Meet Anthony Harris, 2023 PAEMST State Finalist
Anthony Harris teaches science at Tumwater Middle School in the Tumwater School District
What is one concept that excites your students and why?
The concept that excites my students the most must be that “substances react chemically in characteristic ways” (NGSS PS1.B) because, as a middle school science teacher, I’m always being asked if we will be blowing stuff up! But in all seriousness, the answer to what excites my students is as diverse as the students themselves. In surveying my students, I have noticed that more students than ever are interested in the structure, function and information processing capabilities of the human body. Their preadolescence was hugely impacted by a worldwide disease and they are eager to understand how that happened and how their bodies were impacted. Anything that connects their personal experiences to their science learning is the best!
What kinds of problems are your students interested in solving?
Two major areas stand out. One problem would be the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or even CSI-type activities. Many students are looking forward to careers in the medical industry. One 13-year-old future EMT recently said, “I want to cut dead stuff open and figure out how it died, like an autopsy!” In addition, when students learn about the neurons and other cells making up the brain, they can’t help but wonder about the psychology and psychiatry involved. Many either have mental health issues or are impacted by family or friends that are, and they want to be part of the solution. A student passionately explained to me that she wants to help identify mental illness and counsel patients about the best ways to treat it.
The other major problem is the engineering of ways to better the lives of humans around the world. Learning about the devastating impact of the Boxing Day tsunami, students apply what they’ve learned about plate motion to design tsunami alert systems. Through their work in the Technology Student Association (TSA) other students creatively and cleverly engineer houses for communities without reliable access to electricity or water. I think some adults might be surprised by the genius ideas middle school students can bring towards solving some tough problems.
What is one of the toughest concepts for your students to master? How do your lesson planning and teaching practices support them to engage in that learning and other challenging work?
As students turn into teenagers, they are building on their concrete reasoning and expanding into the abstract. This means any concepts that they can’t see or touch can be a challenge; such as molecular chemistry or plate motion. To successfully teach these concepts it is important to help students develop and use models. In addition, they should evaluate the advantages and limitations of the models to avoid developing misconceptions.
What can math and science teachers do to make those disciplines more culturally sustaining for students with diverse identities and experiences?
All students need to be able to see themselves as scientists. We start each year identifying our embedded stereotypes. Most students start out thinking scientists are dudes with crazy hair mixing chemicals in a lab. I’m sure there are, but I show them so many more examples. After a couple days, students realize that scientists can be anybody studying anything that interests them anywhere.
From a practical standpoint, I encourage teachers to reexamine their grading practices to see if they are equitable and provide hope for all students. A good place to start is Ken O’Connor’s A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades.
What do you do differently in your classroom now compared to 2019? What other changes in education do you think are still needed?
It’s been incredible to be back in school so we can get back to hands-on labs and scientific discussions. Since closures forced me to grow even more in the tech arena, absent students are now often provided with videos of our lessons so they don’t get as far behind. I think schools need to continue increasing their focus on relationships, fun, and school spirit. Many students never came back to public schools after the closures. Making schools, especially at the middle level, an exciting place to be will increase overall student learning.
What advice would you give to parents or caregivers who want to support their students’ math and science learning?
Be curious and ask questions! Whenever you see a strange phenomenon, point it out. Did all the tulips just pop up in your neighborhood? Why? How did they know it was time? How could you test out your ideas? These are great questions to ask even if you never get around to doing an actual experiment.
Also, as a society we need to help students examine claims to see if they are supported by evidence. Even if they are, we should help them evaluate that evidence to see if it is actually strong enough to support that claim. If your child says their favorite WNBA player is the best, ask them to support that claim with evidence. It will drive them crazy but also develop the habit of critiquing claims people and organizations make.
Who have you been following or reading from a math and science perspective in the past two years? Any other publications, blogs, etc. that you would recommend?
I’m a news addict and follow too many people to list, but currently I’m having a great time following experts in the AI field (Chat GPT, etc.) to brainstorm ways we can use this incredible tool in science, as well as help students use it responsibly and ethically.
