If you are reading this, you are either in one of my Science classes at Solebury School, related to someone in one of my science classes at Solebury School or just plain bored and searching for High School Science Blogs. Whichever you identify with- WELCOME!
As the name of the blog indicates, this is about Science...more specifically, about my science classes, Biology and Chemistry, at the Solebury School. I will be using this blog to keep students up-to-date with some of their work, parents up-to-date with what is going on in class and also to just share some cool science stuff I come across from time to time. I also want to model blogging a bit, as I will be asking my students to keep a blog as well.
For those who don't know me (yet), my name is Jon Freer and I have been working here at Solebury for 16 years. The fact is, I actually came here to do a "practice interview" and to catch up with a lifelong friend (Steve Buteux, the Assistant Headmaster, and I have been friends since kindergarten!). As is the case for many who spend time on our campus, I fell in love with the place, got offered the job and haven't looked back. I have spent time on a number of different hobbies over the years (rock climbing, backpacking and leading wilderness trips, cycling, home-brewing, reading, golf, running are a few examples) and try to get out and explore the world as best I can. Nowadays, I explore with my wife Staci and our three kids, Jocelyn (4), Jackson (3) and Juliet (1). It is an amazing and exhausting family! Currently, I am also in a graduate School program through Boise State University (you know, the one with the blue football field) and am working towards a Master in Educational Technology. I also run the golf program here at Solebury School, which consists of Recreational Golf as a Fall activity and the Varsity Golf team that plays in the spring.
As a teacher, I am a big proponent of learning through inquiry. Inquiry is the basis of Science and is, in my opinion, the best way to learn and retain the topics we will cover. Because of this, I tend to stress fact memorization a bit less and exploration in various forms a bit more. However, I also recognize that if I just made every lesson an open-ended inquiry, we probably wouldn't get very far in terms of how much material students actually learn. So, I make it a goal to try to provide a good variety of teaching methods. These will include, guided inquiry, lecture, research, flipped lectures, experimentation and whatever seems to help students connect with the material and have fun. One form of guided inquiry learning we will be utilizing this year in both Chemistry and Biology (though it will be much more central in Chemistry) is called Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning or POGIL. It is an effective way of learning science, but I'll explain that more thoroughly in a different post.
For now, take some time to breathe and relax before the school year gets underway. Enjoy the rest of the summer and I'll see you as we get rolling in a couple of weeks.
Enjoy!
Jon
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