JoinPartnering With Scientists
By Debra Shapiro
Posted on 2017-09-01
A Vanderbilt University Scientist in the Classroom Partnership fellow helps middle school students in the Nashville, Tennessee, area test their car design for speed.
While it’s common for many teachers to have a scientist visit their classroom once or twice a year, some teachers have formed long-term partnerships that enable scientists to spend significant time with their students. Cindy Hopkins, science teacher at Kaffie Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, met one of her scientist partners— Janel Ortiz, a graduate student from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK)—at a professional development session on quail that Ortiz led at TAMUK. “There is no extra money for field trips, so I actively seek science professionals to come to my class and connect students with real-world science,” Hopkins explains.
“This past spring, I had Janel come to my class [twice a week for two months] and teach a unit about quail (her area of expertise)…Researchers and scientists are another voice for my students, and they pay more attention [to them],” Hopkins contends.
“Janel brought good binoculars, and my students used them…to [examine] bird bands…She asked students to give her evidence, and taught them how to do it…When [scientists do] this, students make connections from the classroom to the field,” Hopkins maintains.
“I did activities alongside the students. They got to see me as a learner. I asked questions to help students connect her material with what I’ve taught them,” she relates. Having Ortiz teach the unit also “allowed me to sit down with students that need one-on-one attention and connect with them,” she notes.
David Lockett, middle-level science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teacher at Edward W. Bok Academy in Lake Wales, Florida, benefitted when Principal Damien Moses helped bring Keith Young, CEO of Detroit-based Ecotek—a research organization promoting science education and careers for students ages 10 to 17 (www.ecotek-us.com)—to the city’s charter school system for two semesters. Young co-taught “and deliver[ed] lessons on citrus greening and alternative battery and fuel options with our STEM classes,” says Lockett. “We had a community need because a plant and tree disease was affecting citrus crops.”
Young even took some middle school and high school students to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Lab for Genetic Research Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado. “Students made bactericide and did directional drone studies of infected trees. [The trip] showed students how something in Florida could also affect the rest of the country and the world,” Lockett reports.
“In grad school, one of my friends was working on his thesis and was required to do outreach as part of his own graduate work. That school year, Dr. J. P. Trasatti ( J.P.) came to my classroom to share his research with the students,” recalls Nichole Mantas, a biology teacher in New York, “then he and I designed a hands-on activity to simulate his research. He had been worked similar[ly] to a zipper in the blood-brain barrier,” Mantas notes.
“In recent years, J.P. has moved on from his graduate work, and our lessons have changed as well…For two years, J.P. came [to my classroom] and shared how tissue engineering works,” she relates. “It helped engage a group of students who might have just considered science a hobby.”
Forming Partnerships
Scientist in the Classroom, a program of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, California (https://goo.gl/enR2gb), connects scientists with middle and high school teachers “because teachers feel more confident teaching potentially contentious issues” like climate change and evolution “with a scientist [there] to answer questions,” says program coordinator Claire Adrian-Tucci. Early career scientists, such as graduate students and postdocs, participate because they “tend to have more flexible schedules,” she points out.
After the program’s required two visits, some teachers continue their conversations with the scientists, often via Skype, Adrian-Tucci notes.
“Teachers need to plan ahead and communicate with scientists,” she advises. “Don’t set your goals too high; find a fun activity, and get everyone involved.”
The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) Scientist-in-Residence program (https://goo.gl/z12Q8C) matches scientists from all disciplines with public school teachers in New York City, Syracuse, and Utica. Scientists commit to 10 hours a month, January through May. “Teachers are becoming more comfortable with outside experts visiting. Scientists can seem intimidating, [but we’re finding they’re] more welcome than in years past,” says NYAS Director of Education Kristian Breton.
The program’s graduate students and postdocs “are interested in checking out possible teaching careers. [About] 10–15% of [these] scientists go into teaching,” he notes.
Schools chosen to participate “are [located] 35–40 minutes from where the scientist lives or works” to spare scientists a long commute, Breton explains.
In Vanderbilt University’s Scientist in the Classroom Partnership (SCP; https://goo.gl/kh1q23) Program, scientists work in classrooms in the Nashville, Tennessee, area “one full day per week all year,” says program director Jennifer Ufnar. Scientists have “run competitions (middle school), developed PBL [Problem-Based Learning] units, infused science across the curriculum, started science clubs, pushed science into other disciplines, infused inquiry-based science and PBL across the school, and co-taught curriculum they’ve developed with the teachers,” she reports.
In addition to taking teachers to meetings and conferences at universities, “fellows provide an extra set of hands, plus materials and kits. It takes a load off the teachers,” she asserts.
A Scientist’s Advice
Retired scientist and engineer Rick McMaster of Austin, Texas, regularly visits classes. The first teacher who invited him “provided all the details— schedule, location, asked what I needed, etc.—to minimize the effort on my part,” McMaster recalls.
Teachers should support visiting scientists with “logistics, materials (if needed), [and] classroom discipline. They should arrive early to meet the visitor,” he emphasizes.
Teachers should also “follow-up with feedback. Thank-you notes from the students go a long way. The local administration should also provide encouragement for a long-term relationship,” he stresses.
And be sure to invite students’ parents who are scientists, McMaster suggests, because some “continue to visit…even after their children are no longer there.”
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of NSTA Reports, the member newspaper of the National Science Teachers Association. Each month, NSTA members receive NSTA Reports, featuring news on science education, the association, and more. Not a member? Learn how NSTA can help you become the best science teacher you can be.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Follow NSTA
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A Vanderbilt University Scientist in the Classroom Partnership fellow helps middle school students in the Nashville, Tennessee, area test their car design for speed.
Ed News: Teacher Shortages Affecting Every State As 2017-18 School Year Begins
By Kate Falk
Posted on 2017-09-01
This week in education news, federal data shows that every state is dealing with shortages of teachers in key subject areas; the University of North Carolina in Charlotte has launched an on-campus high school for aspiring teachers; several districts and states have begun eliminating K-12 standardized tests; CA bill proposing creation of state-run STEM school draws strong support and opposition; millennials around the world are concerned about climate change; and more than 1 million students affected by Hurricane Harvey so far.
Teacher Shortages Affecting Every State As 2017-18 School Year Begins
The 2017-18 school year has started in many places across the country, and federal data shows that every state is dealing with shortages of teachers in key subject areas. Some are having trouble finding substitute teachers, too. The annual nationwide listing of areas with teacher shortages, compiled by the U.S. Education Department, shows many districts struggling to fill positions in subjects such as math, the traditional sciences, foreign language and special education, but also in reading and English language arts, history, art, music, elementary education, middle school education, career and technical education, health, and computer science. Click here to read the article featured in The Washington Post.
The Next Generation Of Teacher Prep?
The University of North Carolina in Charlotte has launched an on-campus high school for aspiring teachers. The Charlotte Teacher Early College High School opened its doors to 50 9th graders in the second week of August. Students will spend their first two years completing high school requirements, and in the remaining three years tackle general-education college requirements while training to lead classes of their own. By graduation, they will have earned up to 60 college credits that can be transferred to Cato College of Education where they can earn their teaching degrees. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.
Science Classroom Excitement Is Infectious
Emotions can spread from person to person. Someone’s bad mood, for instance, can bring an entire crowd down. Interest in science can be catching, too, and in a good way, a new study shows. The more that students in a high school science class are into the material, the more likely an individual student will pursue a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) career. Click here to read the article featured in Science News for Students.
States Begin Shedding Standardized Tests In K12
In just the last few months, several districts and states have eliminated tests and cut assessment time to make room for instruction and reduce stress. Concern with over-testing picked up steam around 2015, says Julie Rowland Woods, policy analyst at the Education Commission of the States. And since, a slow trickle of state policies have moved forward to mitigate it, she adds. Click here to read the article featured in District Administration.
Strong Support And Opposition To Proposed State STEM School
The California Department of Education directly runs only three schools, two for deaf children and one for the blind. Under a bill before the Legislature, it would add a fourth — specializing in math and science and serving low-income, ethnically diverse middle and high-school students in Los Angeles County. The legislation to create a state-authorized, independently managed STEM school has the support of heavyweights in high tech and higher ed. But Assembly Bill 1217 also has achieved what few bills do: unifying labor unions, school management organizations and the state Department of Finance in opposition. Click here to read the article featured in EdSource.
Millennials around the world are concerned about climate change, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2017 “Global Shapers Survey,” released Tuesday. Nearly half of the more than 31,000 survey participants, who were ages 18 to 35 in 186 countries, chose climate change as their top concern, and 78.1% said they would be willing to change their lifestyle to protect the environment. Click here to read the article by Business Insider.
There Is No Silver Bullet For Education Reform
Public educators find themselves in something of a Catch-22 situation these days. When we celebrate the great things that are going on in our schools, we are told that we are simply slaves to the status quo who don’t recognize the struggles that our system is facing. When we articulate the challenges that our schools face, there are those who are quick to jump on us for making excuses or to fault us for not abandoning our current system entirely. Click here to read the article featured in District Administration.
More Than 1 Million Students Affected By Hurricane Harvey So Far
More than a million students are now affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in some way, according to the Texas Education Agency, as the remnants of the storm shifted east and its devastating effects on the education community continue. In Texas, district officials with undamaged schools are scrambling to get students quickly enrolled and back into school to avoid lost learning time. Up to 220 districts have closed at some point due to the storm. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.
How STEM Education Can Help End Poverty
STEM education is increasing in popularity–more schools are incorporating STEM into their curriculum and making it a key part of what they teach. STEM can help students learn to think logically, improve math test scores, and give students career training. But STEM education can also help bring an end to poverty. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.
Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.
The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Follow NSTA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Building the Science Department: Stories of Success
How can your science department become a site for developing science teachers’ professional learning? Building the Science Department answers that question through stories from teachers who walk the sometimes rocky path of reforming science teaching and learning. Written by the authors of Reimagining the Science Department, this resource features vignettes from teachers at different career stages.
How can your science department become a site for developing science teachers’ professional learning? Building the Science Department answers that question through stories from teachers who walk the sometimes rocky path of reforming science teaching and learning. Written by the authors of Reimagining the Science Department, this resource features vignettes from teachers at different career stages.
Early-in-the-school-year science experiences to support later explorations
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2017-08-31
When children and teachers are just getting used to being at school and with each other, open-ended experiences can help bring joy to what may be a stressful time. Simple science experiences involve open exploration and build foundations for later science inquiries into natural phenomena, such as, weather events or organism life cycles. Here are a few ideas to use early in fall or in the school year. Each one has a link to an earlier blog post with further exploration suggestions.
Playing with water is relaxing as long as there are systems in place to keep it safe and easy to clean up. Children will be exploring the properties of matter and concepts of buoyancy, capacity and absorption as they pour from one cup to another, play with objects that float or sink, and use towels to soak up spills. Plastic tubs of various sizes or sensory tables do not have to be filled to the brim to engage children! Vary the temperature to introduce the concept of relative measurement—ask children if they think the water is warmer or colder than yesterday.
Freeze water in large tubs and put the resulting ice in a tub on a table where children can feel the large block of ice and observe any changes. Provide magnifiers for close up observation of the ice.
Make a worm-digging spot in the play area where children can sit out-of-the-way but visible as they dig for worms in soil. Provide large soup spoons for digging because they are a better fit for small hands than most garden trowels. Discuss how deep they will have to go and what else might live in the soil.
Make a “home” for worms in a “worm box.” Ask children how they plan to care for the worms they want to keep and what they need to implement their plans. Provide drawing materials so children can make portraits of “their worm.”
Take group “nature walks” around the play area, school building, or block to stretch your legs and have children point out plants and animals that interest them. Make your walk a “sound walk” by stopping periodically so everyone can hold their hands up to their ears to listen and share what they hear. Alternatively hold a “sound moment” if an entire walk is too long for your children.
Using leaves gathered on your walk, put them on newspaper or a tray and have children paint one side of them. Then take a plain sheet of paper, put it on top of the painted leaf, and press it down onto the leaf to make a print. Life the paper off to reveal the print. Ask children to describe the leaf structures revealed by the print, if any.
Begin the “question of the day/week” practice to support children’s developing understanding of investigating a question. Post and discuss questions you have heard children ask that you think they might be able to answer, such as, “What is your favorite kind of animal,” or “How can I make a block structure that is stable and doesn’t fall over?”
As children engage in fun open-ended experiences they encounter interesting phenomena that raise questions. Use those questions to begin investigations that can develop into science inquiry.
When children and teachers are just getting used to being at school and with each other, open-ended experiences can help bring joy to what may be a stressful time. Simple science experiences involve open exploration and build foundations for later science inquiries into natural phenomena, such as, weather events or organism life cycles. Here are a few ideas to use early in fall or in the school year. Each one has a link to an earlier blog post with further exploration suggestions.