By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-02-27
There was an interesting article recently in eSchool News. Survey: Educators aren’t discussing STEM careers with students reports on a survey of students who basically said that their teachers make the content interesting, but they don’t always make the connection to science and engineering as careers.
To access the entire article, you need to subscribe to eSchool News, (it’s free). This is a useful publication for teachers and administrators, and there are articles related to general education topics, as well as STEM ones, notices about grants, free webinars, news articles, and other announcements of interest. It’s worth skimming or getting the email alerts.
Rather than devote an entire unit to “science careers,” there are ways to incorporate ideas into regular units of instruction. Some textbooks have career/interview with a scientist at the end of the chapters. When you use SciLinks, search on the keyword “careers” for information related to biology, earth science, physics, chemistry, public health for your grade level. Or filter a list on any topic by checking the “career” box.
Some of the sites describe the requirements for a career (e.g., education), salaries, employers, etc. (See Careers in Chemistry as an example. Others describe real-life research projects and include interviews, journals, and photographs of real scientists and engineers at work. For example, the 5-8 topic Oceanography has the site Dive and Discover, which shadows the research of oceanographers.
With SciLinks you can also make a list of “favorites” for students to explore as a learning station or on their own. Another NSTA product to consider is the book All in a Day’s Work: Careers Using Science. According to the author, this book “will help you give students an exciting look at the vast array of jobs built on a foundation of science.”
Parents have a role to play, too, in encouraging students to pursue careers in STEM, according to another study presented at an AAAS meeting.
There was an interesting article recently in eSchool News. Survey: Educators aren’t discussing STEM careers with students reports on a survey of students who basically said that their teachers make the content interesting, but they don’t always make the connection to science and engineering as careers.
By Claire Reinburg
Posted on 2010-02-26
The melting snow piles outside NSTA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, provide daily reminders of the D.C. area’s record 2010 snowfall (locally dubbed Snowmageddon). Like many teachers in other parts of the country, we’re watching for green shoots and planning for spring. What better way to spend the remaining days of winter than planning how to take science learning outdoors as soon as you can? Right on time for winter-weary teachers, author and state science supervisor Steve Rich packs outdoor activities and novel teaching strategies into his new NSTA Press book Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide. In Steve’s book, you’ll find lessons about seeds, birds, and butterflies as well as new ways to incorporate reading and writing into your science lessons. He emphasizes educational benefits students experience from increased opportunities to connect with nature and explore the natural world. On another level, as 2008-09 NSTA President Page Keeley points out in the foreword, “In an era of standards and accountability, we need to think outside the box for new ways to make learning accessible to students. What better way to do that than to take ‘the box’ outside!” Take a look inside Steve’s engaging book by browsing the sample chapter we’ve posted in the Science Store: “Birds, Bugs, and Butterflies: Science Lessons for Your Outdoor Classroom.”
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-02-25
I will be attending the NSTA national conference for the first time. And while I am really excited, I am also nervous. Can you give a newbie some advice on how to approach the conference? I want to make the most of this experience.
—Krishna, Chicago, IL
Attending this event is a wonderful professional experience. I assume you’ve registered, made arrangements for lodging and transportation, and have your lesson plans ready for the substitute.
There are a few other things you should do before you go:
Some hints on what to take:
More suggestions for while you’re at the conference
At the Conference:
Back Home:
Does anybody else have tips for conference newbies? Please leave a comment.
By Howard Wahlberg
Posted on 2010-02-24
What’s New, 2/22/2010
On our listservs, there are great conversations about meiosis and fruit flies on our Biology list, reaction rates on our Chemistry list, teaching seasons and stars on our Earth Science list, density on our General Science list, and toilets (yes, you read that correctly) on our Physics list.
In the NSTA online professional learning communities, there is a great discussion going on in the forums attached to the Aha Moments Group about teaching cell cycles.
On our “core site” (www.nsta.org): everyone’s gearing up for our National Conference on Science Education this March 17 – 21 in Philadelphia. Write your own declaration of independence and join your fellow educators this March in Philadelphia!
On Facebook, lots of folks have been discussing plans for the National Conference.
On Linkedin, you can now find a jobs subgroup, that re-posts all of the listings on the NSTA Career Center.
And of course all our science educator Tweeps are tweeting and re-tweeting about all the free resources available to science educators from NSTA!
What’s New, 2/22/2010
On our listservs, there are great conversations about meiosis and fruit flies on our Biology list, reaction rates on our Chemistry list, teaching seasons and stars on our Earth Science list, density on our General Science list, and toilets (yes, you read that correctly) on our Physics list.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-02-23
I currently teach third grade, and I’m a candidate for National Board Certification (NBC) for Generalist/Middle Childhood (7–12 year olds). I would like advice for studying for the Knowledge of Science assessment. I’d also appreciate any other tips for preparing for this certification.
—Lori, Evanston, Illinois
According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) website, the Knowledge of Science exercise for your certification area states: In this exercise, you demonstrate your ability to identify and understand fundamental concepts and principles in science. You are asked to respond to a student’s inquiry about a real-world phenomenon by identifying scientific concepts and principles that are related to the real-world phenomenon. You are also asked to describe an appropriate learning experience with a rationale that will provide student understanding of a concept/principle that relates to the real-world phenomenon.
I don’t have much first-hand experience with the certification process, so I contacted some National Board Certified Teachers for their suggestions.
Amy Fowler Murphy
Lee-Rhodes goes on to describe the NBC process as one of reflection and analysis: what did I do, why did I make the choices I made for instruction, how did those choices play out with my students, did my students reach the learning goals, how did I know they achieved understanding, how did I design follow-up instruction to meet student needs, and what (if anything) would I do differently in the future? NBC is a process, not a single event. The process of analyzing and reflecting on your work with students can result in profound changes to your professional self-image and professional practice. It requires honesty and a “no excuses” approach to evaluate what you do.
I’d like to thank our colleagues for their input. All of them join me in encouraging your efforts in this professional development milestone. If anyone else has additional suggestions, please add a comment!
I currently teach third grade, and I’m a candidate for National Board Certification (NBC) for Generalist/Middle Childhood (7–12 year olds). I would like advice for studying for the Knowledge of Science assessment. I’d also appreciate any other tips for preparing for this certification.
—Lori, Evanston, Illinois
By Debra Shapiro
Posted on 2010-02-23
English-language learners…gifted and talented…female/male…minority…urban…rural…special needs—so many diverse groups of students; so little time to reach them all.
How to do it? One way is by differentiating instruction. Educators with experience in differentiated instruction will share their techniques with you at the NSTA National Conference in Philadelphia.
Here’s a sample of the sessions on this topic (use the Session Browser to find more):
And if you’re a school leader, the conference has a session just for you: Differentiated Leadership: Leading With Learning Styles in Mind (March 19). You’ll hear about a way to identify your teachers’ core beliefs so you can craft a differentiated plan for effective leadership. Because different teachers need different strokes, too.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-02-22
Consider the facility that students have with electronic communications and games. They somehow had to “learn” how to use these tools and figure out the rules and strategies of the games. But I heard some teachers talking about how “students do not want to learn.” The evidence the teachers had for their statement was their observation that “Students don’t do their assignments.”
But I wonder what the connection is between a student’s desire to learn and the tasks we require of them. How do we choose or design learning activities that will build on students’ prior knowledge, experiences, skills, and strengths while meeting their needs? Do we as teachers ever provide students with any choices or input into what they are learning and how they learn?
Although teachers may provide a variety of activities, several articles in this issue show a structured and systematic design can lead to increased student engagement and learning. Unit Pages: Differentiation for Students describes how students can be scaffolded into taking more responsibility for their learning. Differentiation Through Choice has examples of a strategy called a “think-tac-toe” which provides students with several alternatives to demonstrate their learning. (I’ve also seen this strategy described as a “choice board.”) Check out the websites of Carol Tomlinson for more on differentiation and Kathie Nunley for more on layered curriculum.
Other articles in this issue describe how to support middle-schoolers as they use inquiry and literacy processes: Getting Students to be Successful, Independent Investigators and Science & Literacy: Tools for Life. Other articles look at the use of commercial video games, visual formative assessments, webquests, photographic scavenger hunts, and how to restructure group discussions more equitably.
The February 2010 issue of Educational Leadership from ASCD also has several articles related to differentiation. Most require a subscription, but there are two that are available to all: What Research Says About Differentiated Learning and From Apathy to Mastery
And don’t forget that with SciLinks you can find a variety of resources to tap into student interests and skill levels.
Consider the facility that students have with electronic communications and games. They somehow had to “learn” how to use these tools and figure out the rules and strategies of the games. But I heard some teachers talking about how “students do not want to learn.” The evidence the teachers had for their statement was their observation that “Students don’t do their assignments.”
By Debra Shapiro
Posted on 2010-02-19
Are you an urban or rural educator seeking pearls of wisdom for engaging your students? Plan to attend the NSTA National Conference in Philadelphia. The conference will give you those “pearls” through a strand of sessions entitled Meeting the Unique Needs of Urban and Rural Learners.
High school teachers, pick up some classroom and field activities and see how you can help urban students make the connection between their local environment and weather conditions (Thursday, March 18). Teach chemistry? Learn how urban high school teachers used a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to boost students’ chemistry participation (also taking place on March 18).
Elementary teachers, have any budding engineers in your classroom? Come to Philly and hear about some strategies for integrating standards-based, interdisciplinary engineering activities your urban students will enjoy (Friday, March 19). Middle level educators, find out how to use interactive notebooks to inspire your urban and rural young scientists, and even create your own version (Saturday, March 20).
And don’t miss featured speaker Garland L. Thompson on Saturday. In his Shell Science Seminar, Talent Knows No Color Line, this noted television commentator, law professor, and reporter will share his experiences selecting STEM competition winners who have “scaled hurdles our society says are insurmountable.”
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-02-15
Teachers use several strategies at the end of the school year. One strategy is to try to cram in as many topics as possible in an effort to “cover” everything. Other teachers use culminating or capstone projects to integrate concepts and give students a chance to use what they’ve learned in science (and other subjects). Environmental investigations are a natural for these projects. The projects described in this issue highlight the students’ research questions and how they share the results of their authentic investigations:
The “Green” Root Beer Laboratory demonstrates an activity to promote environmental awareness in the classroom along with questions about consumerism, recycling, advertising, sources of food products, and nutrition. And it results in a useful product!
Investigating Aquatic Dead Zones incorporates concepts from chemistry and physics in a water study. SciLinks has additional information and suggestions in the collection of links for Ocean Pollution.
I went to a session at the 2008 NSTA conference in Boston by the authors of The Urban Green Tree Project. I was impressed then by the potential for this project, and it was interesting to see what this “looks like” in a real school.
After digging out of 30+ inches of snow here in the Northeast The CORALS Connection looks like a tropical topic. SciLinks has more resources on Coral Reefs. Current maps of snow depths or other weather conditions show that on February 14, every state in the continental US had some snow cover!!).
Many of these projects, including the field ecology course described in Meet Us Outside! could be implemented as a supplemental summer term project, too. All of these authors provide suggestions for how (and why) to incorporate these investigations into a busy schedule. The projects described in this issue are authentic inquiry/research projects related to environmental topics. You may also be interested in activities in the February issue of Science and Children, in which younger students investigate local watersheds and soils.
Encyclopedia of Earth may look like a blog or wiki, but according to the article in this issue, it’s a peer-reviewed work based at Boston University and operated in partnership with the National Council for Science and the Environment with articles written by reputable authors. Many articles have been individually added to SciLinks, but the entire, searchable site is a valuable resource.
If you’re reading this, you already know about blogs. Create a Classroom Blog looks at blogs as way of sharing and interacting among students, using an authentic technology tool. For example, in a class I observed, the teacher created a blog for students to add their reflections, comments, summaries, or conclusions about their projects and investigations. The students could read what others posted, and the teacher could add comments right to the document. The article has suggestions for sites to host blogs at no cost. Unfortunately, blogs are blocked in some schools. I’m curious about that: Shouldn’t the teacher have a say in what resources are (or are not) available to them?
Regardless of the grade level you teach, bookmark the NSTA Portal: Safety in the Science Classroom with lists for secondary and elementary schools. Many of these resources are also in SciLinks topic Safety in the Science Classroom. Check out the Connections for this issue. Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, the authors provide handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, or examples of student work that may give you some ideas. And NSTA Recommends has more resources related to climate change and “teaching green.”
Teachers use several strategies at the end of the school year. One strategy is to try to cram in as many topics as possible in an effort to “cover” everything. Other teachers use culminating or capstone projects to integrate concepts and give students a chance to use what they’ve learned in science (and other subjects).