At a recent workshop, the presenter used the term “teachable moment.” What does this mean?
—Todd, Tacoma, Washington
Some say this is an overused, meaningless term. After, isn’t every moment in a science class “teachable?” But a teachable moment is a spontaneous, unplanned opportunity for learning. It’s a unique, high interest situation that lends itself to discussion of a particular topic. It could be a question from a student, an object a student brought to class, unanticipated results in a lab investigation, a misconception, or an opportunity to connect what students are learning in science to other subjects or real-world events.
You may have heard synonyms for teachable moments such as “going off on a tangent” or “taking a birdwalk.” As a teacher, you learn to recognize and take advantage of these opportunities.  After the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, many teachers “went on a birdwalk” about plate tectonics and seismology. It’s worth following a tangent when, for example, students remark that many science terms  based on the Greek and Roman mythology they’re studying in another class—or when your class gerbil is having babies.

Sometimes, however, you might decide to delay the moment. For example, during a lab investigation, a student might raise an interesting question or have unusual results you would like to share with the others. In the interest of time, however, you don’t want to interrupt the other students. But you can make a note to come back to the idea at a later time. I know teachers who have a “parking lot” on a bulletin board where they ask students to post questions or ideas to revisit. By displaying them publically, the students know their question or contribution was valued, and they won’t let you forget about it.
One of my favorite teachable moments involved Charles (not his real name). Charles moved to our town from Jamaica. His English was hard to understand (and I’m sure our northeastern accent was difficult for him to understand, too). We found out later he was much younger than a typical seventh grader. He did not talk much in class, even though I tried to converse with him and draw him into class discussions.
Our seventh-grade culminating activity was a study at the reservoir and stream that formed the town’s backup water supply. The activity featured an analysis of the presence of aquatic invertebrates as an indicator of water quality. The students enjoyed wading in the stream, overturning rocks and using screen sieves to find invertebrates such as mayfly and stonefly larva, hellgrammites, and leeches. Charles eagerly joined in on the activity. I heard a scream, “I found a fish.” It was Charles holding up a minnow. I said, “That’s good. But let’s see if we find any invertebrates.” A few minutes later I heard another scream, “I found a crab!” Charles had picked up a crayfish. We discussed the similarities and differences between crayfish and crabs. A few minutes later, “I found a turtle!” At this point I had to make an instructional decision. Should I point out again that the lesson was about invertebrates? Or should I divert from the plan to capitalize on Charles’ enthusiasm and the first time he had really spoken out in class?
I decided on a temporary diversion. I gathered the group and asked Charles to describe what the waters were like in Jamaica and what living things he would find there. As we sat on the bank of the stream, he excitedly told the class about going to the beach with his brothers, swimming with the sea turtles, and finding crabs and sea urchins. The waters, he said, were much warmer and clearer than the stream we were studying. After a few minutes, we went back to the task of finding invertebrates, but for a little while Charles had taken us to a different type of aquatic environment. “You were really lucky to live so close to the ocean,” a student remarked to Charles, who couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the afternoon. It was time well spent.
Feel free to share one of your teachable moments with Todd.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/fontplaydotcom/504443770/