Sep28

Bits and Pieces for September

Rather than competing with the commercial hoopla around Halloween, perhaps we science teachers could do our own special celebrations that relate to science concepts. For example, it's not too early to plan events for Mole Day, celebrated on October 23 (10/23) from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. The timing of this event celebrates Avogadro’s number -- 6.02 * 10^23 For more information on the concept of a “mole," enter Avogadro into the SciLinks keyword search. You’ll get a list of websites related to moles and to the work of this scientist.

This day is also used to celebrate the science of chemistry and its applications. The National Mole Day Foundation’s website has background information, themes, and some suggested activities. The American Chemical Society has embedded Mole Day in its National Chemistry Week events. The ACS site has many resources for students and teachers of all grade levels.

The September issue of Learning and Leading with Technology has a product review of handheld digital field recorders to create high quality sound files.

I've read of some websites that are worth a look: Biovisions from Harvard University has video clips and animations related to biology. Learn Bird Songs includes recordings to help you identify common bird by their songs. And Tech How-To: Podcasts has suggestions for creating and hosting original podcasts.

An online conference sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution focuses on the evidence, impact, and response to climate change. It features Smithsonian scientists, curators, and collections examining the issues surrounding climate change from a variety of perspectives. The conference is scheduled for 9/29/2009-10/1/2009 and it will be archived for later use.
Published: Sep-28-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Sep23

Exploring Habitats

Science and Children cover What an appropriate theme for the September issue! I've often wondered why field trips are usually scheduled in the spring when the fall is such a great time to be outdoors. And activities involving plants and animals are good ways to introduce students to scientific investigation and observation at the beginning of the year. These activities range from growing plants in the classroom or the schoolyard to studying bird habitats.

If you're tired of the same old "scavenger hunt" activity, the article Forest or Field? has some good suggestions for how to make your field trip more meaningful by formulating questions to investigate, using activities prior to the trip to build background knowledge and experiences, conducting actual investigations during the trip, and analyzing data back in the classroom. I can imagine that this takes a lot of work, but I'm sure the experience is much more of a learning process than simply giving students a checklist. And your field trip can be part of your instruction, not just a social event!

When studying habitats, it's easy to focus on the plants and animals, but we can't forget the nonliving (abiotic) factors that influence the kinds of organisms that live there: elevation, types of soil, climate, rock formations, water sources, the terrain. Use SciLinks to find information on these abiotic factors to complement what students learn about the living things in a habitat.

How many of your schools are decorated with real pumpkins for the fall? The article Gourd-ous Decomposition shows you how to turn these decorations into a learning experience on plant life cycles, especially the process of decomposition.

I was excited to see so many references to SciLinks in the articles. As a summary, here are the links directly to the topics:
I always learn from each issue. For example, I had never heard of the term "thigmotropism" before reading the article How Plants Move. It's a cool-sounding word that I'll think of when I plant my tomatoes and beans next spring!
Published: Sep-23-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Sep16

Critical Thinking

Science Scope cover
Two items titled "Critical Thinking" are on my desktop right now: the September issue of Science Scope and an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe Critical thinking? You need knowledge. In this article, the author Diane Ravitch discusses "21st century skills" such as critical thinking and cooperative learning and suggests these are being emphasized to the exclusion of "knowledge." It's an interesting article, and the comments that have been submitted are diverse and thought-provoking, too.

One thing I looked for in the article was a definition of "critical thinking." It seems like a phrase we all use but may have different interpretations. Does the term refer to questioning, synthesizing, problem-solving, creating, reflecting, judging, evaluating? Something else? We also should consider what we mean by "knowledge" Is knowledge information from the outside that gets absorbed (memorized?) or does it also involve a deeper level of understanding that comes from making internal connections? How do we determine what information and experiences should be internalized as knowledge? Just some rambling thoughts.

I'm sure we've all had experiences in classrooms where the teacher emphasized the acquisition of facts and definitions, with few opportunities to use the information in any context. On the other hand, there are classrooms that focus on projects and activities but the students don't really understand why they are doing them. We often hear "They are having so much fun, they don't know they're learning." Maybe we should help students know that they are learning, how the activity is helping them learn, what content is important, and that learning can be enjoyable (and challenging).

But as I read the articles in Science Scope, I have the impression that these teachers use critical thinking and cooperative learning, not as isolated skills, but as ways of helping students learn science through investigations, discussion, readings, and writing. The activities they describe integrate essential content with experiences that help the students internalize and apply what they are learning in creative ways

The Internet is changing the way we locate and share information, so I'll put in a plug for SciLinks as a tool for finding relevant science content!
Published: Sep-16-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Sep10

Chemistry for a Changing World

Science Teacher cover Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! I was excited by the theme of this kick-off issue. I loved chemistry as a high school student (Thank you, Sister Maureen!), majored in the subject in college, and taught it as part of a physical science course. Even today the smell of a chemistry lab gets me psyched up.

Some students do not take chemistry in high school; those in a traditional course may never realize how what they are learning applies to the real world. And some of my students would have the misconception that chemistry is about blowing things up and is the domain of nerds in stereotypical white coats and plastic pocket protectors! The outside world is not the only thing that is changing. The authors of these articles describe how the teaching and learning of chemistry is changing in their own classrooms.

The activities in Shrinking Our Footprints are built around a real-world problem and use an interesting online calculator, the Ecological Footprint Quiz. The online nature of the quiz enables students to test their ideas about reducing carbon consumption.

Project-based learning was the focus of in What Happens to Cemetery Headstones? Students applied their learning of acids and bases to a study of a local environment. Wouldn't it be interesting to incorporate this into an interdisciplinary project involving social studies? Check out How to Read a Graveyard or History Comes Alive in the Graveyard from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Not all learning in the classroom is done by students! The authors of Teacher Research: Challenging Our Assumptions describe their own inquiry into what student do or do not understand about the gas laws. (Their findings are interesting. Would they apply to your students?) If you're logged into SciLinks, you can search for websites that may help your students understand the laws conceptually, in addition to doing the algebra to solve problems!

On a smaller scale, check out articles on Investigating Membranes, The Science Behind Nanosunscreens, and Teaching with Crystal Structures. And use SciLinks to search for resources on membranes, nanotechnology, and crystalline solids.

Published: Sep-10-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post