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The American Jobs Act and science labs

By Francis Eberle

Posted on 2011-09-12

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle


Last week President Obama introduced his new American Jobs Act, which included provisions that will impact schools, teachers and, specifically, science labs.
A press release on the American Jobs Act claims that “as many as 280,000 education jobs are on the chopping block in the upcoming school year. These cuts could have a significant impact on children’s education, through the reduction of school days, increased class size, and the elimination of key classes and services. The president’s plan will support state and local efforts to retain, rehire and hire early childhood, elementary and secondary educators (including teachers, guidance counselors, classroom assistants, after-school personnel, tutors, and literacy and math coaches). These efforts will help ensure that schools are able to keep teachers in the classroom, preserve or extend the regular school day and school year, and continue to support important after-school activities.”
The President proposes to spend $30 billion to prevent layoffs of up to 280,000 teachers and $25 billion for school infrastructure, which includes modernization and/or development of science labs. We all know it is economically tough time right now, and these are pretty big numbers. The President’s proposals are meant to address both short and a long term strategies. While no one wants to see teachers out of work, I think including education in a jobs bill can be confusing to many. Here’s why.
The President often speaks about his long-term goal to invest in our country’s future by putting money into the education infrastructure that prepares the U.S. future workforce Most agree that science, technology, engineering and mathematics education drives a major part of U.S. economic development.
In the short term the proposed funding from this plan will help some teachers keep their positions because the tax dollars and tax revenues used to support teacher salaries have been low for a third year in a row. Many school systems are operating at a 2008 budget level.
Yet In recent months Congress has been vigorously debating the vision for the country, a debate that largely centers on whose taxes can be cut or what program or budget reductions can be made. The irony of this approach is that it can lead to even less tax revenues and there will be more layoffs. (I know I am being political, but it is hard not to being here in D.C.)
I am curious, do you know of any science and technology teachers who are being or have been laid off recently? And what shape are your labs in, are labs something we should be investing in now? Let me hear your stories about whether we need to modernize science labs and classroom internet capabilities? What stories do you have from schools or individuals that would help to justify the President’s proposal?

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

 

After the lab…

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-09-12

Click here for the Table of Contents


I once heard a teacher say “My students are so busy, they don’t have time to think.” It’s easy to get caught up in the procedure of an activity, but as the articles in this issue suggest, the real value of an inquiry investigation goes beyond the procedure to the processes of analyzing, questioning, reflecting, and communicating. Students at the middle level probably need guidance and modeling in order to develop these processes, and the articles in this month’s issue have helpful ideas.
Our students may see many examples of arguing, but the articles Fostering Argumentation Skills: Doing What Scientists Really Do and The Multiple Faces of Argument in School Science describe how to introduce students to the concepts and strategies used in supporting their claims with evidence. [For related articles on argumentation see the article Generate an Argument: An Instructional Model from the July 2010 Science Teacher and the Argumentation in Science issue of Science & Children.
Science has many terms that can be confusing and understanding the nuances of terminology is important. The article Data Versus Evidence: Investigating the Difference uses a “murder mystery” to help students understand that “All evidence requires data, but not all data need to be used as evidence.” [SciLinks: Forensic Science]

The authors of After the Lab: Learning Begins When Cleanup Starts show how the “gallery walks” that are often part of professional development sessions can be used by students to share their results with their peers. There are checklists and suggestions for this “walking and talking” style of communication.
Generating Discourse with Cookie and Doughnut Investigations uses cookies and pastries in a lesson on questioning and consumer claims, with a caveat about eating in labs. This month’s Scope on Safety column, Food For Thought, But Not For Eating, also makes the point that science labs are not proper places for investigations with foods (in cases where students will eat the foods), for using food as treats or rewards, or even in situations where students are expected to eat lunch in classrooms.  [SciLinks: Laboratory Safety]
Developing Intuitive Reasoning with Graphs to Support Science Arguments is a long title for a good article on the value of graphs as tools for analysis and communication. But this is another area in which middle level students might need some guidance and support (as described in the article). A resource for graphing is Create-a-graph from National Center for Educational Statistics, which guides students through the process of choosing an appropriate type of graph and organizing the data for it.
Other columns and articles in this issue refer to content topics that the SciLinks database supports with websites that would support the content or include additional activities:
Teaching the Combined Gas Law
[SciLinks: Gas Laws (5-8), Gas Behavior/Gas Laws, Gas Laws (9-12), Robert Boyle]
A Breath of Fresh Air: Addressing Indoor Air Quality
[SciLinks: Radon, Indoor Air Pollution, Carbon Monoxide, Lead Poisoning]
Scope on the Skies: In the Middle
[SciLinks: Reasons for the Seasons, Seasons]
 
 

Click here for the Table of Contents

 

Science of natural disasters, for young children

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2011-09-11

Fungus growing on a fence post

With ten-plus inches of rain, even fenceposts sprout with fungus.


An earthquake (my first ever experienced), the edge of hurricane Irene’s winds, and unending rain (over 10 inches in the last  two weeks) brought flooding, downed trees, and rampant fungus growth—is this an auspicious beginning to fall? One nearby county has already had an “excessive precipitation” day (not due to snow, the roads were flooded). The teachers I work with here in the Washington, D.C. area, like teachers everywhere, are nothing if not resourceful—when a failed sump pump allowed rainwater to seep into the classroom, a preschool teacher took her students to their designated shelter-in-place location, the church building next door. While doing the back-to-school review of emergency plans (what to do in case of tornado, shelter-in-place scenario, and fire) another school realized they now have to add “earthquake plan” to the list.
Never fear, Science and Children is here, with a Teaching Through Tradebooks column on “Earthquake!” a lesson plan pairing a book to read aloud with a science activity. And the NSTA Recommends service, which reviews trade books, came up with over 30 titles when I searched for “disaster.” Jump into Science: Earthquakes by Ellen J. Prager with illustrations by Susan Greenstein (2007, National Geographic Children’s Books) and Earthquakes by Seymour Simon (2006, HarperCollins) are not not on the list but they are written for young children. (Not every good book can be reviewed for NSTA Recommends.) Can you recommend a book about earthquakes for children ages 4-8? Will children be unnecessarily frightened by books with illustrations showing major earthquake damage? In a National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) brochure on helping children cope with natural disasters or violent experiences, Jane M. Farish offers the advice that “More than any other action, avoiding media coverage will protect children from confusing and disturbing images.”
The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial

Diversity in people can be seen in the visitors at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Today was beautifully sunny, a chance to appreciate the freedom to walk across Memorial Bridge to contemplate the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, and wave to the President and First Lady in their motorcade as we walked back to the Metro. How are you doing this week?

Peggy

Fungus growing on a fence post

With ten-plus inches of rain, even fenceposts sprout with fungus.

 

Models, and maps, and spatial understanding

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2011-09-09

Teaching spatial awareness is part of most early childhood standards, such as the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework (Understands directionality, order, and position of objects, such as up, down, in front, behind.), and it is part of national standards for K-12 curriculum such as the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas . Joining in a traditional fingerplay teachs positional vocabulary:
Up and down, round and round (draw circles in the air),
Put your fingers on the ground.
Over (hold hands above lap) under, (below legs) in between (hide in between your legs)
Now my fingers can’t be seen!
 Hands in front, hands behind , now my hands I cannot find.
Here’s my left hand , here’s my right,
Hands and fingers back in sight! (wriggle fingers).
How else can preK-grade 2 teachers prepare their students to understand their position in their room, their building, their community, their world, their “place in space”? There are many resources on teaching using representations—models and maps—available through the National Science Teachers Association elementary school journal, Science and Children. Cover of Science and Children, September 2011.The September 2011 issue has many “free” articles for teachers who want resources for teaching science but are not yet members. People who are members can send the link to colleagues to alert them to interesting articles such as the “Guest Editorial: Minds, Models, and Maps” by Kenneth Wesson who says, “The dynamic back-and-forth process of shifting images from the mind’s eye to paper and to tangible models is when children make their most creative and memorable connections.” He offers easy-to-implement strategies for incorporating illustrations, models, and maps. Another free article by NSTA 2001–2002 President and science education consultant Harold Pratt, describes the National Research Council’s new Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas in “Introducing A Framework for K–12 Science Education.”  Children make a really BIG model of a spider.
Children feel empowered and can see details when they make a really big model of a spider and her web. Join Marie Faust Evitt and her class as they hunt for spiders and make BIG connections in “A Web of Learning: Beyond “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” preschool students learn science content naturally”. And in The Early Years column I write about helping children build mental and visual maps of their area by taking walking fieldtrips and documenting their observations on a simple map. Even if your walking fieldtrip is just around the school building, children can look for traffic signs, interesting plants, and signs of animal life. This year the other teachers and I will take walking fieldtrips with the 3-year-olds too!
Peggy

Teaching spatial awareness is part of most early childhood standards, such as the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework (Understands directionality, order, and position of objects, such as up, down, in front, behind.), and it is part of national standards for K-12 curriculum such as the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscut

 

Feeling overwhelmed

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-09-09

I just started my first teaching position (middle school Earth science) and already I feel overwhelmed. It seems like I need 36 hours in a day. What can I do to get everything done? Does it get any easier?
—Ted, Fargo, North Dakota
Congratulation on your new position! I’ll answer your last question first. Yes, things do get a little easier after your first year when you’ve established routines, developed your basic lesson plans, and organized your lab/classroom. But even veteran teachers wish for more time. After students are dismissed, the teacher’s job continues with planning and preparation, evaluating assessments, faculty or department meetings, and professional development programs. So take a deep breath, celebrate your successes, and permit yourself to make (and learn from) a few mistakes.
Transition time is important. Some teachers like to arrive very early. They use this quiet time to get materials ready for class, catch up on reading, enjoy a cup of coffee, chat with colleagues, and prepare mentally for the day. Other teachers stay late to organize the classroom, prepare for the following day’s activities, review student work, contact parents, answer emails, and reflect on the day’s lessons. I often found myself doing both—but I always left with a clean lab prepped for the following day.
In the frenzy to get everything done, don’t neglect your physical and mental health:

  • Make time for exercise on your schedule and stick with it.
  • Depending on the quality of your school’s cafeteria, you might consider packing your own lunch to include healthy foods. It might be tempting to eat at your desk, but eating in a lab is not advisable, and it’s important to socialize with other adults, even if only for a few minutes.
  • During your first year, you might not be immune to the school’s “germs.” Overall good health will help, as will lots of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and boxes of tissues for you and the students. If you do get sick, stay home and recuperate (see a previous column on “Plans for a substitute“)
  • Spend some time in the evenings or weekends with family and friends on non-school related activities. Get as much rest as you can.
  • Keep up with your hobbies and interests for your own peace of mind: reading, sports, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, games, music, gardening, or community organizations and events.

As a science teacher, your most important focus is on instruction: lesson planning, implementing inquiry-based activities, designing or selecting appropriate assessments, and using technology appropriately. You’ll also have 100+ students to get to know. To accomplish this, prioritize your planning time with a focus on what enhances your instruction and interactions with students:

  • You don’t need to spend a lot of time on elaborate bulletin boards. A previous column had some suggestions for “Displaying science on classroom bulletin boards.”
  • You may be asked to take on an extracurricular activity or serve on a faculty committee. This can be an enjoyable opportunity to get to know the students and your colleagues. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed as a new teacher, you might offer to accept a role as a co-advisor or assistant. It’s also okay to respectfully decline requests: “No, thank you. I don’t think I’m ready to take on that additional responsibility just yet. I hope I can participate next year when I’ve had a little more experience.”
  • Establish classroom routines for activities such as handing in assignments, accessing notebooks and other materials, cleaning up after a lab activity, and taking attendance while students do a bellringer activity to prepare for class. Don’t dismiss a class until the room is tidy and organized for the next class.
  • Reviewing and grading student assignments can be overwhelming. The column “Struggling with paperwork”  has suggestions for managing paperwork.

Above all, don’t be shy about asking your mentor, other science teachers, or your principal for advice and suggestions on time management and classroom organization. You’ll soon learn who the go-to people are in your school (including the school secretary and custodian). We all want you to learn and be successful!
 
Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/tnm-photography/5745534007/

I just started my first teaching position (middle school Earth science) and already I feel overwhelmed. It seems like I need 36 hours in a day. What can I do to get everything done? Does it get any easier?
—Ted, Fargo, North Dakota

 

How will you implement your professional development learning this year?

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2011-09-07

Teachers work together in professional development small groups.

Professional development strengthens teaching skills and introduces the latest research about learning.


For early childhood teachers professional development can range from first aid to interactive reading to integrating science inquiry with literacy and mathematics learning. We hope we never have to use the first aid training but everything else is a boost to our teaching. This summer I got to participate in a training on science inquiry held at the University of Northern Iowa Regents’ Center. The development of this work by their Center for Early Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CEESTEM) is supported by the National Science Foundation and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Research in early childhood education supports the practice of teachers engaging in science inquiry in preparation for teaching science to their students.
One very important tip (no, not the “one weird tip that really works” as so many web ads claim) that I learned was to make time for children to get deeply into the process of asking questions as they explore phenomena through direct exploration. Researchers found that when there are too many transitions, it interrupts children’s investigations and problem solving.
Use counting and writing with a tally chart to document science observations.

Documenting observations is one way to integrate literacy and mathematics with science.


This is tough to do if I set aside time “just for science” so I’m going to focus on integrating science inquiry with opportunities for early literacy and mathematics learning. After working with tools to move water with pushes and pulls, children used a tally chart to document which tool they liked the best.
Tell us about the professional development pointers you will be using this year in a comment below.
Peggy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Teachers work together in professional development small groups.

Professional development strengthens teaching skills and introduces the latest research about learning.

 

Website Wednesday!

By Eric Brunsell

Posted on 2011-09-07

— The Scientific Process
Berkeley’s Understanding Science website is a great resource for learning more about the process of science.  The resource goes much deeper than the standard “PHEOC” model of the scientific method by emphasizing peer review, the testing of ideas, a science flowchart, and “what is science?” checklist. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/
Understanding Science also provides a variety of teaching resources including case studies of scientific discoveries and lesson plans for every grade level. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/index.php
— From AAAS Science NetLinks
Science Netlinks provides hundreds of reviewed lessons and other resources keyed to science topics.  Many of the lessons use engaging news stories about current science discoveries.  This month’s Science NetLinks newsletter highlights resources for UNESCO’s International Literacy Day (9/8), United Nations’ Ozone Day (9/16), and the World Heart Federation’s World Heart Day (9/28). http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/news/news_sept2011.php

— Science Spotlight
“In an effort to help preserve endangered rhinos and primates, biologists have converted skin cells taken from the animals into pluripotent stem cells, which can grow into nearly anything, given the right conditions. They might even grow into egg and sperm cells, eventually, the researchers think, suggesting a cell biological route to conservation.” http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/09/06/stem-cells-from-skin-suggest-a-way-save-endangered-rhinos-and-primates/

— The Scientific Process
Berkeley’s Understanding Science website is a great resource for learning more about the process of science.  The resource goes much deeper than the standard “PHEOC” model of the scientific method by emphasizing peer review, the testing of ideas, a science flowchart, and “what is science?” checklist. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

 

Welcome back for the 2011–2012 school year!

By Francis Eberle

Posted on 2011-09-06

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle


I know this is a really busy time for teachers, but before we slide further into the fall, I wanted to focus on an exciting new competition we announced earlier this summer.
NSTA has partnered with the Department of Energy and is challenging students in grades 3–8, together with their teachers and parents, to compete in a friendly nationwide competition will help them learn about energy efficiencies, reduce home energy use–and save money.
There are two ways to participate in America’s Home Energy Education Challenge (AHEEC).  Students and teachers who register (by October 7) for the Home Energy Challenge will collect three consecutive months of individual home energy use during the challenge period of September to December 2011, and compare it to the baseline data for the same three-month period of 2010.  Teachers will work with students to collect and analyze the data, and use the resources available on the AHEEC website to learn about energy conservation and reducing energy use.
Students will be asked to create an energy use savings plan for their own homes. Participants must collect actual (not estimated) energy use data from their utility records for the periods listed above.
Competing schools and classes in the Home Energy Challenge will compete within 11 regions for more than $200,000 in prizes that will be distributed at the regional and national levels of the competition.
The first place regional award winners will qualify for the national competition. Winning projects will be judged on student participation rates, energy savings, and the overall creativity and quality of the participating local competition.
Students who are unable to monitor their individual home energy can compete for $48,000 in cash prizes in the Energy Conservation Plan and Poster Contest.
The online Energy Fitness Award, the second segment of the Challenge, is a separate educational gaming activity where students can participate at any time and can return to play multiple times. Each student who successfully completes the Energy Fitness Award quiz will receive an Energy Fitness Badge.  Schools and/or classrooms with exemplary participation in this activity will earn additional prizes.
In addition to learning about energy and saving money, the best part of this competition could possibly be the ton of resources available at the AHEEC site and other energy sites.  Many teachers are telling us they are now incorporating AHEEC into their energy curriculum!
We are excited about this competition and I invite you to learn more about AHEEC at HomeEnergyChallenge.org or at the Energy Savers website, or visit the Energy Savers Blog.
 

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

 

Benefitting from undergrad research experience

By Debra Shapiro

Posted on 2011-09-02

Derrick Wood and his chemistry students

photo by Karolis Panavas


Derrick Wood, who teaches chemistry at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, created a chemistry curriculum that received a prestigious award. As a student at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, Wood conducted rigorous research with a fellow from Drew’s Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (RISE) program, which pairs undergraduates with retired scientists. Find out why Wood credits RISE for his success as a chemistry teacher in this NSTA Reports story.
Derrick Wood and his chemistry students

photo by Karolis Panavas

STEM Student Research Handbook

This comprehensive resource for STEM teachers and students, outlines the various stages of large-scale research projects, enabling teachers to coach their students through the research process. This handbook provides enough detail to embolden all teachers—even those who have never designed an experiment on their own—to support student-researchers through the entire process of conducting experiments. Early chapters—research design, background research, hypothesis writing, and proposal writing—help students design and implement their research projects.
This comprehensive resource for STEM teachers and students, outlines the various stages of large-scale research projects, enabling teachers to coach their students through the research process. This handbook provides enough detail to embolden all teachers—even those who have never designed an experiment on their own—to support student-researchers through the entire process of conducting experiments. Early chapters—research design, background research, hypothesis writing, and proposal writing—help students design and implement their research projects.
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