Science Classroom Visit

As part of my student teaching internship, I had the opportunity to observe a science teacher at Athens Area High School teach for the day. I was fortunate to be able to observe Mr. Matt Patton teach a variety of courses throughout the day, including AP Biology, Honors Biology, Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology. Mr. Patton is an incredible teacher, and I was fortunate to get to learn from him for the day!

In the Biology and Honors Biology courses, students were primarily working to complete a checklist of assignments of work that needed completed from previous class and lab activities. Mr. Patton put a clear checklist of the board and I observed most all students working to accomplish the tasks on the list during the work time. I’ve learned throughout my student teaching internship that this is no small thing! I believe this highlights the productive classroom culture that Mr. Patton has established throughout this school year.

In the AP Biology class, students were working to do a lab related to environmental impacts on photosynthesis. Students took cores of spinach leaves, put them in a vacuum in water, exposed them an environmental treatment (light color, light intensity, temperature, etc.), and timed how long it took for the spinach leaves to float to the top (evidence of gaseous release because of photosynthesis). Students conducted experiments with a lab partner and recorded the data in their lab notebooks.

As opposed to just giving away information, I believe Mr. Patton was facilitating learning. During a review assignment on gel electrophoresis, one of the questions was designed to challenge students to think critically. Students were tasked with giving a written response and could be correct by either responding yes or no so long as they justified their answer correctly. Mr. Patton described that the “because…” portion of their answer was most important, which demonstrated a commitment to developing sound reasoning skills. Even in classes mostly comprised of work time, Mr. Patton did a good job of checking in with students regularly to ensure they were making progress and did not have any unanswered questions.

Throughout the day, many students seemed to be engaged in their learning, but as with all classes, several students struggle to stay focused. Some students seemed diligent and on task, while others at times seemed distracted and avoided doing work by being on their phones. Mr. Patton did an excellent job of directing the students to remain focused and on task. I appreciated a poster in Mr. Patton’s room that presented strategies for success - even for students who did not have a deep interest in Biology.

One point of interest to me was that Mr. Patton provides laptop chargers to students who have forgotten or lost theirs. This is a significant problem across the school, and students often have laptops that are completely dead or have significant problems. I have seen other teachers handle this challenge differently when helping to cultivate increased student responsibility, but Mr. Patton's approach appeared to help students be productive who would not otherwise be in a position to get work done within his class. 

Overall, I admire Mr. Patton for his efforts to make genuine connections with his students. He highlighted each of the sports teams, demonstrating his own interests and connecting with athletes in his classes. In addition, he asked Science Olympiad students about their upcoming events, ensuring students who participated in different extracurricular activities were also included. Mr. Patton did an excellent job of working to incorporate humor into his lessons as well, making jokes and trying to build some energy, especially in his more quiet and reserved classes. I enjoyed my day spent in Biology/A&P, and I learned a great deal from Mr. Patton that will benefit me in my own future in agricultural science education. As my time at Athens comes to a close over the next few weeks, I'm grateful for each of these special opportunities!