Next year there will be an opening in the high school science department. Although I love teaching middle school, I’m tempted by the opportunity to try something different and use more of what I majored in (chemistry). What advantages and disadvantages should I consider?—C., New Jersey

Taking on new subjects or grade levels can be exciting and professionally rejuvenating. It can also be a lot of work, almost like starting over.

I was in a similar circumstance with an opportunity to switch to a high school program. Reflecting on the experience, I think that being a middle school teacher is excellent preparation for high school. My middle school experience gave me a relaxed, off-beat sense of humor and helped me to deal with high schoolers who needed different instructional approaches or more time to learn a concept. Engaging with high schoolers in spirited discussions and in high-level investigations was intellectually exhilarating (although I still have a soft spot for middle schoolers). But I don’t regret taking on a rewarding challenge that enabled me to grow professionally.

You’ll notice some differences in the students. Even though they try hard to act like adults, most middle schoolers are still basically kids, with high levels of energy and enthusiasm. The challenge is channeling their energy and enthusiasm, and since most of them like science, this isn’t hard to do. High schoolers on the other hand often seem to be distracted by non-classroom issues, such as social media, their personal lives, extracurricular activities, and jobs. They have internalized what school is supposed to be like and may balk at doing something different. Generating energy and enthusiasm was often the challenge (I had to get used to eye-rolls and heavy sighs). But I did enjoy interacting with the older students and helping them become more independent learners.

Assuming you’re in the same district or attendance area, you’ll know many of your students from their middle years. When these students say they have never heard of atoms or never had to write a lab report, you can remind them that you were there. But you still may have to reteach skills you thought they had mastered such as organizing, notetaking, graphing, and technical writing.

There are also some practical considerations as you make your decision:

• Be sure you have the appropriate credentials for the science course and electives taught at the high school.
• Visit the high school ahead of time and look at the environment from the perspective of a teacher there. You should check out your potential classroom/lab, the technology, safety equipment, and other resources. If the classroom/lab is physically different from your middle school environment, you may need to modify some of your instructional and classroom management procedures.
• Ask if the district safety officer will be available to assist in inventorying and any cleanup of chemicals or other materials.
• Ask for a copy of the curriculum, textbook, online materials, and other resources to review ahead of time. Your collection of lessons, assessments, and materials may no longer be appropriate, so you’ll have to spend time creating or adapting materials and lab investigations.

Middle schools often have professional learning communities or teams with common planning time. However, the high school schedule might not allow opportunities for teacher collaboration during the school day.

As you change schools, you’ll have to get used to new schedules, a new culture, and a new group of colleagues. It would be helpful to have the student and faculty handbook ahead of time and a go-to person to answer questions and share resources and information. Try to find a colleague who also changed teaching positions and pick his or her brain about what to expect.

It’s a humbling experience as a veteran teacher to realize you may not have all of the answers right away in a new situation and that you’ll make some mistakes. Give yourself permission to learn along with the students.

But you already have a strong foundation in the subject, and you’ll be able to help students see the connections between chemistry and other subjects. You already have a repertoire of strategies for instruction, assessments, lab safety, and classroom management. And if you decide to make the switch, you’ll have the chance to clean out your file drawers!

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremywilburn/5229139935/

July 14, 2016: Congress is set to adjourn for the summer and will return after Labor Day. Before leaving town though there was a flurry of activity around appropriations for FY2017 programs and career and technical education. And the political drama continues as Education Secretary King answers questions from key Congressional Republicans over implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The good news for STEM: The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has approved a FY2017 Labor HHS and Education spending bill that includes $1 billion for the new Every Student Succeeds Act Title IV block grants.  This amount is $500 million above the President’s budget request and $700 million above the Senate funding ($300m).  The program is authorized at $1.65 billion in ESSA.

The ESSA Student Support and Academic Achievement State Grants would provide flexible funds to every school district to expand access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions, and improve the use of technology. As reported in previous NSTA Legislative Updates, under Title IV districts can elect to use funds to provide students with a well-rounded education with programs that improve instruction and student engagement in STEM, expand STEM courses, pay for the participation of students in STEM nonprofit competitions,  provide hands-on learning opportunities in STEM, integrate other academic subjects into STEM subject programs, create STEM specialty schools, integrate classroom-based and afterschool and informal STEM instruction, and expand environmental education courses.

(Read more about the House funding for the ESSA Title IV block grant here and here.)

The House funding bill also reduces the State grants for ESSA teacher quality (Title II) by $400 million of the requested amount, bringing the program to about $1.9 billion. The Senate version reduces this program by about $200m.

Here’s the bad news. Although both the Senate and House have approved their separate funding bills for education, it is highly unlikely that any final appropriations bills for FY2017, which starts on Oct.1, will make it through both chambers.  There are more than 12 funding bills, including education, still in play and a limited Congressional calendar in September (before they adjourn again for the election). And let’s not forget election year politics.

With this in mind, talk is now turning to a possible spending stop gap measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), which would fund the government past Oct. 1 and also allow Congress to put together an omnibus bill that would roll the 12 separate funding bills into one package. Here’s the good news: the basis for an omnibus bill will likely be the 12 bills written by the House and Senate, which includes the $1 billion allocated for the aforementioned ESSA Title IV block grants.  

And even better news: Report language accompanying the House appropriations bill, which clarifies Congressional intent, clearly calls out STEM and Computer Science Education, with legislators noting that funds available under this program “may be used by States and school districts to provide or strengthen instruction in STEM fields, including computer science.” The Committee report also recommends no separate funding for the competitive Computer Science for All Development Grants, a priority for the Administration and a coalition of moderate Democrats.

Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act

In recent House and Senate hearings on ESSA implementation, Education Secretary John King faced serious questions from Republican lawmakers who believe the Department of Education is overstepping its authority in implementing the new law. Issues of concern include the Department proposal that would require states and schools to create a summative rating for accountability purposes and the timeline for transitioning to ESSA (the first full year of ESSA is 2017-18, and schools may have to rely on 2016-17 data to be used to identify and intervene with low performing schools).  

Proposed language that would ensure that federal Title I dollars supplement and do not supplant state and local dollars is also a huge issue.

Many Republicans and other critics (including the unions) have voiced concerns that the department is not following the intent of the law with draft supplement-not-supplant regulatory language that they believe would could require districts to use school-level expenditures tests to show equal spending and require monitoring teacher salaries, which could lead to teacher reassignment and changes in teacher hiring practices (and disruptions to collective bargaining).  King maintains the Department will be “vigilant” in ensuring that interventions continue in the lowest-performing schools, and that federal dollars are truly supplemental to state and local funding.

In other ESSA news, the Education Department has issued draft regulations for an innovative assessment pilot that will allow up to seven states to experiment with new tests (including science tests) that can eventually be used throughout the state for accountability purposes. Read more here about the tests and here about the draft regulations.

The Education Department also released proposed regulations on assessments.

House Passes Rewrite of Career and Technical Education Law (Perkins Act)

On July 7 the House Committee on Education and the Workforce unanimously approved H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, legislation that reauthorizes and reforms the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and will help more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, in-demand jobs.

The new law will give states more flexibility over how they spend federal money and allows states more control on measuring the success of their programs. It also aligns performance standards for Perkins programs with the Every Student Succeeds Act and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.  Senate education leaders have indicated they would like to see Perkins reauthorized soon, so a similar bill may be introduced later this year in the Senate.

Republicans and Democrats Party Platforms and Priorities for Education

Both parties have released drafts of their party platforms, which include a number of key priorities for K-12 education.

Here is an excerpt from the Democratic Platform on teaching and learning and STEM Education:

“Democrats will launch a nation
al campaign to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, and we will ensure that teachers receive the tools and ongoing professional development they need to succeed in the classroom and provide our children with a world-class education. We also must lift up and trust our educators, continually build their capacity, and ensure that our schools are safe, welcoming, collaborative, and well-resourced places for our students, educators, and communities. We will invest in high-quality STEM classes, community schools, computer science education, arts education, and expand linked learning models and career pathways.”

Here is an excerpt from the Republican Platform on teaching and learning and STEM Education:

We applaud America’s great teachers, who should be protected against frivolous litigation and should be able to take reasonable actions to maintain discipline and order in the classroom. We support legislation that will correct the current law provision which defines a “Highly Qualified Teacher” merely by his or her credentials, not results in the classroom. We urge school districts to make use of teaching talent in business, STEM fields, and in the military, especially among our returning veterans. Rigid tenure systems based on the “last in, first out” policy should be replaced with a merit-based approach that can attract fresh talent and dedication to the classroom. All personnel who interact with school children should pass background checks and be held to the highest standards of personal conduct.

And finally, the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources has launched a nationwide search for a Division Director of the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE). The Division Director of DUE oversees a substantial portfolio of research, development, and education programs related to undergraduate education, and works with other leaders at NSF and the community to advance STEM and STEM education.  Further information about the position can be found here: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16111/nsf16111.jsp?org=NSF

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. e-mail Peterson at jpeterson@nsta.org; follow her on Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

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Middle school children are inquisitive and enjoy classroom opportunities to learn visually. Subsequently, an option worth consideration is an application of technology known as 3D. It’s similar to the 3D technology that is used in movie theaters and is designed to enhance visualization of pairs of images and gives users a greater sense of depth perception.

For nearly 150 years, stereoscopes have been used for looking at images that depict left-eye and right-eye views of the same object; culminating into a single three-dimensional image.  Subsequently, when viewing the image with special projection hardware and eyewear, a typical stereoscope provides each eye with a lens that makes the image seen through it appear larger and more distant, resulting in the illusion of depth.

Recent Advances in technology have led to much more sophisticated ways of projecting the third dimension.  For example, Data Light Processing (DLP) technology creates a stunning picture and is used in contemporary projectors. DLP technology is extremely fast, and projects two images on the screen at the same time, i.e., one for each eye. As a tool for conceiving the image, 3D glasses are used to combine the two images into 3D and can be purchased from a variety of projector manufacturers, e.g., InFocus, Texas Instruments, etc.

In this age of technology, even with the most determined efforts to differentiate classroom instruction, it is common for teachers to face kids who are difficult to keep on task.  However,  with 3D technology and at a cost that most schools can afford, a sudden vision of a brain or a heart via 3D technology can motivate students with an authentic experience of the relationships between individual cell parts and the structures and function of the heart [http://www.theguardian.com/classroom-innovation/3d-lessons-in-schools].

By presenting students with problem-solving skills, using 3D technology can give students the opportunity to go beyond the “Knowledge-level,”and reach the “Analysis-level!” For example, students can take a virtual trip down through the crust of the earth and travel its inner core. Along the way, students can examine changes in density, mass, and temperature. With 3D technology, students can go beyond memorization and travel on an exciting journey  through nature, which can reveal folded mountains and massive sea trenches; almost as if it’s really happening before your eyes [https://sciencenode.org/feature/3d-tectonic-modeling-answers-age-old-geology-question.php]. So what do teachers need to get started?

Different Projectors and Software Packages

There are a variety of 3D software packages available for science teaching. Recently, projector manufacturers have begun rolling out 3D models targeting the needs of classrooms, while makers of 3D content and accessories are responding to schools by creating products to meet the needs of a growing market. For example, the 3D capability of the 2300-lumen projector from ViewSonic (www.viewsonic.com) is available for around $500. Here is a list of manufactures who carry 3D projectors:

www.ti.com

www.benq.us

www.mitsubishi-presentations.com

www.dell.com

www.sharpusa.com

www.optoma.com

www.vivitekcorp.com

Once a projector has been purchased, teachers can get software to integrate 3D software, e.g., [http://en.softonic.com/s/free-3d-science-animation-software].  An excellent website worth visiting is Cyber Science 3D, which offers content that spans science content areas. Teachers can use the content in a lecture environment to demonstrate terms, labels, and spatial relationships between objects in the 3D simulations [http://cyberscience3d.com/3d-content-library/]. If interested in giving 3D a try, Cyberscience3D offers a trial where you can dissect a cactus. Access this site and experience the benefits of 3D for classroom instruction, i.e., [http://cyberscience3d.com/free-trial/]. In addition, a variety of 3D  models are available for classroom use in the following areas:

• • Astronomy
  • Botany,
  • Chemistry
  • Earth Science
  • Human Anatomy
  • Mechanical
  • Microbiology
  • Paleontology
  • Zoology
  • Cyber Physiology

Once 3D software is selected, special 3D glasses are needed, which can range in price from around $7.99 to over $200. Depending on your budget and what you want to use, consider durability when purchasing glasses [ http://3d-tv-glasses-review.toptenreviews.com].

The integration of 3D technology into science instruction gives students an opportunity to visualize ideas and have these ideas serve as virtual models for real-life scenarios. In essence, 3D technology gives teachers an opportunity to bring the future to our students today!

Authors

Mervyn J. Wighting (mervwig@regent.edu) is a professor of education at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Edwin P. Christmann (edwin.christmann@sru.edu) is a professor, chairman of the secondary education department, and graduate coordinator of the mathematics and science teaching program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

A successful grant application can provide you with the funding you need to do exciting new activities with your students. The only problem is that grant writing is an art form of its own. There’s a new NSTA Press book that can help.

Be a Winner! A Science Teacher’s Guide to Writing Successful Grant Proposals by Patty McGinnis and Kitchka Petrova offers practical tips and strategies to help you write winning proposals.

 “As a science educator, you are concerned with the state of science education in your K-12 schools, and you understand the importance of facilitating your students’ science learning through the science and engineering practices identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Unfortunately, funds for purchasing materials are not always available in schools, thus requiring you to seek outside funding opportunities. Given the economic situation of many school districts, it is more imperative than ever to master the art of grant proposal writing to secure funds for innovative classroom projects,” write McGinnis and Petrova.

How do you even get started? First, you need to come up with a strong idea.

The authors ask readers to consider an important question:  “What is your dream for your classroom, school, science department, or community?” This question will lead you think about what you want to accomplish. Next, you will think about what resources are already available for you to tap into before you even begin the grant process.

Just like any scientific activity, there are steps and standards to follow in order to achieve the goal. The authors do an excellent job of breaking down the chunks of the grant proposal process to make it appear less daunting.

Using McGinnis’ and Petrova’s tips to organize your thinking, clarify your objectives, create an elevator speech, and build the required components of the proposal will increase your ability to feel confident and prepared when seeking grant funding. The book even offers suggestions to help you create project ideas that align with the NGSS standards.

“The inclusion of the NGSS performance expectations in your proposal will help your students achieve high standards and increase the value of your proposal,” write McGinnis and Petrova.

Be a Winner! offers a listing of grants and additional grant writing resources and also provides advice about managing your grant-funded project.

This book is for teachers new to grant writing and for pros who want to increase their efficacy.

Get started writing winning grant proposals today! Check out the sample chapter “Getting Started: May the FORCE Be With You! This book is also available as an e-book.

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Water explorations are a popular in early childhood programs during the summer. Exuberant water explorations can happen outdoors. The experience of wetness is enjoyable and clothes that get wet accidentally can dry on the child rather than having to be changed. Natural materials such as leaves and twigs can be incorporated into the exploration.

To keep the water experiences enjoyable, meaningful and a powerful learning opportunity, take a look at these resources.

Play is part of every science exploration. Science learning begins very early as children explore the properties of matter and how they can affect it through their play. “Five Essentials to Meaningful Play,” Marcia Nell and Walter Drew’s online column in NAEYC for families, can help other adults understand how children are learning science concepts and much more through their water play. Their book, From Play to Practice: Connecting Teachers’ Play to Children’s Learning is another valuable resource.

Children learn more each time they repeat an experience. Adults who embrace children’s curiosity and encourage questions and problem-solving support children’s learning. Water play can become an inquiry into the properties of water when adults provide additional materials and help children reflect on their observations. Science inquiry is more than single activities about science topics or concepts. The Young Scientist series book, Exploring Water with Young Children, by Karen Worth and Ingrid Chalufour (Redleaf Press) is a guide for using water to help children use the practices of science, investigate flow and how water affects objects. There is also guidance on developing scientific dispositions of eagerness to learn and curiosity. I think it is also helpful in supporting teachers who have not yet taught science concepts, topics, or the nature of science.

NAEYC provides free online access to the article “Promoting Children’s Science Inquiry and Learning Through Water Investigations” by Cindy Hoisington, Ingrid Chalufour, Jeff Winokur, and Nancy Clark-Chiarelli from the October/November 2014 issue of Teaching Young Children and September 2014 issue of Young Children. Read about how to facilitate direct experiences that promote conceptual learning related to water. Learn how to ask questions about phenomena that are connected to concepts and interesting to children, and questions that stimulate children’s inquiry and investigation rather than suggest “correct” answers.

The National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) position statement on Early Childhood Science Education was endorsed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The statement affirms that “Effective science investigations can deeply engage young children for extended periods of time, beyond a single activity or session.” It also offers guidance to educators in principles and declarations.

Two examples: 

NSTA identifies the following key principles to guide the learning of science among young children.

• Adults play a central and important role in helping young children learn science.

Everyday life is rich with science experiences, but these experiences can best contribute to science learning when an adult prepares the environment for science exploration, focuses children’s observations, and provides time to talk about what was done and seen (NAEYC 2013, p. 18). It is important that adults support children’s play and also direct their attention, structure their experiences, support their learning attempts, and regulate the complexity and difficulty of levels of information (NRC 2007, p. 3). It’s equally important for adults to look for signs from children and adjust the learning experiences to support their curiosity, learning, and understanding. [See the document online for references.]

Declarations

NSTA recommends that teachers and other education providers who support children’s learning in any early childhood setting should

• tap into, guide, and focus children’s natural interests and abilities through carefully planned open-ended, inquiry-based explorations;

Another resource for expanding a session at the water center into science inquiry is the description of the science and engineering practices in Rodger W. Bybee’s article “Scientific and Engineering Practices in K–12 Classrooms Understanding A Framework for K–12 Science Education” in the December 2011 issue of Science and Children. It is free to read online. Here is a list of the eight practices of science and engineering that the Framework identifies as essential for all students to learn:
1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

In my book, Science Learning in the Early Years, there are four column chapters discussing water exploration:

Chapter 24—Water Works, updated from the July 2007 Science and Children

Chapter 33—Adding Up the Rain, updated from the July 2009 Science and Children

Chapter 42—Ongoing inquiry, investigating water, updated from the February 2011 Science and Children

Chapter 52—Water Leaves “Footprints,” updated from the April 2013 Science and Children

I also discussed aspects of water play as part of the NSTA Virtual Conference, Engaging Students in Science: PreK-6.

The challenges we face in providing effective science education for young children vary from location to location and program to program. In one school the deep sink that allows teachers to fill buckets or small tubs of water only has a hot water option. Those teachers have to plan ahead to fill jugs of water at the end of the day so it will cool down enough for children to work in the following day. Families can be very concerned about children’s clothing getting wet or muddy. We can’t take this lightly—they may not have easy access to laundry facilities or extra sets of clothing. Some programs invest in smocks that cover most of children’s clothing. Other programs use large plastic bags cut open into a smock shape for older children and with close supervision. Programs that do not have a “science budget” make interesting tools for water exploration out of empty milk jugs, dollar store purchases or donations of recyclable containers and turkey basters from families. Leaves and twigs from safe plants make interesting tools. One program that had just a single water table for 5 classrooms bought large shallow storage tubs to use on table tops and even on the ground outside.

Speaking of safe, some programs schedule little paid time for cleaning up at the end of the day. By having children help empty the water table tubs, and tools, we provide the additional learning experience of scooping, feeling the weight of different amounts of water, and making many small amounts out of one large one, while giving children an important role in classroom care. They need to wash hands after water play. The sanitizing process is just for adults, making sure each item is empty and positioned to dry before using a sanitizing spray on all surfaces.

Water play is for all ages! Small amounts and close supervision allow the youngest children to become familiar with “wetness” and taking action to move water through splashing. Water play and science inquiry are a time for conversations that introduce rich vocabulary and provide moments for shared fun.

Last year, I tried improving my communications with students and parents via electronic media. I had lots of responses, but I was being texted, tweeted, emailed, and called on the phone at all times of the day and night. While I want to encourage these communications, I’m looking for ideas to manage them and keep my sanity! —G., Colorado

It sounds like you have a case of “be careful what you wish for….” Many teachers would love to have parents and students contacting them, but I can understand how this can become overwhelming.

In a recent article in Educational Leadership (May 2016)*, Catlin Tucker, an English teacher from California, shared her ideas on “avoiding technology overload.” You may find them helpful as you try to manage communications with the many other responsibilities of a science teacher:

• Establish virtual office hours. Just as college professors publish office hours in a course syllabus, let student and parents know when you can be contacted in real time outside of class and when you’ll be able to respond to messages they leave regarding class topics and issues. Post these times on the class website and your online class calendar.

• Choose one communication channel. I hadn’t thought about this, but the author suggests that having a preferred medium helps you be more focused without switching between texting, tweeting, emailing, and traditional phone calls. The author settled on email for non-urgent questions and texting for more immediate needs. Both of these also give you some time to think about the questions or issues before responding. (But if many of your parents do not have email, you still may have to rely on phone calls.)

• Make information available online. Use a class blog, webpage or other online methods to post information and a calendar. Update it frequently with assignments, videos, the syllabus, handouts, rubrics, extra readings, class schedules, and multimedia resources. Include your syllabus and safety acknowledgment form, too. Encourage students to refer to the calendar to try to avoid the “Are we having a test tomorrow?” or “Did I miss anything when I was absent?” type of questions. This means that you will have to update the site on a weekly or daily basis.

• Set up a space where students can connect online. Students often will answer each other’s questions or offer advice. The author suggests having a private community site or forum you can monitor and participate in. You can get feedback on what students find interesting or concerning about your class.

• Protect unplugged time at home. Your personal time is valuable. Teachers need a break to take care of their families, prepare lessons, go to graduate classes, participate in community programs, or have a little “me” time for exercise or relaxation. Let students and parents know when you’ll be online and when you’ll be offline. You should also consider how available you want to be on weekends or holiday breaks.

I would add another suggestion: Protect your class time. I was visiting a classroom where the teacher’s phone rang several times and she received several text messages. She attended to these distractions, which interrupted the lesson. Let parents know that during the day, your phone will be off (or muted) to incoming messages out of respect to your students and the learning process. You will not be able to respond to a message until a planning period, after school, or during your stated office hours. This is especially critical for science teachers supervising students in a laboratory situation. They must have your undivided attention.

One downside of communications technology is the perception that we are “on call” 24/7. You’re wise to consider how to make these communications an efficient and effective asset.

—–

*Five Tips for Avoiding Technology Overload

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