Science Teacher Revels in Engaging Students (2024)

It's a Mad MAD (Scientist) World

By Leslie Cranford, section manager

The young students from the nearby elementary school settle into the science lab on their field trip to the Texas Tech center in Junction, Texas. They'll spend the day studying science both outdoors and in the lab.

Just like problems NASA must solve for landing its scientific equipment on planets, the landers the students have built to protect an object dropped from an altitude await the eggs being dropped from above. The students hold their breath. Scrambled eggs are not on the day's menu.

The enthusiastic young chemists test out oxidation and reduction reactions, which have colorful foam spilling out everywhere. In the exothermic reaction, heat and steam are produced, too. These chemical reactions bring out the oohs, ahhs and a few squeals.

The student-built mousetrap racecars screech down the hallway-raceway, and the students go wild, cheering on their creations.

Directing the madness in the science lab is veteran teacher Brett Mosley, who has been with TTU K-12 since 2019 and in education since 2005. He teaches physics as well as integrated physics and chemistry (IPC) and has a background in all the sciences from elementary level to high school. He has taught physics, biology, chemistry, AP courses, IPC, earth science, ecology and a few more that he has “probably forgotten.”

Mosley will be teaching TTU K-12's summer Mad Scientist Camp at Texas Tech DFW in August.

“These events get kids together laughing, learning and doing all those great hands-on physics and chemistry activities. It's just another aspect of TTU K-12 bringing science alive for our students,” Mosley said. “Many of our students may see science experiments online or even do them in their kitchens. But when they can be around other classmates and have a teacher guiding them, that is when the curiosity and excitement about scientific phenomena can take place. It is through these hands-on activities that science becomes real and exciting for them.”

Mosley came to TTU K-12 in a shared job role when he was hired to direct Texas Tech University's Outdoor Learning Center in Junction, Texas.

“If I had known then what I do now about TTU K-12, I would have wanted to be a part of it much earlier,” he said, with a smile. “I am continually impressed with the students we have here at TTU K-12. So many of our students are doing great things, overcoming great challenges, and living exciting lives that would not be possible in the traditional classroom environment where I first started.”

Mosley says the successes in science learning that he once worked toward in the classroom are the same successes he sees in his online classes. The results he sees are students who become both better science thinkers and better humans. Whether they follow a scientific path or another direction, they are better for the experience in his classroom. The kids in his science courses are putting in great efforts and Mosley is proud of all they do.

Reflecting on his own experiences in school has shaped Mosley's teaching philosophies.

“When I look back at my time as a middle school or high school student, the teachers I remember as the ones who cared, who made the world understandable to me, and the ones I enjoyed the most were all my science teachers,” Mosley said. “I want to be to our students what those teachers were to me. Science was a way to answer all that I was curious about, so I want to bring exploration to what I teach.

“Science was a way to make an impact on my world, so I want to bring real world problems to my students to think about. Science was a class of doing, so I want my students to be active learners. Science was an inclusive place, so I want my students to feel cared about and that they are an important part of that community.”

Mosley's biggest reward as an educator – without a doubt – is the students he gets to meet in his various circ*mstances, whether through TTU K-12, the Outdoor Learning Center or the many other places he works with science students. Recently he was part of in-person events at the TTU K-12 Raiderpalooza at the Texas Tech DFW site where he and other teachers led a host of events.

“I got to be part of the science portion, doing science experiments, having fun learning, and just having a great time with a great group of kids,” Mosley said. “We are planning a mad scientist day for elementary students this fall at the same site. Getting to spend the day engineering, experimenting, creating chemical reactions, and all those fun hands-on science activities is going to be a blast. If the kids have half as much fun as I plan on having, it will make for a fantastic day of learning.”

When asked about advice he would bestow on his students, Mosley doesn't hesitate; because, from an educator's standpoint, he says certain things never change. His insights included:

1. Get help when you need it. Being online does not mean being alone.
2. Make sure to do your own work. Technological advances should be out there to help your understanding, not to give you the answers. TTU K-12 is here for you to advance your own understanding of the world, so don't shortchange yourself or take short cuts. You will be better and smarter in the end for all your efforts.
3. Make and stick to a schedule. Waiting until the end to do something makes it substantially harder. Oh, and read the syllabus!
4. Lastly, enjoy learning.

Mosley says he still learns something new in physics almost every week. Sometimes it is something he has read, but mostly it comes from insightful questions from his students, which he says “is a great thing!”

“I am optimistic about our future when I see all the young people in our programs,” Mosley said. “These are the kids that are truly going to change the world for the better.”