When I was a doctoral student in Science Education in the 1990s at The Ohio State University, Vic Mayer (1933-2011) was on my committee. He was a fabulous science educator and a role model for all who were in the program. As a proponent of hands-on science, it perplexed me when he said one day, “All classroom hands-on science is a simulation of real science.” I could partially see his point: clearly many hands-on activities were simulations, especially when contrasted with having students examine real data sets that seem common in the Earth Systems sciences, which Dr. Mayer loved. Yet I wondered, why isn’t looking at cells through a microscope real science?
When it comes to air tracks and air tables for doing physics investigations, these clearly are simulations. They are also very expensive simulations with the cost of one group’s materials approaching $1000 when you factor in the track or table, air source, photogates, and other materials. So a class set of the materials can easily approach $7000. It would be great to have lab technicians keep the apparatus fine-tuned but alas that responsibility typically falls upon the physics teacher. The point of any simulation is to help students understand real concepts, such as momentum.
I was delighted to experience Adaptive Curriculum’s Activity Object “Conservation of Momentum in One Direction.” The Activity Object begins with an animation of two basketball players throwing a ball back and forth, and then being put on ice skates. Now, the players move backwards as they throw the ball forward (Newton’s Third Law). Students are now engaged by the question, why did the player on the left move more than the player on the right?
Instead of just sliding objects on an air table, the Activity Object shows clearly what each block represents in our basketball situation, as shown in the scene below. This helps students establish the real-world connection.
Then the rich scaffolding begins. First students join different orange blocks, the spring, and the red block, and set them in motion by releasing the compressed spring. Students have to examine the data for which physical property (mass or volume) is important in determining the block’s speed. The analysis of data indicates that the mass is important.
After the exploration, an explanation describes momentum, and explains the equation and units for momentum. In the elaboration phase, students now tackle the driving question of the basketball players. The students now join the orange and red blocks with a spring but also place the blue block on the table. When the blocks are launched, the orange block moves to the left, the red block to the right where it collides and joins with the blue block. Just as in the starting investigation, students see the actual motion of the blocks, so the data they explore is more meaningful. Then the momentum of each block (orange, red, and red joined with blue) is calculated, and all of these momenta are the same. This helps students to progress in their understanding of conservation of momentum.
This understanding is further developed with an animation describing conservation of momentum. Then students are introduced to other applications of Newton’s Third Law and momentum, including rocket launches, automobile-truck collisions, and Newton’s cradle. After the Activity Object, a ten-question multiple-choice evaluation helps teachers know which concepts students have mastered and where they may need additional work. There is a well-designed Enrichment Sheet for homework where students read a few paragraphs and then answer questions about momentum and solve problems. As wise of a man as Vic Mayer was, I’m still not sure that all hands-on activities are simulations but I do know that some simulations are better, more economical, and easier than other simulations. “Conservation of Momentum in One Direction” shows the power of a virtual simulation in scaffolding and developing deep understanding of concepts, using the 5E learning model, and helping students realize how classroom science concepts apply to their lives.
Margaret A. Honey and Margaret Hilton co-author this detailed description on using simulations and games to foster science learning. Among their conclusions are that the amount of research in this area needs to increase, but that “there is promising evidence that simulations enhance conceptual understanding, but effectiveness in conveying science concepts requires good design, testing, and proper scaffolding of the learning experience itself.” There is more evidence that simulations (as compared to games) promote science learning, the authors write, “The emerging body of evidence about the effectiveness of games in supporting science learning is much smaller and weaker than the body of evidence about the effectiveness of simulations. Research on a few examples suggests that games can motivate interest in science and enhance conceptual understanding, but overall it is inconclusive.” Regarding assessments, the authors conclude: “Games and simulations hold enormous promise as a means for measuring important aspects of science learning that have otherwise proven challenging to assess in both large-scale and classroom testing contexts.”
When it comes to gift giving, I suspect that science teachers tend to give gifts with richer science experiences than most other people. This is sometimes but not always appreciated, so moderation is required. This Christmas, my wife was the recipient of the “Mathmos Thaw” ice candle from think-geek.com. My iphone picture to the right shows the beauty of a candle shining through about ½ inches of frozen water.
One thing that science teachers appreciate more than your everyday person is the extremely high specific heat capacity of water. The high specific heat capacity of water has great demonstrations (for example “Flaming Hands”) and all sorts of implications such as more moderate climates when living near a large body of water and why water is so good at putting out fires. Adaptive Curriculum just released a new Activity Object entitled “Specific Heat.” Through a series of virtual experiments, students are led to an understanding of the amount of heat transferred or absorbed (Q) = mass (m) x change in temperature (∆T) x specific heat (c).
This Activity Object from Adaptive Curriculum is a fantastic way to help students develop a deep understanding of concepts related to heat transfer that are important in both physics and chemistry.
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Time lapse Mathmos Thaw From Think-Geek.com
“Thermodynamics is a funny subject. The first time you go through it, you don’t understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you don’t understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, it doesn’t bother you anymore.” Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951) From: http://www.eoht.info/page/Arnold+Sommerfeld
Almost 25 years ago, Presenter for the Macintosh II was the start of a revolution in presentations, in much the same way that word processing was a revolution in writing. Later, Microsoft bought Presenter and renamed it PowerPoint. The advantages for well-done presentations with PowerPoint are evident. With the popularity, however, there are critics and unengaged audiences. To be fair, it isn’t necessarily PowerPoints fault that a presentation is bad. PowerPoint Bullets don’t kill people; people kill people. It is the case, however, that the omnipresence of PowerPoints means that students won’t be excited just because the room goes dark and a PowerPoint is being shown.
The hottest name in science presentations is Prezi, which creates a non-linear way to depict concepts and multimedia. Prezi calls itself “the zooming presentation editor,” which captures part of it but it really should be called an “animated zooming presentation creator.” The really engaging part is how it zooms to different parts. Take this Prezi presentation that is designed to be an introductory lesson on physics. You can’t appreciate how cool the zooming works until you see Prezi in action. You fly about the word Physics as students are brought to topics they will learn throughout the year.
A Prezi presentation introducing physics.
Great teachers view the world and wonder how can I use this in my teaching. There are teachers who see a tool and instantly think about how they can use it to present science better. Then, there are those that instantly think about how they can put it into students’ hands so they can use it to learn science. Check out this Prezi, which is designed to present info for students to do a “Solar System Prezi-tation.”
Prezis are kept on the internet, so you can access other teacher-created science prezi-tations. Hopefully, they will categorize their site but for now you can do a keyword search. I did a search for “photosynthesis” and found 650 presentations. You can easily have your students go to these websites. I like Adaptive Curriculum because you can embed internet resources with the assigned Activity Objects.
A lesson plan from Adaptive Curriculum includes Activity Objects and Internet resources.
Further, if you believe in the importance of concept mapping in science education (as I do), then Prezi is a great tool for this as well. You can present teacher created or student created concept maps (see below).
But if you are going to Prezi, you better get their quick. This tool will grow in popularity until one day students might say, “I keep getting motion sickness in all my classes from Prezi. Can we please go back to PowerPoints?”
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology prepared a report (September, 2010) with the following recommendations:
(1) STANDARDS: SUPPORT THE CURRENT STATE-LED MOVEMENT FOR SHARED STANDARDS IN MATH AND SCIENCE
(2) TEACHERS: RECRUIT AND TRAIN 100,000 GREAT STEM TEACHERS OVER THE NEXT DECADE WHO ARE ABLE TO PREPARE AND INSPIRE STUDENTS
(3) TEACHERS: RECOGNIZE AND REWARD THE TOP 5 PERCENT OF THE NATION’S STEM TEACHERS, BY CREATING A STEM MASTER TEACHERS CORPS
(4) EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY: USE TECHNOLOGY TO DRIVE INNOVATION, BY CREATING AN ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY FOR EDUCATION
(5) STUDENTS: CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INSPIRATION THROUGH INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
(6) SCHOOLS: CREATE 1,000 NEW STEM-FOCUSED SCHOOLS OVER THE NEXT DECADE
(7) ENSURE STRONG AND STRATEGIC NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
The report begins with this summary of the importance of STEM:
The success of the United States in the 21 century – its wealth and welfare – will depend on the ideas and skills of its population. These have always been the Nation’s most important assets. As the world small measure by the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. STEM education will determine whether the United States will remain a leader among nations and whether we will be able to solve immense challenges in such areas as energy, health, environmental protection, and national security. It will help produce the capable and flexible workforce needed to compete in a global marketplace. It will ensure our society continues to make fundamental discoveries and to advance our understanding of ourselves, our planet, and the universe. It will generate the scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians who will create the new ideas, new products, and entirely new industries of the 21st century. It will provide the technical skills and quantitative literacy needed for individuals to earn livable wages and make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. And it will strengthen our democracy by preparing all citizens to make informed choices in an increasingly technological world.
Chapter 5 focuses on teachers and begins with this statement:
Anyone who has set foot in a classroom knows that teachers make a huge difference in the lives of their students. While not everyone can recall the influence of a legendary teacher like Jaime Escalante, many people have stories about the crucial role that a teacher played in sparking their passion for a subject, teaching them a lifelong skill, or helping them surmount an obstacle. Indeed, most people who work in STEM fields or who simply have an interest in STEM can point to teachers who excited about them about the beauty and power of mathematics, the wonders of science, or the power of technology – and who helped them learn that they could gain mastery of these subjects. Sadly, though, many adults also point to experiences in school that convinced them that STEM subjects were inherently boring, cryptic, or beyond their grasp.
The report correctly points to the importance of STEM for our nation, and suggests compelling steps to improve what we do.
The videos on television show some of the massive destruction and the human toll of the recent earthquake in Haiti. It is difficult to imagine the suffering of the Haitian people. It is an unfortunate example of the devastation of a magnitude 7 earthquake.
It is natural to wonder why or how. When students are ready, teachers may want to discuss earthquakes and their causes.
The folks at IRIS have a website with a PowerPoint presentation and Quicktime movie that explain a lot of details associated with this particular earthquake and earthquakes in general. The PowerPoint has excellent pictures of the destruction to buildings, without presenting images of human suffering that would be difficult for some students. The image to the right is taken from the PowerPoint.
IRIS (AKA the Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology) has lots of resources for learning about earthquakes including SeisMac 2.0 which allows Macintosh computers to become seismographs.
In the quest for Science Literacy, we strive to give students an understanding of natural events before they happen. Adaptive Curriculum has two strong Activity Objects, one is on determining the magnitude of an earthquake and the other is determining the location of the earthquake. The image below is from “Earthquakes: Measuring Magnitude.“
I had the good fortune last week of being a conference presider for Irfan Kula, a talented educational designer. His session was “I Love Symbiosis.” He emailed me his PowerPoint presentation, and I am presenting this here: i-love-symbiosis-kula.
I am at the NYSCATE Metro Conference, in Rye, NY. I grew up about 45 minutes from here but I forgot that it is still cold in mid-May. But of course, everything is relative, and relative to Arizona almost everywhere else is cooler.
This activity series on weather is presented by PBS, and it has a great feature–you can add the activities directly to your school web site. I present the activities and what this would look like on your website below.
Resources:
Adaptive Curriculum’s “Hurricane Formation” (which allows students to learn that humidity, water temperature, and wind speed are important factors in hurricane development).
As wise of a man as Vic Mayer was, I’m still not sure that all hands-on activities are simulations but I do know that some simulations are better, more economical, and easier than other simulations. “Conservation of Momentum in One Direction” shows the power of a virtual simulation in scaffolding and developing deep understanding of concepts, using the 5E learning model, and helping students realize how classroom science concepts apply to their lives.
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