So what’s the connection between growth mindset and NGSS? It begins with our own mindsets. We need to know that the implementation of NGSS will be hard work. We will struggle, have a small success, then find ourselves back in the struggle again. For example, you taught a lesson on transfer of energy, and you are feeling pretty good until you realize that you didn’t even begin to address the crosscutting concepts. As teachers, we need to be okay with that. We have to give ourselves and the colleagues with whom we’re collaborating the permission to make mistakes and try again.

Mistakes equal learning for us as educators. Every time we grapple with a new situation, make a mistake, and learn from it, we grow brain neurons. So not only are we growing our mindset, but we are also growing our brains. Pretty impressive for an experienced educator to consider: I am really still learning!

The same is true for our students. We have to be ready to encourage risk taking among our students and to help foster the growth mindset and culture of learning and respect in the classroom. We will have to help students unlearn some of their expectations that you, the teacher, are going to give them the answer. Students will need to see that grappling with concepts is where the real learning happens. Students will need to be praised for work they do, when they persevere and develop a deep understanding, and solve meaningful, relevant problems.

I wanted to know what others thought about this topic, so I sought other educators’ opinions, and this is some of what I heard:

I agree wholeheartedly. It is a work in progress, as all new initiatives are: Grab your bearings and hold on. It’s not going to be easy. But in theory, it’s just applying the best teaching techniques from your personal teacher toolbox. (Third-grade teacher Tricia Dennis)

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been playing with NGSS for [more than two] years, and now officially have one semester of our actual NGSS physics class under my belt. I have learned and reflected on so much and have found huge growth as a professional during this process. I am actually grateful for the change. It is really forcing me to rethink my practice and step outside my comfort zone. (High school science teacher, Teacher on Special Assignment, Becky McKinney)

I agree. Students are asked to continually and iteratively improve explanations for phenomena and designs that solve problems. I don’t think you can even start day [one] of any unit without understanding how critical it is to support and foster all students in seeking improvement. (Regional Science Coordinator Brian MacNevin)

Agree. For both students and teachers. It’s a requirement for the ideas of revision and essential to inquiry. Students need it as they try things that haven’t been done before, and teachers need to foster it in their students and themselves as they seek to differentiate and match education to students’ prior knowledge and experience. (High school science teacher and NGSS Instructional Coach Janet Lee)

Last but not least are the words from my NGSS eduhero:

It is absolutely critical. As you’ve heard me say, there must be a sliding scale of quality as we implement new standards. I know them as well as anyone, yet I still learn something new all the time. You just have to know to look for and expect growth. (Stephen Pruitt, Commissioner of Education at the Kentucky Department of Education)

We need to remember this transitioning to NGSS is a journey or a sliding scale of improvement, as Stephen says. We need to give ourselves and our students permission to be learners and builders of understanding on this journey.

Interesting Resources to Check Out

• Decades of Scientific Research That Started a Mindset Revolution
• Mindsets and Math/Science Achievement
• Nudges That Help Struggling Students to Succeed
• Do You Have a Growth Mindset
• Mindset Resources on Facebook

_______________________________________

Kathy Renfrew

Kathy Renfrew is the field editor for Next Gen Navigator. She is K-5 Science coordinator on the Proficiency Based Learning Team at the Vermont Agency of Education, as well as an NGSS@NSTA curator and online advisor in the NSTA Learning Center. She is also worked with a committee of educators and Achieve to develop model content frameworks for elementary science, particularly for grades 4 and 5. Kathy previously taught grades 4 through 6 in a self-contained classroom for more than 30 years. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and a 2000 recipient of the elementary Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. 

 

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 National Conference

• Los Angeles: March 30–April 2, 2017

STEM Forum & Expo

• Kissimmee/Orlando: July 12–14, 2017

Follow NSTA

 

 

Last year was the warmest year on record. Consequences of a warmer world include melting glaciers, rising sea levels, droughts, flooding, heat waves, and extreme weather. But how does climate change affect our food?

Time magazine describes a “climate-change diet” that may force us to give up some popular foods made scarce by warmer temperatures and extreme weather (Worland 2016). Conversely, some food sources actually benefit from increased temperatures or more atmospheric CO₂. For example, potato crops in Northern Europe have a longer growing season these days.

Still, other food species may suffer. Coffee, for example, is sensitive to increased drought conditions and pest populations. Many commercially valuable fish species in the United States have moved north to cooler waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that American lobster, red hake, and black sea bass have moved up the east coast by more than 161 km since the late 1960s. Atlantic cod populations have declined for several decades due to warmer ocean temperatures (Meng, Oremus, and Gaines 2016). The EPA offers an excellent summary of climate impacts on our food supply.

Climate change and crops
To look specifically at the effects of climate change on crops, use the climate hot map produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Or check out National Geographic’s graphical depiction and explanation of climate change effects on crop production around the world. Finally, the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future has developed an extensive agriculture curriculum with a climate change lesson plan that covers the basics of climate change and its effects on food production.

Climate change and fish
Have your students listen to an 11-minute podcast featuring Roger Griffis, climate change coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. He presents a firsthand account of how fisheries respond to changes in fish populations.

For a chemistry perspective, students can watch a video about the effect of ocean acidification on shellfish harvests. Allow your students to explore the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences OceanAdapt website. Changes in distribution are clearly visible for more than 100 marine species, and students can plot data by species, region, date, latitude, and depth.

Conclusion
Although it is unclear exactly what a “climate-change diet” may be, evidence shows that warmer temperatures affect our food supply. What we eat and where those species live are among the many changes at hand in this warming world.

Amanda Beckrich (aabeckrich@gmail.com) is the Upper School assistant director, International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program coordinator, and an environmental science teacher at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, South Carolina.

References
Meng, K.C., K.L. Oremus, and S.D. Gaines. 2016. New England cod collapse and the climate. PLoS ONE 11 (7): e0158487.
Worland, J. Time. 2016. The Climate-Change Diet. December 26.

Editor’s Note

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of The Science Teacher journal from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Get Involved With NSTA!

Join NSTA today and receive The Science Teacher,
the peer-reviewed journal just for high school teachers; to write for the journal, see our Author Guidelines, Call for Papers, and annotated sample manuscript; connect on the high school level science teaching list (members can sign up on the list server); or consider joining your peers at future NSTA conferences.

Administration’s Proposal Funds School Choice, Eliminates ESSA Title II and Afterschool Programs

President Trump released his “skinny budget” on Thursday, March 16 and as expected, the budget increases defense and security but cuts funding for key education programs.

The 2018 Budget proposes $59 billion for the Department of Education, a $9.2 billion cut to the Education Department’s $68 billion budget, which would cut agency spending by 13 percent below the 2017 CR level.

Funding for the two largest education programs—Title I (low income) and IDEA (special education)—was not cut. Trump’s plan seeks funding to expand choice options in public and private schools; he is proposing a $168 million increase for Charter Schools Program grants and a new $250 million private school choice program.

It would also increase Title I funds by $1 billion, with the funding available for “encouraging districts to adopt a system of student-based budgeting and open enrollment that enables federal, state and local funding to follow the student to the public school of his or her choice.” It is unclear what the intent of the funding would be, language in ESSA would allow 50 school districts to try out weighted student funding formulas which would consolidate federal, state, and local funding into one pot that would be allocated based on students’ needs. This suggests the creation of Title I portability programs, an idea/program which has been soundly rejected by Congress in previous years.

In the budget proposal, the Administration calls for the elimination of the $2.4 billion Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program, which is Title II under ESSA (and was Title II under No Child Left Behind). Title II funds are used by schools and districts to improve teacher and principal quality and are primarily used to support teacher professional development. Read NSTA’s reaction to the budget here.

The President also calls for eliminating the $1.2 billion 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool program.  During a press conference on the budget, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said “there’s no demonstrable evidence” that afterschool programs help students. The Afterschool Alliance reaction is here.

There is no specific mention of funding in this “skinny budget” for programs under Title IVA Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program. The fate of this program is unclear since a larger budget proposal with more detail is expected to be released in early May.

The budget also proposes major reductions in funding for NIH, climate science, and other science-related programs across multiple agencies. Read more on the budget for science here. 

In a statement announcing the budget, Secretary DeVos said, ”Today’s Budget Blueprint keeps with President Trump’s promise to focus the U.S. Department of Education on its mission to serve students. The budget places power in the hands of parents and families to choose schools that are best for their children by investing an additional $1.4 billion in school choice programs.”

It is important to remember that this budget proposal is just that and that Congress will make the final decision on how these programs are funded (or not). 

Read the Washington Post overview of the entire budget proposal. 

Secretary DeVos Issues Revised Template for State ESSA Plans

Secretary DeVos has issued a consolidated state plan template for state education leaders that lays out the information that is “absolutely necessary” for their ESSA plans.

As reported in the March 10th issue of the NSTA Legislative Update, the Senate and House have both overturned accountability regulations finalized last fall governing how school performance is judged under the new law. The accountability regulations were intended to direct the work of state stakeholders creating new plans required under ESSA to track low income students and intervene in high risk schools.

Democrats claim that the accountability rules were in place to ensure that states weigh students’ test scores and graduation rates heavily when they calculate which schools are succeeding and which are failing. Republicans said the accountability rules were an overreach, and that states should follow what was outlined in the ESSA statute.

Most states are working on their ESSA plans and must submit them either in April or September to meet federal deadlines (the April date was extended to May).

 To view where your state is with their ESSA plan activities, go to ASCD’s ESSA State Implementation Map. Learn more about how you can ensure STEM is part of ESSA at www.successwithstem.org. To read more about the Secretary’s revised template go here.

STEM education Focus of Senate Appropriations Hearing

Finally, last week four witnesses—including NSTA member and NSELA Executive Director Larry Plank—testified before the Senate Labor HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee about the need for continued investments in STEM education. Click here for highlights from the STEM Education Coalition and see Planks testimony (at 42 mins) here.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is the Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Follow NSTA

The Association of American Publishers PreK–12 Learning Group has just announced 2017’s winners of the prestigious REVERE Awards, education publishing’s highest honors. The 2017 REVERE Awards honor print and electronic resources for PreK–12 teachers and learners in the classroom setting and beyond. Browse this year’s best of the best in educational resources in AAP’s gallery of 2017 REVERE Award winners and finalists, including these seven NSTA publications.

Supplemental Resources

NSTA Press’s book Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers in Middle School: Using Nonfiction to Promote Science Literacy, Grades 6-8, by Terry Shiverdecker and Jessica Fries-Gaither, is Winner of the REVERE Award for Supplemental Resources–Interdisciplinary Resources. These research-based, classroom-tested lessons integrate all aspects of literacy (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing) with engaging science activities for middle school students. The authors show that embedding nonfiction text and literacy activities into inquiry-based science honors the best practices of both disciplines. The lively activities cover topics from sunlight and the seasons to chemistry, toys, and accidental inventions, all presented in ways so students see the relevance and importance of science in everyday life.

Professional Resources

NSTA’s eBooks+ Nutrition, is Winner of the REVERE Award for Professional Resources–Innovation. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires making informed decisions about personal nutrition using information backed by scientific research. Nutrition, a highly interactive, self-directed professional learning experience, provides an overview of how food, nutrients, and energy are used by the body and how other factors contribute to making healthful choices. Rich with dynamic multimedia, interactive enhancements, and pedagogy, this e-book immerses educators in learning about nutrition. NSTA’s eBooks+ Rocks is honored as a Finalist this year. The Rocks eBooks+ studies different kinds and categories of rocks, the major formation processes, and the cyclical nature of formation and transformation of rock. A third NSTA eBooks+, Discover the NGSS, is also honored in the category of Professional Resources–Instruction and Classroom Practice. Discover the NGSS: Primer and Unit Planner offers a comprehensive introduction to the Next Generation Science Standards. This interactive e-book undertakes an exploration of the three dimensions of the NGSS—the science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Using numerous interactive elements, learners analyze classroom videos, answer questions, and develop arguments from evidence while becoming proficient at understanding the structure and significance of the three dimensions.

In the category of Professional Resources–Specific Learning Populations, NSTA Press book Science Learning in the Early Years: Activities for PreK-2, by Peggy Ashbrook, is Winner of the REVERE Award. Engaging children in science activities in the early years capitalizes on their inquisitiveness while introducing them to key skills they’ll use through a lifetime of learning and investigation. This book provides more than 40 activities, all clearly presented and developmentally appropriate for young scientists PreK to 2. Throughout, the author’s focus is on play-based delightful experiences for early childhood learners that enhance and maintain children’s natural curiosity and abilities. The winning book encompasses many of Ashbrook’s writings in her Early Years columns for NSTA’s elementary journal Science and Children. Honored as a Finalist in the category Professional Resources– Subject Areas is NSTA Press book Uncovering Student Ideas in Earth and Environmental Science: 32 New Formative Assessment Probes, by Page Keeley and Laura Tucker.  Formative assessment probes give teachers an easy way to uncover ideas and misconceptions students have about a particular topic. Armed with this information, teachers can structure learning experiences that guide students to deeper understanding. This book offers assessment tools about key areas of Earth and environmental science such as water cycle, weather, climate, weathering and erosion, pollution, and human impact. Included are field-tested teacher materials that provide science background and link to national standards. This volume is the latest addition to Keeley’s 10-volume Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series.

Magazines

The Science Teacher, NSTA’s journal for high school teachers, is Winner of the Magazines: Editorial–Departments and Sections REVERE Award for the “Focus on Physics” column. A new column launched in 2016, “Focus on Physics” uses cartoonish drawings and clearly written text to help teachers build an understanding of physical principles among their students. The Science Teacher sought out Paul G. Hewitt, author of a popular physics textbook, to write and illustrate this column.

Each year the REVERE Awards honor the best in education resources and draws attention to the rich array of high-quality teaching materials developed across the educational publishing community. Congratulations to the authors and to the NSTA Press Books, NSTA eBooks+, and NSTA Journals editorial, design, and production teams on these seven Winner and Finalist honors in the 2017 REVERE Awards. For the full list of the 2017 Winners and Finalists, visit the REVERE Awards pages.

This week in education news, girls now make up about half the enrollment in high school STEM classes; new proposed California bill would exempt teachers from paying state income taxes; U.S. Education Secretary releases new ESSA guidelines; results of the Illinois’ state science test delayed more than a year; and the Trump Administration proposes a $9 billion cut to the U.S. Department of Education.

Girls Draw Even With Boys In High School STEM Classes, But Still Lag In College And Careers

Thanks to long-standing efforts by teachers, administrators and nonprofits, girls now make up about half the enrollment in high-school science and math classes. But progress lags beyond the walls of high schools. The percentage of women majoring in STEM fields at California State University, for example, has remained a steady 37 percent since 2007, even though women make up 55 percent of all undergraduates. Click here to read the article featured in EdSource.

California Bill Would Exempt Veteran Teachers From State Income Taxes

Two California state senators think the solution to the state’s teacher shortages can be found in its tax code. Senate Bill 807 would exempt teachers with more than five years of experience from paying state income taxes for the next ten years. That would essentially give every veteran teacher a 4 percent to 6 percent raise overnight. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Releases New ESSA Guidelines

In a letter sent this week to chief state school officers, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released a new form for states to use in developing their accountability plans for the ESSA. Read the letter here and click here to read the official statement issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

Results Of Illinois State Science Test Delayed More Than A Year

Illinois schools will have to wait until at least summer 2017 to get the results of the state science tests students took in 2016. More than 400,000 students took the inaugural Illinois Science Assessment last year, which was administered to students in fifth and eighth grades and to students who took biology and advanced biology in high school. Click here to read the article featured in the Naperville Sun.

Senate Committee Pushes ‘Religious Expression’ Bill Forward

Sen. Dennis Baxley promises his religious expression in public schools legislation will “let freedom ring,” but opponents worry about what they describe as the bill’s vague language. The bill, SB 436, and its companion legislation, HB 303, narrowly moved forward at Tuesday’s judiciary committee meeting in a 5-4 vote. Click here to read the article featured on TCPalm.com.

Trump Budget Would Make Massive Cuts To Education Department, But Boost School Choice

President Donald Trump’s first budget seeks to slash the Education Department’s roughly $68 billion budget by $9 billion, or 13 percent in the coming fiscal year, cutting popular programs that help districts offer after-school programs, and hire and train teachers. At the same time, it seeks a historic $1.4 billlon federal investment in school choice, including new money for private school vouchers and charter schools, as well as directing $1 billion to follow students to the school of their choice. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

Packed Crowd For Idaho Climate Change Hearing

A Boise Democrat who was blocked by a key Republican lawmaker from holding a legislative hearing on climate change succeeded in securing more than 500 attendees when she decided to host her own event at the Idaho Capitol. Click here to read the article by the Associated Press.

Embracing New Ways Of Teaching Science And Language With English Learners

Learning academic content can be a challenge for students who have not yet mastered the English language, especially when it comes to science. But too often, instruction with English learners focuses on the development of vocabulary and grammar rather than authentic engagement with science disciplines. New ideas of language learning call into question this narrow focus on vocabulary and grammar. Click here to read the article in Education DIVE.

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

Regardless of what grade level you teach, you the resources in this month’s journals can help make this summer’s eclipse a memorable occasion for your students. Not all students will be back to school on August 21, so this spring is a good time to spark their interest and provide resources.

• Science Teachers as Community Eclipse Outreach Agents
• Become a Solar Eclipse Outreach Agent

Each issue includes the 2016 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12.

The Science Teacher — Eclipse

“Planetary science is well worth revisiting in our high schools, if only to give students better understanding and appreciation of the majestic Sun-Earth-Moon system we experience every day,” according the TST editor. Especially since many for many high school students, there most recent exposure to Earth and Space Science may have been in middle school (or earlier). This summer’s eclipse is a good context to revisit and expand their experiences.

The lessons described in the articles include connections with the NGSS.

• Total Eclipse shows how this event can be an opportunity for 3-dimensional learning.
• Modeling the Eclipse has ideas for studying eclipses through observations, planetarium and virtual modeling, as well as mathematical and physical modeling,
• The authors of Chasing Shadows suggest that the upcoming eclipse is also an opportunity for students to study exoplanets and astronomical transits.
• In The Future of Energy, students use scientific argumentation to compare, analyze, and evaluate energy sources.
• Better Formative Assessment describes ways to analyze and assess student learning (and misconceptions).
• Science 2.0: Help Students Become Global Collaborators through citizen science projects.
• The Green Room: How Climate Change Affects Our Diet has resources to study the impact of climate change on crops, fishing, and other parts of the global food supply.
• Introducing students to the laws of physics can be done without an emphasis on computation. Focus on Physics: Teaching Physics as the Rules of Nature illustrates resources and graphics.

For more on the content that provides a context for projects and strategies described in this issue, see the SciLinks topics Climate Change, Eclipses, Food Crops, Life on Other Planets, Moon Phases, Planets, Sustainable Agriculture, Sunspots, Torricelli.

Continue for Science Scope and Science and Children.

Science Scope – Our Solar System and Beyond

“Helping students understand the celestial mechanics behind a solar eclipse is just one way that you explore our solar system to better appreciate how our home planet fits into the big picture.” From the Editor’s Desk: When a Shadow Sheds Light

Featured articles in this issue that describe lessons include a helpful sidebar (“At a Glance”) documenting the big idea, essential pre-knowledge, time, and cost. The lessons also include connections with the NGSS.

• Are You Dressed for a Spacewalk? Harnessing Student Interest in Space Exploration to Engage Them in Energy and Engineering taps into students’ interest in space with an engineering project to design a “space suit.”
• Even if you’re not in the path of the eclipse, The August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse: The Perfect Opportunity to Highlight Three-Dimensional Science Learning has ideas for helping students understand phases of the moon, partial eclipses, and why they occur so infrequently.
• Make your astronomy activities more inclusive with the ideas and resources in Skynet Junior Scholars: Authentic Astronomy for All, Including Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
• Moving Students Toward a More Accurate View of the Solar System goes beyond misconceptions about the size and scope of the solar system with modeling, questioning, and observing.
• Sunrise, Sunset: Using Personal Observations to Understand Changing Sun Patterns from an Earth Perspective looks at the positions of the Earth and sun and changes that can be observed.
• Citizen Science: Out of this World Citizen Science—Sun, Space, and Your Mission: Starlight describes a project from the Royal Society of Chemistry in which students around the world share their data from investigations into UV light.
• Disequilibrium: The Bernoulli Bag has a 5E lesson that shows the principle in action.
• Our colleagues share their resources and ideas in this month’s Listserv Roundup: Four Stellar Modeling Resources for Those Who Teach About the Sun and Solar System
• Scope on the Skies: Beyond Earth’s Orbit has background information on the topic.
• “Reasons for the seasons” is a classic study of student misconceptions, as described in Teacher to Teacher: Tackling Misconceptions About Seasons

For more on the content that provides a context for projects and strategies described in this issue, see the SciLinks topics Astronomy, Bernoulli’s Principle, Eclipses, Phases of the Moon, Seasons, Solar System, Space Exploration, Sun, Telescopes, UV Index

Science & Children – Getting Students Outdoors

“Whether it is a small plot of grassy area, the blacktop around the school, a park

down the street, a vast field, or a deck constructed over a marsh … get students outdoors.” The articles this month show interdisciplinary activities and learning experiences that take advantage of students’ interest in their surroundings.

The lessons described in the articles include connections with the NGSS.

• “Sometimes, creating an outdoor space means using existing natural spaces for creative and engaging experiences” such as those described in Down by the Bay — with ideas for other local studies.
• Waiting for the Monarch illustrates how to combine gardening with a study of butterflies and their metamorphosis, in the context of studying biodiversity.
• Junior BioBlitz Takes Learning Outside for elementary students and their communities as they learn about local biodiversity. The Early Years: Exploring Biodiversity has ideas for similar activities with young children.
• Our OASIS shows how to connect elementary and high school students through a summer science camp. The camp agenda is included, along with planning suggestions.
• Preparing for the Eclipse and Eclipses and Eye Safety have suggestions for viewing and studying the upcoming eclipse safely.
• Teaching Through Trade Books: Adaptations for Survival has two 5E lessons (and related books) for learning about plant adaptations for spreading seeds and animal adaptations for surviving harsh habitats as well as changing habitats.
• Science 101: Does the Weather Affect Your Body? What effects do temperature, humidity, air pressure have?

For more on the content that provides a context for projects and strategies described in this issue, see the SciLinks topics Adaptations of Animals, Biodiversity, Butterflies, Eclipse, Environment, Factors Affecting Plant Growth, Fossils, Marine Ecosystems, Metamorphosis, Weather

We all know that to enjoy a game, you must know the rules of the game. Likewise, to appreciate—and even comprehend—your environment, you must understand the rules of nature. Physics is the study of these rules, which show how everything in nature is beautifully interconnected. Physics taught as the rules of nature can be among the most relevant courses in any school, as educationally mainstream as English and history.

Mathematical need not mean computational
Physics has the reputation of being overly mathematical, intimidating many students who are otherwise attracted to science. My teaching experience tells me that it’s not mathematics per se but rather computation that intimidates students. That’s an important distinction. Every serious physics course is mathematical, containing equations. But it also can be noncomputational. By postponing problem solving until a follow-up course, an introductory, noncomputational physics course can be enjoyed by math whizzes and math weaklings alike.

Equations guide thinking
The laws of physics are central to any physics course and are expressed unambiguously in equation form (Figure 1). Although equations have traditionally been used as recipes for problem solving, they provide deeper insight when used as guides to thinking. A physics student can learn to “read” equations as a music student reads notes on a musical score.

Figure 1. The laws of nature are expressed in equations, behind each of which are fascinating stories.

Rather than writing Newton’s second law as F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration), I strongly suggest a = F/m, which is more like Newton expressed it. Then a student can see why a boulder and feather falling without air resistance (free fall) have equal accelerations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Just as the ratio C/D is the same for all circles, the ratio F/m is the same for all objects in free fall.

Any topic is better learned when related to what students already know. Students know the relationship between a circle’s diameter and circumference: C = πD. In ratio form, they see that whatever the size of a circle, the ratio C/D remains constant: π. Similarly, the ratio of gravitational force F to mass m for freely falling objects yields the constant g, the acceleration due to gravity.

Concepts before computation
When a teacher spends mere seconds on the concepts in an equation and many minutes on number crunching, students get the impression that physics is all about computation. Instead, focus on the concepts in equations and how they connect, with much less number crunching. Concepts first, computation second. Time normally spent on problem solving can be better allocated to an overview of physics. Then all students can enjoy what many of us already know: that physics can be a student’s most delightful course.

Examine the whole elephant before measuring its tail
A physics course can concentrate on a few topics in detail or many topics more generally. I prefer the latter—to study mechanics, properties of matter, heat, waves, light, radioactivity, nuclear fission and fusion, with some time devoted to Einstein’s relativity. A broad overview of physics is valuable to students who continue with physics and also to those who don’t.

The black hole of physics instruction: kinematics
To cover a wide range of physics I recommend just skimming through kinematics—the study of motion without regard to forces. Kinematics can swallow more class time than any other topic, because it’s a dandy introduction to numerical problem solving. A main reason for limiting time spent on kinematics is that it addresses no laws of physics. None.

Exaggerating symbol sizes
The relationship between terms in an equation can be illustrated by changing the sizes of the symbols. For example, when a cannon is fired, the force acting on the cannonball has the same magnitude as the force that makes the cannon recoil. Although the two forces are equal in strength, the resulting accelerations are enormously different. Tweaking the symbols in Newton’s second law illustrates and provides the explanation (Figure 3). Note the relative sizes of the m’s and a’s.

Figure 3. The differences in acceleration are due to the different masses.

Equations identify and connect concepts
Some teachers complain when students presented with a problem grasp for an equation. I don’t. I encourage it! Hooray for equations serving as a crutch. Equations identify the concepts involved. For example: We know that a rocket fired in deep space gains speed as long as the thrusting force is maintained. Question: For a constant thrust, will the rocket’s acceleration also increase? The equation for Newton’s second law guides our answer by reminding us that acceleration depends not only on applied force but also on mass. Aha! As fuel is burned, the mass m of the rocket decreases. Hence the acceleration as well as the speed of the rocket increase (Figure 4). The equation nicely guides this discussion.

Figure 4. As fuel is burned to provide thrust, mass decreases and acceleration increases.

Distinguishing between closely related concepts
Equations help to differentiate closely related concepts such as velocity and acceleration, which are commonly confused. Well-chosen examples help point out the differences between the two. My favorite is asking for the acceleration of a vertically tossed object at the top of its path, such as little Hudson tossed upward by his dad (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Although the velocity of Hudson varies as he is tossed upward, his acceleration is a constant g.

Students will likely say the acceleration of Hudson at the top of his path is zero. This answer is wrong because velocity (which is zero there) is confused with acceleration. The equation a = F/m guides thinking to the correct answer, g. Barring air drag, the acceleration of any projectile is everywhere g, whether moving upward, momentarily at rest at the top of its path, or moving downward.

Newton’s second law involves thinking of three concepts at once: acceleration, force, and mass. A lot of us, me included, have difficulty thinking of two ideas at once. But three ideas? Even Galileo didn’t get around to that! So we have to be patient with students who don’t comprehend these connections and distinctions right away.

Momentum and energy
Exaggerated symbols help explain differing magnitudes of concepts in various circumstances. For instance, symbol sizes nicely illustrate how the amount of force varies during the changes in momentum of colliding objects (Figure 6) and with changes in energy (Figure 7).

Figure 6. The impulse-momentum equation tells us that the magnitude of force in a collision greatly depends on the time during which the change occurs.

Figure 7. Energy conservation tells us that a small force can ideally lift a huge weight.

Beyond mechanics
Given a choice, would students want to spend time on kinematics problems or learn why radiation from their smart phones can’t damage human cells? Radiation energy comes in packets, or photons. The photon energy is related to the radiation frequency by E = hf, where h is Planck’s constant. It’s easy to see that radiation at low frequencies means low energy of each photon (Figure 8). A bit of number checking will show photon energies much too low to disrupt cells in the human body.

Figure 8. The low radiation frequency of smart phones means correspondingly low energy for each photon of radiation.

We can’t change only one thing
The value of equations isn’t limited to the physics classroom. Equations in general remind us that we can never change only one thing: Change the value of a term on one side of an equation, and you correspondingly change the other side. Whenever you change one thing, something else is also changed. Not being able to change only one thing extends way beyond physics, especially to ecology and to situations that are social and even personal.

Physics in the educational mainstream
There are many reasons why physics courses aren’t as common as English and history in secondary schools. Physics is avoided by students who are threatened by math and by others who view it as a “killer course” that will lower their GPAs. Some teachers are quite content with their small classes of mathematically talented students who, like them, enjoy problem solving. These courses should remain, for they provide the vital foundation for future engineers and scientists.

But we shouldn’t shut out the many nonmathematical students who see science as “cool” and would love to learn physics “without numbers.” They would welcome a noncomputational course that emphasizes concepts over mathematical skills. To bring more of the general public into science, a noncomputational survey physics course can precede the higher level physics courses and have a place in the educational mainstream. This approach isn’t just good for individuals—it’s good for the country. Basic science knowledge enables people to understand critical issues such as climate change.

When a learner’s first course in physics is a delightful experience, the rigor of a second course will be welcomed. And in your teaching of physics, it’s fun and rewarding to get to photons and rainbows.

Paul G. Hewitt (pghewitt@aol.com) is the author of the popular textbook Conceptual Physics, 12th edition, and coauthor with his daughter Leslie Hewitt and nephew John Suchocki of Conceptual Physical Science, 6th edition, both published by Pearson Education.

On the web
A video with more on equations as the rules of nature and as guides to thinking, “Hewitt-Drew-it! Physics for Teachers 1,” is at http://bit.ly/TST-physics.

Editor’s Note

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of The Science Teacher journal from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Get Involved With NSTA!

Join NSTA today and receive The Science Teacher,
the peer-reviewed journal just for high school teachers; to write for the journal, see our Author Guidelines, Call for Papers, and annotated sample manuscript; connect on the high school level science teaching list (members can sign up on the list server); or consider joining your peers at future NSTA conferences.

One day Jared was teaching about the boiling points of common liquids. The year was 1999, and students had to take his word for it when he said those points would vary slightly in the mountains of Nepal versus coastal Miami. Imagine if those students could have investigated the phenomenon collaboratively with peers across the globe. Nowadays, they can.

Meeting the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards makes it possible for students to become global collaborators. The Global Collaborator standard articulates that students should:

• use digital tools to connect with learners from various backgrounds and cultures;
• use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints;
• contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal; and
• explore local and global issues and work with others to investigate solutions (ISTE 2016).

Global perspectives
Two strategies can help foster a global approach in our science classrooms. First, students must have a basic understanding of the perspectives of others and the research work of scientists across the globe.

Google can enable this strategy, but standard search results are specific to the student’s own country. To search another nation, find its country code (a part of URLs), to identify the country of origin. NASA offers a comprehensive list. Then, to find search results for a specific country, follow the search terms with “site:.countrycode.” So, the search “Human impact on climate change,” for instance, becomes “Human impact on climate change site:.cn” to bring up results from China. The search results will be much different from those in our own region.

Global classrooms
After students begin to understand the perspectives of others, the second strategy is to have them conduct science inquiry with global communities, where they work together, share results, compare-contrast data, and evaluate their findings.

Find relevant resources within the citizen science movement. National Geographic has a web page dedicated to citizen science projects that will help students connect with others. The Teaching Resources section of that page offers activities, lessons, and educator guides to walk your class through their first citizen science exploration.

Wikipedia has a fantastic list of citizen science projects created by a global community of contributors. Virtually anyone can join the projects within their own classroom. Citizen seismology, to give one example, helps students understand the tectonic movement of our Earth and allows scientists to better predict earthquakes and provide warnings to communities in the most affected areas.

The website www.scistarter.com is famous for a project that involved adding sensors to packages shipped across the globe just to see what types of environmental conditions and abuse those shipments experience going from point A to point B. Students can search the site for projects that pique their interest. To search for a project via a more kid-friendly interface, go to www.pbskids.org/scigirls/citizen-science. Or, students can propose a project of their own to the larger scientific community at http://bit.ly/2jsBrLy.

Conclusion
When students explore and learn with others from around the world, they become global collaborators, developing the skills that may help us solve the most challenging scientific problems of the coming decades.

Ben Smith (ben@edtechinnovators.com) is an educational technology program specialist, and Jared Mader (jared@edtechinnovators.com) is the director of educational technology, for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. They conduct teacher workshops on technology in the classroom nationwide.

Reference
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). 2016. The 2016 ISTE standards for students. Arlington, VA: ISTE. http://bit.ly/ISTE-standards.

Editor’s Note

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of The Science Teacher journal from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Get Involved With NSTA!

Join NSTA today and receive The Science Teacher,
the peer-reviewed journal just for high school teachers; to write for the journal, see our Author Guidelines, Call for Papers, and annotated sample manuscript; connect on the high school level science teaching list (members can sign up on the list server); or consider joining your peers at future NSTA conferences.

Imagine a little white box of about 30 cubic centimeters or a third of the size of a deck of cards. And only 23 grams. Now imagine that that little box can effortlessly and wirelessly measure and share data about motion, acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic fields, pressure, altitude, and temperature all streaming on demand to your phone, tablet, or computer.

The battery-powered PocketLab shares information with a Bluetooth-connected tablet or phone. The PocketLab App makes connection easy, and then the simplified interface that makes visualizing data enjoyable. But that’s not the best part. What really drops jaws is when the PockeLab combines efforts with the smartphone or tablet’s camera. When the two work together creating an augmented reality perspective that has a graphical overlay on what the camera sees. What that means is that you can both see the data as it is collected at the same time you see what is creating the data. 

The Nevada Ready 21 program zeroed in on the PocketLab for their statewide tech integration that used the Chromebooks as its tech hub. According to the NR21 website, “PocketLab® is a science lab that connects to the CTL NL6 Chromebook and fits in a pocket. PocketLab allows students to explore the world and build science experiments using integrated sensors including: Accelerometer; Gyroscope; Magnetometer: Pressure and Temperature. PocketLab has many of the same features as lab equipment that costs thousands of dollars but is simple to use, deploy and manage and is included with the CTL NL6 Education Chromebook as part of CTL’s solution for NR21.”

The PocketLab is a collection of microsensors piled into a small battery-operated Bluetooth-enabled rectangular block. Controlling the block with an App, the student can choose any of the sensors and collect realtime data with it. 

The PocketLab App’s augmented reality tangent is accessed through a little icon in the upper right that connects the phone/tablet camera with the App. Instantly the data stream is overlaid in graphical form on top of a video stream of what is generating the data (or wherever the camera is pointed). 

One issue to note, however is that to combine the graphical data over the video takes time to render. It’s a slow process where in my tests it took about 12 seconds of rendering time for each second of videographing. So a minute of videography will take 12 minutes of rendering.

Here is the operating manual for iOS. And for Android. And Chromebook.

The PocketLab runs on a single CR2032 button battery that is easily replaceable. Its expected that a student will get between 40 and 400 hours of PocketLab operation out of one battery depending on data rate and sensors used. Here’s a video of how to change the battery.

The Pocket lab sells for about $98 for one, with discounts for multiple units and classroom sets. Although PocketLab should take a drop up to two meters, a silicon bumper case is available as well for those rougher assignments.

The future looks bright for the PocketLab family with several new additions on the horizon. Due to a successful Indiegogo campaign, The PocketLab Voyager and The PocketLab Weather have onboard memory to collect data on their own, and then share via Bluetooth when the PocketLab returns from it’s adventure.

From the Indiegogo Website:

The creativity of experimental design is set free with the PocketLab. But when coloring between the lines, PocketLab provides a helpful guide to connect activities with the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

And here is a small taste of PocketLab examples posted on YouTube. 

https://youtu.be/QOjGu_gqX7U

https://youtu.be/9lZQXj-arpw

https://youtu.be/XS0dMciFVX4

https://youtu.be/nPbLYXof1p8

https://youtu.be/r4h21MZN9DI

https://youtu.be/PrBH-yHs2mc

I teach fifth and sixth grade science, and I’m finding it hard to balance teaching, grad school, and family responsibilities. Are there any secrets for this? —E., Washington

Everyone’s situation varies, so unfortunately there are no universal secrets. It may help to prioritize activities into essential, nice-if–you-can-get-to-it, and back burner.

Your family and your health are essentials. However, teachers realize that some family celebrations have to be rescheduled for the weekends, and “vacations” are often spent at informal science sites for personalized professional development. Teachers often attend their kids’ sporting events with papers to grade or reading to do. Some housework and hobbies may have to go on the back burner for now, but please make time for exercise and non-academic interests to maintain your mental health.

Many teachers use time before or after school to prepare lab activities, contact parents, or evaluate student work, freeing up evenings and weekends for other responsibilities. When I was in your situation, these were on my backburner:

• Afterschool coaching, club advising, or tutoring (instead, connect with students by attending events as your schedule allows)
• Elaborate bulletin boards (post student work or ask teams of students to create a display)
• Grading every assignment
• Using a complicated, time-consuming reward system

For your graduate work, a study group can help by sharing resources. Schedule specific times for homework. Online courses allow you to control the timeframe. Take readings to school for when you have extra time (as if teachers ever do, but you never know). Limit yourself to one course per semester, and skip a semester if you’re overwhelmed.

Your degree has an end date! At that point, you can reprioritize some of the personal or professional things that were on the back burner.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cgc/7080721/