Nov07

Science Notebooks

I've heard about "interactive" science notebooks. I would like to use them with my classes, but I think I need to learn more about them before I start.
—Randall, Columbus, Ohio

For many teachers, the word "notebook" conjures up a traditional folder or binder to hold lab reports, homework, class handouts and notes, tests and quizzes, and/or completed worksheets. The students receive a list of required documents and the specific order in which they should appear. Notebooks are graded periodically on completeness and whether the documents are in the “correct” order. Teachers tell the students to "study" from them. At the end of the school year, some students would take them home; others would casually toss them as they emptied their desks or lockers.

However, many teachers are working with their students to create a more useful and personalized notebook that will be used daily throughout the year. These teachers recognize the importance of helping their students learn organizational strategies, but they also recognize the need for students to improve their data recording and analysis skills and learn how to reflect on and communicate what they are thinking and learning through writing. These “interactive” notebooks are living documents where students have the responsibility to record and use their lab investigations, vocabulary, class notes, sketches, summaries, and other assignments.

Here are some resources you can use to learn more:

  • The NSTA Press publication Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms by Michael Klentschy has become a classic. Don't be put off by the title if you're a secondary teacher. The concepts are the same, and the strategies would be useful if your students are not used to organizing their thoughts and notes. There are many examples of student work, and I was blown away by what these little ones are doing and thinking! You can even read a sample chapter online.

  • NSTA's Science Store also provides access to journal articles on the topic. NSTA members can access journal articles for free.

  • The website Science Notebooks in K-12 Classrooms produced by the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership in Washington state is an excellent resource, with lots of examples of student work, templates, and documents—including many in Spanish.

  • Using Science Notebooks is an online teacher resource from the Tucson Unified School District with suggestions for using notebooks, their benefits and advantages, and examples of student work.

  • The Scientist's Notebook Toolkit from the East Bay Educational Collaborative in Rhode Island is another resource rich in suggestions and examples.

  • The ERIC Digest Science Notebooks: Tools For Increasing Achievement Across the Curriculum provides a rationale for using science notebooks and discusses their effect on learning.

  • There is a forum in the NSTA Communities on Interactive Science Notebooks in which teachers are asking questions and sharing suggestions.

One thing I like about many of these books, articles, and online resources is the examples of student work. Secondary teachers will be amazed at the depth of knowledge expressed by younger students! I suspect these students did not catch on to a new approach to notebooks right away, especially if they have had many years of explicit directions on exactly what papers and information to archive. Their teachers had to provide lots of modeling, feedback, and persistence to get to the point where the notebook is a useful and integral part of their science classes. They also had to try different notebook formats (composition books, binders, folders, digital media) and strategies (logistics for storage, giving feedback) to find what works best with their students. But teachers generally agree the increase in student participation and learning is worth the effort.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who uses laptops or online notebooks where students record their observations, upload images and videos, and communicate their findings virtually.
Published: Nov-07-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Oct08

Living Things in the Classroom

Many NSTA journal articles refer to working in "Outdoor Classrooms." I teach in a neighborhood school with no grass or trees in the schoolyard, so I'm thinking of bringing the outdoors indoors by adding some plants and live animals to my classroom. I've never had animals before. Do you have any recommendations?
—Jack, St. Paul, Minnesota

Live plants and animals in the classroom can be a wonderful learning opportunity for students. More than just decorations, these live plants and animals can turn a classroom into a center for observing, questioning, data collecting, and developing a respect for living things.

Before you start, check out district or school policies or guidelines on live plants and animals. Look up Ken Roy's article on the Responsible Use of Live Animals in the Classroom in July 2004 issue of Science Scope (you can access it online in NSTA’s Science Store if you don’t have your own journal archive). Take a look at the Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Precollege Education from the National Academies. Also review NSTA's position statement, Responsible Use of Live Animals and Dissection in the Science Classroom, for some recommendations. I'll elaborate on a few.

Consider your curriculum and standards. What learning goals are supported by having plants and animals in your classroom? Rather than relegating the animals to the back of the classroom and the plants to the windowsill, creating a learning center can focus students' attention with questions (especially student-generated ones) and related resources. For example, in two elementary classrooms I visited, I saw very different approaches using butterfly chrysalises. In one classroom, the container was on a table surrounded by papers, books, and other miscellaneous materials. The other classroom had the same kind of container and chrysalis, but the container was the focal point of a learning center titled "How (and Why) Do Butterflies Change?" The teacher had posted students' questions about the topic. She had insect field guides for students to look at, pictures of other kinds chrysalises and cocoons, and a magnifying glass. There was a chart on which students recorded their observations each day. In their journals, students included their questions, observations, and drawings. The students were tracking butterfly migrations on the Journey North website. All of these activities were part of a larger theme on "Changes" which incorporated topics in scientific processes, insects, and life cycles.

Choose animals carefully. You do not want venomous animals, ones that make distracting amounts of noise, or ones requiring controlled environments (as some reptiles do). Before you make any decisions, find out if any students have allergies to hair, fur, or feathers. Wild animals such as chipmunks or songbirds do not belong in the classroom (and possessing them may be in violation of state or local game laws). Small rodents such as guinea pigs, mice, or hamsters are popular classroom residents. (Of these, I personally preferred gerbils—being desert animals, their containers did not need as much cleaning.) Teachers also recommend hissing cockroaches, snakes (such as ball pythons or corn snakes), and other "herps" (such as bearded dragons, iguanas, turtles, or tree frogs). Get animals from a reputable pet shop or other provider (including rescue organizations) who can advise you and the students on their housing and care.

Aquariums are also popular in classrooms. Students (and teachers) find them relaxing and interesting to observe. If you've never set one up before, try a small "starter kit" and some inexpensive tropical fish. It would be a great experience for you and your students to learn together.

There are some practical and logistical issues, too. Will someone be able to get in to feed the animals or water the plants on weekends or holiday breaks? How much does the temperature fluctuate in your classroom? Do the custodians use potentially harmful cleaning chemicals or pesticides? What happens to the animals over the summer break? I never sent animals home with students, unless I was personally acquainted with the parents and knew they would be properly cared for.

There are many opportunities for inquiry with plants, especially if students start them from seeds or clippings. Choose plants that do not have poisonous leaves or berries. I know an elementary teacher who has a small houseplant for each student in his class. The students decorate the pots and take them home at the end of the year if they wish.

Your neighborhood might be a living laboratory, too. Take a look at the resources provided by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, including Project PigeonWatch and Celebrate Urban Birds.

Be ready for the impromptu "teachable moments" live animals can provide. During a standardized testing session in my homeroom, a student returning from the pencil sharpener remarked, "One of the gerbils is having babies!" I don't remember what our test scores were that year, but it was an exciting live lesson in mammalian reproduction.
Published: Oct-08-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Aug29

Cooperative Learning

What's the best way to set up cooperative learning groups for labs and other activities? How often should I change the groups? I'd also like to assign roles for group members, but I need some examples.
— Doug, Henderson, Nevada

Cooperative learning is a strategy supported by a wealth of research. The term often reflects a continuum of approaches, from generic "group work" to more structured activities. (Use the phrase in an Internet search to find resources such as Why Use Cooperative Learning? and Cooperative Learning.

There is no single or "best" way to set up groups. This is a great opportunity for action research as you try different configurations and note which ones seem to work better for your students. Consider these questions:

How many should be in a group? Groups of four seem to be effective in my experience. It's easy in a triad for one student to be ignored, more than four is a crowd at lab tables, and in a pair there is the issue of what happens when one of the students is absent.

How should the groups be structured? This is where you'll need to do some experimentation, because each class is different.
  • You could start with a random assignment. There are websites with random number generators, and programs like Excel have them, too. Some teachers take a low-tech approach and literally draw names using craft sticks or index cards. As the students work in these initial groups, you can observe the students' interpersonal skills, work habits, and how combinations of personalities work.
  • I hesitated to use student-selected groups. Usually, friends wanted to work with friends, and I was concerned about the students who were selected last or not at all (remembering my own experiences as a non-athlete at recess). I was also worried students wouldn't learn how to work with a variety of people. Recognizing the need for students to have a voice in the classroom, I tried a variation in which students could give me a note with the name of one person they would like to work with. I then structured the groups to try to accommodate their choices, with no guarantees.
  • Some teachers suggest grouping by ability. I'm wasn't sure how to determine science "ability"—I suspect teachers use factors such as reading or math ability, grades, work habits, or behavior. I found heterogeneous grouping worked best for my classes most of the time. Once I did put four slackers together. After a while they realized they had not accomplished much, and no one was going to bail them out! Sometimes if I had students with an intense interest in a topic, I had them work together.
  • There are other student variables to consider. Depending on your class, you many find single-gender groups provide more opportunities for student participation. If your class includes special education students, check with the specialist to determine their needs in terms of their IEPs.

How often should the groups change? Changing groups for each activity allows students to get to know others, but students also learn if they don't get along, it doesn't matter—the group will change next time and they don't need to resolve any difficulties. I would usually try to keep the groups intact for a unit. This also saved time, because the students knew who their partners were and which lab table was theirs.

Setting roles is a key component of cooperative learning so students share the responsibility for learning. The roles may vary from task to task: group leader, presenter, data recorder, measurer, equipment manager, liaison (to ask questions of the teacher or other teams), artist, online researcher, questioner, timekeeper, notetaker. The literature on cooperative learning describes other roles. Have job descriptions for each role (as checklists or on the bulletin board), and ask students to describe how they and their teammates did their jobs (this could be a exit activity). Rotate the roles so students have a variety of experiences.

To keep the groups focused and on-task, be sure that students understand the expectations for the project or investigation. Share the rubric ahead of time. Monitor the groups as they work, eavesdropping on their discussions and observing their interactions (this can be a formative assessment). Cooperative learning models emphasize the importance of both groupwork and individual accountability. You could have the group create some parts of a report together (perhaps in their notebooks or with a class Wiki or GoogleDoc page) and then have each student write his or her own conclusion or summary. Some teachers hold each student be responsible for one part of a project, evaluating each component separately and then assigning a holistic evaluation for the entire project.

You may have students who do not have a high level of interpersonal skills. Start with brief and highly structured activities. Model cooperative behavior, and work with them on what types of language is appropriate in their groups. And remember there are times when cooperative learning is effective, times when large group instruction is appropriate, and times when you want students working independently.

For more information on how other science teachers are using this strategy, go to the NSTA Learning Center to search for articles on cooperative learning.
Published: Aug-29-09 | 2 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Aug07

Getting to Know Your Students

I've read a lot about the value of making connections with students. But it seems impossible to connect with individual students when I meet with 150 per day in my classes. Any suggestions or advice?
—Bethany, Rochester, Minnesota

When I was student teaching, I had to shadow a student for an entire day and reflect on what I observed. Going over my notes, I realized not once during the school day did my student (a 10th grader) have a conversation with an adult. No teacher called on him in class; no adult said hello in the hallway. The cashier in the cafeteria didn’t even say ‘thank you’ when he paid for his lunch! Perhaps this was not a typical day, but if it was, I wondered how lonely this student must have felt, as one of the many "invisible" students passing unnoticed from class to class. As a teacher, I made it my goal that no student should ever be invisible.

It's easy to connect with the students who demand our attention: the hand-raisers, the outgoing personalities, those who are genuinely interested in science, and those who use negative behaviors as attention-grabbers. Getting to know every student is simpler in a self-contained classroom where a teacher and students are together for most of the day. In a secondary classroom, however, trying to connect with 150 students seems like an impossible task. But there are strategies to make this doable.

Ask each student to record data on an index card: name, birthday, nickname, interests/hobbies, school activities, out-of-school activities (e.g., jobs, community organizations, volunteer work), and other conversation-starters. (Use a different color card for each class.) Then for each class each day, the student on top of the deck would be your "target." This is not a formal student-of-the-day designation or event, but just a subtle way of ensuring that you're interacting with each student. During the class period, greet him/her at the door, call on her for an answer or to share a thought, ask him to be the assistant to write on the board or overhead, or interact with him/her during seatwork or groupwork. In a little more than a month, you will have interacted with each student in this focused manner. The cards can also be used to randomly select a student for an answer or a job, ensuring that it's not just the hand-raisers or those in the front of the classroom who participate.

Some other ways to connect include
  • Stand in the hallway to talk to students as they come in. A friendly hello, compliment, or comment may be one of the few positive interactions students have with an adult that day. (For some classes, especially if lab equipment is set up, stand just inside the door to keep an eye on things.)
  • Use students' names in class conversations: "That's a good idea, Marcus" or "Do you have anything to add, Maria?" A seating chart with the students' nicknames is helpful at the beginning of the year to connect names and faces.
  • A quick note, e-mail, or postcard with a positive remark goes a long way to making the student feel accomplished and part of the class.
  • Get to know students in a different setting by attending school functions and events occasionally. Some students' parents may not be able to attend, so a friendly cheer or bravo may mean a lot.
  • Consider having lunch with students or talking to them in the lunch line.
  • My colleague and I strongly believed labs should not be used as homerooms, so we volunteered for morning hall duty instead. We stationed ourselves at the bus door and pleasantly greeted students as they came in. For many students we were the first adults to interact with them in the morning, and they looked forward to seeing us. (/ul>

There is also the option to connect with students online, but there are a number of pros and cons to this approach. If you're intrigued with using social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), the August 2009 issue of Learning and Leading with Technology has an interesting point/counterpoint discussion Should You "Friend" Your Students?

Of course, your connections with students should always be on a professional level. Most of the students already have friends to hang out with. But many of them need caring adults in their lives who take an interest in them and make them feel valued and "visible."

Please feel free to add your suggestions for getting to know your students.
Published: Aug-07-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

May20

End-of-Year Reflections

I just finished my first year in the classroom. It was a challenge, but I learned a lot. With the end of the school year approaching, do you have any tips for what should I think about or prepare for next year?
—Rene, South Bend, Indiana

Congratulations for completing your first year! You'll find the end of the year is as hectic as the beginning, with exams, grades, inventories, and lab clean-up. You're also looking forward to vacation time, graduate courses, home improvements, a summer job, or some much-needed rest. But while your memory is fresh, take some time now to review, reflect on, and learn from your experiences. Record your thinking in a journal or in your planning files.

As you go back over your class list(s), ask yourself which students seemed to improve through the year. What did you do to encourage this improvement? Did some students regress during the year? What could you do if this happens again? What strategies did you use to connect with your students? Are there any new strategies you would like to try next year? How effective were your classroom management routines and procedures? Did your students seem to enjoy learning?

Consider your course curriculum. Did some units have different results than you anticipated? Should you change the amount of time or emphasis you put on some units? Did you have an effective combination of science content, skills, and processes? Identify any gaps in your own knowledge base that could be supplemented this summer with online courses, readings, websites, or visits to local informal science institutions (museums, zoos, planetariums, etc.). How well were you able to access and use the technologies available in your school? What kinds of interdisciplinary connections did you make?

As you complete final evaluations/grades for students, ask yourself how well the grades reflect student learning. Or did you factor in things not related to course content? How well did your assessments align with the unit goals and lesson objectives? Did you provide opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning (e.g., through a science notebook, rubrics)?

Although some schools do not require detailed written lesson plans, there are advantages of having plans that can be revisited and adapted the following year. Were your lesson plans detailed enough to be adapted for next year, or will you have to recreate them? Based on your assessment data, what instructional strategies should you change (or keep)? How well were your in-class and homework activities aligned to the unit goals and lesson objectives? Did your lab activities help students to develop their inquiry skills?

On a practical note, check with your principal or department chair for any end-of-year checkout procedures. Your classroom may not be secure during the summer months, so stow your lab equipment in locking cabinets or storage rooms. Take valuable or irreplaceable personal belongings home or lock them in a cabinet. Label any large personal items such as a desk chair or stool with your name. If you have personal documents, tests, grades, or other sensitive information on an unsecured hard drive, transfer them to a network drive or transfer them to a flash drive. Some schools allow teachers to take their assigned computer home for the summer, but don’t take any school equipment home without permission.

Update any equipment inventories and note if anything needs to be repaired. Keep your requisition list for next year handy so you can check in the new materials arriving over the summer. Inventory textbooks, if you keep them in your classroom, so you'll know if you have enough when you get your new class list. If any books need repair, take care of them now. Make sure items such as glassware, cages, aquariums, sinks, or table tops are clean and ready for next year. If you can, turn off the gas and water in your lab.

Based on your reflections, this might also be a good time to formulate your goals for next year. It's tempting to say, "I'll think about this in August." But if you take some time now for thinking, reflecting, and planning, you'll have more time in the fall for getting your second year off to a good start.
Published: May-20-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

May06

Co-Teaching

I have the opportunity next year to co-teach two science classes with a special education teacher. Approximately one-third of each class will be special education students. We're both interested but a little apprehensive. How do we make this work?
—Devon, Pompano Beach, Florida

The March 2009 issue of The Science Teacher was devoted to the theme "Science for All." A principal of mine used to say "All means all—not some or most." As noted in NSTA's position paper on Students with Disabilities, it's critical for all students to have quality science experiences.

A co-teaching model of inclusion, such as the one you're considering, teams the content knowledge of a science teacher with the expertise of the special education teacher to differentiate instruction and deal with a variety of learning issues. Both teachers are in the classroom at the same time. I've had many special needs students included in my classes, but I never had the opportunity to co-teach. So I shared your question with several teams to get their suggestions.

They all said that getting the right match of personalities is crucial. The teachers should agree on classroom management routines and procedures. But it's not necessary for the two teachers to be identical in their personalities. For example, a detail-oriented teacher may complement a big-picture one. Even with professional development, one team noted they still had a lot of trial and error the first year. But they had a commitment to make it work for all of their students.

The teams also noted it's important that everyone (including the principal) understand the concept of co-teaching and the appropriate roles for the teachers. They shared a few horror stories, such as the science teacher who considered the special education teacher as his teaching assistant. He assumed that the special education teacher would perform clerical work, grade assignments, and set up and put away lab equipment. In another extreme example, the special education teacher did most of the work (notetaking, writing, etc.) for the students and gave it to them to hand in. These unpleasant experiences could have been avoided if the expectations had been determined ahead of time.

On one team, the special education teacher has the role of a tutor. She monitors the class and assists special education students during independent and cooperative group work. But on the other teams, both teachers present and review content, assist all students, and conduct formative evaluations. One teacher noted there are no "your" students and "my" students—they are all "our" students. The roles of teachers switch during the class period. The special education teacher will often take the lead in reviewing a topic or describing a procedure. The science teacher usually introduces new content.

One special education teacher mentioned her greatest concern was her lack of content knowledge in science. The first year of co-teaching, she was more of a tutor. But now in the second year of their teamwork, she feels comfortable with the content of the curriculum and with basic laboratory procedures.

One science teacher’s greatest concerns were whether the students could handle advanced topics and whether they would be able to do as many topics during the year. He found there were fewer interruptions for discipline problems with two teachers in the room. When he was out of the classroom on sick days or for conferences, the special education teacher was able to continue with the lessons. With another teacher in the room, the students also were able to get more individualized attention.

The co-teaching teams emphasized the need for time to collaborate, plan, revise, and assess student work. They emphasized the importance of having common planning time several times each week, if not daily. Above all, they suggested you give yourselves time to make this work and give yourselves permission to make mistakes (and learn from them).

NSTA has some resources. The portal Students with Disabilities has NSTA's position statement and links to strategies for inclusion. On the NSTA Learning Center, use the search term "inclusion" to find journal articles that suggest strategies for helping all students. If your special education colleague wants to brush up on content, Science Objects are free online courses on a wide variety of topics.

Do you have colleagues who are already involved in co-teaching whom you can observe and who can share their insights and experience? If you don't have any in your school, join the NSTA Community professional networking site to find virtual colleagues and mentors.

You have an excellent opportunity to document your experiences, perhaps as a blog or an action research project. I'm sure others would be interested. Good luck!

Published: May-06-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Apr15

Science Partnerships

Have you had any experience with partnerships between K-12 teachers and higher education faculty? We're thinking of writing a grant proposal for this type of project and we're open to suggestions.
-- David, Springfield, Massachusetts

I've been involved with several K-16 professional development projects with various "partnership" arrangements. In one case, it was very traditional: the teachers attended workshops or courses conducted by the university. The university staff structured the content and the course schedule specifically to meet the needs of the teachers. The courses were on-site and on-line. The advantage was teachers updated their content knowledge while becoming more familiar with technology and lab equipment. In such a project, it is important to describe and measure what the teachers are learning and determine how this new knowledge will affect their classroom instruction.

In another project, university professors worked with teachers over the summer on special topics aligned with the state science standards, and then the professors visited the schools to interact with the K-6 students. Spending one day each month in an elementary school was a new experience for the university faculty. They learned what challenges the teachers face, including the variety of students (and size of the classes), the obligation to address state science standards, the type of equipment available in the schools, and the emphasis on testing in reading and mathematics. But they enjoyed the students’ energy and enthusiasm and were impressed by their questions and interest. The students in the rural communities served by the project had the opportunity to meet real scientists. (The physics professor was very flattered when some 4th graders asked him to autograph their science textbooks.) The disadvantage of this type of project is that a "special event" atmosphere can occur. For lasting impact, this should be an ongoing collaboration between the teacher and the professor, not just a few gee-whiz demonstrations while the teacher watches from the sidelines. In this project, however, it was interesting to see the elementary teachers and the professors exchange roles as the year progressed.

At the 2009 NSTA conference, I attended a session in which two secondary science teachers described a mentoring project. They spent a summer working as research assistants at a nearby university. They had to learn the content, the lab procedures, and the research model being used. The teachers actually assisted with collecting and analyzing data. In the fall, they returned to their classrooms with new content knowledge, a new sense of accomplishment, and insights into scientific research. They have stayed in communication with their mentors, and because of their relationship with the university, they can borrow specialized equipment for their students to use. This required a long commitment over the summer on the part of both the teachers and the professors, and the professors had to provide background information and training for the teacher "newbies."

In both of the projects described, the K-12 teachers and the university faculty were compensated for the time they spent beyond their normal teaching duties. Although the compensation was certainly appreciated, the real value was in the new opportunities for collaborative teaching and learning.

There are partnerships providing teachers access to higher education facilities: nature centers, museums, laboratory tours, library resources, special lectures or presentations, and field trip opportunities for students. Some higher education institutions have traveling science specialists who visit schools for demonstrations or assemblies.

Regardless of what your partnership project looks like, it will be important to ask "What happens at the end of the project? What knowledge, skills, and self-confidence will the teachers have to continue to improve student learning?"
Published: Apr-15-09 | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post

Apr07

Walk-Throughs

Our principal has started doing 5-minute "walk-throughs" in our school. What can she learn from such a brief classroom visit? How should I prepare?
-- Rose, Burbank, CA

While principals have always been out and about in their schools, "walk-throughs" or "learning walks" are becoming an accepted strategy to learn more about what is happening inside the classrooms. According to the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, a walk-through is a "brief, structured, nonevaluative classroom observation by the principal that is followed by a conversation between the principal and the teacher about what was observed." A recent (2009) issue of Principal describes walk-throughs as contributing to a "schoolwide picture made up of many small snapshots." The literature usually describes principals as the observers, but walk-throughs can also be conducted by central office staff, instructional coaches, department chairs, project directors, teachers, or teams.

These brief visits could be seen as checking the vital signs of a school. The principal gets an overview of what is happening in the classrooms across grade levels or subject areas, not just by walking in the hallways but also by stepping into classrooms on a frequent, regular basis. These walk-throughs differ in format and purpose from the formal yearly or biannual observations in which the principal focuses on a single teacher for a longer period of time. Some schools refer to walk-throughs as "visits" to differentiate them from the more summative or contractual "observations."

You can compare walk-throughs and formal evaluations to your own behavior when students are working in small groups on projects or reports. As the teacher you circulate around the classroom, briefly visiting each group, observing how they work together, checking their progress, answering questions, and providing encouragement and feedback. You probably do not "grade" these informal observations and interactions, but you do learn a lot about your students and what they are doing. When the students have finished their projects, you then formally evaluate the project with a rubric and give a score or grade.

Does your principal communicate whether she is looking for anything specific in her visits? For example, if your school emphasizes strategies such as cooperative learning, writing in the content areas, classroom management, higher-order questioning, or technology integration, she may visit classrooms with these strategies in mind. Most of the principals with whom I've worked were not science teachers, so it might be helpful if you and your colleagues helped the principal to understand what to look for in science classes: inquiry, safe lab practices, student engagement in teams, science notebooks, the use of technology, and authentic assessments.

You do not have to do anything special to prepare for these visits; continue your lesson while the principal is in the room. If she does not provide feedback in a timely manner, I would ask her about what she saw and whether she had any questions or feedback.

I know a principal who puts time for walk-throughs in his weekly planner. He views this time as an essential part of his day and visits each teacher several times every month. The key element of walk-throughs is not just doing them, but in the reflective dialogue between the teacher and principal soon after the visit. These conversations can become opportunities to improve teaching and learning.

Published: Apr-07-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar30

Professional Development on a Shoestring

Our district professional development budget is being drastically reduced next year. Each department has been asked how to provide professional development on a shoestring. Do you have any suggestions for our science department?
--Lisa, Montgomery, Alabama

There are those who suggest that reduced professional development (PD) budgets in many-if not most-schools districts may not be as terrible as many think. Schools may have to reconsider the single events in which a well-knows speaker blitzes in for a few hours, gives a speech, and leaves without any follow-up activities to support the teachers or to determine if anything changes in the classrooms as a result.

Take a look at the National Staff Development Council’s new report, Professional Learning in the Learning Profession. The report summarizes the research on the relationships between PD and student learning and describes how effective PD should
  • Be intensive, ongoing and sustained over time, and connected to practice.
  • Focus on student learning and address the teaching of specific curriculum content.
  • Align with school improvement priorities and goals.
  • Build strong working relationships among teachers.

This is your chance to tailor PD to the needs of your science teachers, rather than trying to fit your colleagues into one-size-fits-all events. First, ask your administrator for state or local PD requirements and the district views on independent study and teacher-directed activities. Find out what types of pre-approval and documentation are required for these nontraditional activities.

Then survey the science teachers to identify their needs in content knowledge and instruction. Ask them to examine the curriculum and state standards to identify science topics in which they need background knowledge or cutting-edge topics for which they would like more information. And look at areas in which your students are struggling. Most districts offer general workshops in instructional skills, but you now have a chance to identify specific skills your science teachers need such as inquiry, lesson design, notebooks, formative assessments, laboratory procedures, cooperative learning, reading/writing in science, inclusion, technology, or classroom management. The result of your survey should be a set of goals reflecting the needs of your teachers, PD activities to meet those needs, and a description of how you will chart your progress toward meeting the goals.

You can find or create a variety of free or low cost PD activities: teacher-directed study groups, blogging, action research projects, independent study, presentations by your own teachers (ideally, they should receive a modest stipend), online courses, collaborations with other school districts (including videoconferencing) whose teachers have similar needs, events at nearby museums or science centers, and online collaborations with other science teachers via discussion groups or networking sites. Rather than putting together an extensive list of unrelated events, be sure your activities are connected to your identified needs and goals.

If your district does not have guidelines for personalized PD plans, the NSTA Learning Center has a "PD Plan and Portfolio" tool to guide you through this process, enabling you to record events and evidence and produce a report that can be shared with colleagues and administrators. The Learning Center has other resources for individual teachers or study groups available online:
  • Web Seminars: live online discussions (1.5 hours) with content experts and educators from around the world (free and archived for later use).
  • Science Objects: online "content refreshers" (2 hours) with graphics and animations on a variety of topics (free).
  • SciPacks: online courses (10 hours) that include an assessment, support from a facilitator, ideas for classroom use, and a certificate of completion ($31.99 for NSTA members, $39.99 for nonmembers).
  • SciGuides: online teaching resources that include web-based resources, lesson plans, and examples of student work (some are free, others are $4.95 for NSTA members, $5.95 for nonmembers).

The Learning Center also has a searchable list of books, book chapters, and archived journal articles that could be used in discussion groups or for independent study (journal articles and many book chapters are available for free or at minimal cost to NSTA members and nonmembers).

NSTA Communities is a new member resource. You can communicate with science teachers all over the world, share resources, join groups of like-minded teachers, and find educators in your geographical area with skills and knowledge they are willing to share. And you can offer your skills and advice to others.

Don’t forget to work with your administrators to design a format for reporting not just the topic and the hours but also a discussion of how these activities have improved teachers’ content knowledge and instructional skills. Invite administrators to your events and into the classrooms to see the results.

Good luck with your new opportunity! Please let me know (either via e-mail or a comment) if you have questions or other suggestions.
Published: Mar-30-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar08

Activities Get Students Focused

It takes my students a long time to settle down. By the time I take attendance and collect or return assignments, a lot of valuable time is gone. I've heard of "bell-ringer” activities. How would I use them? Do they really work?
Nick, Paterson, New Jersey

Even good classroom management can break down at times students are transitioning: from one class to another, between activities, or at the end of a class. "Bell-ringer" activities take advantage of these times. They are not unrelated busywork. They are brief—usually written—activities that encourage students to focus their attention or reflect on the lesson.

At the beginning of the class, have the bell-ringer (or warm-up) ready when the students come in. They should get started right away, even before the bell actually rings. The students are engaged while you take attendance, distribute or return assignments, or check homework. Some examples of warm-ups include:
  • Answer a question about yesterday's work or another related topic;
  • Respond to a statement or visual to uncover any misconceptions or to activate prior knowledge of the topic;
  • Solve a quick brain-teaser or math problem;
  • Complete a vocabulary entry with a graphic organizer such as a Frayer diagram;
  • Do a "quick write" with several sentences on a theme or topic;
  • Do a "quick draw" on a theme or topic;
  • Put a few words on the board and ask the students to write a sentence using all of them; and
  • Respond to a "this date in science history" or current event

At the end of the class, use another bell-ringer (sometimes called an exit activity or a ticket-out-the-door) as a formative assessment to check student understanding through a summary or a brief response to a question. This also gives time to scan the room to make sure materials are put away. Beyond classroom management, exit activities get students to focus and reflect, instead of dashing from the end of one class to another without "packing up" their thinking. But be sure that the exit activity doesn't make students late for their next class. I know a teacher who has an official "time keeper" in the class to give him a five-minute warning!

Bell-ringers have many formats. Some teachers use a notebook page. Others use a single sheet of paper divided into sections for each day or small pieces of paper (recycling old handouts) that can be turned in. If students have laptops, they can add to a class blog or Wiki. Do students respond positively? They may not at first, but don’t give up! It may take time for this to become a routine.

Some teachers grade bell-ringers; others include them in a class participation rubric. Some collect them and then return them at the end of the unit to review. But be sure to skim them to identify what students do or do not understand. Refer to their work the next day: I noticed that yesterday some of you had questions about… It seems like you understand... I saw an interesting connection between… I observed a teacher who asked the students to put a "Q" in the top right corner if they wrote a question or a check mark if they wrote about what they learned. He skimmed through the papers and used the questions and understandings to guide the next lesson.

You asked, "Do they really work?" I haven't seen any formal published research on bell-ringers per se (a possible thesis idea for graduate students?). But research (described in Robert Marzano's Classroom Instruction That Works ) shows positive effects for strategies often used in bell-ringers (e.g., activating prior knowledge, the use of nonlinguistic representations, and summarizing). I've seen them used in all kinds of schools, grade levels, and subject areas. My own action research sold me on the topic, and I wouldn't teach a class or conduct a workshop without bell-ringers.

If anyone has examples of bell-ringers activities you'd like to share, please add a comment.
Published: Mar-08-09 | 2 Comments | 0 Links to this post

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