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Chapters and Associated Groups: Advocacy + Professional Development = the Formula for a Great Association

By Teshia Birts, CAE

Posted on 2012-03-08

This week we are featuring a post from guest blogger, Chuck Hempstead, MPA, CAE.  Chuck is the Executive Director of the Science Teachers Association of Texas (an NSTA Chapter). Chuck also serves as President of Hempstead and Associates, a full-service association management company based in Austin, Texas.  He holds the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives.

In the past few years, the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT) has ramped up its efforts to become a presence in the eye of public policymakers.  We’ve advocated for new supplemental science materials, and urged our members to speak out.  Advocacy is becoming one of our most important member benefits, because when people stand together, they can get a lot more done than when they act alone.  Camaraderie is, after all, the basic reason for an association to exist.
Having advocated for non-profit educational associations for more than 30 years, I’ve made it my life’s work to make sure the voices of our educators are heard.  STAT is becoming a force to be reckoned with.  Our membership is in the thousands.  We’ve become the “go-to” people when reporters, like Erika Aguilar of KUT News, need to get the facts on science-related breaking news (President Ross Ann Hill and TESTA Representative Gail Gant were interviewed recently regarding teaching climate change in Texas schools).  We’re the first to know about important STEM-related issues, like STAAR updates and other TEA news.  We get the word out to our members via social media and email, keeping teachers from across the state in touch with what’s happening in Austin.
We know the times are tough for teachers all across the country.  Every year, without fail, we host the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST), where teachers from Texas and beyond gather to collaborate and network.  We had our biggest conference in 2010, when Federal money was still flowing in school districts.  Last year, we still had over 6,000 attendees, even though that district money was long gone.  We know times are tough, but we believe in the power of CAST to sustain our teachers.
Providing professional development opportunities and legislative advocacy are the marks of a great organization with real, year-round benefits.  We’ve offered outstanding teacher awards, conference scholarships, and top-dollar giveaways to our members.  Every year, CAST hosts over 600 sessions so teachers can get the most specific information for their grade level and subject matter.  We are teachers teaching teachers.  We advocate for and protect each other.
I’m proud to call myself the Executive Director of an association with a rich history and an even brighter future.  In all my years of management, the Science Teachers Association of Texas is the association that shows the most promise and can make the biggest impact on the nation at large.
Chuck Hempstead, Executive Director, STAT

This week we are featuring a post from guest blogger, Chuck Hempstead, MPA, CAE.  Chuck is the Executive Director of the Science Teachers Association of Texas (an NSTA Chapter). Chuck also serves as President of Hempstead and Associates, a full-service association management company based in Austin, Texas.  He holds the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives.

 

LabQuest 2: The new iPad is not the only new "tablet" on the block

By Martin Horejsi

Posted on 2012-03-07

While much of the tablet-interested world was waiting for the latest iteration of the iPad to be announced today, there was another launch of a great looking “tablet” device yesterday. Vernier.com announced the next version of their LabQuest, the LabQuest 2.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNyKZaPFwXQ[/youtube]

Back in 2007, still years before the iPad was even in diapers, Vernier launched the LabQuest as stand-alone computer interface for their sensors that was more than a LabPro or TI84 graphing calculator, but less than a laptop computer. While revolutionary, and truly a game changer, science education continued advance over the past five years making a second version necessary.

The LabQuest 2 is a completely different form factor and appears to have embraced many of the features, operations, and shape we are used to with our other handheld devices.

It also appears that the fine folks at Vernier have not forgotten about the rest of our devices in that the LabQuest 2 can work with them as well through several connectivity options further changing the game. In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that that very feature, called the Connected Science System, is an excellent example of a “disruptive technology” and will surely become an industry standard option in for all other similar devices in the future.

I cannot wait to get my hands on one! The release date is in April, but I suspect there will some on hand at our National Conference at the end of this month.

–

While much of the tablet-interested world was waiting for the latest iteration of the iPad to be announced today, there was another launch of a great looking “tablet” device yesterday. Vernier.com announced the next version of their LabQuest, the LabQuest 2.

 

Must-see TED videos

By Martin Horejsi

Posted on 2012-03-07

TED.com provides “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world,” as videos (streaming, downloadable, podcasts, etc.) captured during the conferences. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design.
Here are some of my favorite TED videos, and this list corresponds to the list published in our Science 2.0 column this month along with a few more. I have many more favorites as well, but would like to give readers a chance to add to this list.
If you have other science/teaching related TED videos you would like to contribute to the list, please add them in the comments section with a web address and a brief description.

Plus…

your turn…
——————–> 

TED.com provides “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world,” as videos (streaming, downloadable, podcasts, etc.) captured during the conferences. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design.
Here are some of my favorite TED videos, and this list corresponds to the list published in our Science 2.0 column this month along with a few more. I have many more favorites as well, but would like to give readers a chance to add to this list.

 

Being a long-term sub

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-03-02

I’m starting a long-term substitute position teaching high school chemistry until the end of the year. I’ve subbed for this teacher before, so I’m somewhat familiar with the school. But do you have any suggestions for starting in the middle of the year? How can I get to know the students quickly? Should I continue the existing classroom management practices or come up with my own?
— Carrie from New Mexico
In the case of a teacher taking a leave of absence, some schools encourage (and might even pay for) the substitute to come in for a few days ahead of time to become familiar with the teacher’s classroom routines. It would also be helpful for you to meet with the teacher and discuss her grading practices, the lab safety contract the students (and parents) have signed, her use of science notebooks, students’ IEPs, and any questions you may have . Find out if she would like you to continue with class blogs, wikis, or other online projects (you’ll need passwords and account information). Ask the teacher or department chair to give you a tour of the lab and stockroom to see where and how materials and equipment are stored and for a refresher on the safety equipment in the lab.  You’ll also need access to the storeroom inventory and material safety data sheets. Ask the technology coordinator for a school email address and passwords to any programs needed attendance, grading, lesson planning, or communications.
The teacher or department chair should also share the curriculum you’ll be expected to address during your time. Ask the teacher if she can share resources for these topics (e.g., teacher manuals, assignments, assessments, suggested lab activities, and presentations). Find out if you’ll able to contact the teacher by email or phone if you have any questions or if she would like updates. Also find out if the school will assign you a mentor or go-to person if you have questions or concerns.
Stepping into the classroom in the middle of the year is challenging. Even though the students know you from your subbing experiences, you may not know all of them. Treat the first few days as if they were the beginning of the school year. Introduce yourself and share a little bit about your background. (In my school, the principal would introduce the long-term sub to the class, reinforcing the idea that the sub was now part of the faculty.) Ask the students to introduce themselves so you can note their nicknames and correct pronunciation of their names. If the teacher has an established seating chart, use it at least until you can connect names and faces. If the teacher did not have a chart, create one to help you learn the students’ names. Review the safety procedures and rules.

Ask each student to record data on an index card: name, birthday, interests/hobbies, school activities, out-of-school activities (e.g., jobs, community organizations, volunteer work), and other conversation-starters. (Use a different color card for each class.) Then for each class each day, choose a few cards and make a point to interact with these students. During the class period, greet these students by name at the door, call on them for answers or to share a thought, or interact with them during seatwork or groupwork. The cards can also be used to randomly select a student for an answer or a job, ensuring that it’s not just the hand-raisers or those in the front of the classroom who participate.
Some other ways to get to know students:

  • Greet all students at the door with a brief comment or word of welcome. I would stand right inside my door so that I could keep an eye on the students already in the room, especially if lab equipment was in place.
  • Get to know students in a different setting by attending school functions and events.
  • Consider having lunch with students or talking to them in the lunch line.

In terms of classroom management, I’d keep using the existing routines, unless there are those you cannot live with or those that are ineffective or unsafe. Be sure to discuss any changes with the students, and be prepared for when they say “that’s not the way we did this before.” You may need to model the changes you want to make.
Keep a diary or log of your experiences and reflect on these as you apply for other positions next year.
Good luck!
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/1410227652/sizes/m/in/photostream/

I’m starting a long-term substitute position teaching high school chemistry until the end of the year. I’ve subbed for this teacher before, so I’m somewhat familiar with the school. But do you have any suggestions for starting in the middle of the year? How can I get to know the students quickly?

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.
Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.

When it’s just not possible to take students out to explore the natural world, bring the natural world to the classroom. Clearly organized and easy to use, this helpful guide contains more than 50 science lessons in six units: Greening the School, Insects, Plants, Rocks and Soils, Water, and In the Sky. All lessons include objectives, materials lists, procedures, reproducible data sheets, ideas for adapting to different grade levels, discussion questions, and next steps.

When it’s just not possible to take students out to explore the natural world, bring the natural world to the classroom. Clearly organized and easy to use, this helpful guide contains more than 50 science lessons in six units: Greening the School, Insects, Plants, Rocks and Soils, Water, and In the Sky. All lessons include objectives, materials lists, procedures, reproducible data sheets, ideas for adapting to different grade levels, discussion questions, and next steps.

BOOK ONLY EVO Teachers Guide: Ten Questions Everyone Should Ask About Evolution

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.

You Want Me to Teach What? Sure-Fire Methods for Teaching Physical Science and Math

Problem: You feel shaky about being assigned to teach upper-level science and math and need to get up to speed—fast. Solution: Follow this concise book’s tried-and-true methods, which you can integrate into your classroom and lesson plans starting from the first day of class.

Problem: You feel shaky about being assigned to teach upper-level science and math and need to get up to speed—fast. Solution: Follow this concise book’s tried-and-true methods, which you can integrate into your classroom and lesson plans starting from the first day of class.

DVD ONLY EVO: Ten Questions Everyone Should Ask About Evolution

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.
Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.
 

Setting up lab activities

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-02-28

I’m a new teacher with six classes: four biology and two ecology. The teacher’s manual for my textbooks in these subjects have many interesting lab activities, but I am having difficulty selecting and organizing them. I feel like I live at school! Do you have any suggestions?
–Tony from Illinois
There’s no way around it—the first year is a challenge for new teachers. You’re dealing with content and curriculum, classroom management, lab management, assessments, technology, and developing your routines and your own style of teaching. But it does get better the second year and beyond.
In terms of choosing which activities to do, consult your school’s curriculum for the learning goals for a given topic. Some curriculum documents also include suggested activities. Then select activities that will help students meet the learning goals (and you’re not limited to the textbook—for example, NSTA’s SciLinks has teacher-oriented websites with activities on hundreds of topics.). Also look for activities that provide opportunities for enrichment and additional exploration.
Make sure the students can do the activity safely in your classroom/lab. I found it helpful to go through a new activity prior to class from a student’s perspective to identify any possible concerns. No matter how interesting it seems, you should not include any activity that cannot be done safely. For those, you could substitute a simulation or video.

In an ideal setting, your classes in each subject would meet back-to-back, with a planning period in between. But most of us who have taught multiple subjects rarely have an ideal setting. Rather than trying to take down and set up activities several times during the day, try to schedule your labs in each subject on different days.
On lab days, it’s helpful to establish routines for students to access and return needed materials. Plastic boxes, trays, or dish tubs can become your best friends for distributing and collecting materials. Have one for each lab group, label it (e.g., Group 1, Group 2), and require each team use the box with their label. Since you have two subjects, it would be helpful to have two sets, each a different color so it’s easy for you and your students to recognize which set is for which subject. Use these containers to organize the materials for an activity—thermometers, glass slides, calculators, handouts, rulers, markers, beakers. Prepare ahead of time so that one student from each group can get the box and they’re ready to go. I also included an index card “inventory” in each box so students knew what was to be returned. Save the cards to use the next time you do the lesson. I also put a summary of safety issues on the card as a reminder of what we discussed prior to the activity.
A few minutes before the end of the period, your routine should include the students referring to the card to organize the materials. Before dismissing the class, you can do a quick inspection to see that everything is in the box and determine if anything should be replenished. You may need to model these routines at first, but once students have internalized them, clean-up is much easier.
If the lab requires any equipment or materials that could be potentially dangerous if they were to leave the room, have the students return it to you in person. (My seventh-graders were very trustworthy, but I still collected any forceps, scissors, or scalpels myself.)
Take a photo of a box that is set up for class and save it with your lesson plan. Add a section at the beginning of your lesson plan in which you list the materials you need. Even if the lesson does not include a lab activity, knowing what you’ll need ahead of time is a timesaver. After the lesson, annotate your plan with any changes you would make.
Store any specialized materials for an activity in a labeled box or plastic bag, ready for the next time you do it. Be sure that any chemicals are returned to their designated places in the storeroom.
Even veteran teachers sometimes feel like they live at school, as they redesign lessons, try out new activities, or update their assessments. Science teachers already work hard; we also need to work smart with thoughtful planning, organization, and reflection.
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40964293@N07/4018106328/

I’m a new teacher with six classes: four biology and two ecology. The teacher’s manual for my textbooks in these subjects have many interesting lab activities, but I am having difficulty selecting and organizing them. I feel like I live at school! Do you have any suggestions?
–Tony from Illinois

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