By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-22
In addition to the new students you’ll soon welcome, you may also be meeting new colleagues on your faculty. Here are two resources from NSTA to share:
There’s been a lot of excitement about a new column in The Science Teacher. The New Teacher’s Toolbox is designed for beginning teachers, with tips and advice from teachers who are willing to share their experiences. The column debuts in the September issue, but you can click here for a sneak peek at Michael Romano’s suggestions on Conquering the “So What Now” Moment. These one-page articles could be used as discussion starters at faculty meetings or shared with new teachers. Whether you’re brand-new to the profession or starting at a new building or grade level, I’m sure you’ll find some good suggestions. Even we old-timers can learn something new, too!
If you’re working with a new principal this year (or would like to keep your current principal up to date in science), NSTA’s Scientific Principals is a monthly e-mail newsletter designed for elementary school principals. Based on unit themes typically found in elementary science curricula (e.g., scientific inquiry, weather, sound, health, earth resources), each issue of Scientific Principals has a list of ideas, resources, and practical applications. Click here to view past issues or to sign up to receive future issues. You can suggest that your principal sign up, or you can sign up yourself and then forward the newsletter to your principal or curriculum director – the advantage is that you get to read it, too, and some of the information and resources are appropriate for the upper grades, too. The August edition features Dinosaurs.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulad/3529450101/
In addition to the new students you’ll soon welcome, you may also be meeting new colleagues on your faculty. Here are two resources from NSTA to share:
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-18
One of the advantages of being an NSTA member is getting a hard copy of the journal appropriate to your teaching assignment (Science and Children, Science Scope, or The Science Teacher for those in K–12). Even if you don’t get a hard copy, as a member you have online access to the others, including the searchable archives. You can read the articles online or download them as PDF files to read later.
One of the advantages of being an NSTA member is getting a hard copy of the journal appropriate to your teaching assignment (Science and Children, Science Scope, or The Science Teacher for those in K–12).
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2010-08-16
Are you hearing that question too often from people who wonder how you are going to make the adjustment back to school now that we are into August? I used to say, “No, I’m not nearly ready” but have decided to follow a more positive model and say, “I’m getting there”. (I’m inspired by wording used by the Early Sprouts Garden Project science-gardening-nutrition-cooking curriculum developers, Dr. Karrie Kalich and colleagues. They have children taste the vegetables they grow and tell if they “like it a lot”, “like it a little”, or “didn’t like it yet.”)
Before the schools open up to teachers, I went to a “spa” for my brain, doing professional development through a training at the University of Northern Iowa. The UNI Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education offers workshops designed for teachers of 3-year-olds to second grade through their Center for Early Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CEESTEM).
One of the sessions was on “Ramps and Pathways” which Betty Zan and Rosemary Geiken wrote about in NAEYC’s journal, Young Children. The discussion among the participants was vibrant and informative, making me realize anew how important it is to have planning time with other teachers. Naptime meeting are not enough—we need to meet to do science inquiry ourselves so we will be prepared to support our students’ learning with questions that move them along in their thinking rather than get them to parrot the correct answer.
While visiting relatives and talking with a neighbor I learned how useful video conferencing is for keeping young children in touch with their families. A niece talks nightly at bedtime with her son who is staying with the grandparents while she is completing her preservice training and the neighbor talks weekly with her granddaughter, reading books to her while the child eats breakfast and shows how she can get her shoes on.
Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears posted an online primer for understanding climate–Climate Literacy in the Elementary Classroom by Susan M. Buhr and Mark S. McCaffrey with strategies for becoming climate-literate. They present a guiding principle—Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts—and seven Essential Principles beginning with, “The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth’s climate system.” The positive wording teaches what we–teachers and our young students–can do.
What has been your best formal or informal learning experience this summer?
Peggy
Are you hearing that question too often from people who wonder how you are going to make the adjustment back to school now that we are into August? I used to say, “No, I’m not nearly ready” but have decided to follow a more positive model and say, “I’m getting there”. (I’m inspired by wording used by the Early Sprouts Garden Project science-gardening-nutrition-cooking curriculum developers, Dr. Karrie Kalich and colleagues.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-14
I am trying to decide how to arrange my classroom with 22–27 chemistry students per class. Last year, my desks were arranged in the traditional manner: rows with an aisle. This year I’m thinking of setting the desks up in pods of four or in pairs. Do you have any advice on desk arrangements?
—Melanie, Huntley, Illinois
We’ve all seen pictures of (or even experienced) classrooms where individual student desks were bolted to the floor in straight, orderly rows. This is certainly the exception rather than the rule today. But there are several factors to consider as you explore different seating arrangements.
Safety is a priority. If you’re in a typical chemistry lab, you probably have an area with lab tables and a “classroom” section with individual desks or small tables. This area is probably not as large as a regular classroom, so your placement options are more limited. Whatever arrangement(s) you use, be sure students can enter and exit the classroom efficiently and backpacks, electrical cords, and other materials can be kept out of the walkways.
Logistically, determine the focal points of the classroom (e.g., whiteboard or projection screen, demonstration table) and be sure that your arrangement allows students to see presentations. Put materials such as handouts, staplers, calculators, or pencils where students can easily access them. If space is tight, count the number of students in your largest class assigned to the room, add one or two to allow for move-ins, and ask if extra desks can be stored elsewhere.
Review student individual education plans to determine any special seating requirements. Make sure seating arrangements can accommodate the visual, auditory, and physical needs of your students as well as any assistive technologies or devices they use. (One year my seating arrangements included space for a student’s service dog.)
No single seating arrangement is “best”—each has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the learning activities. If you use a mixture of instructional strategies in your class, you’ll want to consider using a variety of seating arrangements.
Traditional rows of desks or tables facing the focal point are often used for teacher-centered activities (lecturing, giving directions, or presenting on the whiteboard) or for independent activities (tests, silent reading). Many teachers use this arrangement as the “default.” However, there are “dead zones” in the corners and the back of the room with this arrangement; students in the front center also are more likely to get your attention. While this arrangement minimizes distractions, it also limits student-to-student discussions since students are looking at the backs of other students.
With a U-shaped arrangement, students can see each other, which fosters student-to-student discussions within a large group. This is also useful for teacher-centered presentations, as you can maintain eye contact with all students. As students work, you can zip across the inner space to provide assistance where needed. For large group discussions, you can close the U into a circle and sit with the students, sending the message that you are part of the discussion. However, this takes up a lot of space, and some students may be easily distracted during independent work.
If you do a lot of collaborative activities, consider pushing desks together. Pairs of desks are good for turn-and-talk activities, and groups of three to four are appropriate for cooperative learning. You can also use the lab tables for small group work, unless equipment and materials are set up for another class. In pairs or groups, be sure students can still see a screen or focal point for instructions or debriefing. This arrangement could be distracting during independent work.
Here are two examples of classrooms I’ve visited where teachers had routines in place to align the seating arrangements with the learning activities:
Some teachers may worry that changing the seating arrangements, particularly during a class period, is confusing and time-consuming and that students prefer a consistent arrangement. In the classrooms described above, the seamless transition between activities doesn’t happen overnight. The teacher needs to communicate the reason for the change and the norms for appropriate behaviors.
Let us know how your new arrangements work!
Image: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4168858547_e03f9d324c_t.jpg
I am trying to decide how to arrange my classroom with 22–27 chemistry students per class. Last year, my desks were arranged in the traditional manner: rows with an aisle. This year I’m thinking of setting the desks up in pods of four or in pairs. Do you have any advice on desk arrangements?
—Melanie, Huntley, Illinois
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-09
For many of you, the school year is starting soon. Summer certainly flies by quickly! But if you have a little prep time left and are looking for new materials to add to your curriculum, check out SciLinks, NSTA’s online database of vetted web pages.
You can access the websites in the database either by using the codes in a SciLinked textbook or NSTA publication or by searching for a keyword and grade level on the site.
Keep reading to find out how can you use SciLinks.
Recommending sites to students. As a teacher, you can provide logins for students to search for sites, or you could give them a printed list of suggestions. Perhaps you’ve used the “Favorite Websites” feature of SciLinks, in which you can create your own selection of websites to share with students. For interested or advanced students, you might go to the next grade level or you could go down a level for students who may struggle with the text.
You could suggest sites to supplement or update the textbook information. Share a login with the librarian so that he/she can remind students of this resource. If your students use the technology at a local public library, perhaps the staff there could be alerted as to how and why students would access this.
In group settings. Why just talk about science topics when there are many sites that lend themselves to illustrating the concepts? Building bridges, watching volcanoes erupt, seeing animals congregate around a water hole at night, or accessing photographs and video of various topics bring these topics to life. If you have a projection unit, using a simulation or video clip with the class or a small group of students could be an engaging experience for them – and the resources are free and ready when you are.
With the new Quiz Manager feature, you can create questions for a particular website in the SciLinks database and assign students to complete them. You can keep the questions just for your class, or you can choose to share the questions with other SciLinks-using teachers, creating a common item bank.
Teacher learning. One thing I’ve enjoyed over the years is using the SciLinks websites to keep current on topics such as the human genome or climate change. I especially like the earth science topics (I taught life and physical science, so I’m continuing to learn). If you’re unfamiliar with a topic, searching for sites geared to middle or high school students would be a quick and painless way to learn more about it.
For many of you, the school year is starting soon. Summer certainly flies by quickly! But if you have a little prep time left and are looking for new materials to add to your curriculum, check out SciLinks, NSTA’s online database of vetted web pages.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-08-07
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-29
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-24
I subscribe to many blogs, listserves, and RSS feeds as a way to keep up with current events. This week, two articles caught my attention for their relation to science teaching.
The ISTE Connects blog had a discussion How do you teach creativity? in response to the recent Newsweek article The Creativity Crisis We often think of creativity in terms of the arts, but I had a great conversation with a colleague on what creativity would look like in science. I’m not sure we can “teach” creativity, but it would be an interesting discussion on how we can promote, encourage, model, guide, or recognize creativity in our science classrooms – new, different, or untraditional ways of problem solving, problem finding, inventing, communicating.
Risk-taking can be a component of creativity, but one area in which we shouldn’t take risks is in safety. Scientific American has a recent article Danger in School Labs. Although the article uses examples from college and university situations, the topic is one that should be on the agenda of every school this fall. NSTA has many resources to assist, including the Safety in the Science Classroom portal with links to many resources. Every school should have a copy of the relevant NSTA publication:
Use the keyword “safety” in SciLinks to find web-based resources such as MSDS documents, suggestions for lab safety guidelines, handouts for students, and other suggestions. Two topics to start with are Safety in the Science Classroom and Chemical Handling and Safety. And every month, check out the suggestions in the Science Scope column Scope on Safety.
I subscribe to many blogs, listserves, and RSS feeds as a way to keep up with current events. This week, two articles caught my attention for their relation to science teaching.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2010-07-21
It’s me again, the “bone collecting” teacher with a new question. How effective is rubbing alcohol in preserving specimens? Since I live at the beach, I am always finding marine specimens to use for student observations. Typically, I do not have any biological preservative available, so I’ve been using rubbing alcohol.
—Susan, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Many of us remember high school or college biology labs full of jars with preserved specimens and labels showing the name and when it was collected. They were interesting to look at, but the formaldehyde or formalin frequently used as a preservative in those days is a substance to be avoided today. In the NSTA Press book, Inquiring Safely, “Formaldehyde solution—also called formalin—has been replaced largely by newer, less odorous, and less toxic preservatives with a variety of trade names. However, most still contain formaldehyde, albeit in lesser concentrations and mixed with other ingredients. Treat all specimen preservatives as though they contain formaldehyde, particularly if you or your students are sensitive to materials of this type.” (p. 72)
In terms of alcohol as a preservative, I saw conflicting advice on the websites I examined. I contacted a friend of mine, Dr. Walter Meshaka, a zoologist and the senior curator of the section of Zoology and Botany of the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Here is his response to your question:
I advise strongly against formalin. You can use the standard 40% Isopropyl; however, a better choice, also to be found in most drugstores is ethyl alcohol. Additives keep it from being drinkable, so it is not ethanol [that is, it is] not white lightening. If available as stock (c.a. 95% or so strength) then dilute to about 70-75% and you’re good to go!
Whether you choose isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, be sure you have the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheet on file and use the appropriate safety procedures as you work with it (e.g., goggles and ventilation). Be sure the jars are securely sealed so inquiring fingers are discouraged from opening the jars.
I’ll put in a plug for specimens preserved in blocks of acrylic. Although they can be expensive to purchase, they last for many years and the students can handle them without worrying about breaking a jar.
For beachcombers, be aware of any regulations or required permits for specimen collecting. Some wildlife refuges or other parks and private beaches may have restrictions on taking things away from the beach.
As teachers, we all have collections of stories and anecdotes from our classes. In addition to her question, Susan and one of her students share a related story:
Things You Should Always Ask Your Students
During our study of animals, my sixth-grade students often bring in specimens to identify using our field guides. Shortly after Thanksgiving, Franklin brought in a jar containing a snake his father had killed in their yard. Since the snake had not been placed in a preservative, I suggested that we open the jar to add rubbing alcohol so we could include the specimen to our collection for observation. I had preserved specimens in the past using this method so was not concerned.
He and I opened the jar, and I immediately learned something you should always ask your students. The odor from the jar almost knocked us off our feet. The odor cleared every student out of my classroom, diffused down the 50-yard hallway (causing other teachers to rush out of their rooms), and finally made it to the principal’s office.
After reassuring the administration, teachers, and students that is was simply a matter of a stinky science classroom, everyone settled down. I expressed to Franklin my surprise about the overwhelming odor. Looking perplexed, he said, “Well, the snake has been dead since Halloween.”
So I learned one thing you should always ask your students: Just how long has the specimen been dead?
It’s me again, the “bone collecting” teacher with a new question. How effective is rubbing alcohol in preserving specimens? Since I live at the beach, I am always finding marine specimens to use for student observations.
By Howard Wahlberg
Posted on 2010-07-19
Highlights of stimulating conversations taking place right now on our listservs:
In NSTA’s online professional learning communities, we welcome our 13 new users this past week.
On our “core site” (www.nsta.org): learn about how NSTA is involved with National Lab Day and check out our web news digest, which is active with stories on the elusive Higgs Boson particle and how body shape may affect mental acuity.
On Facebook, science educators are discussing weather warnings, chemical disposal, and NASA’s Cassini Scientist for a Day program.
On LinkedIn, more direct posts from NSTA’s Career Center, and discussions about bluebirds and wood ducks.
And of course, on our Twitter stream, science educators are tweeting and re-tweeting about several freebies that NSTA offers, the upcoming national San Francisco conference, and more!
Renew Your Membership!
Now is the time to insure that you don’t miss a single journal issue or one minute of the time you use to network and build professional connections here in these online communities. Click the link above to renew your membership and insure that NSTA stays in your corner for your science education career!
Highlights of stimulating conversations taking place right now on our listservs: