Educational Innovations Blog

By Jared Hottenstein

First, the Story

Lizzie was in my fifth grade class about fifteen years ago.  She was a solid student academically, but her biggest struggle in life was her retainer.  Mom and Dad had invested a lot of money in that molded plastic-and-wire mouth guard.  Lizzie’s mom even emailed me to ask if I would make sure Lizzie was wearing her retainer throughout the day.  Apparently this little oral apparatus cost more than my car… which would explain why Lizzie’s mom was so upset when she lost it.

By Jared Hottenstein

In the world of STEM learning, most teachers think about designing, building, and creating. But sometimes the best way to see how something is designed is to pull it apart. I’ve always thought that science dissections were awesome. Many of my students wouldn’t agree. Dissections can get a little gross for a classroom setting. Taking the time to carefully open something up to see what’s going on inside doesn’t have to be limited to once-living things. Why not dissect common objects?

By Jared Hottenstein

Have you ever watched science experiment videos on YouTube?  Chances are good that everything works perfectly.  So you grab some materials and try the same experiment at your kitchen table.  But it doesn’t work like it did in the video!  What gives?  The reality is that most science YouTubers edit out the bloopers and fails.  To put it bluntly, science is not always an exact science. 

By Jared Hottenstein

I imagine every science teacher has occasionally wrestled with the urge to “Go Big or Go Home.”  Who doesn’t want to deliver a majestic display of science that leaves our students speechless?  But I’d like to propose another well-known expression: “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”  (Actually, I’m going to soften it to “Keep It Simple Science.”)