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Humans perceive the world by constructing mental models—telling a story, interpreting a map, reading a book. Every way we interact with the world involves mental models, whether creating new ones or building on existing models with the introduction of new information. In Models-Based Science Teaching, author and educator Steven Gilbert explores the concept of mental models in relation to the learning of science, and how we can apply this understanding when we teach science.
Humans perceive the world by constructing mental models—telling a story, interpreting a map, reading a book. Every way we interact with the world involves mental models, whether creating new ones or building on existing models with the introduction of new information. In Models-Based Science Teaching, author and educator Steven Gilbert explores the concept of mental models in relation to the learning of science, and how we can apply this understanding when we teach science.
Science teacher educators, curriculum specialists, professional development facilitators, and K–8 teachers are bound to increase their understanding and confidence when teaching inquiry after a careful reading of this definitive volume. Advancing a new perspective, James Jadrich and Crystal Bruxvoort assert that scientific inquiry is best taught using models in science rather than focusing on scientists’ activities. The authors place additional emphasis on sharing cognitive science research that provides valuable insight into how students learn and how instructors should teach.
Science teacher educators, curriculum specialists, professional development facilitators, and K–8 teachers are bound to increase their understanding and confidence when teaching inquiry after a careful reading of this definitive volume. Advancing a new perspective, James Jadrich and Crystal Bruxvoort assert that scientific inquiry is best taught using models in science rather than focusing on scientists’ activities. The authors place additional emphasis on sharing cognitive science research that provides valuable insight into how students learn and how instructors should teach.
 

Mentoring new teachers

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-09-25

I’ve recently been asked to mentor a new teacher in the science department. I’ve never had this role before. I want to help her, but I don’t want to be too intrusive or judgmental. What should I do?
—Erica, Abilene, Texas
The first year of teaching is difficult, and a recent study indicates that 8% of beginning teachers who were assigned a mentor were not teaching in the following year, compared with 16% of those who were not assigned a mentor. NSTA recognizes the importance of this mentorship/induction process in its position statement Induction Programs for the Support and Development of Beginning Teachers of Science. This document has a good description of the roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees.
I’ve had experience both as a mentor (and mentee) and in creating induction plans. I’ve seen how an effective mentor is a “critical friend”—a role model, a good listener, a provider of feedback, a source of suggestions and resources, and a shoulder to cry on. You’re right to want to be helpful, but not overbearing. She’ll do some things very well, and you can celebrate with her. She’ll make some mistakes, and you can help her learn from them.
Mentors share their expertise in a non-supervisory relationship. A mentor is not judgmental or a “sage on the stage” demanding the new teacher do things in a prescribed way. A good mentor should be a “guide on the side” offering advice and suggestions. A good mentor will encourage the mentee to try new strategies and help the mentee reflect on the results. The mentor may even learn something new as part of the process.
How can you help your new science colleague?

  • Meet at scheduled times–before school, after school, or during a common planning period, perhaps weekly at first. Later, these meetings could be on an as-needed basis.
  • Assist with understanding the curriculum, selecting instructional strategies, and designing assessments.
  • Share your resources and experiences with facilitating lab activities
  • Emphasize safety issues.
  • Help the new teacher organize equipment and supplies safely and efficiently.
  • Help the new teacher resolve issues related to classroom management and student behavior.
  • Advise her on school policies and procedures (deadlines, paperwork, emergency plans, extra duties, and so on).
  • Share the school culture and alert the new teacher to some of the unwritten “rules” (so the newcomer doesn’t take someone’s favorite parking space, for example).
  • Introduce the mentee to key people and help her form professional relationships.
  • Be the go-to person to answer her questions—or help her find the answer.

Find out from your principal or personnel director if there are required meetings, with forms to document the meeting times and events. If your school has a formal induction program, you should receive a handbook or other documentation describing the components and requirements. If your school does not have a formal program, I’d suggest that you and your mentee keep a log or journal of your activities and conversations.
If you and your mentee have the same planning period, it makes it easier to meet. But if you have different planning periods, it makes it easier to observe each other’s classes. Or you could cover a class for her as she observes another teacher for ideas or suggestions.
Encourage your mentee to join NSTA (or enroll her as a gift!). Teachers in their first five years of teaching get a discount rate, with access to all of the NSTA resources (journals, listserves, newsletters, discussion forums, and the NSTA Learning Center).
When I mentored new teachers (both officially and unofficially), I often shared stories of my big “aha” learning moments as a mentee. For example, when I was relieved to find out some of the students causing problems in my class were causing problems in other classes, too—I learned not to take their misbehavior personally. I taught several different subjects the first year, so I learned the value of color-coding to organize materials, especially for lab activities. I learned having the day’s agenda on the board helped students to focus on the learning activities. I learned not to take myself too seriously and to have fun with the students (in a purposeful way, of course). I was grateful to have an individual who took the time to mentor me, and I was glad to return the favor.
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjlook/7152722/sizes/s/in/photostream/

I’ve recently been asked to mentor a new teacher in the science department. I’ve never had this role before. I want to help her, but I don’t want to be too intrusive or judgmental. What should I do?
—Erica, Abilene, Texas

 

Maps and models

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-09-21

Click here for Table of Contents


My principal questioned why I had U.S. and world wall maps on my request list. “You teach science, not geography” was his comment. But the maps were ordered, and during lessons we pulled them down and found the location of the Namib Desert, the Okefenokee Swamp, and coral atolls in the Pacific. We pinpointed where current events were happening (volcanic eruptions, storms, space shuttle launches and landings). We contrasted the continental shelf off the two coasts of North America and compared the sizes of watersheds. Those maps were among the best resources in the classroom. For younger students, A Sense of Place describes an activity to introduce students to the idea of a map as a model of an area. The Concept of a Model uses the experiences of upper elementary students to help them understand the meaning behind models (including computer models), along with suggestions for helping students with the critical thinking to generate their own models.
When parents hear about “models,” what may come to their minds is the traditional solar-system-on-a-hanger, pretzel stick log cabins, or shoebox dioramas. The authors of Math and Science Night describe an open house event that gets parents and students involved in inquiry activities using models and other hands-on activities to explore STEM concepts. The authors provide a planning guide, checklists, and examples of activities.
Visual literacy in science is one of my interests. What Do You See? has a lesson vignette that shows how a teacher guided students through an understanding of the purpose of visuals in science text. Using the topic of cells, the authors include a chart showing several questioning strategies and a description of how students created and interpreted their own visuals. [SciLinks: Cells (K–4), Animal / Plant Cells (5-8), Cell Structures (5–8),  How Do Plant and Animal Cells Differ? (5-8)]  And visit previous NSTA blogs for more on Visual Literacy and Models, Maps, and Spatial Understanding

A Wave of Interest capitalizes on current events and student curiosity. The teacher/author describes how he and his students created a working model in the classroom to study tsunamis. This activity was a wonderful opportunity for the teacher and students to learn together. Earthquakes! has a review of trade books related to earthquakes. [SciLinks: Tsunamis (K–4), Earthquakes (K–4)]
Models, such as described in Blood in a Bag, can help students visualize concepts. There are directions for this 5E activity to help students understand the composition of blood. [SciLinks: Blood (5–8),  Blood Type (5–8)] Make Your Own Snow Day shows how models can bring experiences into the classroom, even when the real event is not accessible. The 5E lesson incorporates maps and visuals, too. [SciLinks: Snowflakes]
Why Don’t Spiders Stick to Their Own Webs? This sounds like a question that students would ask, as they watch spiders during an investigation such as the one described in A Web of Learning. [SciLinks: Arachnida (5–8)]
Where Are the Stars? This formative assessment probe that looks at students conceptions (or misconceptions) about the solar system. [SciLinks: Stars 5–8, Solar System 5–8] And check out more Connections  for this issue (September 2011). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, there are ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, and other resources.

Click here for Table of Contents

 

Chemistry of dispersants

By admin

Posted on 2011-09-21

Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico (NASA, International Space Station Science, 05/04/10)

Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico (NASA, International Space Station Science, 05/04/10)

Oil is a stew of hydrocarbon molecules. Oil doesn’t sink, it floats, and when it spills, it spreads out in a thin sheen. Parts of the oil spill, asphaltenes, froth up and emulsify in waves, becoming tarry globules of hydrocarbon chains mixed with other molecules (nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, as well as trace amounts of vanadium and nickel.). The spill byproducts get sticky and messy.BP oil spill samples collected by Louisiana USGS scientists Greg Swayze and Charlie Demas

With 4% of the world’s population, we in the U.S. use 25% of the oil produced, spending nearly half a trillion dollars each year on oil. Neither a spike in prices, nor footage and news reports from last year’s BP oil spill changed oil usage significantly–we have cut it by just 2.4%. So, we’re not going to stop using oil any time soon, and since spills occur at every step in the oil production pipeline, they’re going to continue to occur.
So, how can chemistry help us deal with those spills?

Brown pelicans captured at Grand Isle, Louisiana, following the BP oil spill in the Gulf, 2010You may have seen Dawn commercials  last summer showing workers cleaning ducks with Dawn detergent. Dawn works as a surfactant, breaking the hold the oil and tar has on the duck’s feathers, and allowing it to rinse away in water. Those are cute commercials–these oil-covered brown pelicans don’t look so cute– but how do we deal with spills on a larger scale?

That’s what this week’s Chemistry Now videos are about. The fall release of the weekly, online, video series “Chemistry Now” is under way, and we’re uncovering dispersants as a source of interesting video and lessons. As we’ve written before, please view the video, try the lessons, and let us know what you think.

Photos: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

U.S. Geological Survey

MindfulWalker

Through the Chemistry Now series, NSTA and NBC Learn have teamed up with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create lessons related to common, physical objects in our world and the changes they undergo every day. The series also looks at the lives and work of scientists on the frontiers of 21st century chemistry.

 

Video: On the anniversary of the final capping of the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, NBC Learn explains the chemistry of dispersants and immiscibles, in “How to Wash an Ocean.” They also mark the International Year of Chemistry with a video outlining chemistry’s “10 Big Questions,” as selected by their content partner, Scientific American. 

Middle school lesson: In The Chemistry of Oil Spills, students evaluate several methods of cleanup used in the recent BP oil spill, and learn about the importance of chemistry in oil spill cleanup.

High school lesson: In the high school version of the lesson, students conduct an experiment to determine the contributing factors to the solubility of a system and the role of polarity in the solubility of a system, so that they understand the effect of dispersants on the system.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans:

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico (NASA, International Space Station Science, 05/04/10)

Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico (NASA, International Space Station Science, 05/04/10)

Project Earth Science: Physical Oceanography, Revised 2nd Edition

How well can your students—
• Explain why ice floats?
• Model ocean currents?
• Predict tides?
• Describe the proper clean-up of an oil spill?
How well can your students—
• Explain why ice floats?
• Model ocean currents?
• Predict tides?
• Describe the proper clean-up of an oil spill?
 

Are your high school students WORTHY?

By Debra Shapiro

Posted on 2011-09-19

Canoga Park High School participants of Northrop Grumman's WORTHY program

photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corp.


Know a freshman or sophomore majoring in physics, engineering, computer science, or math who has a solid 3.0 GPA? Northrop Grumman’s Worthwhile to Help High School Youth (WORTHY) program can provide that student with caring mentors, scholarships, professional development training, and exposure to science, technology, engineering, and math careers. Read this NSTA Reports story to learn more about WORTHY and how it helps these students choose their ideal major in college.

Canoga Park High School participants of Northrop Grumman's WORTHY program

photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corp.

 

Motivating and engaging students

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-09-16

Click here for the Table of Contents


“The most engaging tool of all is an enthusiastic teacher who provides high, clear expectations and connects with students on a personal level. Good teaching is good teaching, even today.” This quote from the Editor’s Corner sums up what has always been true, regardless of the current distractions and free-time options that students have. Who remembers the discussions in the mid-20th century about the (negative) effects of television on learning? Or had parents who couldn’t understand how kids could do homework with music playing on the radio or (gasp!) record player? So the 2011 student on the cover with a laptop and smart phone has technology that’s been kicked up quite a few notches, but there have always been perceived distractions.
I’ve found that motivation comes from within an individual. As a teacher I could threaten, reward, or plead with students for compliance, but the ultimate decision to participate was up to the student. The article What Students Really Want in Science Class describes a study in which students “want” the following: hands-on activities, active and interactive learning, being treated as people, and “stories” (narratives that connect content and show its relevance). This article dovetails with Teaching and Assessing the Nature of Science—these would make interesting reading at a department meeting or inservice event. (And I’d second the suggestion for the Understanding Science website  for more on the nature of science.)
In a focus group that I conducted with high school students, they said the worst thing they did  in class is copy notes from the board. They felt they learned best from class discussions, working together, and projects that allowed them to use their problem-solving skills and creativity. One student noted “We might moan about doing a project or having a discussion, but don’t take us seriously…we like them.” I also asked if they ever thought a topic in science was going to be boring, only to find that it was really interesting. The all said yes, and I asked what changed their minds. Virtually every student said it was something the teacher did that made the topic or the activity compelling for them.

The students also noted that they liked to work together. They may need some modeling and guidance on how to do that, and technology described in Science 2.0: Science Teaching and “the Cloud” could facilitate collaboration across geography and time. Many of the Web 2.0 tools foster online collaboration—the article describes Drop Box and Google Docs for sharing files collaboratively. No need to paste and download versions in emails.
Students also like to show their creativity with interesting projects. Adopt-a-Dino capitalizes on the interest students have in these animals (the topic of paleontology is not must just for  elementary students) with examples of student projects and presentations (the photos, handouts, and rubrics are very helpful). [SciLinks: Dinosaurs]
Rather than competing with popular culture, I’ll Bring the Popcorn has ideas for analyzing popular move clips for the science (or lack of science) in them. The author describes several movie scenes and offers suggestions for the appropriate use of these in class. I suspect that once students start looking at films through a science lens, they’ll be able to suggest additional examples. Avatar in the Science Classroom gets even more specific—designing a dream ecosystem. The authors include suggestions for this creative project as well as rubrics for assessing what students are learning. [SciLinks: Ecosystems]
Don’t forget to look at the Connections for this issue (September 2011). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.

Click here for the Table of Contents

 

STEM classroom activities

By Claire Reinburg

Posted on 2011-09-15

Cover image for STEM Student Research HandbookThe July 2011 release of the Framework for K-12 Science Education, from the National Academies, places new emphasis on the topic of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the discussion of K–12 education priorities. The Framework recommends building science education in grades K–12 around three major dimensions: scientific and engineering practices; cross-cutting concepts that unify the study of science and engineering; and core ideas in four disciplinary areas (physical sciences; life sciences; Earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and the application of science). The September 2011 issue of NSTA’s Book Beat anticipates this growing emphasis on STEM education by highlighting lessons that can help science teachers demonstrate to students—in ways both fun and enlightening—the strong connections among science, technology, and engineering.  Included in the issue are links to free lessons like “Imaginative Inventions” from More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons (grades K–4), which helps students explore the invention process and then test toys with both fun and safety in mind. Middle and high school students can delve into the intriguing study of science at the nanoscale through the free lesson “Nanomedicine” from Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12, by Gail Jones and colleagues. Nanotechnology has opened the door for medical applications that work at the molecular level to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. In the “Nanomedicine” activity, students investigate through the use of gelatin-based cell models how nanotechnology is being used to treat cancer without harming the surrounding tissue. There’s also a free e-book offer and a preview chapter of the new NSTA Press book STEM Student Research Handbook. Read this month’s issue of NSTA’s Book Beat to download these STEM-related resources and more.
 

Cover image for STEM Student Research HandbookThe July 2011 release of the Framework for K-12 Science Education, from the National Academies, places new emphasis on the topic of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the discussion of K–12 educ

 

Chemistry of soap and detergents

By admin

Posted on 2011-09-14

Image of soap and supplies to make it the old fashioned way Slippery, slathery, sparkly soap. We squirt a dollop on our hands, rub it in timed to the birthday song, rinse off, and our hands are squeaky clean. But what is soap, and why does it work?

Soaps first appeared in recorded history several thousand years ago, and undoubtedly, the substance was around for some time before that.  These early soaps were rendered from ashes and animal fats, and creating soap was a household chore. Eventually, in the seventh century in Europe, artisans took on the task of producing it, and later still in the 18th century, the industrial production of soap began.

When used for cleaning, soap acts as a surfactant in conjunction with water. Soap cleans thanks to micelles, tiny spheres coated on the outside with polar hydrophilic (water loving) groups, which create a lipophilic (fat loving) pocket around the grease particles, which disperses the grease in the water. The lipophilic portion is made up of the long hydrocarbon chain from the fatty acid. Though normally oil and water do not mix, the addition of soap allows oils to disperse in water and be rinsed away. Synthetic detergents operate by similar mechanisms to soap.

The fall release of the weekly, online, video series “Chemistry Now” is under way, and we’re starting with surfactants (soap, detergent) as a source of interesting video and lessons. As we’ve written before, please view the video, try the lessons, and let us know what you think.

Photo: Katie Weilbacher

Through the Chemistry Now series, NSTA and NBC Learn have teamed up with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create lessons related to common, physical objects in our world and the changes they undergo every day. The series also looks at the lives and work of scientists on the frontiers of 21st century chemistry.

 

Video: The video  “It’s a Wash: The Chemistry of Soap” explains how soap and detergents — surfactants — affect the surface tension of H2O to break up dirt, especially greasy dirt. We also profile 21st Century Chemist Facundo Fernandez at Georgia Tech, who uses chemistry to detect dangerous or ineffective fake pharmaceutical drugs and medicines.

Middle school lesson: In Mixing the Immiscible, students observe the interaction of immiscible liquids by designing an experiment to test the action of surfactants. They compare the results of adding various surfactants to a mixture of immiscible liquids, use their data and observations to discuss why some liquids are immiscible in other liquids, and come to understand how surfactants work.

High school lesson: In Getting Clean, students observe the interaction of immiscible liquids, compare the results of adding various surfactants to a mixture of immiscible liquids, and explore how soaps clean.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans:

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

Image of soap and supplies to make it the old fashioned way Slippery, slathery, sparkly soap. We squirt a dollop on our hands, rub it in timed to the birthday song, rinse off, and our hands are squeaky clean. But what is soap, and why does it work?

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