NSTA Blog » Debra Shapiro

Cotton candy, roller coasters, and STEM

Debra Shapiro — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:57:02 +0000

Have you ever taken your students to STEM education events at an amusement park? We’re working on a story about theme parks where students can learn while having fun, such as Ohio’s Kings Island, which holds Math and Science Days every spring. We invite you to share your experiences at these parks by leaving a comment here. We might include some comments in the story, which will be published in July.

So how was the conference?

Debra Shapiro — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:40:41 +0000

Skye Diers

“I appreciated the words that they (the leaders of Connecting With Animals in the Classroom workshop) gave us to convey how important animals with children, and animals in the classroom, and animals as an enrichment to a science curriculum—it’s really essential to have the real thing and not just models or pictures in it. I completely agree with them that kids are really interested in that, and you start from there, and then teach from their interest. And they’re interested in the real thing: They don’t really want a diagrammed picture of it; they really want to hold it, and pet it, and feed it, and observe it.” Skye Diers, Gingerbread Nursery School & Kindergarten, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Carl Ahlers

“It’s my third NSTA conference in the states. It’s worth every cent or any penny or any dollar I spent flying 24 hours to the NSTA conference…I meet all my supplies in the Exhibition Hall, and then apart from that, I get a once-a-year boost in my professional development…my sort-of new inspiration for the year here…One of the best guys out here—the most practical, hands-on guy—is Al Guenther, and that’s the biggest secret of the NSTA. Everybody should go to his lectures. He’s just so amazing [and a] magical presenter. I love to go to the evenings, the flashy science evenings, the chemistry, the physics shows…Each year, I think, ‘Maybe I’m not coming next year,’ [but] since I’ve discovered these conferences, there’s no way someone can hold me back.” Carl Ahlers, Melbourne, Australia

Tony Oyola

“The conference was great all around, and I’m learning a lot. I specifically went to [news correspondent and journalist] Garland Thompson’s [Shell Science] seminar because I’m reading his book, he’s inspirational in the book, and I wanted to get a firsthand experience on his inspiration, from his stories, from his books, and this is why I came to this conference…I picked up some freebies, concerning some free examples of books…so I can see what’s available out there for my K–8 school. I picked up some of those; they were very, very good.” Tony Oyola, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vivian Ng

“I was really excited to sign up [for the conference] because I wanted more tools and techniques to teach science in the classroom. I’m getting certified in chemistry, and so I’ve been going to various chemistry workshops, but on top of that, I wanted to go to more general sessions as well to improve my teaching skills because I have very, very, very little experience in that, so I wanted to absorb different pieces from different sessions.” Vivian Ng, Preservice Teacher in Master’s of Science Education Program, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Philly farewell

Debra Shapiro — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:41:47 +0000

view from my office at NSTA Headquarters

I’ll be heading home soon after a wonderful time in Philadelphia. The food here is awesome; I loved my “fancy-schmancy” hotel (Loews Philadelphia); and I bought nearly everything there was to buy in the gift shops, which I now will have to try to cram into my suitcase. It will be a physics lesson….

Most of all, I will miss my “up close and personal” chats with science teachers. Normally, I only get speak with you on the phone and e-mail you from my office in Arlington, Virginia (right; don’t you love those file folders!)

Have a safe trip home, and I hope to see you next year in San Francisco!

Amen!

Spend a little, gain a lot

Debra Shapiro — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:11:27 +0000

Ted Koehn with his arsenal of inexpensive/free materials

Last year in New Orleans, I attended the session Sixty Labs You Can Do with Little or No Budget (see related posts below). Last year, so many people were there that some had to stand and some of us had to sit on the floor. I decided to go again this year because I was curious: Who would come this time? How many, given the late time slot of 5 p.m. on Saturday afternoon? What would I learn that I missed last time?

Ted literally describes his 60 high school physics and chemistry activities in a fast-paced, one-hour session. All of the materials he uses are either free or very inexpensive, and he even will tell you the exact amount–to the penny–he spent to acquire them (“at least in Lincoln,” Nebraska—his hometown—he adds). He provides each audience member with a packet containing guides for doing each of the labs, and the hour was filled with the sounds of pages turning as the teachers followed along.

He covered chemistry labs on moles, acids and bases, the periodic table, solubility curve… (the clock was ticking: 1 lab…10 labs…15 labs…)

…using gumdrops and toothpicks to create models of molecules…buying 100 chromatography strips for $3…10 vials of pH paper for $10…using eyedroppers as titration tubes…(20 labs…30 labs…)

Then came the physics labs. How to construct four inclined planes using inexpensive plywood…getting free ball bearings (from a truck repair shop) that students can roll down the inclined planes…checking garage sales for bargain supplies…propping a curtain rod on some books to create another inclined plane…(35 labs…40 labs)

…getting softballs from the PE department to use to teach projectile motion…”Ohaus gave out free spring balances in the Exhibition Hall; did you get one?”…having students use old film canisters and loading them with different amounts of pennies to see whether they would sink or float in water…(50 labs…60 labs! Hooray!) The audience applauded enthusiastically!

As you can see, the 5:00 start time did not deter science teachers from showing up for Sixty Labs. One teacher commented, “He’s amazing. I’m exhausted—but it was great!” (You can find Ted’s e-mail address online in the Saturday/Sunday program.)

Longtime readers of NSTA Reports, NSTA’s monthly newspaper, may recall the headline of this post was once the name of a popular column in the paper. (And hello to the former Reports editors reading the blog, who will remember the fun we had coming up with the names for the newspaper’s columns.)

Creating tomorrow’s STEM workforce

Debra Shapiro — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:08:19 +0000

Katherine Johnson helped pave the way for women and African Americans in technical fields

Have you ever heard of Katherine Johnson, an African American woman who helped calculate the orbits that put Neil Armstrong on the Moon? Chances are you haven’t, says Garland Thompson, news correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune, who is one of the first African Americans to join the editorial board of a major daily newspaper. He told the audience at his Shell Science Seminar today that while ”talent is widely distributed among the human family,” Johnson and other minority and female STEM pioneers remain virtually unknown to today’s students. These are the people to point to as role models, he urged teachers.

Garland Thompson

In the 21st century, our country will have “so many things we need that we don’t have a workforce for,” said Thompson. “We need to train up a new crew to do that work.” Not all of these workers will be scientists and engineers: Many technical workers with associate’s degrees will be needed to make it all happen. Instead of focusing on the nation’s 52% dropout rate, he suggests turning to the students who aren’t dropping out and who just need some support on their road to a place in the STEM workforce. “Let’s not always talk about deficits,” he urged.

To create the new technical workforce, Thompson says teachers and curriculum writers should develop applied science and math lessons. He informs teachers that they and their students can attend–at no charge–conferences such as the Black Engineers of the Year Awards and Career Conference, to be held in Washington, D.C., next February. He calls this “an Oscar program for people in science and technology” and adds that companies often send recruiters to these events who are looking for bright students to hire.

“A lot of people like that will help you” by sending representatives to your school to talk to your students–or even “loaning” you an executive for the whole school year who can help you teach, observes Thompson. Lots of help is out there; “you just have to reach out and ask for it,” he points out.

CSI Philadelphia

Debra Shapiro — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:56:08 +0000

Full disclosure–NSTA got me hooked on the CSI programs. Ordinarily I would have ignored them, but when I heard that these shows excite students about science, I had to see at least one episode. Eventually I was watching all of them regularly. (I have weaned myself off of CSI on Thursdays, but not the New York and Miami ones.)

Michael Lazaroff

So when given a chance to attend a session called “The Dead T-Shirt Contest” that promised to enlighten us about teaching forensic science, I had to go there, of course. Presenters Michael Lazaroff and David Rollison of Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, have created a unit in which students serve as both “murder victims” and pathologists.

Since they can’t bring dead bodies to class, they provide students with t-shirts marked with various “wounds,” such as bite marks…

bruises, and bullet and puncture wounds. (Doesn’t the teacher on the right look like a real murder victim with her eyes closed?)

Teacher CSIs at work

Following the evidence

Groups of teachers then became students who had to examine the evidence and determine COD (that’s cause of death for all you non-CSI viewers). As teachers debated which injuries might have caused the fatality, Michael offered teaching tips, such as not allowing students to list COD as “undetermined” unless they can justify it … giving each group of students a different COD to prevent cheating…and when students are reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, making sure they place their hands over their hearts, not their lungs.

trajectory of bullet entering kidney

Handouts contained diagrams like these that teachers can use in the classroom.

Michael concludes his forensic science unit by dressing a mannequin (a discard from a local department store) in a white t-shirt and white pants, all marked with wounds. He asks students to solve the crime. Next, they take part in a courtroom trial and present the evidence, with half the class serving as prosecutors and the other half as defense attorneys.

Well, I’ve had my CSI fix for today, so on to other sessions!

LOL in science class

Debra Shapiro — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:59:45 +0000

: Diana Hunn and Susan Clay

Due to technical difficulties, I arrived late to Diana Hunn’s and Susan Clay’s session on Using Humor to Enhance Scientific Literacy. Fortunately, they are good humored about late arrivals. After experiencing the tech issues, I was ready to LOL a bit; they did not disappoint.

They put the fun in science by using mylar balloons, “stuffed animal” versions of blood cells and neurons, cartoons and comics, tongue-twisters, songs, and sayings from that noted Philadelphian, Ben Franklin. Susan says even though the Grossology exhibit is geared toward younger kids, her high school students enjoyed it so much that they aced a test on the digestive system. “Don’t ever think they’re too old” for gross-out humor, she advises.

Diana also pointed out that using humor in class can be an effective way to find out if your students harbor any misconceptions. She referred to the NSTA Press book Uncovering Student Misconceptions as a source for more information.

The main thing for teachers to bear in mind when using humor to teach science is to chill out, they conclude. “You’ve got to be relaxed. You’ve got to let it happen.”

On my way out, I encountered a teacher who was wondering if she could still catch part of the session–ah, a fellow latecomer; alas, too late! To keep her sunny side up, I told her the good news is that Diana and Susan will be back next year in San Francisco. She smiled.

Girl power in science

Debra Shapiro — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:52:33 +0000

Christina Dragon

I loved how Christina Dragon’s presentation “She Discovered It! Bringing Women Scientists to Life in the Classroom” turned into a lively interactive discussion about how to reach girls in science. Christina, a hospital research technician, gave an overview of notable women scientists and how they and their work were largely ignored in the past. “You don’t even have to do the whole class about them,” she advised teachers. “Just drop a name” to inspire girls in your classroom.

Listeners turned into contributors, as various audience members shared resources and strategies for getting girls psyched. One teacher said both girls and boys appreciate hands-on activities, while another described how she focuses on textiles and makeup to help girls learn science is a part of their everyday lives. Christina’s mother, who is also a scientist, said she and her students at a teen parent academy explored the science of cooking, the absorbency of diapers, and the physics of toys.

Other attendees referred us to AAUW’s new report Why So Few? Women in STEM and a website called STEM Equities Pipeline, which contains research about gender and science.

The scoop on science notebooks

Debra Shapiro — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:56:56 +0000

Karen Wood

I’ve been hearing a lot about science notebooks lately, so I went to the Education Development Center’s Pathway Session on Establishing Science Notebook Habits and Skills. It was interesting to hear each presenter’s unique take on the science notebook and see all of the student examples they displayed.

Fifth-grade teacher Karen Wood said structured journals work best with her fifth graders, who typically don’t have a lot of exposure to science. I was shocked to hear that only a handful of her students each year have had any science at all.

Dean Martin

Dean Martin, science specialist for grades 3-5 in the Boston Public Schools, uses a “dual notebook structure” combining free writing with specific questions to explore. With students who have difficulty expressing themselves in writing, he adapts the notebook by letting them take digital photos and write captions. To help kids who think they can’t draw, he provides a few simple drawing lessons to build their confidence, while assuring them that their drawings need not be perfect.

Lori Fulton

Lori Fulton of Jay Jeffers Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, says many of her kindergarteners are English Language Learners, so writing is hard for them. So they work on creating pictures for their notebooks first, then learn how to label the pictures. With older students, she advises not overemphasizing conclusions and encouraging students to describe their observations.

Audience members asked the presenters about how they helped their students make real-world connections using their notebooks and how to determine whether what students put in the notebook represented accurate understanding.

Philly soul

Debra Shapiro — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:07:15 +0000

NSTA conferences offer so much more than what you see on the program. Between sessions, I stopped to watch and listen to this young man, who was performing outside of the Philadelphia Convention Center this afternoon. Not only did he dance up a storm, but he also sang some dynamite covers of Motown classics by Marvin Gaye and the Temptations.

Anyone know his name? Leave a comment if you do.