The Power of Observation: Igniting Learning Through Curiosity and Empowerment
During a recent school visit with Greg Wolfe—an effective educator in Allegheny County— I had the privilege of witnessing something extraordinary: a physics lesson that didn’t start with a textbook, a lecture, or even a vocabulary list. It started with tape.
The teacher handed out clear strips of tape and asked students to observe.
First: What happens when you move your fingers toward the tape?
Then: What changes when you press the tape to the desk and pull it off?
These questions may sound basic, but they sparked a chain reaction—not of particles, but of thinking!
Students began sharing what they noticed. One student described the tape as seeming to “deteriorate”—not scientifically correct, but absolutely the right instinct. The students were curious, reflective, and engaged. They felt empowered to speak up, even when unsure. That willingness to engage is the foundation of authentic learning.
This classroom was a powerful example of an empowered learning environment—one of the four key indicators of the NEIR© Model (Normalize, Empower, Inclusive, Relevant), used by the STEM Educator Initiative to support highly effective teaching. The teacher connected the lesson to familiar, everyday experiences (Normalize) and encouraged students to consider how the concepts might apply to the future (Relevant). He created a space where students felt valued and included (Inclusive), and confident enough to wonder aloud, take intellectual risks, and revise their thinking. In doing so, the students weren’t just learning science—they were learning how to be scientists. This is what highly effective teaching looks like.
With gentle questioning, the teacher guided the class toward deeper understanding: “What might be causing that?” “Have you seen anything like this before?” Soon, more accurate vocabulary emerged. “Force.” “Friction.” These weren’t terms copied from the board—they were earned through discovery.
The lesson expanded with a simulation of a balloon and a sweater and more hands-on experimentation. Students began discussing atoms, attraction and repulsion, and eventually, protons, neutrons, and electrons. Through observation and iteration, they constructed a scientific explanation of charge and force.
This is more than good teaching—it’s a demonstration of the engineering design process, supported by multiple pedagogical strategies that bring learning to life. Students observed a phenomenon, identified a problem (“What’s going on here?”), brainstormed explanations, tested their ideas through additional observations, and refined their thinking as new information emerged.
No answers were given. No textbook pages were assigned. Just observation, dialogue, and problem-solving—empowered learners working through messy thinking to arrive at clear understanding.
When we start with connections and curiosity, open up to students with questions instead of answers, and deliver more than checkboxes with standards—we develop thinkers. And the STEM Educator Initiative believes that these serve as the foundation of every great effective learning environment. Every teacher can be highly effective. Many already are, and we celebrate all of them, one at a time.
