JoinSunday AM
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-03-22
Sunday is a tough day for a presenter. A lot of conference-goers have early departures to get home for class on Monday, many are attending church services, and perhaps a few are recovering from Saturday evening events. But a team from the St. Louis (MO) Public Schools (Nancy M. Williams, Wanicha Disharoon, and Frank Neal) showed us how to take a typical cookbook demonstration and change it into a series of inquiry lessons on Newton’s Laws. They included audience participation and even gave some set-ups away as a door prize!Sunday is a tough day for a presenter. A lot of conference-goers have early departures to get home for class on Monday, many are attending church services, and perhaps a few are recovering from Saturday evening events. But a team from the St. Louis (MO) Public Schools (Nancy M.Switched-on physics
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-03-22
My favorite exhibit was Pasadena (TX) Memorial High School’s “Alternative Energy Digital Pipe Organ.” This was a full-size instrument (three keyboards and two octaves of pedals) with the sound of a pipe organ that was built by students at the school. I had a chance to talk with Matt Koby (the chief engineer) who is a senior this year and Mr. Alexander Graham (the physics teacher). We were treated to a concert by organist John Potter, another student who was involved in the project who is now a music major in college. The organ is kept in the physics lab at the school—I want to teach there! For more information, click here for the project website. The project was funded by a Toyota TAPESTRY Grant. My favorite exhibit was Pasadena (TX) Memorial High School’s “Alternative Energy Digital Pipe Organ.” This was a full-size instrument (three keyboards and two octaves of pedals) with the sound of a pipe organ that was built by students at the school. I had a chance to talk with Matt Koby (the chief engineer) who is a senior this year and Mr. Alexander Graham (the physics teacher).Secretary of Education addresses NSTA National Conference
By Lynn Petrinjak
Posted on 2009-03-22
One of the conference highlights was a speech by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He gave an inspiring talk on the importance of science and science education. For more information and a video of his speech, go to the NSTA website.Later in the Exhibit Hall, I stopped by the US Department of Education booth. The representative there mentioned that Secretary Duncan stopped by the booth to say hello and to thank them for their participation. She noted that in her experience no other Secretary had done so!
One of the conference highlights was a speech by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He gave an inspiring talk on the importance of science and science education. For more information and a video of his speech, go to the NSTA website.Scenes from the Exhibit Hall
Meet the expert in teaching physics and chemistry cost effectively
By Debra Shapiro
Posted on 2009-03-21
 Ted Koehn of Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, holds a homemade inclined plane he uses in a variety of physics lessons. With humor and insight into teachers’ struggles during this troubled economic time, Koehn told a packed room of budget-conscious teachers how to do more than 60 chemistry and physics labs with low- or no-cost supplies and equipment. |
| While he’s a pro at saving money, he generously provided each attendee with a thick folder filled with instructions for labs and constructing one’s own equipment from such common items as juice cans, old curtain rods, used golf balls, and discarded pieces of wood. For example, he showed how to make a catapult from wood sticks and a plastic spoon. His students use it to launch marshmallows and measure the trajectories. The audience cracked up when he said his students then “eat the marshmallows at their own risk.” Koehn concluded the session by calling the numbers he had written on the teachers’ folders. When a number was called, the lucky teacher could choose which of Koehn’s equipment and supplies he or she could take home. I told Koehn I was impressed by his cleverness in avoiding the need to schlep home all of the materials and by his generosity to his fellow teachers! |
 Francis Ayissi of Washington, D.C., was one of the teachers who was grateful for Koehn’s suggestions. “The value of a workshop like this one will improve the way I’m teaching, and it will also enhance the quality of my labs,” he explained. “In this current economic climate, I believe it’s very, very, very important to see how you can save money by using common materials like those items we find in our homes, kitchens, in the neighborhoods where we live.” |
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Ted Koehn of Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, holds a homemade inclined plane he uses in a variety of physics lessons. Something for everyone at the conference
By Lynn Petrinjak Posted on 2009-03-21 As I’ve talked to attendees, everyone has been so excited. Regardless of position or experience level, they all seem to be learning how they can make science teaching better in their classroom and school. Here are just a few of the comments I’ve heard.
— Lynn Petrinjak
As I’ve talked to attendees, everyone has been so excited. Regardless of position or experience level, they all seem to be learning how they can make science teaching better in their classroom and school. Here are just a few of the comments I’ve heard.
— Lynn Petrinjak
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While waiting to catch a shuttle bus, I chatted with Amanda Jeffers and Melissa Kidder from Sunset, Louisiana. “I think the conference is going so well,” said Amanda. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity