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 is the nyscate-critical-thinking  presentation I am  doing today. 

Angie, one of my science methods students shared this article with me. ScienceDaily (2009-03-28) — Self-led, self-structured inquiry may be the best method to train scientists at the college level and beyond, but it’s not the ideal way for all high school students to prepare for college science. That’s according to findings of a new study. See: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326114415.htm#

“Ribosomes make protein.                                                                        A GUEST BLOG

Lysosomes keep it clean.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

transports things to and from. 

Nucleus runs the show.

Keeps control don’t you know!”

The kids wouldn’t stop rapping “Made of Cells”, an educational song I threw together to reinforce vocabulary, even a week after the exam.  It actually got to the point where I had to settle them down each time they walked into my classroom. 

Auditory comprises the “A” in Fleming’s VARK model for different styles of learning (others are Visual, Reading and Kinesthetic) and can explain why we remember things more easily if it encompasses a rhyme or a melody.   Recall when you were first introduced to the alphabet song: “a, b, c, d, eee, eff, geeee…”   It was easy to memorize 26 separate sequence specific letters as a preschooler when it took the form of music.  This technique is also implemented in learning the names of the continents (sung to the tune of “Frère Jacques” a.k.a. “Where is Thumbkin?”):

“There are se-ven, there are se-ven,

con-tin-ents, con-tin-ents:

Europe Asia Af-ri-ca

 North and South Amer-i-ca

Austral-i-a, Antarc-tic-a.

Advertisers have been using the power of jingles for decades in both private

“You deserve a-break-to-daaayy.”

and public sectors:

 “Be…All That You-Can-Be.”

Many scientists credit neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) for how the mind processes information.  The theory states that we can potentially incorporate all of our senses during cognition of a word, idea, or set of specific tasks.  The more senses bombarded through VARK when attaining that piece of information, the easier for it to “stick” in the brain and recall later.

Whether you call it an earworm, a jingle, or a catchy tune, using educational rap in the classroom is extremely effective.  This is especially true in a subject area like science where much of the terminology is derived from Greek and Latin.  So start formulating rhymes in your classroom today so your students can memorize that:

“All plants and animals are made up of cells.

Each is made up of parts called organelles.

So tiny you need a microscope to see.

About 100 trillion cells make up you and me.”   

Guest Post by Joseph Ocando, who was an 8^th grade science teacher in New York City as a member of Teach for America.  He has started a business called Rhyme ‘n Learn.  His raps can be ordered from http://cdbaby.com/cd/rhymenlearn

With a partner, my secondary science methods students selected a tree and then combined their ample knowledge, creativity, and critical thinking and came up with several methods to determine the height of the tree.

Linda Dee and Karen Schedler were helping my students learn about Project Learning Tree (PLT) and its many science activities. My students now have the assignment to develop a lesson plan using a PLT activity and then teach a high school or middle school class using this lesson plan.

This class of students has already earned my respect for their knowledge, abilities, and great attitudes, but it was still exciting to see them apply what they know with their creativity and critical thinking. Indeed the process was just as important as the result. Their tree-height-measurement methods included (a) having a partner of known height stand by the tree and estimating how many of them it would take to reach the top of the tree; (b) measuring the shadow length of the partner and the tree and using ratios; (c) holding a vertical ruler up, with the partner at the tree, and using the marking of the ruler to determine ratios for the heights, and (d) comparing the tree height to a building and then counting brick segments on the building to determine height. Of course, if a protractor was on hand we could have used the distance from the tree, angle to the top of the tree, and some trigonometry to make this estimate.

The tree height estimates were compared to a value found by using clinometers. These nifty devices, we were told, give a pretty accurate reading. You measure off 66 feet and look through the viewer with one eye and line up a horizontal line with the other eye. There were two scales for viewing the height of the tree, one in feet and the other in meters.  In many cases, my students’ estimates were pretty close to the clinometers’ readings.

I was glad to see my students using metric measurements because we had talked about this before our spring break. My advice is to have their future students do all their measurements using the metric system and NEVER convert back into the imperial system. But with the “66 feet” distance and foot scale on the clinometer, it seems like our forestry colleagues, at least in the US, are not fully metrified. Prior to this, I had thought that the only people of science who were not completely immersed in the metric system were US meteorologists. It is obvious that some science traditions don’t change easily. 

As an educator who embraces the promise of technology, I believe that 2009 is an important milestone. Consider this statement: “the possibilities exist today for individualized instruction to a degree heretofore unimaginable. We stand at the brink of a vast revolution in teaching, learning, instruction, education… the computer makes possible teaching and learning that are suited to the momentary requirements of the individual human being.” Why are these words so relevant today? They were written by Robert Siedel in 1969, making 2009 a fortieth anniversary.

It is easy to forget that educational technology has been around for decades. As early as the 1950s, researchers were investigating the use of computers as tutors. By the late 1960s, there was abundant evidence in favor of computers. In 1972, a major review of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) was published that summarized ten studies with 10,000 total subjects; it concluded that computers were beneficial for students. In 1977, two important events coincided: Inexpensive  ”micro-computers” were first released, including the Commodore PET and Apple II. And the statistical technique of meta-analysis, which had been invented one year earlier, was first applied to CAI research.

All meta-analyses, including the first in 1977 and the dozens of others that followed, have reached the same conclusion: CAI is better than traditional instruction. This is true at every level (elementary, secondary, college, adult education) and in nearly every subject (science, math, social studies, accounting, woodworking, languages, etc.) The evidence is overwhelming. In almost 95% of statistically significant studies, CAI results in higher test scores. Plus, there are other benefits: students learn faster on computers and enjoy CAI more than traditional instruction.

Despite the obvious benefits of computers, they are not being used to teach students in school. Although computers are sometimes used to surf the Internet and type reports, they are never used to deliver the majority of curriculum in any course. This is not due to a lack of evidence; we have known since at least 1977 that CAI is better than traditional instruction. This raises a critical question: Why is the most effective educational technology ever invented not being used to instruct students in classrooms?

Today, in 2009, it is easy to get caught up in new innovations, especially for those of us who embrace technology. However, we should be mindful that no amount of innovation will usher in the age of educational technology because CAI was good enough more than 30 years ago. The barrier to instructing students effectively with computers is not technology; the barrier is will.

 Reference

Seidel, R. J. (1969). Is CAI Cost/Effective? The Right Question at the Wrong Time. Educational Technology, 9(5), 21-23. 

Article is by Jeremy Schneider, who I invited to submit an article after I read his book Chalkbored. Jeremy is a former high school chemistry teacher who is currently living in Canada. –PR

 

I have the good fortune to be in beautiful Austin, Texas today for the Texas Computer Education Association’s (TCEA) annual convention. Austin is a delightful city, and this conference is huge. In a couple of hours I am going to be doing my presentation “Critical Thinking and TEKS Science Content Via Online Activities.”

I am placing the PowerPoint file here for participants and anyone else interested in this topic. Below are some titles and resources from the presentation. 

Click here to access the PowerPoint. tx-critical-thinking2

The text for the slides is presented below. 

What is Critical Thinking?

Some Elements of Critical Thinking

Design a Satellite

ž  describe types of equipment and transportation needed for space travel. (TEKS: 6.13)

ž  http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/designsatellite/

The World of Goo

ž  demonstrate basic relationships between force and motion using simple machines including pulleys and levers (TEKS: 7.6)

ž  http://2dboy.com/games.php

Creature Creator

ž  prelude to Spore

ž  Free trial edition

ž  How can students making creatures

—  Develop science content?

—  Develop critical thinking?

—  Or both?

Adaptive Curriculum Activity Objects

ž Dancing with the Bees

—  TEKS 6.12: responses to external stimuli

ž Determining Planet Layers from Seismic Waves

—  TEKS 6.6 identify forces that shape features of the Earth; 7.2: organize, analyze, make inferences, and predict trends from direct and indirect evidence

ž Groundwater

—  TEKS 6.1: make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources;  6.14 groundwater

If you want good insights and data about why lectures are a lousy tool for learning, what the fundamental flaws in school systems are, and why students are not engaged Chalkbored (by Jeremy Scheider 2007, a former high school chemistry teacher) is a must read.

Schneider makes the point that all popular movies depict US secondary schools as weak or downright bad. While there are some good teachers that rise up, they do it against the bleakest of conditions (such as in Freedom Writers).

Savvy enough to avoid the “L” word (or lecture), teachers and administrators call them discussions. In Chapter 1, Scheider writes: “In a one-hour class, a teacher who speaks 87% of the time leaves eight minutes for students. If you divide this by thirty students, each student gets to speak for 16 seconds (and listen for 59 minutes and 44 seconds). If I had a conversation like that (it sounds like a really bad blind date), “discussion” would not be the first term to pop into my head—“lecture” or “nightmare” would be closer.”

Scheider weaves great factual information with lively narrative. He makes the point often that it isn’t the teachers’ fault; it is the system that pushes them into this mode. I agreed with many of his points because they are logical and data based.

Here are some points and questions he raises. See if you agree or disagree:

• If we want students to take high school math and science classes, why do we punish them by making these classes have the lowest average grades? (Example science course average = 2.68, while Physical Education is 3.34)
• “Grades should never be used unless followed by clear explanations and opportunities to correct mistakes.”
• The focus on Shakespearean literature and classic literature in schools has more to do with avoiding paying royalties to current authors than it does with truly trying to excite students about reading.
• “Parents who want their children to succeed must insist upon higher standards than those set by the school.”
• “Students should be given as much choice as we can cram into schools.”
• It would be more efficient and produce more memorable learning experiences if great lessons were prepared in one place with a big budget and distributed to teachers using various media, rather than asking individual teachers to make their own great lessons.
• “All meta-analyses agree that computers are more effective than traditional instruction.”
• “There is no more CAI [computer assisted instruction] in high schools today than there was forty year ago.”

The book is certainly an interesting and provocative read. But if you are a classroom teacher, you probably should read this during the summer, when you can develop plans to do things a bit differently. But if you are an administrator, you might want to get a copy immediately. Scheider doesn’t just suggest change; he is trying to instill an uprising. 

As the novelty of PowerPoint presentations in the K-12 classroom fades, the dim lights and streams of text could inspire sleep instead of excitement in science. There are ways that science can be made interesting through PowerPoints. Interactions, great pictures and graphics can really help make a point and share a story.

Fortunately many teachers and people who support education are willing to share their efforts. Here are several powerful sites for science PowerPoint presentations. Of course, with any collections of resources, not all are great so you must browse through and pick and modify. I think combinations of interactive and exciting elements from diverse PowerPoints can make you have a presentation with many strong elements but that is tailored for your students and curriculum. 

Impressive Large Collections

Pete's Science PPTs

Pete’s Science PowerPoints This site has layers and layers of ppt resources.  

World of Teaching: Science  Good PowerPoint presentations that are rated and organized by biology, physics, astronomy, chemistry, and physics.

Science by Jefferson County Schools 

Earth Science and Astronomy and Elementry Science at Nebo School District

Smaller Niche Collections

Chalkbored PPT Title

Powerpoint Physics These present high school level physics PPTs that are animated.

Neuro-Jeopardy - Jeopardy games are a popular review mechanism. This one is on neurobiology. 

Normal Community High School Biology Powerpoints I honestly thought this was a national organization when I saw the layout and the biology PowerPoints. This is a great achievement!

Chalkbored Chemistry Powerpoints These folks show some of the promise in this medium. 

Our Solar System: Tech Learning Center

Resources for Sharing PowerPoints

SlideShare

Assigning Activity Objects and PPTs with Adaptive Curriculum

Adaptive Curriculum. With student subscriptions teachers not only assign great interactive science Activity Objects but they can also assign or provide any online resources. So students can easily access great PowerPoint presentations without remembering complicated addresses. For instance in the picture to the right a lesson plan is being created with the Activity Object “Color Mixing: Paints and Lights” and is combined with two PowerPoint presentations. 

Last week I had the good fortune to attend the NYSCATE conference. As an enthusiastic science educator, I have always enjoyed and profited from science teacher conferences, such as the NSTA regional and national conferences and state conferences (NY, AZ, and OH).  I still get those special sensations of “I am with my own people” and “Let the science geek inside me run free” whenever I am part of the science teacher convention scene. I think at my first science teacher conference, I must have felt like Barack Obama when he visited Kenya for the first time and met his welcoming relatives.

After attending NSCATE and NECC, I have to confess that these tech folks really know how to have fun. Of course, upstate New Yorkers tend to be on the friendly side anyway, but the NYSCATE folks really planned on powerfully fun experiences. Is it something about teachers and administrators who use technology that make them more fun? Or is it just that sponsors of technology conferences are more lavish in their support? 

At the conference I was fortunate enough to have Helen Padgett, the incoming ISTE president, introduce me to Peter Reynolds (photo to the right), the author of many children’s books including Northstar (online reading at http://www.fablevision.com/northstar/). In Northstar, Peter reminds us to take our own paths, take time to explore the world around us (like why leaves float), and that things we learn along the journey will later be useful.

Of course, NECC was also a lot of fun, with even bigger budgets and all kinds of parties. This year NECC is in Washington, DC. All sorts of ideas can be learned and new products discovered at technology conferences which can be used as one progresses in his or her own journey. Because of the learning and the fun, I recommend that all science educators experience at least one tech conference!

Upcoming Technology Conferences (chronological order)

Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC), 
January 21–24, 2009
, Orlando, FL
fetc.org

Midwest Educational Technology Conference (METC)
, January 26–28, 2009, 
St. Charles, MO
 www2.csd.org/metc2009.htm

Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA), 
February 2–6, 2009, 
Austin, TX 
www.tcea.org

CoSN’s School Networking Conference, 
March 10–12, 2009, 
Austin, TX
 www.k12schoolnetworking.org/2009/

International Technology Education Association (ITEA)
, March 26–28, 2009, 
Louisville, KY
 www.iteaconnect.org

Nebraska Educational Technology Association) Conference, 
April 23-24, 2009, 
LaVista Embassy Suites Conference Center, Omaha, NE 
http://www.netasite.org/

Arizona Technology in Education Alliance, May 2, 2009, Raymond Kellis High School, Glendale, AZ http://www.aztea.org/conferences.html

The New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education (NYSCATE) Metro Conference, May 18-19, 2009, Hilton Rye Town Hotel, 99 Westchester Ave., Rye Brook, NY http://www.nyscate.org/conferences.cfm?subpage=281

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) June 28—July 1, 2009, Walter E. Washington Convention Center http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2009/

Upcoming State Science Teacher Conferences

Buoy Your Pedagogy: Attend a Conference

(from http://www.pasco.com/resources)

I received the following email from a reader of this blog:

Hi Peter – I have a professional question for you as a teacher, a parent, and a science guru…

Do you think it is appropriate or inappropriate for a 5th grade (kids age 10) teacher to show her class a series of YouTube movies about the theory that the US astronauts did NOT land on the moon back in the 1960′s?  This is during a unit on Astronomy.

I know my own take on it – I just wanted to see what you thought/think?

-Amy

Thank you for the question Amy. Here is my answer….

First, it is difficult to know the motivation of the teacher for showing this. If she had expertise in the space program and she was presenting these non-scientific ideas to show how science and logic can refute them, I would say excellent.

But alas, I suspect this was not the case. More likely the teacher heard of the allegations that the landing on the Moon was a fraud, and was interested enough to read the allegations, without spending the time to look deeper. Sharing just the allegations with students through YouTube videos is not, in my opinion, what a teacher of science should do.

I still remember my parents waking me up from bed and leading me downstairs to the playroom to watch the astronauts landing on the Moon. The NASA accomplishment helped Americans realize the importance of science and technology, and for many children, it ignited more interest in science.

Of course there are so many lunar landing conspiracy theories throwing up so many trial balloons, that it would take a team of scientists a lifetime to keep shooting them all down. Some are easy to dismiss. “Hey, the US flag is blowing in the wind and there is no air on the moon. It’s a fake!” Although I don’t remember much as a 9 year old, I remember the announcers making the point that since there was no air or wind, NASA put wires into the flag to hold it up.

Then there is the logical question, why can’t we just point a telescope at the places where they landed so we can see if their stuff is there?

But according to NASA, “The Moon is 384,400 km away. At that distance, the smallest things Hubble can distinguish are about 60 meters wide.” We will someday have probes and people return to the moon that will confirm the existence of these leftover materials. You might think that would put it all to rest but guess what? This is already anticipated by the conspiracy theorists, who say, well un-manned vessels could have put the materials there.

If it was a hoax, you would think the fewer people involved the better. Why not pretend to go just once, instead of nine times so less people are involved? There are 12 astronauts that walked on the moon, who indicated it really happened. There are hundreds of other NASA personnel who also say the same thing. From personal accounts to moon rocks, the evidence suggests this did happen.

I can’t take the time to research all the theories and all the counter-arguments. But in my mind, science is so rarely taught in elementary classrooms, that it is a sin to spend science instructional time on pseudo-science via YouTube videos. Let’s spend time helping students learn about science and the contributions it has made.

Resources

Adaptive Curriculum’s Activity Object, “Make a Telescope: See the Moon.”

BadAstronomy.com. “Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax“ (Air Date: February 13, 2001)

Mythbusters Episode 104: “NASA Moon Landing” (Air Date: August 27, 2008)

Redzero. “MoonHoax”