By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2010-10-02
I’m looking forward to the USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall on October 23 and 24 from 10am to 5:30pm. Hosted by Lockheed Martin, the Expo is the free grand finale for a nationwide festival that begins on October 10 with activities across the nation. With over 1,500 fun, hands-on interactive activities, and 75 stage shows for all ages, there will be a lot to choose from. One way to navigate the many choices is to go to the Expo Tracks page to see the age and theme tracks and choose which area of the Expo to visit—Weatherfest (all ages), Wiz Pop Bang (ages 7-10), and The Tiny Animal Lover (ages 6 and under) are the three most appropriate for preschoolers but don’t limit yourself to these themes. Next go to the Expo Exhibits page, and select a track, or just the “under 6” age group to see the age appropriate exhibits. Here are a few exhibits I found with a quick search, but don’t limit yourself to these examples:
Science is Everywhere—for Everyone! by National Science Teachers Association Section NM-1, Booth Number(s) 116, 118, 120, 122, 124 National Science Teachers Association ( NSTA ) and our State Chapters and Affiliates will provide exciting, engaging, dramatic and in some cases down-right awe-inspiring opportunities for participants to see that science educators assure “Science Matters to Everyone!”. Come enjoy demonstrations, hands-on activities, and inquiries for all ages and interests. NSTA is also one stop on the Evolution Thought Trail to learn about best-teaching-practices in the science classroom. Come enjoy demonstrations, hands-on activities, and inquiries for all ages and interests. NSTA is also one stop on the evolution thought trail to learn about best-teaching-practices in the science classroom.
Insectopia by Duke University Section FP, Booth Number(s) 1547 The colors on butterfly wings have inspired artists and scientists with their beauty for ages, but they have a serious purpose. We’ll see how the beautiful color patterns of the butterfly’s wings are built up of small pieces, like pixels, and engage in some activities to illustrate how wing patterns develop and what they might be for. Can YOU find the hidden butterflies in our display? Color your own butterfly wings — make them flashy or invisible. And before you go, please join us in singing and dancing to the infectious ditty “Head, Thorax, Abdomen.”
Are You Smarter Than An Ape or a Dog? by Duke University Section FP, Booth Number(s) 1549 Try your hand at some of the problem-solving tests that Duke University anthropologist Brian Hare has used on Chimpanzees, Bonobos, and domestic dogs. After you try your best, we’ll show you videotaped experiments of animals performing the same tests. Can you do better than they did?
Why or why not? Hands On With Mad Science by Mad Science Section PA-13, Booth Number(s) 1201, 1203, 1300, 1302 Get your hands dirty by making your own slime, tasting cool potions, and experimenting with alternate power sources. Learn about life under the water with alien sea creatures!
Science You Can Do! by Science for Citizens, ScienceForCitizens.net Section PA-13, Booth Number(s) 1229, 1231 Get your hands dirty with science. Interactive demos of research projects you can join. From bugs to birds, kitchen chemistry to computer games, environmental monitoring to electronic music. Win a science trip!
Slithering Science by Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Section WP, Booth Number(s) 1122 Slither and hop, hiss and croak: What can amphibians and reptiles tell us about the environment? See, touch, and meet some live examples of these important, but often feared and under-appreciated, members of earth’s ecosystems.
Hands-on Science by American Museum of Natural History Section PA-13, Booth Number(s) 1341 Touchable objects and fossils from our collections help bring science alive to learners of all ages. Our staff will support hands-on activity centers that use these engaging objects as teaching and learning tools about science and the scientific process.
To find your exhibit choices once you are at the Expo, use the map and booth numbers. Print one at home or pick up a map at the Expo. When my children were young I would take them to museums with the goal of visiting just one room and the bathroom. There was always too much to see it all. My children would tolerate “drive-by” stroller tours of the art museums, but wanted to get out and look at the National Museum of Natural History. Riding on the public transit train, the Metro, is an adventure in itself with maps and colors to discuss.
I hope the USA Science and Engineering Festival will become an annual event. Maybe I’ll see you there!
Peggy
I’m looking forward to the USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall on October 23 and 24 from 10am to 5:30pm.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-09-30
I’m a new teacher, and my principal informed me she’s going to do a formal “observation.” She’s been in and out of my lab on weekly walkthroughs, but this time she’ll be in the room for the whole class. This is my first observation and I’m getting nervous—how should I prepare?
—Kate, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Walkthroughs provide candid snapshots of what happens in a class. A visitor can learn interesting things about a class and teacher in just a few minutes. But these snapshots can also raise questions, especially about the context of the lesson and what preceded and what would follow this brief visit.
To expand the picture of what happens in a classroom, principals may also conduct formal observations of teachers several times a year (depending on district policy and teacher contract). These observations usually last for an entire class period, from when the students enter to dismissal. These observations provide a different perspective on a teacher’s classroom management and his or her abilities to plan, conduct, and evaluate instruction in a cohesive and purposeful way.
Sometimes these observations are unannounced, but in your case you have time to plan, reflect, and get nervous! Some teachers suggest you shouldn’t have to “prepare” anything—just teach what you ordinarily would. The reality for a novice teacher is that no day is “ordinary.” You are still developing your repertoire of effective teaching strategies. What your principal sees is a work in progress.
Talk to your mentor or another science teacher to find out what the usual procedure is for observations. Does the principal stay for the entire class period? Does she take notes? Where does she sit? Does she walk around the classroom? Is there a particular form that she uses to record her notes? What kind of feedback should you expect? When do you get the feedback?
In some schools, the principal sets up a pre-observation meeting, but even if that is not the case in your school, you can still ask your principal about her expectations. Does she want to see hands-on activities, large group instruction, a lecture, the use of technology, a lab investigation, an assessment activity, classroom routines, or cooperative learning?
As you plan the learning activities for that class period, choose those with which you and the students are comfortable. This might not be the best time to try a new technology, but if you are doing something new, be sure that you provide guidance and modeling for the students during the lesson.
Take a quick look around the classroom/lab. It should be safe, organized, and conducive to learning. You don’t need a new wardrobe, but your own appearance should be professional as always.
When your principal comes in, give her a copy of the lesson plan, along with handouts, the textbook, or other materials that will be used during the lesson, including safety goggles. If your district has a required or even a suggested lesson plan format, be sure you’re using it, rather than a list of assignments such as “Read Chapter 6” or “Lab on Fungi.” If the lesson is a continuation, be sure to provide the principal with enough context on what the students did prior to this class, including the big idea or theme of the unit. Likewise, describe what the next lesson will include (this is a good teaching strategy even when you’re not being observed.) Since you have time to prepare for this observation, you could also prepare a list of “look-fors”— things you would like the principal to notice, such as your bellringers, class routines, science notebooks, the way you pose questions, how you and the students use technology, or lab safety procedures.
Some teachers go overboard to create a show. A savvy principal will be able to tell whether she’s seeing the usual routine or contrived events. The students may be nervous with a visitor in the room, although they should be familiar with your principal’s presence from the walkthroughs and observations of other classes. (When I was student teaching, my students were unnaturally quiet when my supervisor came to observe. I later found out they thought he was a police officer.)
After the observation, ask the principal when you can meet to discuss the class. Assuming she provides constructive feedback, with commendations and recommendations, this could be an opportunity for you to grow as a teacher. Put your copy of her notes or report in your professional folder.
It’s normal to feel nervous, and even veteran teachers get a few butterflies when the principal walks in. Your principal is not expecting scripted perfection. I’m sure she’s more interested in your instructional strategies, how you convey your interest in the subject, and how you relate to the students.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spcummings/361167519/
I’m a new teacher, and my principal informed me she’s going to do a formal “observation.” She’s been in and out of my lab on weekly walkthroughs, but this time she’ll be in the room for the whole class. This is my first observation and I’m getting nervous—how should I prepare?
—Kate, Elizabeth, New Jersey
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-09-28
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2010-09-25
In preschool the lessons about environmental science can be about becoming familiar with and enjoying the environment through outdoor exploration and play, gardening, and fieldtrips, and noticing connections such as, roly-polies and slugs are usually found in cooler damp places and when the grass turns brown. Caring for the environment relates to what is within children’s control—leaving spaces cleaner than we found them by cleaning up after ourselves and not messing up others (Nature’s) work. I believe that if children develop a love for the natural world they will be good stewards as they grow older—to the extent that is appropriate for their age and if they have the information about how their actions can reduce negative environmental changes. For example, children may litter without thinking about where the trash should go. In early childhood we can teach children to tidy up after themselves in all areas, creating a habit. If in addition children have opportunities to observe wildlife–plants and animals, from ants to birds to deer—they may develop a love of nature, and can reason that they want to clean up to preserve it.
Can you feel connected to nature as an adult if you haven’t experienced this as a child? Can anyone tell me about adults who are now inclined to be outside but were nature/environmentally deprived as children? I’m wondering about how much nature is enough when I compare some of the programs I work in to programs I’ve read about which operate outdoors, all day, every day, except in extreme weather, such as Cedarsong Nature School in Vashon Island in Washington state. Watch videos about learning these children are doing in the woods from KOMO4 News and the Seattle Times in Seattle, WA and read the news articles to get a bit more detail: Mike Esterl ‘s article in the April 14, 2008, Wall Street Journal describes a parent’s attitude toward a possible danger of forest schools–ticks, and Rosemary Bennett’s article in the October 6, 2009, Sunday Times about forest schools in Europe, including the Secret Garden Nursery in the Howe of Fife, in Scotland.
Jenny, Australian preschool teacher at “a progressive school nestled in the beautiful Australian bush” and blogger, shares other sites:
Mother Earth School in Portland, OR, the Carp Ridge Forest Preschool near Carp, Ontario, the Tusseladden nursery program in Norway, and the “I Ur och Skur” program in Sweden.
Some early childhood programs such as Shining Star Waldorf School in Portland, OR and Mountain View Parent Nursery School in Mountain View, CA, offer a one-day-a-week outdoor program in addition to an indoor-outdoor preschool program.
“As children ran their palms along the rough bark of horse chestnut trees or gently cradled a toad, they would have experiences unavailable to them at school, with potential to augment and enrich their classroom science curriculum.” Read more about a collaboration which supported children’s growing understanding of science inquiry and basic life science concepts in A Walk in the Woods in the October 2010 issue of Science and Children. Authors Cindy Hoisington, Nancy Sableski, and Imelda DeCosta fully describe the Head Start-Arboretum project, not an all outdoor preschool but a series of four fieldtrips, offering us a path to follow into the woods.
Full disclosure: As a child I spent many happy hours in the woods behind my house after school and in the summer and I am definitely biased towards spending time in nature!
Peggy
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-09-24
As part of the district’s induction program, I coordinate a monthly seminar for new science teachers. The seminar features veteran teachers who share their experiences with a given topic or strategy, followed by a discussion. The topic of assessment is coming up. Do you have any insights or resources to share?
—Todd, Wichita, Kansas
“Are you teaching today or are the students doing a lab or just taking a test?” I used to dread this question from a former principal when he wanted to observe a class. He was implying the only classroom activities worth observing were lectures or large group activities. But I fooled him! One time I asked him to observe during a performance assessment. To his credit, he came to appreciate that evaluating student learning is an important part of a teacher’s performance.
How do we know what the students are learning? We can wait until the yearly state exams (assuming they cover science), give our own final or end-of-course exam, or use unit tests or final projects. These summative assessments are fine, but they don’t tell us which students are having problems or developing misconceptions during the course or unit. Formative assessments can provide “just-in-time” information on what students know or can do. These include traditional quizzes and assignments, but can also include informal “thumbs up” questions, journal entries, or bell-ringer activities. I would recommend the book Science Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning from NSTA Press.
Many students see assessment as something that happens so teachers can assign a grade at the end of a marking period. Perhaps we haven’t done a very good job of identifying the purposes of assessment? In his research on effective instruction, Robert Marzano found setting goals and providing feedback were among several effective strategies in improving student learning. The type of feedback we provide on assessment tasks is also important. If all students see are red checkmarks, circles around misspelled words, and a “grade” at the top of the page, it’s no wonder they crumple the paper or stuff it into a notebook without paying much attention. It’s important to provide feedback that is more informative than a smiley face or simply saying “good job” or “try harder.” Instead, focus specifically on what the student did well or how the student could improve. Examples include “You supported your conclusion with evidence from the lab,” “Using a diagram to compare and contrast plant and animal cells was a great idea,” or “Data in a table easier are to understand if the numbers line up. Please revise this table.” If you would like more information on what informative feedback looks like, see Feedback That Fits from the December 2007/January 2008 edition of Educational Leadership This issue has several other assessment articles available online that could be discussion starters.
Rubrics are another way to provide useful feedback to students. Many of the articles in NSTA’s Science & Children, Science Scope, and The Science Teacher include rubrics for the activities described within. Visit SciLinks and search for “assessment” to find a list of useful websites. Many of these relate to reading and writing in science, but there are also some great rubrics resources. The Rubrics and Rubric Maker website has many suggestions for rubrics that can be adapted for science and other subjects and for a variety of assessment types.
PALS (Performance Assessment Links in Science) is another site science teachers should check out. There are dozens of performance assessment tasks, organized by standard, grade level, and topic. Each one references one or more of the National Science Education Standards. Each assessment includes a detailed description, a student handout with places to record data and observations, a scoring rubric, and the results of any formal validation. The best part is there are examples of actual student work at each of the rubric levels. Wouldn’t it be interesting for a department or grade level to choose several of these to use throughout the year to assess (and discuss) student performance? And they’re ready for us to use!
Photograph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46632302@N06/4279477491/
As part of the district’s induction program, I coordinate a monthly seminar for new science teachers. The seminar features veteran teachers who share their experiences with a given topic or strategy, followed by a discussion. The topic of assessment is coming up. Do you have any insights or resources to share?
—Todd, Wichita, Kansas
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-09-22
Yesterday afternoon was one of those beautiful fall days here in the Northeast—clear blue skies, low humidity, a cool breeze, and leaves starting to change color. So what was I doing? I was logged in to a webinar that was a joint presentation by NSTA and ISTE: Planning for Technology Integration in the Science Classroom with the School 2.0 E-toolkit and Other Resources. (But I was on the porch with my laptop.)
Chris O’Neal gave a guided tour of the U.S. Department of Education’s School 2.0 eToolkit, which has a wealth of free resources to help teachers, principals, and tech coordinators with technology integration in the classroom. I’ve explored a small portion, and it looks like a useful tool to start conversations about the kind of lifelong education that is part of the 21st century. Then Flavio Mendez from NSTA showed participants how to navigate and explore NSTA’s Learning Center with tools and resources that are designed to help educators identify content knowledge gaps and document their professional growth. This Center is just getting bigger and better. Mike Odell from Texas shared his experiences using the Learning Center with a group of teachers as part of a professional development project. It gave me some ideas for PD projects with which I’m currently involved.
This fall is also a great time to experience astronomical phenomena. The beginning of autumn coincides with a full moon, producing the legendary Harvest Moon. And we have our Closest Encounter with Jupiter Until 2022. I was outside the other evening with my binoculars and saw four of Jupiter’s moons! I brought out my spotting scope (repurposed from birdwatching) for a closer look, and we soon had an impromptu “Jupiter Party” with some neighbors.
NSTA’s Science Scope journal takes a monthly look at topics in astronomy in the “Scope on the Skies” feature. This might also be a good time to review the concept of equinoxes and the “reasons for the seasons” (and clear up some misconceptions). For more information on these topics and others related to astronomy, check out a special set of websites in SciLinks. One of my favorites here is NASA Quest, which has many learning activities in astronomy and the atmospheric sciences for grades K-12. One of my morning rituals is listening to StarDate program on my local public radio station. At the website, you can listen to the daily program, download podcasts of the programs, read current astronomy news, and get lesson plans, classroom activities, and lots of visuals. Of course, if you have particular topics in mind related to astronomy, you can log into SciLinks and search for particular keywords.
I’d also suggest two other sources. One of my favorite sites is Windows to the Universe. This site (many sections of which are in the SciLinks database) takes a comprehensive look at the universe and Earth’s place in it. There are many graphics, lesson plan ideas, and the site is available in Spanish, too. Another good source is Teachers’ Domain. Use the index to get multimedia resources and lesson plan ideas on the topic of “Earth in the Universe.”
Speaking of technology, ASCD’s blog is taking a trip down memory lane with a reprint of the 1980 article Potential and Limits of Computers in Schools. Considering the advancements in technology over the past 30 years (many teachers were not even born when this article was published), it makes fascinating reading.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drumsnwhistles/262106452/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Yesterday afternoon was one of those beautiful fall days here in the Northeast—clear blue skies, low humidity, a cool breeze, and leaves starting to change color. So what was I doing? I was logged in to a webinar that was a joint presentation by NSTA and ISTE: Planning for Technology Integration in the Science Classroom with the School 2.0 E-toolkit and Other Resources. (But I was on the porch with my laptop.)