July 6 - Reflective Interview

In this interview, the videographer asks Paula a series of questions about how the class went, what she had planned, what she has planned for the rest of the unit, and her background and experience in general.

Part One - Audio Only (WMA format)
(00:18) Paula talks about the class, curriculum design, and the structure of a typical day.

(03:30) Paula talks about the importance of Social Studies in shaping the curriculum, as well as how and why she incorporates Social Studies into the classroom.

"You can't separate Social Studies from the rest of life..."

(07:46) Paula talks about topics for this year - students generated lists of things that interested them and Paula designed the curriculum around those ideas.

"Hopefully it's a skill or an interest or an approach to life that will last forever, asking questions, figuring out how to find the answers..."

(14:07) Paula talks about how she builds a curriculum around a series of questions and talks about the beginning of several different units; vehicles, windows, etc.
(21:06) Paula discusses how the idea of the lightbulb study came up.
(25:15) The lightbulb study began with the students making observations about the lightbulb. Then, they explored books about Thomas Edison and Louis Latimer to research their ideas.
(33:41) Paula talks about the progression of the lightbulb study; from battery research to hands-on experimentation.
(42:09) Paula discusses the difficulties that arose along the way, such as group formation and one group finishing ahead of time.
(49:55) Paula talks about her time management strategies and the conclusion of the lightbulb experiment.
(56:19) Paula discusses the research group that was interested in Elizabeth Jennings, and how the two groups communicated.
(01:01:05) Paula briefly talks about the documentation of her teaching and the interview process.
 
Part Two - Audio Only (WMA format)
(00:15) Paula discusses the conclusion of the lightbulb experiment and the segue to lights on a car.
(02:37) Paula talks about bringing an auto expert into the classroom, along with the before and after activities.
(08:25) Paula talks about the class discussion of traffic signals and their spontaneous field trip.
(11:03) Paula discusses the conclusion of the light study.

(16:21) Paula discusses her other goals for the lessons, aside from fact discovery.

"I want them to learn how to do research. I want them to ask questions. I want them to question things. I want them to take their questions and search for answers and I want them to search for answers in a whole lot of different ways. If I can help them develop this skill to inquire...that's a lifelong skill, and that's really important."

(19:03) Did Paula achieve her goals?
(23:06) Paula reflects on her teaching and the community study unit.