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21st century skills

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-07-14

Table of Contents


I wonder what in the year 1912 would have been considered “20th century skills”? Many of the industrial-age skills and jobs of that era are non-existent now. It’s sobering to think that the hottest technology of today is eventually destined to join film projectors, cassette players, and VCRs as obsolete. But skills in communications, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking that transcend a set of physical tools are the focus of the articles in this issue, such as Using Metacognition to Develop Understanding of the Role of Evidence in Science.
One advantage of today’s technology is its interactivity. By manipulating variables, students and teachers can explore concepts in real time. Using Google Earth to Teach Plate Tectonics and Science Explanations addresses the question ” Does the Earth’s Structure Affect You? as students used the Google Earth application to view, explore, and create visualizations. Students became producers as well as consumers of knowledge. [SciLinks: Plate Tectonics, Structure of the Earth, Volcanoes, Continental Drift]
Teaching Critical Thinking Through Media Literacy has information on enhancing thinking skills in science, as students (and teachers) learn to analyze sources of information, evaluate conflicting views and claims made in the media, differentiate between fact and fiction, and create new media products. The authors of Enhance Nature Exploration with Technology describe a project in which students develop skills in reporting (or story-telling). They combined digital images and audio to share their experiences outdoors, on a nature walk. The article includes a rubric, suggestions for implementation, and links to real student projects, shared via tools such as YouTube or VoiceThread. [See Skeins of Student Contribution: A New Web 2.0 Tool for Science for more on VoiceThreads]

Have you ever looked at old science reference books and marveled at the illustrations? What did the artists have to know about science? How do these illustrations help us learn science? Communicating Science Concepts Through Art describes five strategies for integrating art and science: depiction, projection, reformatting, mimicry, and metaphor/analogy. Throughout the article there are many examples of student work, and it’s evident that students are demonstrating their learning of science concepts.
Viral News – Does “virus” here refer to the microorganism or to a popular story on the Internet? In this article, the word refers to both, as students used media literacy skills to gather information about HIV and HPV. The authors include lesson resources such as student “worksheets” to organize information, selected media sources, samples of student work, and suggested strategies for implementing the activity in the classroom. [SciLinks: Viruses, AIDS Virus]
The authors of Adaptable Inquiry-Based Activities About National Patterns of Coal and Energy Use describe a lesson in which students investigate the structure and geology of coal and its role in energy production. [SciLinks: Coal Mining, Fossil Fuels] For more on energy resources, The Keystone XL Pipeline has a concise description of the extraction and refining process, a map of the proposed location, and a chart of environmental and economic impacts.  (See also Fracking Fury in the March 2012 issue).
At first I thought I was seeing a typographical error in the article HeteroGenius Classes. But the subtitle “Why Inclusion and Mixed Grouping Create a Better Science Classroom” explains the unusual spelling. Teamwork and working with people who have a variety of backgrounds and skills are the focus of the article, which describes a classroom technique called “metacognitive circles.” The author describes how to model the process and how the process relates to inquiry skills. Using this technique, the teacher is indeed a guide on the side.
If it’s been a while since you thought of the dancing raisins demonstration, Cubes and Raisins describes how this traditional demonstration can be reformatted into a lesson to teach the difference between observation and inference.
Book Your Summer Vacation has book reviews from NSTA recommends. These are different from the recommendations in The Science Teacher’s Summer Reading That Inspires. Between the two, you can keep up to date on content and get ideas for your classes.

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Going to the beach?

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2012-07-11

A sandy beach with a few rocks.Summer is a time when many families visit a beach. How do you help your students build on what they learned through their summer beach experiences when they return to school? Maybe our colleagues whose schools are within walking distance from a beach can offer suggestions! When school begins in August or September and children’s memories of a trip to the beach are fresh in their minds, a tray of objects from an ocean or bay can inspire their drawings and writing about their own experience. Those teachers who live in communities where the beach is an everyday experience may have some favorite books to share with us. If so, please add your suggestions for books with accurate science, whether fiction or non-fiction, by commenting below.
I was raised in Ohio and had just a few beach experiences in childhood. Like the edges where a meadow meets a forest, the beach seems to have a great diversity in animal and plant life. Writer and scientist Ann McElhatten, shares her knowledge of Atlantic seacoasts in a free e-book, 10 Beachcombing Activities: A guide for investigating the Atlantic coast shoreline, and a blog, Beach Chair Scientist, where she and her collaborators use video and text to show readers the wonders of tiny colorful coquina clams making their way in the sand and many other marine science topics. Does anyone know of resources for inland and West Coast beaches?
Here are a few books for young children about the beach, from my favorites and from the NSTA Recommends list, to look for at your public library or bookstore:
Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi (2007 Sylvan Dell Publishing)
Oceans by Cathryn Sill, illustrated by John Sill (2012 Peachtree Publishers)
On the Way to the Beach by Henry Cole (2003 Millbrook Press)
Wow! Ocean! by Robert Neubecker (2011 Hyperion Books)
Yellow Ball by Molly Bang (1991 Morrow Junior Books)
And for adults:
The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson with a new introduction by Sue Hubbell (1998 Mariner Books)
Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans by Sylvia Earle (1996 Ballantine Books)
Peggy

A sandy beach with a few rocks.Summer is a time when many families visit a beach. How do you help your students build on what they learned through their summer beach experiences when they return to school? Maybe our colleagues whose schools are within walking distance from a beach can offer suggestions!

 

Features of STEM education envisioned for needed reforms

By Robert Yager

Posted on 2012-07-10

–Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983)
Glow sticks in beakersIn December 2011 the National Governors Association (NGA) released a forty-four page report for use in shaping science education reforms across the U.S. It was designed to advance the current reform efforts in four areas now commonly called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This report offered six specific steps to accomplish STEM reform in all 50 states:
1) Adopting rigorous math and science standards and improved assessments;
2) Placing and retaining more qualified teachers in classrooms;
3) Providing more rigorous preparation for STEM students;
4) Using informal learning to expand math and science beyond the classroom;
5) Enhancing the quality and supply of STEM teachers; and
6) Establishing goals for postsecondary institutions to meet STEM job needs.
The six steps helped to provide “structure” needed for funding! But, they did not indicate how the act of “teaching” might better help in realizing the reforms. This was left up to the States. The key issues regarding defining the STEM focus by Rodger Bybee offered cautions. He stated: “STEM education must advance beyond a slogan; educators in the STEM community must clarify what the acronym actually means for defining educational policies, programs, and practices”.
A look at each of the six steps with the Framework illustrates the problems! Concerns regarding the issues raised for each of the features included:
1) Adopt rigorous math and science standards and improved assessments: Who can be against “rigorous”? But, it is scary when synonyms for it are suggested in dictionary definitions! What is meant with this initial statement in terms of practices? What about the seven million dollars and four years of effort that went into the 1996 science standards? And, what about assessments as defined by Wiggins and McTighe “Backward Design”? Do these efforts focus on agreements on the nature of evidence used to indicate meeting the Standards?
2) Place and retain more qualified teachers in the classroom: Placing and retaining qualified teachers “is fine” – but by whose definition of “qualifications”? How could their placement be evaluated? In what ways are “qualified” teachers and their practices to be defined?
3) Provide more rigorous preparation for STEM students: Again, the report moves to the same topic and meaning of the term “rigorous”! What about its real meaning and for what preparation! Whose definition?
4) Use informal learning to expand math and science beyond the classroom: This fourth feature for the new reforms calls for use of informal education (free-choice learning including efforts outside a single classroom). The evidence is clear that this is an exciting idea. But, how to do it? How to accomplish it? How is it related to “rigorous”? How is it related to specific curricula?
5) Enhancing the quality and supply of STEM teachers: This fifth feature cites “enhancing the quality and supply of STEM teachers – who would oppose this? But how could/should it be done?
6) Establish goals for postsecondary institutions to meet STEM job needs: This sixth feature deals with establishing goals? Recent efforts by NSTA with its Exemplary Science Programs (ESP) indicated the non-existence of many program/project features for accomplishing the goal(s)! How to get more specific goals?
The report also claims to include “current examples” of needed programs. Attempts to contact these “groups” to report more specifically on the efforts were not successful! There were few examples and interpretations for the definitions for success. The evidence included in each of the sixteen chapters of NSTA’s Exemplary Science Programs contain ideas that have been found to be useful for encouraging more students to pursue STEM careers. The current monographs include: 1) Exemplary Science in Grades PreK-4; 2) Exemplary Science in Grades 5-8; 3) Exemplary Science in Grades 9-12; 4) Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional Development; 5) Inquiry: The Key to Exemplary Science; 6) Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings; 7) Exemplary Science for Resolving Personal and Societal Challenges; 8) Exemplary Programs for building Interest in STEM Careers; 9) Exemplary College Science Teaching; and 10) Exemplary Programs Arising from New STEM Efforts.
–Robert E. Yager
Professor of Science education
University of Iowa
Image of glow sticks in beakers courtesy of Declan Fleming.

–Occasional commentary by Robert E. Yager (NSTA President, 1982-1983)

 

Teaching the big ideas of science

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-07-07

Table of Contents


My introduction to teaching and learning with “big ideas” was as an undergraduate in the required US History course. Rather than presenting history as a laundry list of factoids (names, dates, places, events to memorize), the professor started the course with several big ideas or themes in history. As the semester progressed, the lectures, readings, and assignments all related to these themes. And at the end of the course, the exam was not a multiple-choice marathon, but rather an essay in which we were to discuss the theme.
I tried to incorporate big ideas/themes into my own science teaching, to help students make sense of the large curriculum and fact-laden textbook. So it’s interesting to read about the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the draft of the NGSS which focus on a core ideas and “crosscutting concepts.” The articles in this issue describe class activities that support this focus.
The big idea of The Nuts and Bolts of Enzymes is that life is based on chemical processes. It may be hard for students to understand the characteristics of enzymes, and this article describes a tangible modeling activity (using materials found in hardware stores) to make these abstract characteristics more concrete. [SciLinks: Enzyme Activity, Enzymes, Proteins/Enzymes]
Evolution and Natural Selection are big ideas in science. The Guppy Game describes an activity in which students explore “population genetics and environmental influences on behaviors.” In the game, which is available through Project Neuron, students explore the advantages and disadvantages of different traits in terms of how these traits help the fish survive and reproduce. The article illustrates the game “cards” and how the score cards can be used to identify trends.  [SciLinks: Evolution and Natural Selection, Dominant and Recessive Traits, Genes and Traits]

Growing Water Pearls is subtitled Teaching big ideas on a shoestring budget. Although I do frequent dollar stores (which the author calls “the science teacher’s best friend”), I admit that I’ve never see these items. And yet, the author illustrates how these items can be used to introduce students to polymers and teach concepts such as scaling, evaporation and relative humidity, and refraction. The author includes suggestions for inquiry-based investigations. Hmm…could this be used in a PD session for teachers? [SciLinks: Refraction]
In Making the Argument, students used resources to support ideas and statements related to environmental health issues, particularly those dealing with water quality. The authors cite a definition for argument that focuses on supporting claims with evidence and anticipating and responding to counterclaims. In a time when arguing and shouting out opinions that have little or no basis in fact, this sounds like an essential skill to use and understand    [SciLinks: Drinking Water Standards, Water Quality, Water Conservation] For more on argumentation, see the  November 2009 issue of Science & Children Argumentation in Science.
How many of us would be delighted if our students came up with ideas or products that were “new, surprising, or valuable?” Teaching for Creativity has questions to guide teachers to “adapt your existing activities and labs to get students thinking more creatively” and provides an example in adding creativity to a rocketry activity. (And creating is now part of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Food can be a big idea for teenagers (especially in the class period right before lunch!). Ask students to discuss what all goes into what they eat in terms of what it takes to grow, process, transport, market, and prepare our meals. How many people are involved? What resources are used? The Ecology of Food lists resources for keeping up to date on food production and modern agricultural practices [SciLinks: Sustainable Agriculture].
If your textbook or curriculum documents do not support the concept of “big ideas,” you can use resources such as NSTA’s SciLinks to supplement and connect what students are learning. In this issue, the Science 2.0 column Big Tools for Teaching Big Ideas describes communications tools such as Google Docs that can “expand the boundaries of the classroom.”
Summer Reading That Inspires has book reviews from NSTA recommends. These are different from the recommendations in Science Scope’s Book Your Summer Vacation. Between the two, you can keep up to date on content and get ideas for your classes.
Current Research: 2012 Summer Reading Suggestions has summaries of research articles published in journals such as the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Educator, and Journal of Science Teacher Education. The Connections for this issue has links to the original articles.
Don’t forget to look at the Connections  for this issue (Summer 2012), which includes links to the studies cited in the research article. These Connections also have ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.

Table of Contents

 

Class presentations

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-07-07

My principal encourages all teachers to have students do class presentations during the year. I like the idea, but the thought of listening to 150 “oral reports” on a chemistry topic is mind-boggling, not to mention time-consuming. Do you have any suggestions for making this a positive experience for both the presenters and the audience (and the teacher)?
I’m assuming your principal wants students to develop and demonstrate skills that will be useful regardless of what they do after high school, such as presenting to an audience.
From experience, I know exactly what you mean about implementing this. There are only so many “oral reports” or PowerPoints on endangered species, elements of the Periodic Table, infectious diseases, or famous physicists you can sit through at one time. The students in the audience will get restless, too. With 5-6 classes of 25-30 students each, even if each presentation took 5 minutes, you would have to devote several class periods to this task, including time for research and preparation. And quite frankly, I’m not sure the benefits would justify the time and effort for a once-and-done report, for the presenter or the audience. So perhaps it’s time to think outside of the box:

  • No law says all students must deliver their presentations at the same time. What would happen if you spread out the opportunities rather than try to fit everyone into a few class periods, one after the other?
  • Is it essential for all students report on the same theme or topic or use the same template?
  • Think about presentations you’ve attended. What made them effective? Was it a team effort, such as a panel discussion? How did the presenters use visuals or other media? How did they engage the audience?

One authentic practice scientists do is communicate the results of their research. You could have students emulate this practice, without adding additional activities to your crowded schedule.

For example, after a lab investigation, you as the teacher probably go over and discuss the results. Instead of your discussion, you could assign a team of students to present their results in a panel format. Choose one team at the beginning of the lesson to be the “presenter.” You could assign roles to the team members so that each would participate: Person 1 – Introduce the team and present the question, problem, or hypothesis. Person 2 – Summarize the procedure.  Person 3 – Provide a display or description of the data, observations, or results. Person 1 (again) – Relate the results back to the question or hypothesis. Person 4 – Note any questions the team had, how the investigation could or should be done differently, and moderate questions from the audience. Give the team some time at the end of the activity or at the beginning of the next class to prepare their presentation. Rotate the roles so students do a different report component each time the team presents. Students could incorporate available technology, such as an interactive white board, digital camera, or document projector.
At first, you may have to model how to summarize and how to make an effective presentation (my students enjoyed it when I modeled an ineffective one, too). You may also have to model how to contribute as a respectful audience member and suggest types of questions and prompts for discussion: Compare their results to yours. How are they similar? Different? Use the rubric you already have for investigations to provide feedback to the team. The audience could match the presentation to the rubric and note any differences in their outcomes.
Once your students have experience with this type of presentation, invite your principal to be part of an audience to see what your students are capable of doing.
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roswellpark/3598764392/sizes/o/in/photostream/

My principal encourages all teachers to have students do class presentations during the year. I like the idea, but the thought of listening to 150 “oral reports” on a chemistry topic is mind-boggling, not to mention time-consuming. Do you have any suggestions for making this a positive experience for both the presenters and the audience (and the teacher)?

 

Beginning the year with a plan to support science talk

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2012-07-05

Calling on experienced teachers—what do you advise new teachers to do to establish routines that support discussion, especially discussion where children share their ideas and evidence for those ideas? Discussion can happen in small groups, with an individual or at a circle time.
We can discard the hope for an ideal circle time. I try to have realistic and age-appropriate expectations for reflection and thinking about what the experiences mean during a circle time. It helps if I have a modest goal of having some-to-many, but not all, of the children and adults listen attentively, think deeply about the discussion and reply respectfully, at least part of the time. Over time children can increase their attention span and are able to listen to each other.
Editors of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp, with Janet Gonzalez-Mena, discuss their work and say,
“Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) means teaching young children in ways that

  • Meet children where they are, as individuals and as a group
  • Support each child in attaining challenging and achievable goals that contribute to his or her ongoing development and learning

There’s a little more to it than that, but that’s the main idea.”
In the Question and Answer session online they said this about introducing two and a half-year-olds to a circle time,
“For me the whole idea is to get them used to the fact that being with other children and an adult is interesting and worthwhile. They don’t have to be all together in a large group.”
(For a description of a developmentally inappropriate circle time, read the first page of the Viewpoint column from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) journal, Young Children on the Web July 2005, Whatever Happened to Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Literacy? By Susan B. Neuman and Kathleen Roskos.)
The NAEYC position statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice is available in English and Spanish at http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/dap
I once video-taped a kindergarten class while I thought they were listening attentively to the teacher reading a book aloud. Upon reviewing the video, I was surprised to see that most of the children had been bobbing and weaving as they fidgeted while still intently focused on the teacher—something I hadn’t noticed while filming. They were able to answer questions and participate in the discussion about the book after—so being still is not the same as paying attention.
NAEYC’s 10 Effective DAP Teaching Strategies is at http://www.naeyc.org/dap/10-effective-dap-teaching-strategies These strategies work well during a science talk time!
In the Science & Children column “Talk Strategies: How to promote oral language development through science,” (November 2011, pgs 62-66) authors Lauren M. Shea and Therese B. Shanahan include “Report to a Partner,” “Three-way Interview,” and “Think-Pair-Share” among the strategies they use to include talk into science lessons–especially helpful in developing the vocabulary of English learners.
Other useful articles about science talk in Science & Children are:
“Connecting Science and Literacy Through Talk: Third graders sit in a literacy circle and talk simple circuits in science class” by Jeff Winokur, Karen Worth, and Martha Heller-Winokur (November 2009, pgs 46-49). This article describes a third grade class.
“Science Conversations for Young Learners: Tips on guiding kindergarteners to participate in large-group discussions in science” by Julie Sander and Sara Nelson (February 2009, pgs 43-45). The authors describe how science talk developed in their classroom as they tried strategies and made changes to meet their goals.
The NSTA Learning Center forum, “Home > Elementary Science > What Does Inquiry Science Look like in Elementary Classrooms”, has an in-depth discussion about science talk going on—join in!
The culture of “science talk” develops over the school year. Consistent practice and teacher modeling teaches the expectation of sharing observations, saying what we think about them, and why we think that. Have the children help the write and post the rules for participating at Circle Time. Include a “Science Talk” circle time on the Daily Schedule on days when the class is ready to share their observations and discuss them. By engaging preschoolers in small groups or short circle times to talk about their observations and what they mean, we are helping children develop their ability to discuss their scientific ideas.
Share your strategies and structures for productive talk in any early childhood classroom.
Peggy

Calling on experienced teachers—what do you advise new teachers to do to establish routines that support discussion, especially discussion where children share their ideas and evidence for those ideas? Discussion can happen in small groups, with an individual or at a circle time.

 

Online participation

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-07-05

Have you been to a meeting or conference presentation and seen people typing or texting? I often wondered: Are they taking notes? Checking email? Making dinner plans? Playing a game? I found this a little disconcerting, until I realized that they could be backchanneling—participating in an online chat about the session. At first, as a presenter/facilitator, I was a little skeptical about this. But several experiences changed my mind about how backchanneling could add to class participation and collaboration.
I’ve participated in many webinars, and the simultaneous chat among the attendees was interesting, as we asked questions, answered questions, made comments, or added information. In a recent NSTA Web Seminar, the presenters who were not “live” were monitoring this and responded to us when appropriate and asked us questions, too. As I briefly chatted with other participants, I found that I was still paying attention to the presentation. The backchannel interactions added another dimension to the webinar, similar to a turn-and-talk in the classroom. But I was talking with people from across the country, not just turning to 1-2 people physically sitting next to me. I could see how this could open up the classroom to students who might be hesitant to ask a question, especially when conversations are dominated by others. More students could be involved beyond the hand-raisers or more vocal students.

At a workshop, my colleague introduced the teacher-participants to Today’s Meet, a free tool for backchanneling. She set up a “room,” shared the URL and hashtag with the participants, and as the workshop progressed, teachers could add to the conversation in 140-character notes using their laptops or smart phones (via a website or Twitter). We monitored the channel from her laptop and we would share questions or interesting comments. I compared this to the previous day’s session in which we were greeted with blank stares when participants were asked if there were any questions or comments. We now had feedback from participants who in the previous day had never participated verbally in the conversations. At the end of the day, instead of asking for a summary from the 2-3 participants who raised their hands, all of the teachers “tweeted” their feedback. Today’s Meet has an archive feature, so we could review the comments and questions after the session.
So I’m now more open to the concept, especially after following several conferences that I was unable to attend (e.g, #ISTE12). I’m curious to know others’ experiences in backchanneling as a way to get students more involved in class activities, assuming that laptops, tablets, or smartphones are part of the mix. I suspect that the teacher would have to model appropriate and productive comments and questions.  I liked Today’s Meet because it’s free, access is limited to those who are given the URL or hashtag, after a designated amount of time the channel is disabled, the session can be archived for up to a year, and no membership or registration is required to use this. But I’m sure there are other tools that enable the collaborative process.
This could be another collaborative tool in our instructional toolboxes, along with face-to-face conversations, written reports/summaries, and one-to-one conferencing with the teacher.

Have you been to a meeting or conference presentation and seen people typing or texting? I often wondered: Are they taking notes? Checking email? Making dinner plans? Playing a game? I found this a little disconcerting, until I realized that they could be backchanneling—participating in an online chat about the session. At first, as a presenter/facilitator, I was a little skeptical about this.

 

You say derecho, I say “what?”

By Claire Reinburg

Posted on 2012-07-03

Like many other residents of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, I learned a new weather term this week: derecho.  After scrambling to the dictionary and Wikipedia, I learned that the word is pronounced deh-RAY-cho and comes from the Spanish word for “straight.”  A derecho is a rapidly-moving line of storms that has been referred to as a something resembling a hurricane over land.  The derecho that struck June 29, 2012, and caused extensive damage and power outages in areas from Indiana to Virginia came with relatively little warning. Over 1,000 high-wind reports came in to NOAA’s National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center on June 29, and NOAA’s map of the event shows a lit-up corridor of reports along the derecho’s path.  The storms are relatively rare events but are likely to become more widely known and understood as the June 2012 damage assessment and recovery efforts continue in the coming weeks and months. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center’s page “About Derechos” provides extensive background and resources on these types of storms. Accuweather’s description of the June “super derecho” and  Discovery’s “DC Derecho Disaster Explained” include details about the June 29, 2012, event.  If you’re one of the fortunate who have power and online access in the wake of the storm, you can help The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang select a name for this extreme weather event by voting for the term you think best fits— “Swelter in Place” and “Derechosaurus Wrecks” are running neck-and-neck so far today.

Like many other residents of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, I learned a new weather term this week: derecho.  After scrambling to the dictionary and Wikipedia, I learned that the word is pronounced deh-RAY-cho and comes from the Spanish word for “straight.”  A derecho is a rapidly-moving line of storms that has been referred to as a something resembling a hurricane over land.  The derecho that struck June 29, 2012, and caused extensive damage and power outages in areas from Indiana to Virginia came with relatively little warn

 

PowerWheel

By Ken Roberts

Posted on 2012-07-01

PowerWheel

 

Recently, I had the opportunity to test out the Power- Wheel by R.B. Manufacturing. The PowerWheel is a micro hydro generator that can be hooked up to a faucet or hose. It is designed to model how electricity can be generated and to show the transfer of energy. I was intrigued to test this product as the transfer of energy is a difficult concept for middle school students to grasp. Overall, the PowerWheel is a sturdy piece of equipment that comes partially assembled. Eighth-grade students were able to fully assemble the apparatus as shown using the directions provided. If you have a garden-hose spigot at your school, you will have no troubles powering the generator by running the water through the hose. You can also use a pencil to turn the wheel by hand. Enough electricity is produced to get a string of LED lightbulbs to illuminate. The PowerWheel comes with an extremely useful Learning Guide, which is also available as a pdf on the manufacturer’s website. This is a handy option if you want each student to read to learn more about energy. The majority of the publication is informational text covering forms of energy, transfer of energy, and how electricity is created. The content provided is accurate and has graphical representations to allow for ease of comprehension. We were able to use some of the charts, including one on Energy in Our Lives, to assess students on reading charts and graphs as well as learning energy concepts. After you have your PowerWheel hooked up to a water source, it is very easy to demonstrate how energy is transferred by turning on the water and watching the lights begin to glow. However, this demonstration would take less than ten seconds, and wouldn’t require students to engage in any higher-level thinking. The utility of the PowerWheel comes with actually using the device to conduct investigations. Students are able to make qualitative and quantitative measurements as the PowerWheel generates electricity. To assist teachers, the last two pages of the Learning Guide have lesson ideas. In addition, the website provides lesson plans for teachers. If you are new to teaching energy, the lessons will be easy to understand and duplicate. Experienced teachers will be able to easily modify the lesson ideas to meet the needs of their classrooms. The website is not static. New lessons continue to be developed and added. I was able to have students create experimental design investigations to learn more about forms of energy, electricity, and energy transfers. These experiments are what make the PowerWheel valuable to your classroom. You can measure the electrical current using an ammeter at different flow rates. You can see the difference between lighting LED bulbs versus a bike lamp (incandescent bulb). When I looked at postassessment data, I found that students increased their understanding of forms of energy and transfer of energy as a result of using the PowerWheel. I did have one difficulty using the PowerWheel—getting it to connect to a faucet. I did not have a hose to connect the PowerWheel and needed to use a faucet in a classroom. The hose did not automatically connect. In one room, I first had to buy an adapter for the faucet. Then I discovered that my faucet was still too small and had to return to buy another adapter for my adapter. The total extra cost was about $10, but a suggestion would be to make sure you are able to hook everything up ahead of time. Once I had the hose adaptors in place, the PowerWheel worked well in this room. However, in the lab downstairs, the water pressure was not great enough to turn the wheel. Overall, I would recommend the PowerWheel if you want students to investigate electricity and how energy changes forms. It is a simple model that is engaging and has real-world applications.

PowerWheel

 

 

Proline Plus Pipettes

By Ken Roberts

Posted on 2012-07-01

pipette

 

While mechanical, single-channel, adjustable-volume pipettes are most commonly found in research laboratories, I use them with high school chemistry students to introduce them to the concepts of accuracy, precision, and density at the beginning of each school year. In this lab, students measure volume using beakers, graduated cylinders, and adjustable pipettes, and measure mass using top-loading balances and analytical balances, to determine which combination of measurements provide the most accurate and precise value for the density of distilled water. Using an adjustable Proline Plus Pipette with a range from 100 to 1000 μL, I conducted this lab later in the school year without students, in order to compare it to similar pipettes purchased from other vendors. Overall, I found them comparable in many ways to other pipettes I’ve used in my lab that are available from other manufacturers. Specifically, I found them as durable and easy to use as the Finnipipett II (Fisher Scientific) and BenchMate II (Oxford Labware) pipettes. All three brands measured a range of volume from 100 to 1,000 μL. The Proline pipettes were similar in price ($221) to the Finnpipeete II line ($246), while the BenchMate II line was more expensive ($350). All three come with thorough, easy-to-follow instructions. In terms of durability, it is important for teachers to remind high school students to keep the volume within the range printed on the pipette. If students turn the adjustable dial on the pipette past the accepted volume range, the dial will “stick” and the pipette will become unusable. Based on my comparison, I would recommend the Proline Plus Pipette by Biohit to teachers who are interested in using adjustable volume pipettes with their students. The list price of this brand is a little lower than other brands tested, making it a more economical choice for most teachers.

Amy Murphy

pipette

 

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