
As I watch and participate in the labs, I reflect on how these labs could be used in the resource room. I would like to teach an overview of material first, before the material is learned in the general education setting. After the students have a bit of knowledge about the subject matter, teach them a lab to present to the general education students about the upcoming subject matter (such as plate tectonics, or mixing solution for the crystals). After the lab the students would continue to participate in the inclusion classroom but would have knowledge of the subject matter already. I believe in presenting and teaching or repeating classroom instruction if at all possible.
I realize that some students would be reluctant to do this lab teaching but I think this could be successful with a good co-teaching relationship with the science teacher.
I also think that the special education teacher could prepare and teach certain labs and material but this information is probably for another class and also depends on the teachers and relationships involved.

As I read through some of the information on Niclola Tesla, I remembered a video I had at Woodfield. If I remember correctly, the video was called, 'Tesla, Master of Lightning'. The video wasn't the most interesting video for at risk students but if I showed this video again, I could pull bits and pieces from it. Nikola Tesla designed the Tesla Coil. This coil is an extremely high voltage transformer. The reason that the Tesla Coil is unique is because it creates powerful electrical fields.