I talked to a couple science educators earlier today about why they came to the NSTA National Conference in Indianapolis. Indiana resident John Sellers was looking for ideas to add to his curriculum. Peter Garik, who presented a session on science and engineering, wanted to share information on his program at Boston University and gather feedback from educators. Here’s what they had to say!
I’ve met conference attendees from all over—including Washington, Tennessee, North Carolina, as well as many from Indiana. But not all the attendees I’ve met have been of the human variety. In the exhibit hall, a possum, a pair of penguins, a snake, and a screech owl were attracting a lot of attention.
Every NSTA conference has some things in common—particularly the crowd of people gathered outside the exhibit hall prior to the official opening. Regardless of whether we’re in Boston, New Orleans, or Indianapolis, there is always a crowd eager to get in the hall and see the latest and greatest from the vendors displaying and demonstrating their wares. The faces change, but there’s always a crowd!
I also talked to a Seattle, Washington, science educator this morning about what she’s looking forward to experiencing at the Crossroads of Science Education. Click to hear Katie Morrison share her expectations for the conference.
Lynn
Yesterday at the NSTA national conference was my treat for myself—the CESI Engineering Is Elementary Day. My father was a metallurgist, and later a ceramist. He was good at figuring out ways to fix things and understanding the properties of materials. I looked forward to learning more about his field in a way that I can use in mine, early childhood education, and I was not disappointed! Continue reading …
A fourth grade student was given a lengthy assignment that required much Internet “research.” I put the word research in quotes since the word was used, but not necessarily in the spirit of its traditional meaning let alone its direct implications in science.
The student spent many hours searching Internet sites for the various facts necessary to complete the assignment. This was not the usual webquest task, but more like a term paper with a seemingly unlimited number of questions. As each answer was found, a website citation was required to be included with the content gleaned from the Internet.
Finally the student hit a wall. Although hard to believe, there seemed to be no information on the Internet about the very specific topic in question. At least none easily accessible with Google.
This so-called student of the twenty-first century, like many others when faced with a digital challenge, simply engineered a digital solution. In this particular case, the question on the assignment was entered into the Ask.com website where it was offered up to the world as one in need of an answer.
And in true web 2.0 form the same student then went ahead and submitted an answer to the question!
Now, with answer and citation in-hand, the ten-year old student soldiered on with his homework providing the answer and necessary web citation.
The story could end here except the student and assignment were not in a vacuum. Many other students were also working on the same assignment scouring the Internet for specific information at the same time. And with ask.com a popular site for answers, it’s easy to imagine that other diligent fourth graders will also cite the answer as found on “the internet” wholly unaware that the answer was supplied by a fellow student possibly only minutes before. While the debate about the appropriateness of such websites like ask.com is one for a later time, it was clear in this assignment that use of the website was acceptable.
Yes, this is an obvious case study in digital citizenship, the read-write web, academic honesty, and even plagiarism (see Plagiarizing Yourself in the Chronicle). It is also a case study in creative problem solving.
Interestingly this same forth grader appeared in this very blog one year ago when he pushed the limits on another assignment when in third grade.
I am teaching the states of matter to first graders. I was looking for some demonstrations or hands-on activities to help the students understand the concept of a gas, since they can’t really see it.
—Megan, Maryland
First of all, I’m glad to hear your school has not relegated science to a back burner. It’s important to tap into students’ natural curiosity through learning activities appropriate for their levels of understanding and interest.
I shared your request with Peggy Ashbrook, a teacher, NSTA author, and blogger on science in the early years. Based on her experiences, she suggests:
Don’t you just hate it when multiple conference sessions you want to attend are occurring simultaneously, or several blocks away from one another? If you are an elementary teacher, the “Elementary Extravaganza” will give you a break! In this event, coming up this Friday, March 30, 2012, 8:00–9:30 AM in the 500 Ballroom, Indiana Convention Center, you’ll find tons of elementary-focused presentations, all in the same place. In addition to a share-a-thon, there will be information tables and resources galore. Come have a coffee and a roll and peruse the elementary offerings–there will even be door prizes!
Some of the presenters have already posted their materials online, so you’ll be able to download materials once you are back home. Search “Elementary Extravaganza” in the conference personal scheduler to access these materials.
Organizations participating in the Elementary Extravaganza include the Association of Presidential Awardees in Science Teaching, the Council for Elementary Science International, the NSTA Committee on Preschool–Elementary Science Teaching, Science and Children authors and reviewers, and the Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees.
Do you remember the book Play With Me, (Viking Press, 1955), written and illustrated by Marie Hall Ets about a child observing wildlife? 
Including Play With Me, five of her book are Caldecott Honor books. I also love her book, Gilberto and the Wind. In Play With Me, a young child seeks to play with animals in the woods that border her home. Continue reading …
Both the NSTA journal Science and Children, and the NAEYC journal Young Children, were especially riveting this month, March of 2012. I quickly look through the journals to get a feel for the issue, and then put them in my reading bag or pile, unless I happen to be sitting down to the rare quiet meal by myself—then I begin to read from cover to cover. This month I’ve read them little by little and here are a few thoughts. Please get these journals and read them yourselves, and then comment below to share your thoughts. Continue reading …
Table of Contents
A lot has changed since the first Earth Day, especially in the area of technology and the emphasis on test results. The More High-Tech Our Schools Become, the More They Need Nature sets the stage for the rest of this issue with Richard Low’s call for both formal and informal learning activities for “no child left inside.”
Do Earth Day activities have a life beyond the designated day? The authors of Green Team to the Rescue state that “The environmental science opportunities we offered were one-shot lessons sprinkled throughout science units; they were not connected across grade levels and rarely tied to the world outside the classroom.” So they transformed an afterschool club into a service learning opportunity that helped students develop leadership skills in environmental science. They provide descriptions of some of their students’ projects.
Sweetgrass Science focused on place-based education and making classroom content more meaningful to students by connecting science content to the lives of the students through local issues, culture, and people. Although the project was based in South Carolina, it’s certainly possible to replicate this interdisciplinary study anywhere. Get ‘Em Outside is another example of place-based education–in this case students turning an abandoned lot into a nature study center for activities such as the identification ones described in The Naming Convention. [SciLinks: Taxonomy]
Banishing Bradford Pears has suggestions for an activity in which students investigate a topic (in this case, an introduced species of ornamental tree) from several points of view and share their findings via role-playing. [SciLinks: Invasive Species] Speaking of trees, although buds are bursting early this spring, students may ask Why Do Leaves Fall Off Trees in the Fall? This explanation is an easy read that can be shared with students. [SciLinks: Plant Tropisms, Identifying Trees, Autumn Leaves, Leaf Structure and Function]
