“It was a perfect day. I was impressed with the students’ curiosity, questions, and seriousness about volcanic rocks and how engaged and focused they were for the entire day,” said American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) scientist and curator Jim Webster after working with a group of 44 middle and high school students and 11 science teachers from 10 different New York City public schools, all of whom participated in an event called Advances in Geosciences.
Advances in Geosciences brings together recent graduates of the AMNH Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, some of their students, and a working AMNH scientist to visit museum exhibit halls, collect rocks at an underground zinc mine (Figure 1), and tour a scientist’s lab (Figure 2). This one-day program is full of experiences that could not occur inside a classroom. Students gather in the scientist’s lab for a firsthand view of mechanical equipment that melts rocks through a process that replicates the natural development of igneous rocks. In the museum, teachers and students sketch and describe large volcanic rock samples. In the field, teachers eagerly introduce their students to teachers and students from other schools as they examine and collect rocks. Deep in the zinc mine, an audible gasp rises from the group when mine staff switch on the lights that cause walls of underground minerals to fluoresce in a rainbow of colors.
Figure 1
Display of fluorescent rocks at Sterling Hill Mining Museum
Figure 2
Webster engaging with students in his lab
Launched in 2012, the 15-month AMNH MAT program began as a pilot initiative to help address a critical shortage of qualified Earth science teachers in New York State, particularly in high-needs schools. In 2015 the MAT program officially joined the Museum’s New York State–accredited Richard Gilder Graduate School. MAT is the first urban teaching residency to be offered by a museum, and courses are taught by museum scientists and education faculty. Program participants complete classroom residencies at high-need schools, as well as two museum residencies—one in a summer youth science program and the other in a science practicum. Graduates receive a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree, with a specialization in Earth science for grades 7–12. After graduation, teachers participate in the museum’s teacher induction program, which extends relationships between the MAT program and its graduates beyond course work and into the first two years of professional employment. The museum’s induction program provides monthly cohort meetings, teaching and learning activities, and classroom mentoring and coaching.
Figure 3
Where AMNH MAT graduates work in New York City public schools
This article describes the Advances in Geosciences program, part of AMNH’s teacher induction, which facilitates learning experiences among new science teachers, their students, and practicing scientists. Advances in Geosciences features non–school day events that support new science teachers outside of school as they deepen students’ understanding of the work of scientists, build on Earth science content, and engage with students from other New York City schools (Figure 3). An equally important goal is to build on first- and second-year MAT teachers’ knowledge of AMNH, camaraderie with the cohort, and familiarity with the scientist, all of which allow the teachers to facilitate learning from a place of strength.
This article includes varied perspectives from students, teachers, and a MAT faculty scientist who participated in Advances in Geosciences, and suggests the value of integrating informal and formal learning environments to enhance reciprocal development for new teachers and their students (Avraamidou and Roth 2016). Although the program is specific to AMNH and MAT graduates in New York City, there are implications for informal science educators to forge relationships with teacher induction initiatives affiliated with school districts and universities to support new science teachers and their students in a critical period—the first years.
When looking outside of school for support, teacher education departments have shown growing interest in the potential role of museums and other informal science education institutions (ISEIs) in preservice teacher development. Some teacher education programs use ISEIs’ resources in their course work, supporting preservice teachers’ expansion of their own content knowledge and their development of hands-on field trip experiences—activities that strengthen student engagement (Aquino, Kelly, and Bayne 2010). Teachers’ early exposure to informal science education institutions broadens their perception of instruction and the instructional support available for the classroom (Kisiel 2014). In addition to student engagement, museum affordances such as exhibits, people, and objects play a role in this critical phase of early teacher identity development (Avraamidou 2014; Adams and Gupta 2017). Informal science education environments and staff are well-positioned to provide support by building on preservice teacher education programs as new science teachers transition into the classroom.
New teacher induction
New teacher induction programs typically focus on instructional coaching and analysis of student work to guide teacher development, with the ultimate goal of accelerating student outcomes in the first years of teaching (Goldrick et al. 2012). Over the past 25 years, there has been an increase of induction programs (Ingersoll and Strong 2011), with 29 states requiring at least one type of professional development for new teachers (Goldrick 2016). Drawing on various beginning teacher survey data, Ronfeldt and McQueen (2017) suggest that participation in induction initiatives predict a decreased likelihood of attrition. The first few years of teaching are a critical window for informal science institutions to forge relationships with new teacher induction initiatives affiliated with school districts and universities.
For new teachers, building classroom rapport and student engagement are still some of the most challenging aspects of the profession (Feiman-Nemser 2012). To address this challenge, one approach within the museum’s new teacher induction program is to build on MAT graduates’ capacity to use the museum with their students. Out-of-school environments can be used as a vehicle to shift students’ thinking about themselves and science learning, as well teachers’ sense of themselves and their students (Kisiel 2014; Avraamidou 2014).
How did we start Advances in Geosciences?
Poster advertising the event
In the third year of the museum’s new teacher induction program, scientist, MAT faculty member, and Earth and planetary sciences curator Jim Webster received funding for broader impacts and educational outreach as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) award. These funds were used to support MAT teachers and their students with a program offering an in-depth examination of how scientists study the Earth. The NSF award covered transportation for teachers and students to the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey; notebooks for students; rock samples for teachers’ classrooms; and breakfast and lunch at AMNH. The museum’s new teacher induction budget provided stipends for teachers.
The planning of Advances in Geosciences has been a collaborative effort, with MAT induction faculty (science educators who are MAT faculty) working with Webster and with MAT participants. Teachers were adamant that students go behind the scenes of a scientist’s lab, engage in an informal conversation with the scientist, and spend time in the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth while at the museum. In addition, the teachers had visited Sterling Hill with Webster as part of their summer practicum and felt that it was important to provide a similar educational experience for their students.
While preparing for the first Advances in Geosciences day, Webster, teachers, and MAT induction faculty were excited and apprehensive for different reasons. MAT induction faculty were concerned about attracting a sufficient number of MAT graduates and their students. From their experience working with new teachers, faculty knew that teachers frequently felt tired and might be hesitant to make any teaching commitments beyond their school days, especially the extra burden of coming in on the weekend with some of their students. Webster presented his own concerns as a research scientist; he had limited experience teaching large groups of teenagers who did not know each other, and he was not sure how it would all work. To alleviate concerns, induction staff worked with MAT teachers and Webster to plan the day. During monthly new teacher induction meetings, teachers gave input and shared ideas of how to organize the day so that it would include a variety of immersive activities to review and extend learning about rocks and minerals. Teachers also planned time to share some of their favorite Earth science exhibits with students.
Because teachers were asked to bring three to five students, teachers were worried about how they would recruit. Teachers shared strategies with each other and, in the end, some teachers brought students who were struggling in class and were disengaged, other teachers asked students to write short statements on why they wanted to participate, and still others chose students who were particularly interested in Earth science.
The event was called Advances in Geosciences to symbolize that this was a day of high expectations that would build on Earth science classroom instruction and give an inside view of the work of scientists. Working with the teachers and the scientist, the agenda and student learning goals were outlined. The primary goal of the day was to inspire students to develop their academic path in science by providing an immersive experience that expanded on the Earth science curriculum. Content learning goals aligned with the New York State Earth science curriculum were identified: how rocks and minerals support understanding of Earth’s history, and how minerals and rocks are formed as a result of specific environmental conditions. Different pedagogical strategies were used to foster students’ use of the museum to deepen their understanding of rocks and expose them to scientists’ use of rocks to study the Earth. For example, an initial activity used silent sketching of rock specimens to elicit student ideas about igneous rocks (Figure 4). Teachers designed prompts for small-group discussion and facilitated exchanges among students from different schools. In addition, teachers were asked to have students share what they learned back in the classroom. Some teachers had students document the day with photos and make short PowerPoint presentations, whereas other students wrote about the experience.
Figure 4
Erin Richley talking with students in the Hall of Planet Earth
To understand what resonated for students, MAT induction staff, with support from the teachers, developed a feedback form that asked students to reflect on what they learned. The form also included a few multiple-choice and short-answer questions from the Earth science Regents exam, which is a New York State standardized science exam that most of the students would be expected to take at the end of the school year (Figures 5 and 6). Among Regents questions, the most relevant ones are about characteristics of intrusive igneous rocks (mafic and felsic); processes that form these types of rocks; the sequencing of events that caused particular rock formations, from the oldest to youngest; and interpretation of bedrock maps. The addition of the Regents questions reinforces for new teachers how out-of-school learning can support students’ school learning. Below are two examples.
Figure 5
Example of New York Regents questions
Figure 6
Example of New York Regents questions
What did the day look like at the museum?
The day started before the museum opened in the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth with an investigation on volcanic rocks. In different areas of the exhibit, teachers and the scientist both facilitated student discussion about why there are ocean basins, continents, and mountains. This was followed by a sketching activity in which students observed large volcanic rock specimens (Figures 7, 8, and 9). These activities helped students from different schools engage with the topic and the museum, and get familiar with each other. The silent sketching activity generated student observations and inferences, and elicited their ideas about igneous rocks.
Figure 7
Students’ sketch of volcanic rocks and corresponding observations
Figure 8
Students’ sketch of volcanic rocks and corresponding observations
Figure 9
Students’ sketch of volcanic rocks and corresponding observations
Webster answered students’ questions about the rock specimens and gave a conversational talk about his research on igneous rocks. After lunch, students and teachers were placed in three groups that rotated through Webster’s lab and different museum halls, where teachers shared some of their favorite exhibits and students sketched rock specimens. In his lab, Webster uses controlled conditions to simulate the process of igneous rock formation. He asked students to call him “Jim” to emphasize the program’s informal approach, which was designed to encourage questions and discussion from students and provide a point of connection to the scientist in what was otherwise a potentially intimidating environment. The point of connection for first-year teacher Kin Tsoi’s high school students was being in the environment:
"The most important part about showing students the lab is that it took them out of the mindset that education only happens in the classroom. It helped them think that education is more life-long. A lot of them did not have any idea about why we did anything in class. They couldn’t understand why we looked at things like geography, geology, astronomy, weather.”
The context of the museum and the scientist’s lab, and having time to talk with a working scientist, made the content relevant for students (Figure 10).
For a majority of students, it was their first time meeting a scientist and visiting a science lab. Danny (we use only first names for student confidentiality), a tenth grader, commented, “I actually went to a real scientist’s lab for the first time of my life.” The time in the lab resonated with students, as exemplified by an eighth grader’s reflection:
"My favorite part was going to the lab and seeing how geologists perform experiments on rocks and learning about Jim’s lab and looking at the instruments he uses and how he uses them.”
Webster thought the lab experience resonated with the students because of he was able to show his “enthusiasm for the lab work.” He continued:
"I love being in my lab. I think sharing the melting rock samples and weaving a story, and to be in a room full of equipment. It is not a whole bunch of computer screens and lights and electronics. It is values and gauges. It is a little more mechanical and I wonder if that is a little easier to appreciate.”
One student, Jolene, an eighth grader, commented on how the lab visit shifted her thinking about the work of scientists:
"What left an impression on me was the lab, where scientists use different tools to help analyze different rocks, minerals, and etc. I remember when we went into the lab … we saw all of the equipment that they used and they described what each one were used for. The day shifted my thinking because there were so many experts that knew so many things and personally I’m not into geology and I’m more into astronomy but despite my interests, the whole trip really grabbed my undivided attention.”
Figure 10
Students engaging with Webster in his lab
What did the day look like at the mine?
The Sterling Hill Mining Museum is less than 50 miles from New York City. Mining in this location for zinc, iron, and manganese began in the late 1730s. The mine closed in 1986, and several years later opened as an educational museum. According to Webster, the sulfur-poor zinc ore minerals of the Sterling Hill Mine and the nearby Franklin Mine form a mineralogical enigma; nothing else quite like it exists on Earth. These two mines combined have 350 different types of minerals—representing 10% of minerals known to science (Bostwick 2008)—91 of which fluoresce.
In the MAT program, Sterling Hill Mining Museum holds a special place because it is part of the MAT summer science practicum and a favorite for many participants because they see rocks fluoresce in the mine and get to use hammers to collect rocks for their future classrooms. Each year, on the bus back to the museum, the MAT graduates strategize how they might bring their future students to Sterling Hill. The teachers know these types of learning experiences can make a difference in building an interest in science. In other words, the day resonates with participants—both as learners and preservice teachers—sparking their desire to incorporate this experience into their teaching. For students, learning in the context of the mine and the adjacent museum solidifies many classroom rock and mineral concepts.
The Advances in Geosciences day at Sterling Hill Mining Museum included a tour of an underground zinc mine and museum (Figure 11) and the opportunity to collect rock specimens in the field side by side with teachers and Webster (Figures 12 and 13).
Figure 11
Teacher Jessica Sharoff and students sketching and making observations
Planning the trip to Sterling Hill Mining Museum when most teachers were teaching their rocks and minerals unit allowed educators to complement the experience back in the classroom. Students took photos during the trip and led class presentations that included using ultraviolet lights, which the MAT induction program bought for the teachers, to show the bright green and red colors of fluorescent zinc exposed in the minerals. Principal Yvette Rivera commented that for her students, “The day was a wonderful mesh of both science and education and that also captured the real-life experience of how geology has a real-life impact.”
Figure 12
Teacher and students collecting rocks
Photo credit: Roderick Mickens AMNH
Figure 13
Jim Webster talking with a student in the Hall of Planet Earth
Teacher and student feedback
Teachers and students shared their reactions to Advances in Geosciences through feedback form data, post-trip emails, and follow-up small-group conversations that took place at schools over a two-month period following the visit to the mine. A few themes emerged that highlight the reciprocal learning that occurs during these days for new teachers and their students: enhanced classroom rapport, connections between science knowledge and professions, and changes in students’ perception of rocks.
The experiences in the lab and talking with Webster were of high interest to students, and this was evident in the responses on the feedback forms.
Enhanced classroom rapport
For teachers and students, the shared experience helps both learn from each other, and build and solidify classroom rapport. After participating in Advances in Geosciences, first-year teacher Kin Tsoi commented:
"I chose the trip to reengage students in the content that we were working on and to build up a relationship with these students. This worked pretty well. They were more willing to come to afterschool for help, although the results varied at times.”
For new teachers, getting to know students and building rapport is a critical first step in the first years of teaching. This is one reason why getting out of the classroom can support new teacher development. Second-year teacher Erin Richley, who has participated in all three offerings of Advances in Geosciences, highlights the reciprocal development for building relationships at school:
"I think the biggest thing I got out of that first Geoscience day was how it made such an impact on Manu [a student] and my relationship. I think it meant a lot to her that I wanted to show her part of my world, and following that experience and into the next year teaching her again, we had a more trusting relationship.”
These comments highlight the value in getting to know students in an expanded capacity, and its potential role in supporting teachers in building their classroom community.
Students’ comments reflect that they also valued the opportunity to see their teachers outside the classroom and to learn along with them. For example, Fateah, an eighth grader, summarized her impression about her teacher: “My teacher, Mr. G. is obsessed with rocks. It was a nice new thing to learn about my teacher.” Michael, an 11th-grade student, shares what he learned about his teacher, Caity Tully, and what he thinks she learned about him:
"I mentioned to Caity prior to the trip that I have already taken Earth science in middle school and in a sense boasting that I had a 93 on the Regents. Acknowledging this information, she thought that I would be more knowledgeable about geology and I failed her by not really knowing the answer to her questions. She was fine with all of that. I had questions along the trip and she would always try to give me an answer or she would ask Maya, another teacher, if she didn’t know the answer. I admire her for that; her attempt to give me the solution, knowing that she doesn’t know it, yet still strives to figure it out is a rare quality to have.”
Michael describes how his teacher is accepting of him even if he is not able to apply what he has learned in previous Earth science classes to the rocks and minerals in the mine. At the same time, he sees his teacher not knowing the answer and how she consults with a fellow teacher for the answer. This is a parallel process of both of them showing their vulnerability of not knowing, and that not knowing is okay.
Connections between science knowledge and professions
Advances in Geosciences days offered students the opportunity to see professional science in action. For example, one ninth-grade student noted: “I liked seeing Jim’s lab, it was interesting to see how a scientist works pretty much on a daily basis.” At Sterling Hill Mine, Miranda, a 10th grader, made a connection between the science, the rocks, the mining profession, and her new awareness of rocks. Miranda states,
"I always thought that I wanted to become a doctor, because I love math and science. However, this trip made me wants to become … [a scientist] … about rocks. I never knew I would be so interested in learning about rocks. I also enjoyed learning about mining. For example, the canary bird fascinated me. I thought it was a smart idea to use the birds to see if there was enough oxygen. I never looked down at rocks and identify them. But after the trip, I constantly look at rocks.”
These students expanded their ideas about science careers and awareness that science could lead to a career that they would find interesting (Archer 2015).
Opportunities such as Advances in Geosciences also allow the MAT graduates to share their expertise with their students. As a result, students indicated that they saw their teachers as scientists in the field. For example, when asked how he liked interacting with a scientist, Michael, the 11th-grade student, said: “Technically the teachers are scientists so yes, I did interact with scientists.” Both teachers’ sense of identity and students’ interpretations of their teachers’ identity shifted toward “scientist” on these days. Second-year teacher Erin Richley said:
"It made me feel like I can still be a part of the larger scientific community. It helped me solidify the idea that I can help expose my students to what made me love geology, and still teach them something at the same time. It also helped to remind me I still had a place at the museum, and that I should bring my students back to see it from a more insider perspective.”
Advances in Geosciences days highlight the value the teachers place on being affiliated with a science community and the museum.
Changes in students’ perception of rocks
The trips afforded new teachers contextualized opportunities to teach about the dynamic properties of rocks. Before the trip to the mine, some students were dismissive of rocks as boring; however, after the trip, students’ comments revealed a new relationship to these rocks. Genesis, a 10th-grade student, reflected on how the trip inspired a new awareness of rocks in her neighborhood:
"I really enjoyed the experience of going into an actual mine that was once functional. … I learned that there are minerals that glow in the dark. There are minerals that come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. I learned as a person I would really enjoy doing this as a profession. I was like to look for actual rocks … That very weekend I went to the park …”
We tend to assume change happens only when we encounter living beings, but nonliving things can also change us and provide awareness, and this is a more holistic approach to being in the world (Bai 2015). Another student captured this, saying:
"I enjoyed being able to pick our own samples of the minerals. First as a group but then individually with the rock hammer. I enjoyed this because I had never picked rocks before and it was really cool to see the minerals that made up the rocks.”
Students were surprised by how engaged they got with the rocks at the mine and the museum. Through this experience, students had an interactive and authentic experience, not only with their teachers and other students, but also with the rocks as scientific specimens.
Improvement and implications
To date, MAT induction faculty have hosted three Advances in Geosciences days and plan on two events this year. Areas of potential improvement for Advances in Geosciences include developing standardized preparation activities for the day and extended learning opportunities back into the classroom that align with middle and high school curricula. MAT induction faculty would like to develop a plan to expand the evaluation efforts to understand the influence of the program as the new teachers continue in their teaching careers and students move through their academic/career pathways. In addition, teachers and MAT induction faculty will develop a teacher survey and expand the student survey to measure outcomes to inform how to build on these days both in and out of the classroom. Webster recently submitted a proposal for additional funding from NSF for broader impacts in education to continue this component of work in MAT new teacher induction. The program has the potential to be replicated by other scientists and informal science institutions collaborating with induction programs in their own communities.
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to MAT teachers Dejan Božović, Kevin Gostomski, Erin Richley, Jessica Sharoff, Kin Tsoi, and Caity Tully and their students, who contributed to this article. A special thanks to Bernadette Doykos and Jamie Wallace for their comments. Support for Advances in Geosciences is provided by National Science Foundation award EAR-1219484.
Cristina Trowbridge (ctrowbridge@amnh.org) is senior manager of professional development at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York.
Adams, J.D., and P. Gupta. 2017. Informal science institutions and learning to teach: An examination of identity, agency, and affordances. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 54 (1): 121–38.
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Avraamidou, L. 2014. Developing a reform-minded science teaching identity: The role of informal science environments. Journal of Science Teacher Education 25 (7): 823–43.
Avraamidou, L., and W.M. Roth. 2016. Intersections of formal and informal science. New York: Routledge.
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Feiman-Nemser, S. 2012. Teachers as learners. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Ingersoll, R., and M. Strong. 2011. The impact of induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers: A critical review of the research. Review of Education Research 81 (2): 201–33.
Kisiel, J.F. 2014. Clarifying the complexities of school–museum interactions: Perspectives from two communities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 51 (3): 342–67.
Ronfeldt, M., and K. McQueen. 2017. Does new teacher induction really improve retention? Journal of Teacher Education 68 (4): 394–410.
Discover how Advances in Geosciences brings together graduates of the American Museum of Natural History’s (AMNH) Master of Arts in Teaching program, their students, and working scientist to visit AMNH science exhibit halls, tour a scientist’s lab, and collect rocks at a zinc mine.
Discover how Advances in Geosciences brings together graduates of the American Museum of Natural History’s (AMNH) Master of Arts in Teaching program, their students, and working scientist to visit AMNH science exhibit halls, tour a scientist’s lab, and collect rocks at a zinc mine.
The Elementary (& PreK) Extravaganza, at NSTA19 St. Louis
Plan your strategy for getting the most out the 2 hours you have to access the 100+ presenters, each at their own table, in the Elementary Extravaganza (EE) at the NSTA annual conferences. Have you seen the loooong list of presenters!!!? Each will have their own table for materials. This year the EE will take place on Friday April 12, 2019 from 10 am-12 noon.
The EE has several organizations joining in the session, each with their presenter tables grouped together.
Science and Children, NSTA’s elementary (and PreK) school journal, brings authors and columnists together to talk to you about activities and approaches they have written about in the previous year. Get a more detaileddescription and try the hands-on materials as you discuss with the authors.
The Early Childhood Science Interest Forum (ECSIF) of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will be at the EE for the first time as a contributing organization, representing the work of educators of children ages birth to 8, the early childhood years. (Because my happy place is where the worlds of science education and early childhood education overlap I had to make a difficult choice this year and I’ll be with this group presenting about my November 2018 Early Years column, How big is it really? The importance of teaching media literacy in early childhood programs.)
Perhaps you have to make a difficult choice between two sessions—check the presenters’ link and see if they will also be at the EE, a chance to chat with them personally, and then attend the other session. If you can’t participate in my Saturday session, “Using Natural Materials to Explore, Mess About, Investigate, Experiment, and Inquire in Early Childhood Science” (11-12, Room Landmark 3 at the Marriott), connect with me at the EE. Or meet me at the NSTA Bookstore in the Exhibit Hall on Saturday 1-1:30 pm to talk with me about my book, Science Learning in the Early Years: Activities for PreK-2.
“Gather resources for use in your classroom immediately. Engaging hands-on activities, strategies to excite and encourage your students, a preview of the best trade books available, information about award opportunities, contacts with elementary science organizations, sharing with colleagues, door prizes…”
Plan your strategy for getting the most out the 2 hours you have to access the 100+ presenters, each at their own table, in the Elementary Extravaganza (EE) at the NSTA
Ed News: The Evolution of U.S. Teacher Salaries in the 21st Century
This week in education news, a look at the variation in teacher pay between the states, a new Lego set for middle schoolers that incorporates coding, and challenges ahead with the California test based on new science standards.
The average teacher salary in the United States is approximately $60,000 today but there’s tremendous variation in pay among states. This infographic from Forbes provides an overview of the evolution of U.S. teacher salaries and the massive growth disparity among different states. Read the article featured in Forbes magazine.
Peter Tabichi, a math and science teacher in Kenya’s Rift Valley, was announced as the winner of a $1 million international teaching prize Sunday in a star-studded ceremony in Dubai. Read the article featured in Education Week.
The LEGO Education SPIKE Prime set, aimed at middle school students, combines LEGO bricks, coding language based on Scratch, and a programmable multi-port Hub to help every learner become a confident learner. Using hands on lessons, students will be equipped to not only create working machinery in LEGO, but also program its functions and features. Read more.
“Alexa, watch the class!” These University of Idaho students placed 90 Amazon Echo Dots in schools across Northern Idaho. Find out what happens when teachers left the classroom for a few minutes relying on the Echo Dot they left behind to keep their students in line. Read more.
High school students in California may face some challenges when they take the new online California Science Test for the first time this spring. The new test comes after the state passed new Next Generation Science Standards in 2013. Read the article featured in The Record.
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that many Americans can answer at least some questions about science concepts, but there are substantial differences in levels of science knowledge by race and ethnicity and men tend to score higher than women on science knowledge. Read more.
Dayton Public Schools’ Challenger Learning Center in Dayton, Ohio, is one of 44 centers around the globe aimed at engaging students in “hands-on exploration and discovery opportunities that strengthen knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Read the article featured in District Administration.
In the midst of male-dominated fields that can sometimes deter females from entering, mentorship programs are cultivating interest and opening up opportunities to girls in STEM, EdSurge reports. In fact, when it comes to the percentage of girls who understand the relevance of STEM and the possible jobs within it, there’s a 20% difference between girls who know a woman in STEM (73%) and those who don’t (53%). Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.
A group of Democratic senators, including 2020 contender Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), on Thursday introduced a bill aimed at combating sexism within the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The bill, called the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019, comes in response to a study published last year that found 58 percent of women in STEM fields say they have been sexually harassed. Read the article featured in The Hill.
Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.
The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
This week in education news, a look at the variation in teacher pay between the states, a new Lego set for middle schoolers that incorporates coding, and challenges ahead with the California test based on new science standards.
I recently discovered a Facebook post in which a parent expressed disagreement over how I graded her son’s assignment. This unleashed a torrent of hateful, profanity-laced comments including one person saying I should be fired. I’m afraid something like this could ruin my good reputation at school. Any thoughts on how to handle this? — J., Nebraska
Wow!
If this parent posted hateful or slanderous comments then I think the very first thing you should do is talk to your administrator. Did this parent ever talk to or contact you about this? If not, then I think a face-to-face meeting with the principal present should be arranged. People can be brave online where they can fire off vindictive statements without having to look anyone in the eye. She may have legitimate concerns, but she has raised them in the wrong way. My guess is that she will not be as nasty in the same room as you and your principal.
I do wonder, why are you looking at parents’ Facebook posts and comments? You can’t control how people talk about you in their homes or with their friends—and social media has become an ersatz kitchen table for many people. And, you will never be everyone’s favorite. The most likely people to post something about you will fall in two camps: those who are angry with you and those who are thrilled with you. You’ll never get a real idea of what most people think. Try not to sweat this too much and remain confident that you are doing the best job possible. You will likely teach thousands of students in your career, and some are likely to have parents who won’t address problems properly. Resist reading other people’s opinions about you.
I recently discovered a Facebook post in which a parent expressed disagreement over how I graded her son’s assignment. This unleashed a torrent of hateful, profanity-laced comments including one person saying I should be fired. I’m afraid something like this could ruin my good reputation at school. Any thoughts on how to handle this? — J., Nebraska
Who knew that gecko feet inspired scientists to develop a stickier adhesive or that cockleburs in dog fur led to the invention of Velcro? Discovery Engineering in Physical Science uses these and other surprising cases of innovations sparked by accidental observations to teach about the amazing role of serendipity in science. The case studies in this new resource are a lively way to integrate engineering into your physical science classes.
Who knew that gecko feet inspired scientists to develop a stickier adhesive or that cockleburs in dog fur led to the invention of Velcro? Discovery Engineering in Physical Science uses these and other surprising cases of innovations sparked by accidental observations to teach about the amazing role of serendipity in science. The case studies in this new resource are a lively way to integrate engineering into your physical science classes.
Be the Successful Wiz Behind the Curtain to Your School’s Family Science Night
We have the ancient Greeks to thank for so much of what we continue to enjoy today. Take, for example, the concept of the community theater. Intergenerational groups would gather, all those years ago, in informal settings to both watch and participate in dramas that explored a range of thought-provoking topics. Families would discuss what they’d seen, ask questions, learn together, and communicate big ideas.
The community theater model is a great analogy for what authors Donna Governor and Denise Webb are trying to achieve in their new book, Staging Family Science Nights, says NSTA Past President Juliana Texley in the book’s forward.
Texley readily acknowledges that planning a Family Science Night will require educators’ time, talent, and even some funding. But she adds that “data document both higher in-school achievement for students who participate with their families and higher support for STEM in communities overall.”
Governor and Webb say that Family Science Nights were the highlight of their teaching careers. They formed a partnership organizing these events while working at adjacent schools and hosted events for thousands of families with students across all levels of K-12 education.
“We want to make it clear… this book is for… elementary teachers, secondary teachers, and teachers of preservice teachers,” the authors explain in the book’s preface. “We found out that Family Science Night events are great for our youngest students, but important for older students as well. We’ve seen older students develop a sense of self-efficacy in science in ways that never would have happened in the classroom.”
This book is a pragmatic planning document that contains two main sections: Section 1 (“Producing the Event”) walks educators through a detailed account of how to make the case for Family Science Night; write the script; cast the event; build the set, procure costumes and props; invite the community; and handle all the last-minute details, challenges, or obstacles that might arise.
Section 2 (“On the Stage”) provides educators with specific suggestions for novice-, intermediate- and advanced-level activities. From balancing a “bug” on your finger, to engineering a roller coaster with loops and turns, to building a hovercraft from a used CD, this book offers nearly 40 different activities to engage learners of every age.
Governor and Webb even created an appendix where they share a variety of forms, letters, and information that they used over the years in producing their own Family Science Nights. It’s hard to imagine a detail that these two overlooked.
Having two experienced mentors who have created a such an extensive, creative, and practical A to Z list of everything you need to host Family Science Night is sure to support your success.
Read a sample chapter. Then learn how to order your own copy. The show must go on!
We have the ancient Greeks to thank for so much of what we continue to enjoy today. Take, for example, the concept of the community theater. Intergenerational groups would gather, all those years ago, in informal settings to both watch and participate in dramas that explored a range of thought-provoking topics.
NSTA Conferences: Professional Learning and So Much More
Editor’s Note:In this blog series commemorating NSTA’s 75th Anniversary we take a look to the past with an eye to the future.
Can you imagine attending an NSTA convention over Thanksgiving weekend?!
Indeed, that was the timing of NSTA’s first regional meetings (in conjunction with NEA and AAAS), in 1944.
However, NSTA’s first “independent” National Convention was held in 1953 with a registration of about 620 educators, representing 33 different states and 28 commercial exhibits.
Sixty-six years later, the NSTA National Conferences boasts a registration of more than 10 times that number. Attendees come from every state in the nation and from more than 25 different countries. We now have more than 300 exhibiting companies!
According to many attendees, the conferences continue to provide a valuable source of professional development. NSTA conferences are THE place to be if you want to:
network with like-minded colleagues;
obtain professional development that is specific to your grade level/interest or content area;
become a mentor or mentee;
find someone who understands and has experienced your classroom challenges;
hear invited speakers who are relative to what’s happening in STEM education;
engage, learn, and/or share best practices; or,
get re-energized and be reminded of the positive impact you have on so many students, every day!
Our conferences are packed with opportunities to meet and engage with other educators and administrators and spend time in an exhibit hall filled with up-to-date technology, software, lab equipment, books, and other resources that will enhance your classroom and teaching skills.
A diverse committee of educators (your peers) come together well in advance of a conference to develop the strands and programming. As a result, addressing your interests and priorities is always the ultimate goal.
Whether a national, area conference, or the STEM Forum & Expo, there is no better place to get motivated and re-gain pride in being an educator!
The STEM Forum is a unique, focused event that brings together (informal and formal) educators and representatives from exhibiting companies who are interested in, and who have tools and resources to share that will ensure successful implementation of STEM education into our schools and communities. It is intended to provide resources for educators and organizations seeking to learn more about STEM education, associated outreach programs, partnerships, schools, and curricula. .
You will not want to miss this professional development opportunity! Mark your calendar now for the STEM Forum or any of our conferences this fall, and help us celebrate 75 years of supporting all teachers of science!
Our staff looks forward to seeing you soon!
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Two of Ramona Jolliffe Satre’s sixth graders at Ogden Middle School in Ogden, Iowa, review a podcast they created using an iPad. Photo by Terri Reutter
“When my students are unable to attend a field trip, I typically create a podcast, so those students can listen to what was learned. Then I post the podcast in Google Classroom, so they can access it,” says Kurtz Miller, who teaches geology, physics, and physical science at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. He says podcasts work well “for my upper-level, college-credit geology students because it helps them really digest and consider what was said…It gives them a firsthand account and additional information besides other students’ notes.”
Miller gets permission in advance from the speakers on the field trips to record their talks. He uses a mono digital voice recorder with built-in USB. “It costs just [less than] $50 [and] records in MP3 audio format,” he explains. “It’s an example of something a teacher without a lot of tech savvy could do, a starting point for teachers to try.”
“I first started using student-made podcasts along with a sixth-grade yearlong project about famous scientists,” says Ramona Jolliffe Satre, former fifth- and sixth-grade science teacher and now a K–12 instructional science coach for Ogden Community Schools in Ogden, Iowa. Each month, “chosen students presented orally to their class about a famous scientist in history. This usually involved a slide presentation to guide their talk. This oral presentation also involved the student using a mic to present; another learning experience.”
Next, her students “record and upload a podcast, allowing peers absent from class to share in the presentation. The podcast is logged in their Google Classroom for future reference at assessment time. Students also enjoy using the podcasts for reviewing the information,” Satre maintains.
Her students also produce three- to five-minute podcasts to accompany “a poster about a classroom concept. We just completed posters about natural disasters in class. Each poster has a [two-dimensional barcode] on it that attaches a student-made podcast offering further information about the natural disaster. We share these posters in our hallways and community locations like the public library,” she relates. “It gets the community involved and gives students another audience,” she notes.
“I encourage students to write a script first, to connect the written word to the brain. Repetition helps them remember,” Satre contends. She emphasizes the importance of “talk[ing] like scientists” and says podcasting “is a way to reinforce that, [having] correct grammar…a presentation voice.”
Because of the ease and popularity of texting, “a lot of students are not as verbal as they once were. Students need to practice talking. In Iowa, part of our literacy standard is speaking. Students have to be able to communicate for their careers,” Satre asserts.
“I’ve been podcasting as an instructor and have had students create podcasts,” reports Laura Guertin, professor of Earth science at Penn State Brandywine in Media, Pennsylvania. She says she was sold on podcasting after attending a summit on undergraduate science education and hearing from employers of recent graduates that “students’ weakest skill is their ability to listen.” Guertin contends that students “don’t get enough opportunities to show their knowledge matters and makes a difference in others’ learning. Students can be teachers and students at the same time.” For example, her students created podcasts about tree identification for Ridley Creek State Park in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and podcasts focusing on basic geology and sustainability for the Pennsylvania Earth Science Teachers Association.
Podcasting is “a tool to enhance learning of content without it taking away from the objectives of the course, without having technology be a barrier or a burden,” Guertin observes. “It can help students learn a transferrable skill outside [my] Earth science courses… When students create podcasts, they can post them on their LinkedIn pages to impress employers.”
Allowing students to choose topics of interest related to the course “gives them ownership of the project,” Guertin points out. She has her students work with librarians to research their scripts. “The information has to be current, reliable, and unbiased. Students learn how to evaluate good sources and how to write a script…I have them listen to examples of [quality] podcasts and review [one another’s] scripts and podcasts, which helps improve their writing and recording abilities.”
Guertin also records podcasts for her students. “They can listen to them in the car or while riding on buses,” she notes. “I put in natural breaks so students can pause the podcast and return to it later.”
She will also pose the same questions she would in class during the podcast. “They can hit pause to think about the answer, then restart the podcast. It gets them to think and apply what they’re learning,” she maintains.
‘Another Podcast Boom’
While noting that technological advancements in schools have made it easier for students to record audio and video together, students are making quality audio podcasts now mainly for “car rides and workouts,” reports science teacher Brian Bartel, co-host of NSTA’s Lab Out Loud podcast series. He and science teacher co-host Dale Basler speculate that “not a lot of students are listening to audio podcasts yet.”
However, the co-hosts foresee “another podcast boom now because you can make them with many devices. The apps allow it,” Basler asserts. “Video is king, but telling a story using audio gets students thinking about all the aspects.”
“This is important because you can’t mow the lawn while watching video, but you can while listening to a podcast,” Bartel points out.
Teachers are having students listen to Lab Out Loud podcasts “and put their images to the narration, which allows them to synthesize and interpret the content and remix it,” reports Basler. “This results in a deeper understanding for students.”
The co-hosts agree that having students make their own podcasts “is not done enough,” perhaps because teachers “have to give up control of the classroom. It’s an isolating task, but gives students agency if done right.”
“I love to hear students ask, ‘Can I do a lab report in a different way?’ There are many ways” for students to showcase their learning, including podcasts, Bartel notes. “Trust students to make the right decision to express their learning, and have a good microphone if you’re doing this on a regular basis.”
“Make sure [you convey] what you want students to learn [when they make podcasts]. The content is more important than the technology; learning outcomes are more important,” Basler emphasizes. He adds that schools and teachers also are responsible for “giving students guidelines on making meaningful content.”
Logistics is a factor. “At the elementary level, you may have 20 to 30 students trying to record in one classroom. We don’t have schools designed for this,” Bartel points out. Teachers may need to “stagger these podcasts so not all students are recording them at the same time.” He also advocates finding ways to diminish background noise by “creating recording tents to isolate sound, or having students record in the hallway.”
Teachers also need to decide how to share their students’ podcasts with other students and teachers, parents, or the public. Basler urges teachers to ask themselves, “Where will the content end up? Does it follow a student forever?”
Two of Ramona Jolliffe Satre’s sixth graders at Ogden Middle School in Ogden, Iowa, review a podcast they created using an iPad. Photo by Terri Reutter
In the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education community, we are well aware that “the representation of certain groups of people in science and engineering education and employment differs from their representation in the U.S. population” (NSF 2017). Included in these underrepresented groups are people with disabilities, whose participation in STEM education and occupations is often impeded by various barriers.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Center for Applied Special Technology’sUniversal Design for Learning (UDL) is a “framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.” The goals of UDL are to minimize barriers and maximize learning for all students. This framework goes beyond strategies to improve access—importantly, it also focuses on effective practices for providing the support and challenge necessary to help young people persevere and develop the skills and knowledge necessary for success.
The National Equity Project reminds us that “any system produces what it was designed to produce.” This is as true of human-designed systems such as education as it is of any natural system. Education as a system has the goal of producing graduates prepared for life, work, and citizenship—this is the intended outcome for all individuals who enter the system, not just some. How can we effectively change the system of STEM education to make this more of a reality for all?
Issue 10 of Connected Science Learning—with installments in April, May, and June—explores research-based resources and promising programs for engaging young people with special needs in STEM learning experiences happening in schools and in the community.
This installment of CSL also includes a special feature: an interview with NSTA executive director David Evans and ASTC president and CEO Cristin Dorgelo, who share their perspectives on CSL’s focus and how it can help promote a thriving STEM learning ecosystem. This interview also includes an invitation for you to join the conversation. Help us take advantage of the journal’s online platform to engage in a broader dialogue and shared learning across all STEM learning environments.
Beth Murphy, PhD (bmurphy@nsta.org) is field editor for Connected Science Learning and an independent STEM education consultant with expertise in fostering collaboration between organizations and schools, providing professional learning experiences for educators, and implementing program evaluation that supports practitioners to do their best work.
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I recently discovered a Facebook post in which a parent expressed disagreement over how I graded her son’s assignment. This unleashed a torrent of hateful, profanity-laced comments including one person saying I should be fired. I’m afraid something like this could ruin my good reputation at school. Any thoughts on how to handle this?
Editor’s Note: In this blog series commemorating 
