Middle School Science Class Project: All Systems Go! The 8th-grade students in Mrs. Hajem’s science class were involved in a unique opportunity this spring to discover the nature of the teaching profession while learning about the systems of the human body. Rather than presenting the material from a teacher-centered approach, Mrs. Hajem thought employing a student-centered technique would make for an interesting and more enriching experience. She told her students they were going to teach each other about the body systems and that she, the teacher, would serve as their co-teacher and guide. The project also incorporated lessons on the process of how to go about getting a job. Once the students filled out an application, they had to come to school dressed as a professional to participate in a job interview in which they explained why they would be the best co-teacher for a particular body system. Of course, all of them were “hired,” but they were not necessarily assigned the body system for which they applied. The students had to do research, work with Mrs. Hajem to plan PowerPoint presentations, and prepare worksheets to give their classmates for homework.
22 Harvey Magazine Summer 2012
Matthew Neporent and Emily Sirota were co-teachers of the cardiovascular system. Matthew said co-teaching with Mrs. Hajem was a good experience. “I had to learn the content in a different way because I had to know it for class to be able to present to my classmates. Usually I just learn the information the day or two before a test. It also made me think about my future and the possibility of being a teacher.” Emily said, “I remember playing pretend teacher as a child, and this made that experience come to life.” She said she turned to her uncle to help her with the preparations for her lessons. “My uncle is a cardiologist, and I was able to learn from him the parts of the system and that helped me in teaching the content.” The lesson on the heart involved a dissection of a sheep’s heart. “It was amazing to see what an actual heart looked like and how what I learned was right there in front of me.” Jake Harkins said co-teaching the skeletal system was “super fun and a good learning experience. If you are just learning to take a test, you memorize the information, and then it leaves your brain.
When teaching, you are held to a higher standard than the students are.” In addition to Matt, Emily, and Jake, the other co-teachers were Lily Alexander and Jasmine Brouwer (nervous system), Kelsey Childs (muscular), Julia DeNegris (urinary), Ava Goodman (immune), and Alec Roslin (digestive). Mrs. Hajem said letting her students teach allowed them to see how much preparation goes into learning important material, and she believes the project served their long-term memory. “It reminds me of a handout that I was given in one of my graduate classes. It said that ‘Children remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 70% of what they discuss with others, 80% of what they experience, and 95% of what they teach.’ I think these co-teachers will definitely remember their experience and what they taught, and so will I.” And, if one of her students someday has a class of his or her own, perhaps Mrs. Hajem and her science class project will have provided the call to the teaching profession or the inspiration for a career in the medical field.