Entry One
Science Journal Blog Entry One
Reflection
on Historical Perspectives and Contemporary Scientist
Growing up, I honestly didn’t find
science very exciting. In primary school, it always felt like a subject full of
facts to memorize, and I didn’t really see how it connected to my life. That
all changed when I got to high school and started doing hands-on labs and
experiments. Experiencing science in an interactive way helped me see it as a
process of exploring, questioning, and discovering and not just reading from a
textbook.
Whenever I heard, see or think of
the word ‘scientists’ back then, I assumed scientists just spent their time
solving problems and making new discoveries. But when I was assigned to write a
biography on Marie Curie in college, my perspective really shifted. As I
researched her life and work, I began to understand how deeply a scientist’s
personal values and attitudes shape the discoveries they make. Marie Curie’s
story was incredibly inspiring to me. She was not only the first female
scientist to win a Nobel Prize but also the first person ever to win Nobel
Prizes in two different sciences. She demonstrated unwavering curiosity,
perseverance, and dedication to her work while facing significant challenges as
a woman in her field. Learning about her life showed me that science is not
just about experiments, but also about resilience, passion and breaking
barriers.
My
Students Pursing STEM Careers
Marie Curie’s story provides a
powerful example for helping students see science as a meaningful and
accessible career path. I can create a simplified science journey about Marie
Curie and share it with my students. By sharing Marie Curie struggles,
perseverance, and groundbreaking achievements, my students can begin to
understand that scientists are real people with challenges, passions, and
dreams. I would use her story to show my students that science is not just
about equations or memorizing facts, but about curiosity, creativity, and
making a lasting impact on the world.
As for STEM careers, I can create
an opportunity for my students to recognize that there are many careers in the
STEM field. As such, I would give my students a task to do. This task includes
them thinking and writing about their interest and strengths in how they can
use science to solve real world problems. For example,
1. A student might have interest in
their community, and their strength can be getting along with people
(gravitating personality). That student can then think about how they can
address environmental issues in their communities? By connecting science to
their own lives and communities, they may start to see themselves as future
scientists or innovators.
2. A student might have interest and
strength in surfing the internet and playing games. That student can then think
how can I use technology to create an educational game? Right there the
students is thinking of careers in technology field.
Using Marie Curie’s story as a
foundation helps foster a growth mindset, showing students that even
groundbreaking scientists face obstacles and failures along the way. This
humanizes STEM careers and encourages students to believe that, with dedication
and curiosity, they too can make meaningful contributions to science and
society.
References
Curie,
M. (1923). Pierre Curie. D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc.
Encyclopaedia
Britannica. (2025). Marie Curie. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-CurieLinks
to an external site.
Hi Shockeria,
ReplyDeleteI really connected with your reflection, especially the part where you described how science shifted for you once it became more hands-on. I had a similar experience. Memorizing facts never felt meaningful until I got to actually experiment, explore, and see the “why” behind the science. It is amazing how much more powerful learning becomes when students get to do inquiry instead of just reading about it (McNeill & Krajcik, 2008).
I love how you used Marie Curie’s story to bring that human side of science to your students. Her perseverance and curiosity really show that science is not just about experiments, but also about passion and resilience. When students see that scientists are real people who face obstacles, it makes the field feel more accessible to them (Brickhouse, Lowery, & Schultz, 2000).
Your activity idea of asking students to connect their own interests and strengths to STEM careers is brilliant. It makes me think of Buxton and Provenzo’s (2010) argument that when science is tied to students’ communities and personal lives, it becomes more meaningful. I can imagine your students being really motivated when they realize their hobbies, talents, and even personalities could align with future careers in science and technology.
Overall, I think your approach is such a great balance of storytelling, self-reflection, and exploration. You are not just teaching science, you are helping your students see themselves as problem-solvers who can make an impact.
References
Brickhouse, N. W., Lowery, P., & Schultz, K. (2000). What kind of a girl does science? The construction of school science identities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(5), 441–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2736(200005)37:5
<441::AID-TEA4>3.0.CO;2-3
Buxton, C. A., & Provenzo, E. F., Jr. (2010). Teaching science in elementary & middle school: A cognitive and cultural approach (2nd ed.). SAGE.
McNeill, K. L., & Krajcik, J. (2008). Inquiry and scientific explanations: Helping students use evidence and reasoning. In J. Luft, R. L. Bell, & J. Gess-Newsome (Eds.), Science as inquiry in the secondary setting (pp. 121–134). National Science Teachers Association.