In a previous blog on student teaching, Christina Atton reflected on her student teaching in science. Her cooperating teacher, Ms. Chevin Stone (from Donald E. Gavit MS/HS in Hammond, IN), shares her experiences as Christina’s cooperating teacher.

When my principal emailed asking for a volunteer to work with a student teacher in a science classroom, I jumped at the opportunity. Part of me thought it would be great to have a few weeks of not writing lesson plans while advising a new recruit to the fine profession of science education. At the cooperating teachers meeting, I found out I’d only have my student for seven weeks. What could she possibly learn in a seventh grade classroom in such a short time?
She learned about classroom management.
The thing one never learns sitting in a college classroom is how to manage a class. You can talk about the techniques, watch all the Harry Wong videos ever produced, and even watch a veteran teacher work his or her magic in the classroom, but until you have to get students settled, on task and learning, it’s all just talk.
She learned that lesson that hard way. My kids are accustomed to me, the stern, “get it done or die” teacher who can keep the majority of the class on task and still sip her cup of tea without breaking a sweat. The best, most well-planned lesson is for naught however, if you don’t have control of the classroom.
My student teacher found out one night that her supervisor would be coming in first thing in the morning. The class being observed was an honors class of bright kids, some with Attention Deficit Disorder. The plan was for me to stay to take pictures of the center activities she was doing. I’m glad I was there.

In every seventh grade class, it seems there is at least one young man who makes you wonder what makes him tick. In this honors class, I have six like that. Never mind a visitor in the room, never mind I sat between the two groups of three as they worked. Between taking pictures, I quietly kept my “gang of six” on task. They decided, however, “It’s a sunny day, the birds are chirping, the girls look nice, and who cares if there’s ‘company in the house’——let’s put on a show.” Before the class period was over, three notebooks disappeared, a quarter used in one of the centers was reported missing and reappeared mysteriously on my desk, and a student reported all of his personal belonging stolen. On a bright note, the closing discussion went very well. (As part of a lesson on DNA, we discussed whether DNA really proved Osama bin Laden was dead.)

I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. My student teacher corralled the group several times; only to have the “gang of six” find new ways disrupt and cause disarray whenever I moved more than five feet away from them. I even went so far as to haul three of them out of the room and give them one of my patented lectures. I apologized to the supervisor (who, incidentally, had been a professor of mine) and when my student teacher returned from her conference, she was frustrated, irritated, and just downright angry.
Classroom management is not something that can be learned in seven weeks. It takes nearly 4 weeks for a veteran teacher to pin down the nuances of personality and behavior. She’d been dutiful in watching me use various techniques to get the lesson started, moving, and flowing smoothly. I often use centers, which can be a great teaching/learning tool. However, in a large class, it’s important to work the “center magic” in such a way that everyone is on task. Her center-based lesson worked for every class except this one.
I bet she reflected on that experience in her journal for at least two pages.
I’ve been teaching for seven years, and I admit that I have days when classroom management is a hard row to hoe. But then again, as I told my student teacher, this is a science classroom, where we learn by doing inquiry. There’s going to be some chaos, some noise, some disarray.
Well, she learned a lot about classroom management. But what lesson did I learn? I think I’ve learned that I have something to share. There aren’t that many teacher candidates interested in science, so those who choose this discipline are precious to us all as science educators. I’ve learned what is important to me, as an educator and passed that on to her. I’ve learned how to be a mentor.
I’m going to miss her. She’s taught me a thing or two and I had a box full of goodies for her (I love a new curriculum cycle when I have lots of things to give away!) It’s my greatest hope she takes her passion for the craft to places where it is most needed and that her students learn to appreciate and love science as much as both she and I do. This has been fun; I must do it again sometime!

Did you see this article from Education Week shared on NSTA’s Facebook page? Study: Interactive Tools Matter More Than Teaching Methods
The article has more details, but basically in the 12th week of the semester, a college physics class was divided up. For the next week (3 hours of instruction), one section continued the lecture approach with the professor while the second was taught by two graduate students using an “interactive method including short, small-group discussions, in-class ‘clicker’ quizzes, demonstrations and question-answer sessions. The teachers got real-time graphic feedback on what the students were learning and what they weren’t getting. ” On a quiz covering that week’s content, the second group outperformed the first “The best scores in the traditional class were below average for the interactive class”  “In addition, student attendance and attention were higher in the interactive class. ”
Those of us in the K–12 world are probably not surprised by the results. Many of us already vary the instructional strategies in a class to get students actively involved and use formative assessments for feedback on student learning. But it’s a fascinating study, and one that could be validated with your own teacher action research.
From what I read, I do wonder if perhaps the novelty of the strategies (technology and collaboration vs. large-group lecture) and having two instructors contributed to the results. It would be interesting to follow up on these variables.
The EdWeek article begins by asking “Who’s better at teaching difficult physics to a class of more than 250 college students: the highly rated veteran professor using time-tested lecturing, or the inexperienced graduate students interacting with kids via devices that look like TV remotes?” I think this question poses a false dichotomy based on stereotypes—the stodgy veteran lecturer vs. the hip technology-using newbie. I would like to see a study on what happens when “highly rated veteran” teachers use collaborative strategies and technologies—for more than 3 hours of instruction!

In a workshop this week, teachers (which included veterans and newbies) used several Web 2.0 tools that could foster student engagement and collaboration. I observed that when the participants (teachers) used  the discussion forums on the course Moodle site, their contributions were more detailed and reflective than if we would have asked them to share out loud.
Another tool we used was lino a web-based communication  system that mimics posting sticky-notes on a bulletin board. The instructor creates a board and shares the URL with others who can post notes on it. The applications are endless—we asked the groups of participants to each post 4 notes: a definition, examples, nonexamples, and questions (color coded). Each team worked on a laptop, but they could what others were posting in real time. We then debriefed as a large group, with all of the notes visible on screen.  The “canvas” can be saved. I could also see using a canvas for an ongoing KWL chart for each class, a quick way to review, or an exit activity. Hmmm.
We also dabbled with Mindmeister, a tool for brainstorming and creating mindmaps (similar in concept to Inspiration). Once again, the instructor sets up the map and shares the URL. In real time, others can contribute. The map can be saved. It was interesting to see the collaboration in real time via laptops as participants added to or commented on and idea from someone on the other side of the room.
Both of these tools have a basic free version that requires login for the instructor. Others do not need a login to participate. I’m sure that students (and teachers) would catch on quickly!
Note: the study was recently published in Science.  A paid AAAS membership is necessary to see the entire article.

Activities that focus on food and cooking can help students see how relevant and fascinating science can be in everyday life.  In a recent illustration of the enduring appeal of food’s scientific underpinnings, one of the most sought-after classroom slots for Harvard undergraduates is in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ course “Science and Cooking.” Last fall in the class and accompanying public lectures, 13 well-known chefs dished on how they use food science in their celebrated restaurants, creating foams, spheroids, and other avant-garde features of their culinary offerings. Why not infuse your own lessons with a cooking activity to stir up students’ interest and appetite for science?  Author Sarah Young’s new book Gourmet Lab: The Scientific Principles Behind Your Favorite Foods is a collection of hands-on experiments that challenge grades 6–12 students to take on the roles of scientist and chef as they boil, bake, and toast their way to a better understanding of science concepts from chemistry, biology, and physics. Read the May 2011 issue of NSTA’s Book Beat for a free lesson from the book, “Cold Milk,” in which your students will measure the energy transfer in the creation of ice cream.  May’s Book Beat also offers grades 3–6 lessons on food-related topics  like chemical change in cooking pancakes and measuring the relative acidity of everyday foods like corn, lemons, and apples.

All you earlybirds out there are in for a treat this month if you look eastward just before dawn (and the weather is clear).  Four planets will be engaged in a slow-motion dance, aligning themselves differently day by day in a tight segment of the sky.
NASA has created a nice video describing the phenomenon:
[youtube]__RLPmenKeo[/youtube]

For the past few years, I’ve had a self-contained fifth-grade class, and my students and I enjoyed doing many hands-on science activities and investigations. Next year, I’ll be teaching science to all of the sixth-graders. The science classroom is well equipped, but I’m looking for suggestions on managing five sections of science every day, especially labs.
—Elizabeth, Bowling Green, KY
In a self-contained classroom, you could be flexible with the schedule. If a science activity took a little longer than expected, you could adapt. But your new situation will be sensitive to the bell schedule. Your classes will be back-to-back, allowing little time between dismissing one class and welcoming the next. Preparation and organization will be important.
Plan your activity for the amount of time you have. If you have a single period (e.g., 45 minutes), you are limited to investigations that can be completed (including the introduction and cleanup) within that time or those that can be paused and continued at another time.
Prepare materials and equipment in advance. Have a surplus of materials so you won’t have to leave the room to get something. Assemble trays or boxes with materials for each lab group. A card in the box (or notes on the board) with an “inventory” helps students know what to return at the end.

If students get to class after the activity has started, allow them to work on the activity if and only if you first brief them on the safety issues (as you did with the rest of the class at the beginning of the activity). Prepare seatwork for those waiting for a turn or are not doing the activity. Students doing seatwork should remain at their desks.
Even the best class or most advanced students can run into difficulties. Resist the temptation to stay at your desk and grade papers or plan the next activity. Monitor your students as they work. In addition to looking for safety issues, you can do some formative assessment as you walk around. You can ask and answer questions, guide their thinking, and eavesdrop on their conversations. You can have a list of lab skills and check off students as they demonstrate them. Also note anything that you would change for the next class or the next time you do this activity.
Time flies during an activity, and if the bell rings while students are still working, they’ll want to rush on to their next class. Students must assume responsibility for cleaning up at the end of the period so that everything is in place for the next class. Set an alarm or timer to provide enough time to clean up the lab stations and debrief on the activity.
Have a sign at each lab station with a list of cleanup tasks. Check each group’s lab station and their box or tray to inventory the equipment and materials before they sit down. Do not dismiss the class until the cleanup is complete and all equipment and materials are accounted for.
Just as in a self-contained classroom, you’ll need organizational strategies, such as labeling or color-coding the paperwork for each section of students, designated routines to hand in assignments, and a place to store 100+ science notebooks.
Another challenge in teaching several sections of the same subject is maintaining your energy level. Even though you’re doing the same activity all day and hearing the same questions, it’s a new experience for each section of students. Your enthusiasm in the last period class has to be at the same level as first period.
And wear comfortable shoes on lab days—you won’t have a chance to sit down!