G.

Paul Hudak
Statement of Science Teaching Philosophy and Goals
Growing up I was intrigued by the natural world, especially the mysteries of space and
time. I was first introduced to astronomy as a child beneath a cloudless sky, watching a meteor
shower and wondering about the incredible forces at work. The more I observed and analyzed,
the more interesting the natural world became. I worked hard to balance imagination and
skepticism throughout my education. As my career progressed, I learned I possessed a talent for
interpreting complicated scientific information to my students, colleagues and friends. My
intentions became clear I wished to share my fascination of Earth and space with the next
generation. My personal philosophy towards teaching science is that every student deserves an
opportunity to learn about the environment we share, to
learn how to think critically and rationally, and gain the
experience of working like an adult in exploring the
natural world. Perhaps the most crucial part of my personal
philosophy is that all students can learn about science, and
if they are enjoying what they learn, they will understand
and remember more about the concepts. One way to
succeed in this is to provide a Wow! factor to initiate
engagement.
Throughout my teaching experience, I have gained

insight about how students learn. I began with lectures,

Lectures Provide Informal Educational Opportunities

which is enjoyable, but learned quickly that not everyone learns the same way. Ive worked at

several planetariums and science museums around the country. I found their powerful A/V
technology provided an outstanding hook that engaged students and activated their senses. It
was easy to see that students learn when they are having fun the Wow! factor in action.
Outside the planetarium, my science teams and I developed hands-on activities we called
manipulatives to provide students an opportunity to actively work with a project. We tested
these out with outreach initiatives in K-12 classrooms around the valley, and much of our
research concluded that students felt more confident in the material when they understood
concepts that were demonstrated to them, as opposed to just reading about it. This holds true for
A/V presentations, as well, and especially with students that have grown up in the digital age.
Conceptual understanding
deepens when students
interact with physical
manipulatives, and even
physical models like the lifesized Curiosity Rover
exhibit at ASU, and thats
something I incorporate in
my classroom. Part of my philosophy as a science teacher is reflected in this - while students in
other classes may use textbooks and written reports, my classes will have plenty of chances to
actually work with their hands on our projects, in addition to reading and writing.
At ASU I provided leadership in the Education and Public Outreach Initiative with the
School of Earth and Space Exploration to develop high-definition, large format video
presentations with plenty of Wow! value inside ASUs largest research facility. Other teachers

brought their students to my gallery and provided me evidence of learning on a daily basis,
justifying how my personal philosophy was connected to our efforts. The touch-screens we have
come to find so useful on our cellphones were
used throughout the Gallery of Scientific
Exploration and connects students joy of
learning with an interactive, immersive
technology that enabled them to manipulate
digital simulations of the solar system, weather
patterns, and any number of modular platforms
like Dynamic Earth, Virtual Tour, Eyes on the
Exoplanets, and Mars Rover Sim to name a few.
Mr. Hudak Engages Students About Landing on Mars

While participating in a digital environment

similar to a video game, students spent more time actively engaged with the material and realized
cause and effect relationships as part of the process.
In this portfolio you will find evidence of learning couched in content tying technology
and learning, specifically within the SSTELLA Practices. The Science Talk details information
about students who were using a webmodule, along with their books, to explore and discuss
scientific concepts regarding
genetics. The students speak with
each other about different models to
use when developing an experiment
like Mendel (Windschitl, 2008
Generating A Model) The Lesson

Mr. Hudak Utilizing Gamer Technology For Students

Plan page shows part of a unit about the Coriolis Effect. Students describe their experiences
flying in airplanes from one point on the sphere to another, providing their personal experiences
to frame the lesson in a relevant context (SSTELLA: Contextualizing). I have another webquest
demonstrating deflection and rotation. This technology part of the lesson gels the concepts for
students, leading to the ubiquitous Ah-ha! moment of learning.

Mr. Hudak Providing Some Wow! Factor

Creating interest and generating curiosity is what I do as a science teacher, and the
purpose is to raise questions so that students, puzzled over any given phenomenon, seek to
answer, imagine, critique and analyze the possible explanations. They work together to figure out
what is happening (Windshitl, 2008, Seeking Evidence), they come up with ideas in their own
words, and then I provide vocabulary for them to connect their thoughts to the material.

At this point, students drive the lesson and the content is connected to their experience.
When I lecture and the students take notes, they learn passively and the conceptual
understanding may not be as deep as one would hope. The solution to this is active participation,
which is how I deploy my philosophy as a teacher. I wish to encourage a climate for
conversation so students learn to talk science with me and one another. I often tell my students
that I dont want them to know everything, but know how to find the answer. It is my goal for
them to grow into scientifically literate adults with an ability to think critically and analyze
observations thoroughly. In this way, they can participate fully as citizens, generate solid
interpretations, and create arguments, based on evidence.