KLEIN's
GUIDE TO
SCIENCE EDUCATION
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadene Klein at Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
I normally like to post monthly to this blog. Life has been busy both in and out of the classroom. In a most delightful way, actually two ways, my Earth and Environmental Science class has been enthusiastically working through two different Project Based Learning (PBL) experiences. That's correct, we are simultaneously working through two very different projects in one class. Far be it from me to stifle the curiosity of my students. The first project spawn off of me asking a simple non-science related question. My Earth and Environmental Science class is composed of the most diverse set of students I've taught at this school. They seemed the right authorities to go to for advice about how to start a diversity club at our school. I thought we'd chat for 5 minutes and move on, but they had different ideas. They, as a unified group of 10, agreed that we need a diversity club, that it should have a major launching event, and that they want to plan and execute the whole thing. WOW! That was ambitious. Within a class period of discussion, they decided to host a world food festival that eventually they called Splash of Culture. I challenged them..."How can we spend science class time on a food festival? It doesn't fit the curriculum." They met the challenge. They decided to study the climates of the different regions of the world from which the food recipes come and what types of plants (herbs, spices, etc.) grow in those regions. This could further highlight why these foods are special. At the actual event, Splash of Culture, they educated other students in the school not only about culture but about the source of the foods. They put together a play list of songs from around the world. They had an advertising campaign as well. Dozens of people in our school, including staff, participated. Diversity Club was born and the interest of students who might not have paid attention was aroused. Diversity Club is off to a great start and Splash of Culture is set to be an annual event! Some days students worked on planning Splash of Culture in class and other days we worked on our water quality PBL. While diversity club was a project based learning experience, this is a problem based learning experience. I always have students sample water from Plum Creek (less than a mile from campus) and test it for salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, flow rate, and turbidity. This group was ready to become activists if they detected anything wrong with this open water source in our community. Before we actually tested the water, I reconnected with Ocean First Institute (OFI) out of Boulder, Colorado. Last year they gave us a free class presentation via Zoom. I wanted to set that up again for later in the spring during our Oceanography unit. However, they had a surprise for me. OFI was starting a new project to study micro-plastics in the water ways of Colorado and wanted high school students to help with data collection. This simply added a layer to the new project we were already starting. A scientist from OFI joined us at Plum Creek and helped students get both water and sediment samples. Meanwhile we took all of our other standard measurements. Soon, the scientist will return to us to help us identify and measure any micro-plastics that exist in the samples we no have in our lab. A second organization, this one local, enters the picture here. The Douglas County Conservation District has a restoration project on Plum Creek that my students may volunteer for to earn community service hours for their graduation requirement. Additional DCCD, is interested in our findings about water quality in Plum Creek. Once we have our final data, including micro-plastics, we will write a proper scientific report to submit to DCCD. Could this project grow? Yes! A student in class lives in the next town south of our town. This town is more rural and less congested. The same creek flows through his town before entering ours. He collected a sample of water from near his house (10+ miles from our original collection site). We are testing that water and comparing it to the first sample to determine if entering our town causes any differences in the water. This data will also be in the report to DCCD. We hope to have our final report written before we go on spring break in 3 weeks. When students are motivated, when they are curious, when they are determined, when they are allowed to explore, when experts lend their time, when the community participates and shows interest, then science education becomes a hugely meaningful and unforgettable experience. P.S. Did you notice the connect between the two projects. Splash of Culture connect to the water project was the pure genius of these students, I had no influence at all.
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What do teachers, a yoga guru, a corrective exercise specialist, a cannabis coach, and a marine biologist have in common? In this case they have a few things in common. Whether planned or not, they all use science in their chosen career. We have heard over and over that women are marginalized and/or under represented in science. The ladies I'm about to showcase will be the focus of this unconventional blog post of mine. They are all powerful women who have started their own companies (several are non-profit). They all focus their work on making the world a better place and helping people. "When am I ever going to use this?" "I don't need science for my future." Students routinely spew these words. Science teachers correctly respond about how science explains everything in the world around all of us. Some students are not convinced unless it directly relates to them and how they view their future. The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of us can't even fathom what the long term future will hold for us. The average adult goes through 5-7 career changes during their adult working lifetime. What a student pays attention to in school today may not be what you need 10, 15, 20 or more years down the road. When they were in high school, I am certain that these ladies couldn't have predicted the place where their career path took them and where they've landed today. They might not have fully understood how science emerged as a focal point in their work. They couldn't have imagined that they would be role models for girls. I am inspired and proud of these ladies. Their message of women being successful with science and that we all need to learn science should be part of every science classroom!!! Below is a slide show that tells you about each woman and her work. I am honored to introduce you to my friends... NOTE: Beneath the slide show is a link to each company's website. I hope you take the time to explore and perhaps even support these amazing organizations.
I'm a huge proponent of Project and Problem Based Learning (PBL). I use it frequently in each of my classes. The powerful connection PBL makes from the classroom to the real world brings a higher level of purpose to learning that greatly impacts students. Often times, finding an authentic audience can be a teacher's biggest hurdle when implementing PBL. I want to share a recent success that I had. Truth be told, I didn't have an authentic audience lined up when I began this project, Sometimes it's more meaningful to let things unfold in real time, or even have students find their own audience. My students began the Co-Existing With Wolves online web quest published/produced by Project Hero: https://herofortheplanet.org/wolf-coexistence/ As students moved through building their background knowledge, they knew their final project would be to create something that could educate citizens of Colorado about how to co-exist with wolves as they will soon be reintroduced to our state. They would then have to figure out how to distribute/display/share their creation. Simultaneously, but separately, I was working on the logistics for an Outdoor Education trip for my school. Our annual Wolf Trip has students doing volunteer work and learning about wolves at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center (CWWC) during a weekend in the spring. Three of my students made informative posters that they displayed in our school for the staff and students to learn from. One of my students incorporated citizens in a public park within his project. He interviewed 30 people walking around a local park and just began having conversations with them about the wolves. This gregarious student was able to document how he changed the minds of at least 1/3 of the people with whom he interacted about the nature of wolves and how they will be good for Colorado ecosystems. By engaging his own authentic audience, he was empowered to make a difference in his community. The last two students impressed me with their creations. However, they did not know what to do with them. The first student had written and illustrated a fine poem. The second student developed an informative 3 panel brochure. It was serendipitous that I was in touch with CWWC. Just as a teacher glowing with pride, I shared screen shots of my students' work with my connection at CWWC. She too was impressed with the work of these high school students enough that she put their work in the November issue of their newsletter which is circulated to thousands of people. (See page 6 of the newsletter linked here: CWWC Nov Newsletter) Don't let finding an authentic audience for your students stop you from moving forward with your PBL. Something or someone will come along through you or your students to fulfill this crucial component of PBL. There are plenty of professionals, organizations, and college/graduate students who are more than willing to help. Where other science teachers fear to tread, I've been teaching evolution in my classroom since 1998. Some teachers experience backlash and complaints from parents when teaching this topic because of the conflict it has with their religious beliefs. Some teachers avoid it like to plague to avert such parent encounters. I've never had one bad experience. Why? What do I do differently. First, COMMUNICATE! I send an email to parents in advance of this unit. I explain that because this is a science class I'll be teaching evolution factually as the science topic it is. My intent is not persuade anyone to change their beliefs. I share that any student is welcome to bring any other points of view (Alien Theory, Intelligent Design, Creationism, etc,) into the class discussion and that my expectation is that all points of view will be received with respect. Lastly, I communicate that in order to refute what you don't agree with, you have to understand it. After communicating with parents, I more thoroughly explain these same points to my students. How do I back it up? We all know that talk is cheap. I can say these things all I want. What gives them impact is how I follow through. We all know that actions speak louder than words. Sometimes, words speak loudly too. Bring on the debate. I guide students through lessons to learn about evolution. Then each student is randomly assigned a role in our class debate: pro-evolution, against evolution, or judge. Regardless of their personal beliefs or thinking, they now have to represent the side they've been given. This drives home my point that in order to competently and effectively defend your point of view, you thoroughly have to understand your opposition. Further this gives students practical experience with the NGSS Scientific and Engineering practices of analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations, obtaining/evaluating/communicating information, and (most obviously) engaging in argument from evidence. During the debate we follow the protocol of alternating sides presenting opening statements, and exchange of 3 arguments per side with rebuttals, and closing statements. Teams are given sufficient class time to prepare and collaborate on their strategy and who will voice which role. Judges pre-think questions and information they anticipate they will hear and familiarize themselves with the scoring sheet. This score is used to decide which team won the debate and earns a candy prize NOT student grades. I grade students on participation/engagement and scientific content of what they say. I do not grade speaking skills. Perhaps the most powerful part of the process is the after debate reflection that each student writes. They are prompted to express how their thinking has changed on the topic. The impact of this learning experience is immeasurable. Debate can be implemented in the science classroom for a multitude of topics, not just evolution. Any topic that includes ethical use of scientific information would be great content for a debate. Here are a few ideas: genetic engineering, cloning, sustainability measures, space travel/tourism, how to dispose of space junk, government regulation of science...and so on... Feel free to share your debate ideas and experiences in the comments below. As a science teacher, I am relieved to know that I'm not on this journey alone. Aside from the other member of my department and the incredible staff that I work with in my building, I am connected to several professional organizations--just for science teachers.
I highly recommend that you connect with one or more of these organizations if you aren't already. The benefits are worthwhile. They provide trainings, networking, and idea sharing amongst much else. Plus, you can be involved as much or as little as you desire (or have time for). Below is a list of organizations just for science teachers with links to their membership sites: National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Colorado Association of Science Teachers (CAST) (If you are not in Colorado like me, search for you state chapter.) American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) National Earth Science Teacher Association (NESTA) Many of these groups can be found in social media as well as their own websites. I can't recommend being a part of these communities enough. I've learned from other educators and have had the chance to pay it forward by presenting at their conferences. I've had the chance to collaborate with other teachers outside of my school and district in a meaningful way. If you ever feel that you are isolated and teaching in a silo...you are not alone...these organizations are there for you!!! I didn't post in July in part because I've been busy starting my 26th school year AND I've been chipping away at my summer reading. This summer's book of choice is The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan (1996). Though his words in the book are more than 25 years old, they are still (and sadly so) pertinent today.
There are many quotables from this book, but I'll just give this one in which Dr. Sagan touts the importance of skeptical thinking and its role in both science and society: "The business of skepticism is to be dangerous. Skepticism challenges established institutions. If we teach everybody, including, say, high school students, habits of skeptical thought, they will probably not restrict their skepticism to UFOs, aspirin commercials, and 35,000 year-old channelees. Maybe they'll start asking awkward questions about economic, or social, or political, or religious institutions. Perhaps they'll challenge the opinions of those in power. Then where would we be?" Dr. Sagan postulates, and I agree, that we would be better off. Science could progress further, people's rights would be more honored, and the public would not be duped by those controlling the media. Education is the key to bettering humanity IF it is done right, IF we teach students to think and not just memorize, IF students are encouraged to explore their curiosities, and IF teachers are given the tools and freedom to carry out this auspicious endeavor. Scientifically yours, Nadene Summer is billed to be "time off" for teachers. A pure vacation. But, those of us who are teachers use only a few days to restore ourselves. Even if we travel, we explore to find what we can bring back to the classroom. We reflect to determine what we can improve for the upcoming school year.
We also may use this time away from our classrooms to further our own education as we are required to have credits/professional development hours in order to renew our licenses and perhaps for our evaluations. Summer is jammed packed with conferences, institutes, workshops, and other opportunities for educators. We catch up on our reading and renew our commitment to professional organizations. Here's what I've been up to...I have attended an online institute sponsored by CDE (Colorado Dept. of Ed) and NSTA (National Science Teaching Assoc). I attended the online quarterly meeting of CAST (Colorado Association of Science Teachers). I submitted proposals to present at two conferences coming up in the next year. I have read several periodicals that had been put on the back burner. I have hiked a 14er and explored a part of Colorado where I had not been before. This led me to revamping my Outdoor Ed Trip which will be going out in August. Perhaps the greatest thing that I want to share with you is that I earned my 7th endorsement on my teaching license. While this has been in the works for months, CDE finished their review of my application awarding me my English Language Arts grades 7-12 endorsement. Many ask why I would seek that endorsement when I have no intention of teaching English. Simple...I already teach English. I also teach Math, critical thinking, ESL, SEL, and Social Studies. WHAT? I am a high school science teacher. Science is the place where all other content areas merge together. While students may be identified gifted or special ed in English and Math or require other special services in English or Math, the Science teacher must also follow the accommodations and modifications of their learning plans. Note: Science is never included in these plans. We are expected to teach content literacy skills and math application with our science curriculum to all of our students. I know my science and pedagogy. To better serve my students, I pushed myself to become proficient at teaching these other subjects. Everything connects. Now, I'm researching my options for the next steps in my own professional progression. Perhaps another degree is in my future or taking more of a leadership role in a professional organization or spending more time developing my consulting services. Stay tuned... Another school year has come to an end. Every teacher endeavors to keep their students engaged through to the last day. This is not an easy thing to do, especially with the fatigue of surviving a pandemic year. A strategy that I've mentioned in the past is to survey students at the beginning of the year/semester to find out what they are most interested in. I use this information to guide my planning. One trick up my sleeve is to save the most popular topics for the last two weeks of school. I also incorporate as much outside time, hands-on time, and real world connections as possible. For my Earth and Environmental class I save archaeology for the end. We investigate how archaeologists must know about Earth science as they dig up artifacts. Ideas include superposition and knowing the matter that the ground is made of to apply the correct tools. We also look at the way scientists puzzle piece togther the human story. We do a simulation activity. Students are given a short description of an ancient civilization. They must represent their culture on an artifact (terra cotta flower pots found inexpensively at WalMart) without anyone else in the room knowing their ideas. After school, I put the flower pots in brown paper lunch bags and smash them. I also remove some pieces. The next day, they return to become archaeologists who have unearthed someone else's artifact. They have to write out their description fo the culture from which they believe the artifact came without any additional information. When they are done, they check with me to see if they are correct. Then they explain how they came to be correct or incorrect accounting for their use of evidence. In my physics class, we do a mini-unit on theoretical physics--yes they can understand the basic concepts of string theory, multiverses, dark matter, etc. This is then followed by a few days of playing with children's toys and explaining how they demonstrate the principles and laws of physics. After having watched "The Martian" and doing Mars image analysis from NASA in Astronomy class, we did a fun little activity called Mission Measurement. It is a nice review of the metric system combined with engineering and concepts of NASA spacecraft construction as well as a simulation of getting a craft to land safely on the ground. Students collaborate in groups but have no idea what the other "engineers" within the group are doing until they have to fit their separately assembled parts together. Get students involved and they will stick with you until the final minute of the final day. In 1996, Carl Sagan wrote "...but so often convinced in their adolescence that science is not for them." Everyday that I'm in the classroom/lab I work to reverse this notion that has festered in the minds of my students. Through the use of various strategies that I continually share, I see my students restore a love of science and a new perception that they can do science.
One of my favorite ways to motivate students is with hands-on and real world projects. Below is a small gallery of photographs taken from the most recent project undertaken by my Earth and Environmental science class. They decided that a bird sanctuary parallel to our school garden would be a nice addition to our school. They researched the necessary components for a bird sanctuary; applied for and won a grant to pay for the materials; and then established the sanctuary after determining the best placement on our campus. These students are seeing the fruits of their labor. These students are seeing the real world application of science. These students are invested in science because they chose the project. These students are having fun. These students will remember this experience long after they graduate. The whole way through this project, I was the guide on the side. As a side benefit to this project, student leaders emerged to drive the project from start to finish. These were students who had not been leaders before. For me, mission accomplished!!! I am unskilled in the visual arts. My drawings look childish as do my sculptures of clay. Despite that, I supremely value the integration of art with science. Without art, science is incomplete. (Note: it goes both ways--art is incomplete without science.)
In my lessons this week, I reflected with students on all of the ways they've already used art in my science classes. Most often this appears as making models. We've made clay models and 3D printed models. Drawings, sketches, and diagrams are created by my students as well. I often require visual representations within their class notes or at least make it an option for them to be included. There's even a modicum of art involved in constructing a graph to display and analyze data. If students are like me, afraid or uncomfortable using art because our skills are lacking, then it is incumbent upon the teacher to make the science classroom a safe place to explore the possibilities of using art in our work. I use these phrases, "You won't be graded on your art skills." OR "Remember this isn't going on display in an art gallery or museum." "Wow, you did better than I could do." Most especially, I model for them. I demonstrate how to add visual representations to note and intentionally draw attention to my lacking skills and that it doesn't stop me from trying. I shared the video LINKED HERE with my classes. (Credit: Skype-A-Scientist). I think this scientist/artist does a marvelous job explaining and demonstrating how importantly science and art go together. So many of my students were able to connect with the ideas shared in the video. Great scientists throughout time have included art in their works: John J. Audobon, Charles Darwin, and Leonardo DaVinci (to name a few). From now on, I think I'll eliminate S.T.E.M. from my vocabulary and strictly use S.T.E.A.M. because that provides the complete picture! Teachers know that reflection is time well spent for students to solidify their learning. This simple act of metacognition helps the brain hold on to and later apply new information. Yet, for me, it is often the task I let slip when there's a time crunch. The current circumstances of my teaching means that I see my students twice per week and engage them asynchronously for one additional lesson per week. Basically, I have them 1/2 time. Over the past several months I've neglected having my students reflect on their learning as much as I normally would in an effort to dedicate more of my sparse time with them to forging through our curriculum.
Two unexpected indicated reared their heads in my direction to call me back to reflection for my students. First, I was presented with a challenge in my application for the Shell Science Teacher Award. The application process was so incredibly reflective on my entire teaching practice and career. It harkened me back to things I hold dear from which I've strayed. It reaffirmed the work I continue to do with students. While I did not win the prize, I won a lot more through self-reflection. I watched myself teach, I reiterated my philosophies, I explored my impact on the profession, and I self-evaluated my impact on students. This powerful process has refocused me and reinvigorated me. This includes me challenging myself to offer this same experience to my students. The second indicator that reflection time was in desperate need for my students was the mounting evidence of mental fatigue. Students were lessening their effort in discussion and written assignments. There was less follow through turning in work than previously in our online work. I had a heart to heart talk with my students in every class. When I presented the notion of mental fatigue, there were genuine sighs of relief from these young people. They were grateful to have a label for this heavy feeling and more grateful for the empathy I imparted on them. This week our asynchronous assignment was a simple and short reflection exercise. It was a down shift from our typical rigorous science work, but not less important nor valuable. With less effort and less time involved, participation went back up. The benefit of that is the metacognitive process to commit more of our learning to long term memory. If February is feeling overwhelming as we head in to standardized testing season, as we trudge through third quarter, and head toward spring break, then you should read the signs that it's time to slow down and reflect. As John Dewey said, "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." I was just talking with my husband. He is, in my humble opinion, a brilliant scientist. Every school year, he is a guest speaker in my classes. He's done everything from taking my students to the pond on campus to capture sediment cores and examine them to teaching them how to use a sextant. I actually brings his 3 sextants (don't you have one?). He always does a hands-on experience...not just a presentation. He's most definitely not the typical guest speaker. Due to the Covid situation, I cannot have guest speakers at school and my husband's usual hand's on approach doesn't translate to Zoom.
He had just asked me about guest speaking to my classes and asked what that could be. I am well aware of my husband's current work with the affects of human activity on the quality of sediment in Yellowstone National Park. His specific work is not what I want him to share. Rather it's the way he does it that matters. I want my students to learn how to think like a scientist. He gathers data from his sediment samples, analyzes it via graphs, and identifies any changes or discrepancies in his findings. As I expressed this to him, my wishes for my students grew. I want them to see how academic content is not separated in the real world as it is in a school building. He does field work but has to have an understanding of so much more than just the environment. He does field work but has to have an understanding of so much more than just the environment to do his work. He has to have an understanding of the following: jet stream as it moves molecules in the atmosphere and creates a deposition of those molecules in a different place from their origin, geography to know where the location of origin is in proximity to the test site along with the jet stream movement, the history of those places, the math to calculate the changes and extrapolate future projections, physics to utilize his equipment and machine it to fit the current project, and language arts skills to effectively share his findings through both written and verbal communications. Then, as a side note, he could tell students why this particular project he's working on is important for our understanding of human impact on our environment. I have to confess I got super excited. I have to confess that both my inner nerd and inner teacher were motivated by the beauty of how all of this integrated and synthesized together. The face of science is so much more than a high school class. My hope is that my husband brings the example of real science to my students in the near future and that my students take that in with a notion of inspiration. Scientifically yours, Nadene In my last post, I shared by my plan to do a virtual shark dissection with my Zoology class as we moved from our hybrid learning model to synchronous online learning. Over the past two weeks, I implemented this lesson with my students (see November 2020 post). I bet you are wondering if it was successful. The short answer is YES! I have a few different metrics that I used to evaluate the success of this lesson. First was attendance. With the population of students that I work with, if they don't care about what is happening in class, they just don't show up. I had 100% attendance every day, even with the cohort that meets at 7:30 in the morning. The second metric was an unplanned measure of engagement. On the third day of the lesson, I went through our class routine (warm up, announcements, etc.). I had just instructed student to open their shark dissection docs and to continue working from wherever they had left off when MY COMPUTER CRASHED!!! "Holy disaster," I thought. It took about 5 full minutes for me to get back to class. Every student was still there. Every student was working on his/her dissection. I humbly announced my return half thinking that maybe they hadn't notice my departure. Actually they had. One students spoke on behalf of the group that she had a question, but I wasn't there, she figured I had a tech issue, so she worked on what she could until I came back. I feel like that speaks volumes to two important points. My students trust me and my students were enjoying what they were learning. The final metric was planned. The last "E" in the "5Es" is Evaluate. With a Google Form, I had students evaluate their experience. As you can see in the graph below, no one rated the experience unfavorably. 66.6% rated it favorably and 33.3% rated it as tolerable or favorable but would have preferred doing it hands-on in person. Additionally on the form, they had to state what they learned. This indicated to me that students met the learning targets of comparative anatomy in terms of physiology and morphology. Another point, as you may recall, was that the images and dissection guide I used was from a community college. My at-risk students were proud of themselves for doing college level work in high school. This proves again that if you set students up for success and raise the bar for them to achieve, great things happen. We teachers are navigating uncharted waters during the Covid Era. Our students are in tow dependent on our ability to guide them through their learning. This is stressful. This is hard. This requires flexibility, long hours, and innovation. Yet, teachers are making it work across the country. I'm no different. I was all set to have my Zoology students do a Shark Dissection when returned to the classroom after Thanksgiving Break. SURPRISE...we are switching from hybrid to fully online after the holiday through winter break. Now what? I have planned a virtual dissection. Quite frankly, I'm starting to feel excited about it. Excited enough to share my plan with you. I found a detailed virtual dissection online (Credit: Philip Pepe of Maricopa Community College). I think my at-risk students will be really motivated to be successful when the see I have faith in them to complete a learning process designed for college students! I have integrated this dissection into a playlist for my students that takes them through the 5Es. Within the Elaborate step, I have written a 3 panel choice board to give my students more choice in how they process their learning through 4 class periods and 1 asynchronous assignment. Here is a link: Shark Dissection Playlist My enthusiasm for this lesson is authentic and I hope that translates through the electrons from my computer camera to my students. I have high hopes for the outcome. Come back in December when I'll report back to you. Until then, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful for you! Scientifically yours, Nadene Even after hours of planning what might seem to be an impeccable lesson, things don't always go according to plan. As teachers we are warned to be flexible. We know our plans might have to change because of a fire drill, a snow day, or an impromptu assembly. This week, I was compelled to alter my physics lesson plan. Not because of one of the afore mentioned situations, but because one of my students had a better idea. I was planning on teaching free body diagrams. I had my multi-media presentation ready to go. I began by passing out scratch paper to my students to give the non-verbal communication that what we were about to do was practice. I didn't want them to stress about doing perfect drawings at first. Before I could explain what the paper was for, a male student exuberantly shouted out, "Are we making paper airplanes?" "That's not really what I had planned..." I began my reply while the wheels in my head were spinning, "You know what? Yeah, let's make paper airplanes." I had no idea at first what I was doing to my science lesson, but I knew I had them hooked. While students made their paper airplanes, the wheels continued to spin. Students exclaimed that they were having fun and never ever had had a teacher ASK them to make a paper airplane before. I encouraged them to fly their planes until the excitement wore off. I then handed each student a new piece of scratch paper. I modeled for them how to draw a free body diagram of their paper airplane in flight. The result was an example that was more tangible and I had 100% engagement of every student in the room. The second half of the lesson did go as I had originally planned. I was fortunate that this happened in my first physics class of the day. Therefore, I changed the delivery of the free body diagram lesson to be the same for all of my classes with equally impressive results. I am so glad that I was listening and willing to change. Scientifically yours, Nadene First quarter of the 20-21 school year is over. For my school it was a hybrid quarter such that I saw my students twice per week in person for 55 minutes per class and they were to complete one online assignment asynchronously. I have to say this was a successful quarter for me and my students. That being said, it did pose it's challenges.
First challenge was figuring out how to cram our curriculum into 3/5 the time. The answer is you don't! Now get over that and do the best you can for students!!! Second challenge was dealing with the fact that at-risk students don't do homework even when they are in the building 1/2 of the time that they normally would be. Getting those weekly asynchronous assignments turned-in was like pulling teeth sometimes. Grades held students accountable, parent communication became more crucial, and personalized learning strategies became even more valuable as ways to motivate student participation. The way that I figured out what would work best for my students for them to engage in their learning was by asking the the experts: the students themselves! One technique that I used was surveying students at the beginning and then again at the end of the quarter. In the beginning I asked them (within options) what they wanted to learn and how they wanted to learn it. In the end, I asked them what worked and what didn't/what they liked and what they didn't. I made sure the surveys were anonymous so that students gave their honest opinions. I truly will use their feedback in my pursuit of improving instruction and conveyed that strong message to them. What I found out from the survey is that several strategies that I was already using were highly effective for my students.
I am being reflective of this first quarter as I enjoy my fall break. I am making sure to recharge my batteries. Keep in mind that self-care is more important than ever and NOT a selfish endeavor. As a 25 year veteran teacher, I'm working harder than ever to meet the educational needs of my students in these unprecedented times. This way, I'll be charged up and ready to by more innovative and creative with my students when we begin 2nd quarter. Scientifically yours, Nadene On July 7, 2020, students returned to my classroom after our quarantine quarter and our typical 6 week summer break. We are the first public school in the state of Colorado to open with students in-person. Actually, we are operating on a hybrid model of education. Students attend school for 1/2 days such that 1/2 of the student body is in the building in the morning and the other 1/2 in the afternoon from Monday to Thursday. They attend 1/2 of their classes on alternating days. This means teachers see each student twice per week in person. Then on Friday, students have an online learning assignment for each class. This system could amount to 3 grades per week per class for the student. Students have 3/5 of the time in each class to learn the curriculum. To further compound the situation, students had the choice to become full time remote learners. We classroom teachers are still responsible for providing a "robust" learning experience online for them. It is left to each teacher at my school to determine how best to achieve this. I have chosen to require my 8 remote learners to attend my classes synchronously via Google Classroom and then to do the same weekly online assignment as everyone else. Beside teaching, I spend the last moments of class time and passing periods sanitizing tables, writing utensils, and science supplies/equipment used during class to prep for the next class. In three and a half weeks, I've gone through 4 bottles of cleaner! I also have to rethink laboratory activities. Students cannot work in partners and groups. I can only do labs for which I have enough supplies/equipment for each student to perform them individually AND that I can sanitize between use. Reimagining a lab rather than giving up on it takes time and ingenuity. Here's an example of one I did the second week. As a way to model the use of indirect evidence and the scientific method I usually have students do Mystery Boxes in groups. An object is in the sealed box and students have to determine what it is without opening the box. Well, I don't have space for dozens of boxes nor the time to acquire them. Instead of that, this year we did Mystery Bags!!! This way each student could have their own. I could recycle the bags when we were done. I just had to change a few of the parameters of what was allowed with testing the bag. I guess this school year is going to be like a mystery bag. Who knows how events will unfold and how they will impact my school, my students, and me. Scientifically yours, Nadene We got the official word that my school will be returning to a hybrid in person learning format beginning on July 6th. My first reaction was super positive and super excited. I cannot wait to be back in the classroom with my students. We had a particularly unique transition to online learning in March in that our school had already been on our 3 week spring break and just didn't go back. We had no last day to prep students for online expectations. Remember that I teach a year round alternative high school serving at-risk youth. The plan is that 1/2 of the students will attend classes in the A.M. and then we will teach the same lesson to the second 1/2 of students in the P.M. We will have what would have been morning classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and what would have been afternoon classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will stay home on Friday for online learning. That equates to me teaching 3 lessons per class per week. As a science teacher, this arrangement is ideal for the classic Flipped Classroom. Here's a link to two presentations I compiled about flipping your classroom: Implementing a Flipped Classroom and Teaching Techniques for the Flipped Classroom. My second reaction morphed into concerned and caution. I saw this posted on social media (this is not made by me): I started to wonder about that. Is my dedication and enthusiasm and passion for teaching clouding my judgement about my own safety? If schools can be opening with our precious students, why are other things still closed? Why didn't the school board meet in person when there are less than 10 members? I continue to waffle between starting to plan and being excited to walk back into room #4 and checking statistics and truth about the spread of Coronavirus. Unlike many (not all) of my colleagues, I have another consideration. I have Multiple Sclerosis which is an autoimmune disease. I actually have an appointment with my neurologist tomorrow. It just so happens that it was scheduled 6 months ago for this day, one week before going back to school. You can bet that the risk to my health will be discussed at length. I might have a tough decision to make. Update: (6/29/20) My doc says that I am at no greater risk than anyone else to catch Coronavirus. However, if I were to get it, we'd have more to consider in my treatment. I'm confidently looking forward to being in Room #4 starting on Monday!!! Take time to listen to yourself and your feelings about going back to school. Be prepared to make tough decisions so that you can be your best healthy self. Scientifically yours, Nadene Some teachers chose to teach for online schools, when there was a choice. Some teachers, like me, chose to use technology in the classroom, when there was a choice. For many teachers, teaching with technology and teaching online were not a choice in March, April, and May of 2020. The hard truth is that this new teaching online paradigm may last through next semester.
I'm proud of my colleagues who have risen to the challenge. I'm proud of those who have adapted to meet the needs of students in a whole different environment. I hope they see the benefits of using online tools in the future, once we return to our brick and mortar schools. I've done my best to be tech support to my colleagues. I've made videos showing how to use some online tools. I thought I should share some of my favorites. Please note that I am not affiliated with any of these online educational tools in any way. I'm just a teacher who found success using these with my students. I also found that they are easy and meaningful to use with most content areas, not just science. 1. FLIPGRID--Post questions in the form of videos and students respond to you and each other with videos. 2. HYPERDOCS--Formatted Google Doc (or any other online document) to be an interactive flowing lesson. 3. CK12--Editable online textbook with activities, videos, and simulations embedded within. 4. EdPuzzle--Insert voice over, audio notes, and questions into educational videos for any source to make them interactive. 5. Project Hero--Being a citizen scientist lends itself to PBL (project/problem based learning) opportunities. 6. NASA--Seemingly unlimited resources and lessons to engage Astronomy students. 7. INFINISCOPE--Lessons for Earth and Space science created by ASU using NASA resources. 8. NEARPOD--Create interactive slideshow presentations. 9. PiktoChart--You can create infographics to teach students or students can create infographics to show what they've learned. 10. PADLET--Collaborate and share ideas with an online bulletin board with virtual sticky notes. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers don't hesitate to reach out to your colleagues, online tools & webinars, and other experts. Though we are out of our buildings we are not alone. There is help, support, and tons of opportunities to collaborate. We are in this together. Educationally yours, Nadene So I got distracted from this blog as you can see. I haven't posted since January. I had a wonderful lesson/project to share that concluded the day before spring break. I was already to write about in March when our whole teaching world changed in the blink of an eye.
No in-person teaching for now. How were we teachers to manage that? How were we science teachers, who thrive on hands-on learning and experiments, going to manage that? Like many of you, I took a pause...breathe. I've had online teaching experience and frequently infuse online technology in my classes. I regrouped the tools I already have and came up with the following plan. Each week I would put together a video for each of my 4 preps. Within the video I would keep some of the routines I always had in my classroom to give a little sense of normalcy. The video itself would give a little sense of personal connection for my students as I explained via screen sharing their weekly assignment(s). My tools of choice for making the videos are Photobooth, Screencastify, and iMovie. I became a movie director, actor, producer, and editor churning out 4 videos per week. Next, I planned a meaningful lesson for each of my classes. I intended for them to be engaging and interactive. I want to mix it up each week without repeating the same tools. Here's what that looked like for week 1: Astronomy--space exploration unit--I made a Google Slide presentation with each slide preformatted so that each student would research a different astronomer to complete one slide of their choice. At the end of the week, all students have access to information on 17 different astronomers. Earth and Environmental--PBL begun before spring break--Students are engaged in learning about the ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves to Colorado. Using the Wolf Quest website, students explored the next set of information and then completed a reflection using a N.E.W.S. organizer to synthesize information from 3rd quarter with the new information. Physics--Theoretical Physics Unit--Based on an interest survey I had done at the beginning of the semester, students indicated a high interest in theoretical physics. This includes topics like quantum physics and string theory. Perfect for now since the topic already does not lend itself to experiments or hands on activities. I presented an introduction to the topic using Nearpod. Nearpod is an interactive slide presentation. The one I made had information slides, embedded short videos, a poll question, an open-ended question, 5 questions to check for understanding, and a comment slide. Psychology--social interactions--students read an article about the types and categories of social interactions and then completed an organizer making connections to self for each of these types and categories. Next week this will lead to Astronomy students preparing to watch The Martian by learning about Mars from Nasa's website, a slide show, and 2 short videos made interactive using EdPuzzle. Earth and Environmental students will clearly explain with evidence their personal stance on the issue of reintroducing wolves to Colorado and choose a medium for educating the voters prior to the November election. Physics students will be reading two short chapters in CK12 that I edited for them that include short videos and completing a check for understanding. The psychology students will proceed with an investigation looking at how social interactions have changed in the last month due to Covid-19. They have a choice of doing one of three different investigations of their design: a personal journal and reflection, a survey of others with a summary of findings, or research from social and news media with a synthesis of information. Perhaps one of my ideas will immediately work for you or inspire your own lesson. Either way, I have linked all of my resources within the text above for your use. Scientifically yours, Nadene I failed in the past. I know it is a powerful practice to have students reflect on their learning. I know that students find closure and hold their learning longer when given the opportunity to reflect. I know that reflection about learning is a form of metacognition that leads to a greater depth of understanding. Yet I repeatedly failed to provide the time for students to do so. It always felt as if my classes didn't have time--we needed to move on to the next thing.
2020 is a new year and the year of clear vision. I have come back to what I know. I decided to slow down my classes and make a point of providing time for them to write (or draw) their reflections. Then I decided to slow down myself and actually read them. With all the good I already knew about the power of reflection and metacognition, I found a benefit of which I was not aware. I am getting to know my students better. I am learning about them as learners and as people. I'm able to use what I learn in their reflection to build stronger relationships with my students. In some cases I am able to bring needed help to students that don't ask for it aloud. I implore my fellow educators to make the time for students to participate in metacognitive activities such as reflections. The gains far out weigh the time it takes. Scientifically yours, Nadene Sometimes it's call Giving Tuesday. This year I did the same as last year on this day of generosity. Although I did this activity with my homeroom class, you most certainly could do it with your science classes.
I told my students I have $10 to donate. They had the class period to find a worthy charity and convince me to donate to it. The person/group that had the most compelling and well considered option won my donation. In front of the class with my screen displayed on the screen, I accessed the organization's website and made a $10 donation. Because this was my homeroom class, any charitable organization was eligible. If I were to make this a more science-centric lesson, I would have required that my Zoology class find an animal focused charity; my Earth and Environmental class would need to find one focused on the planet in some way; my Physics class would look for a scientific research or educational program...you get the point. I am not here to advocate for any particular charity; so it doesn't matter which charity we ended up choosing. The point is that students used persuasive facts and evidence to find a worthy organization. Further it demonstrated empathy, generosity, and charity as virtues. Lastly, students who can't afford their own donation contributed with their heart to mine. I showed them that a small amount of $10 is still meaningful. In fact, because it was Giving Tuesday, an unknown benefactor of the organization doubled my donation. It's the end of November and Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Therefore, the most popular question at this time is "What are you grateful for?"
I wondered about tying that questions in to be a meaningful science lesson. Last week we had a 1/2 day of school and each class was only 1/2 hour long. I wanted a lesson that focused on gratitude, included mindfulness, was metacognative, caused students to be reflective, involved content, and was self-differentiated with choice. Phew, that was a tall order, but I think I achieved them all. The lesson was simple. Students had the short class time to complete the one page handout. Part one asked students to either describe in detail one thing for which they are most grateful for about the class OR list several things for which they are grateful about the class. Part two required students to fill in a T-chart listing things within the realm of our science content that are in the real world for which they are grateful and give a reason why. The third and final part gave students another choice. Either draw or write a description of one of the items from part one or part two to show their understanding and/or gratitude for it. I've included this one page worksheet linked here and below. While students completed the worksheet, I played soothing background music. I also had a "fire place" video from YouTube playing on my front screen. Students took this task seriously and shared some of their feelings and thoughts on what matter most to them. Sure, I reveled some when students wrote that they were grateful for me. However, It was even better when they expressed their feelings about nature, about learning from primary sources and not textbooks. about learning important and real world topics, about them having choice in their learning, etc. When you have a short class period at Thanksgiving time or the end of a semester, I'd recommend this self-differentiated, metacogntive, reflective, mindful, content based, and meaningful lesson. You'll be grateful you did, and so will your students. I'm not an expert in this area, I'll just write from my heart and my personal experience. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Empathy are buzz words in education right now. Regardless of whether you teach science or any other content this is applicable to all educators.
We'll often lament that we don't have enough time to teach our content how on earth can we teach SEL. I argue that if we don't we'll lose time down the road when students can't be productive AND we'll lose the opportunity to build relationships with our students. It is these relationships that benefit student learning more than any other strategy you can implement in the classroom or lab. Now I'll dare say, that it will even emotionally benefit you as the teacher!!! If we expect students to be vulnerable and share their emotions and learn to be empathetic we must too. Here's how I know this. Last school year, my sister died. This school year, my mother died. School was my escape from my emotions of grief and sorrow. I didn't want to talk about it at school, even with colleagues. Once the first month past and my wounds weren't as fresh, I was ready to share more. While it might feel like a risk at first, it is worth it. First I did the "Baggage Activity"* with my students. Here is a link to get the details of how to guide this protocol: www.today.com/parents/how-do-teacher-s-back-school-baggage-activity-t161457. After my students shared their baggage, I gathered them into a circle and told them about my losses. I shared how the loss of my mother opened the wounds of the loss of my sister from last year. I told my students that I expected them to share with me what they go through so that I could help and support them and so I must not be a hypocrite. I shared with them the healthy habits I use in my life to help myself cope during these hard times. Perhaps this was the most empowering step for me. I was being a teacher at the same time I was reminding myself (5 times in one day) that there are a lot of positives in life. My advice is that when you're ready to share your grief/trauma/sorrow, do so on an appropriate level and use it as a teachable moment. Be a role model for your students. Be the person who shows them they are not alone and that there's a light at the end of even the longest and darkest tunnels. *Breen, Kerry. “Why This Teacher's Back-to-School 'Baggage Activity' Went Viral.” TODAY.com, 28 Aug. 2019, www.today.com/parents/how-do-teacher-s-back-school-baggage-activity-t161457. Field trips bring students to the real world to make connections in their learning. Planning and executing a field trip can be taxiing on a teacher. The logistics and liability are immense. To me, it's worth it. Having an authentic learning experience where students see the knowledge and skill in practice is extremely valuable. I teach two different Earth and Environmental Science classes. They have each chosen different curriculum to explore. (Yes, that gives me an additional prep.) Coincidently it worked out that I could take each class on separate and totally different field trips this week. Better yet, they each were free (aside from transportation). The first class is studying weather and climate and the affects on the environment. We stayed in the town of Castle Rock to investigate Plum Creek. We headed out with our electronic sensors and probes to measure conditions at a northern part of the creek and repeated those measures in a more southern part of the creek. This field trip took only 2 hours measure pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, flow rate, water depth, and carbon dioxide levels. While we drove from one location to the other, I had students discuss their predictions of how the two locations will differ. The next day in class we aggregated our data, analyzed it, and came to some conclusions about the affects of weather and human interactions on the creek as it flows through our town. The second class has chosen to compete in the Lexus EcoChallenge. Their project focuses on promoting bioplastics as a way to reduce the amount of petroleum based plastics in our landfills. Bioplastics are made mostly from cellulose and biodegrade rather quickly. Their research for this project lead us to the dump. Waste Management offered us a free tour of the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site. The tour was about an hour and the field trip was just over two hours including travel. In class on the day before the trip, students brainstormed the questions they needed answered from our tour guide (the operations manager). Post field trip includes incorporating the data learned into the report required by the contest. A bi-product of a field trip is that I learn too. Every experience and every expert who interacts with my students teaches me as well. I love being a life long learner. The last step of the field trip process for me is getting feedback from students about the experience. I take to heart what they found valuable and what they would change. That feedback goes into the planning of future field trips because I will always plan field trips for my students. |
AuthorNadene Klein, M.Ed. has been an educator for over 25 years. She brings a passion and love for science to the classroom and through this blog to you. Archives
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