Final presentation-Teaching student with L.D.

Here is my final presentation in power point.
I do learned a lot about special needs through this lifelong learning researching and reading. There are so many scenarios in classroom beyond what I can imaging. There are endless strategies we need to learn and to apply at right time to the right student. I think it will take practice (experience) to apply different strategies to different circumstances, to get it become second nature.
http://portal.sliderocket.com/AIVBH/Teaching-Student-with-LD_4

LEARNERS FIRST BLOG PRESENTATION

FOR MY VIRTUAL PRESENTATION, I DECIDED TO PREPARE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION THAT SUMMARIZES MY RESEARCH AND BLOGS.  FOR THE RECORD, I PUT FUN ANIMATIONS IN THE PRESENTATION THAT DO NOT TRANSFER UNLESS I APPARENTLY PAY ONLINE SUBSCRIPTIONS.  MAYBE SOMEDAY....

PLEASE FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING LINK....

ENJOY....

http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=learnersfirstblogpresentation-101124195927-phpapp02&stripped_title=learners-first-blog-presentation-5897254&userName=MBernadette

Science and standardized testing blog 8

Here is a link to my final presentation which I created with Prezi. I really learned a lot about standardized testing and how it relates to teaching science. I also learned a lot about how to use technology in teaching eventhough I fought change every step of the way! I now have a better understanding of what it takes to change a current way of thinking!

teaching student with AD/HD-lab

I was always fascinated by story about how students with ADD, ADHD success in learning. Especially science with lots of lab experiments. Keep in mind that these students are most of time restless, even have trouble remain seated, short attention span, easy to be distracted interrupt others, difficulty to follow instruction. Since inclusive teaching , no child left behind, and IEP programs is in practice. I think it will be useful if we learn some techniques to help ADHD students. this website provide lots of strategies for teacher to use. some are very similar to other general strategies to general disability students, some are specifically designed for ADHD students. Some of the techniques include: be flexible to the planned activities so that less difficulty exercises can be directed with similar learning goals; providing AD/HD students a visual model and a verbal description of directions; starting lab with some questions or activities that normally student can accomplish so that ADHD student gain confidence; giving AD/HD student extra assistance to make sure all students comprehend the instructions before beginning their tasks; help them feel comfortable to ask for assistance ; modify assignments as needed; since AD/HD are easily frustrated, when an experiment does not turn out as expected, stress and fatigue may lead to poor behavior. We need to make sure they understand it is common in science that experiment does not always end as expected. As always, extra patient and work is required to work with special needs.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/faq/science.html

teaching student with behavioral disorder

Teaching student with behavioral disorder----in group activity and discussion

Behavioral disorders is caused by some sort of mental health issue. The population of students with behavioral disorder is substantial, that is 2-6% in K-12. In the science classroom, we need to be prepared. Some examples of behavioral disorder behaves are: initiating and reacting aggressively towards others, bullying, lack of feeling guilt, destruction. In researching some strategies in teaching science to students with behavioral disorders, I find this website to be very useful. http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/behavior.html#sect1
Group interaction and discussion is a big part of a science class. Managing behavioral disorder individual become a big part effective teaching. Here are some strategies discussed: acknowledge the contributions from emotional disorder students; encourage the student to be a group spokesperson; gradually increase the challenges in the student's participation in group exercises while providing increased positive reinforcement; sometime they may experience social strain adjustment in a group context, it may be necessary to work gradually toward group activities; ensure that the normal students do not dominate the discussion or detract in any way from the successful performance of the behavioral disorder student. This all sounds theoretically reasonable. no doubt the disorder individual will benefit from it, but in reality, how to make balance on both normal disorder student get fair attention might be tricky. It takes practice, I guess.

teaching science with technology to students with LD

To prepare student ready for the 21st century, more and more technology are being used in the classroom. Teaching science is not exceptional. This present both opportunities and challenges to students with a broad range of abilities and disabilities. Specifically, I learned a few opportunity to apply technologies in the classroom to accommodate student’s specific disability to gain knowledge:
1.student with visual problem may have trouble reading standard text or viewing graphic images. In this case, large print would help. So access to adaptive technology such as computer that provides enlarged print will be useful.
2.student with hearing issues may need presentations and instructions with FM system; interpreter; printed materials; facing student for lip reading or sign language interpreter.
3.student with specific learning disability may have difficult to understand concepts. Accommodated with visual, aural, and tactile demonstrations incorporated into instruction will be necessary or extra time and access to materials via a computer equipped with speech and large print output and Internet access.
4.student who has difficulty taking notes in class because of mobility or visual impairment can be accommodated with in-class access to a computer with adaptive technology and a word processor.
5.student with difficulty to see demonstrations; viewing lab experiments because they are seating in a wheelchair can be accommodated with adjustable-height tables and flexible seating arrangements.
6.student who has difficulty: completing an assignment or lab because of a health impairment can be accommodated with: flexible scheduling arrangements.
7. for student who has difficulty to do research, information accessible on computer (e.g., disk, Internet) with adaptive technology can be helpful.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/faq/science.html

Science and standardized testing blog 7

There are many concerns about standardized testing that people have. These concerns are nothing new to education, but with the NCLB act in place more people are speaking out about standardized testing's failures. To be fair I am also looking at the pro arguments of standardized testing.

Positives of Standardized tests:

practical

• less time consuming
• easier to administer
• easier to grade
• easier to track progress of students by group and subject

objective

• A machine is unbiased towards the test taker

Negatives of Standardized Tests:

Bias

• tests are biased in favor of students whose culture and upbringing closely resemble that of the test makers: white middle class males

over all purpose

• to rank students, teachers, and schools
• requirement to label successes and failures
• measure learning in just a small time frame

references: http://homepage.eircom.net/~seaghan/articles/10.htm

https://www.msu.edu/~youngka7/testing.html

Higher Education in Science and Engineering

I have spent a lot of time researching why other countries have higher academic achievement than the United States. My research focused on Elementary, Junior High, and High School.  In researching the topic a little further, I stumbled upon the following website:

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c2/c2s4.htm#c2s4l1

National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics
Science and Engineering Indicators–2002
Arlington, VA (NSB 02-01) [April 2002

In the website there were many interesting and eye-opening charts and graphs.  Figure 2-25, below blew my mind.  We know that we don't do as well at many other countries, but we are extremely below the curve when it comes to university degrees in science as compared to Asia and Europe. 

What is interesting, however, and perhaps a saving grace, or saving face... is it seems the United States gains a little when it comes to a Doctoral degree, as the following graph demonstrates:

These graphs create a lot of speculation and wonder.  Why does Europe have so many natural science degrees?  Asia seems to be behind in social and behavioral sciences.  Why would this be?

The website cited a disturbing trend of a declining interest in the United States to study engineering and physical science.   From the years 1975 to 1998, about 33% of all bachelors degrees were for science and engineering degrees.   In comparison an average 40% of all bachelors degrees in Europe and Asia were for science and engineering degrees. 

We have a uphill battle, but with new methods for teaching and a slowly changing attitude toward higher learning and math and science, I believe the United States can achieve academic excellence.

Standardized Testing in the Science Classroom Blog 6

Race to the top is a $4.35 billion competative grant authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to encourage and reward states implementing comprehensive refoms across four key areas as described in the ARRA:

1. Adopting standards and assessments that prepare sutdents for success in college and the workplace
2. Recruiting, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals
3. Building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and prinicpals how they can improve their practices
4. Turning around the lowest-performing schools

Race to the Top has and overarcdhing goal of:

• Driving substantial gains in student achievement
• Improving high school graduation and college enrollment
• Narrowing achievement gaps

Time line for the Race to the Top

Phase 1

January 19, 2010 application deadline for phase 1

April 2010 winners announced for phase 1 and feedback provided to applicants who do not win

Phase 2

June 1, 2010 application deadline for phase 2

September 2010 winners announced for phase 2

Winners of the grant have 4 years to spend down the grants. Winners are also required to submit a yearly report to the Secretary of the Department of Education describing how the grant money is being used.

resources: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/faq.pdf

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index/html

Standardized Testing in the Science Classroom Blog 5

Pros and Cons of NCLB
In 2006 Lihshing Wang along with a team of researchers from the University of Cincinnati brought a third eveidence based perspective to the debate of NCLB that was published in a peer reviewed journal. They looked at four issues:assessmentpdriven reform, standards-based assessment, assessment-centered accountability, and high-stakes consequences. I will look at two of the four issues.
Pro arguments for assessment-driven reform point out the need to counter the declining trends in SAT and ACT scores of American students, also pointing out our poor standings in international rankings as found in the TIMSS study. Assessment-driven reform can be a powerful driving force between curriculum and reform.
Con arguments for assessment-driven reform point out that the decline in SAT scores during the 1970's and 1980's are a result of more students taking the test than in the past not because of perfomance factors. They also point out that there was an upward trend in scores during the 1990's and 2000's. Fault is place on "the fundamental mis design of schools, lack of qualified teachers and the instability of families and communities."
Pro arguments for Assessment-centered accountability point out that standardized testing is the best alternative available to compare student perfomance across the educational sytem.
Con arguments for assessment-centered accountability argue that important learning outcomes are not being measured with the current standards testing. They would like to see a variety of sources to measure student performance. It is also pointed out that the current standardized tests measure little more than a student's SES.
references http://nces,ed.gov/timss/
http://www.ernweb.com/public/892.cfm

Science and standardized testing blog 4

For this blog I am looking at the Assessment Framework for Science, a portion of the WKCE test. The Assessment Framework for Science is derived from Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards for Science. The Assessment Framework is a resource to ensure your curriculum includes the knowledge base measured by the WKCE. The state of Wisconsin tests their sutdent in grades 4, 8, and 10 with this science framework. The test itself is 80% selected response, multiple-choice, and 20% constructed response.
There are 8 reporting categories for the WKCE science framework, which are also the same 8 categories included in the Science Content and Performance Standards outlined by the WI Model Academic Standards for Science. With each of the 8 standards I have included an example standard for each from the 8th grade level.
A. Science Connections

• A.8.1 Develop their understanding of teh science themes by using the themes to frame questions about science-related issues and problems

B. Nature of Science

• B.8.1 Describe how scientific knowledge and concepts have changed over time in the earth and space, life and environmental, and physical sciences

C. Science Inquiry

• C.8.1 Identify questions they can investigate using resources and equipment they have available

D. Physical Science

• D.8.1 Observe, describe, and measure physical and chemical properties of elements and other substances to identify and group them according to properites such as density, melting points, boiling points, conductivity, magnetic attraction, solubility, and reactions to common physical and chemical tests

E. Earth and Space Science

• E.8.1 Using the science themes, explain and predict changes in major features of land, water and atomspheric systems

F. Life and Environmental Science

• F.8.1 Understand the structure and funciton of cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, and whole organisms

G. Science Applications

• G.8.1 Identify and investigate the skills people need for a career in science or technology and identify the academic courses that a person pursuing such a career would need

H. Science in Social and Personal Prospectives

• H.8.1 Evaluate the scientific evidence used in various media ( for example, television, radio, internet, popular press, and scientific journals) to address a social issue, using criteria of accuracy, logic, bias, relevance of data, and credibility of source

The framework can be found at http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/wkce.html

What does a research based classroom look like? final blog

My final presentation is a shared google presentation and it is located here.

Please review and let me know your thoughts on what I found during my research.

Management in a science classroom

Something that we often discuss briefly in our methods course is classroom management.I used to believe that classroom management was about about punishment. Gaining Professor Kruse's insight has lead me to a differnt insight over classroom management. Here are a few conclusions I’ve come to for successful classroom management...

-Set realistic, but reachable expectations for you and your class.
-The Learning Behavior theory is a driving factor in determining management (You fix what you can observe).
-Follow through with intended consequences.
-Use the entire classroom space/environment for management.
-Use passive nonverbal Cues (walking by a group that’s talking, putting your hand on their desk).

I found this website http://www.science-house.org/CO2/educators/tips.html and it offers some great suggestions for tips in the classroom. The tips range from materials used in the class to procedures; all of which pertain to classroom management strategies.

Tips: Inquiry in the Classroom...
Invest time in activity design and creating questions.
Be a facilitator.
Invest in preparation time. Use your resources.
Label and reuse materials.
Make your own. Think cheap.
Think mobile. Think safety.
Let students help clean.
Try it yourself.
Have extras.
See the positives in "failure.

I really think the point of being a facilitator is so important. In order to maintain the way your classroom is ran, it’s important to model it to your class. It’s also important NOT to over facilitate things. You want your students to be independent, as well and take active leadership roles in the classroom with their peers. If we allow students to continually depend on us as teachers, we are allowing them to become helpless.


http://www.science-house.org/CO2/educators/tips.html

Glog

http://jay87shot.glogster.com/

Here is the link to my glog. Hope that it is helpful.

The importance of assessment in a science classroom…

The importance of assessment in a science classroom…

I’ve been discussing a broad range of topics throughout my blog posts. Most of these topics come from the ideas we discuss in our science methods classroom. I’ve looked at science from a whole new perspective since taking this methods course. As a student going into education, I feel that I’ve been drilled about assessment; how important it is, what to do, what not to do, how to make an assessment, what types, when to use them, ect.

After hearing out Professor Kruse’s ideas about assessment, I’ve decided it’s important but not as important as I was initially taught. Professor Kruse emphasizes on the process, and if learning is actually taking place. As teachers though, we do have to use assessment to make out decisions (Berger, 2003).

I found a website that offers some pretty good examples of science assessment. I like the idea of using graphics to demonstrate knowledge. I don’t think a student should be penalized if they are unable to show what they’ve learned through words. I would not hesitate to ask the students to draw a graphic for a test question. I also like the idea of oral interviews/tests. Although, I’ve heard they can be time consuming. Perhaps an oral quiz would be more time appropriate.

i think it's important to emphasize the process of learning, not necessarily the assessment. Assessment is important, but the learning process takes precedent over assessment results.

http://cse.edc.org/products/assessment/assesshome.asp

Berger, C. F., & Czerniak, C. M., & Krajcik, J. K. (2003). Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms: A Project-Based Approach. New York, New York: Mc-Graw Hill.

How can technology be used to support learning in a science classroom?

How can technology be used to support learning in science in the classroom?

First, technology must be looked at as a tool that can help. I feel a big reason students don’t take advantage of technology (especially for school) is because they don’t know how to use it. Learning how to use it can provide so many advantages for students. It’s particularly important in a science classroom to have as many available resources as possible. Having available resources gives students the opportunity to learn ideas concretely first. Cognitive dissonance should also be exercised in this case. Students must be dissatisfied with their previous way of doing an activity or acquiring information.

Example: If students are shown the range and possibilities of activities through the use of technology, they may become upset that they didn’t know this previously; technology tends to make things easier. If students chose not to use technology, their workload may increase.

Here are a few of the potential benefits from using technology:
Increases communication, engage students in the learning process, help students create models, provide ways to illustrate abstract activities, allow for exploration that isn’t possible in the classroom (Berger, 2003)

Overall, I think technology would support and facilitate the learning cycle when used in a science environment.

Berger, C. F., & Czerniak, C. M., & Krajcik, J. K. (2003). Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms: A Project-Based Approach. New York, New York: Mc-Graw Hill.

Learner's First Presentation

Below is the link to my final presentation on science and standardized tests.  I decided to make a powerpoint presentation in Google docs.  It was easy to use and I liked that I could give the presentation a link, rather than using a Microsoft powerpoint format that would need to be uploaded.  I learned a lot about what has been happening in school systems regarding standardized tests and what could happen in the future.  Enjoy!
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dj5ttqx_0ghndzdhh

Final Presentation

For my final presentation I wanted to create something I haven't done before so I decided to try the prezi.  I enjoyed doing this and I hope you enjoy it too!

Motivating Students In The Science Classroom

Recap For Making Science Engaging and Fun

For my last blog I wanted to recap how you can make science fun and engaging for students. I found a blog that I really enjoyed by Kari Byron, she writes a blog called GeekMom.  She is the wife on the show Mythbusters.  Her blog icluded ways that you can make science fun for kids.  She first talked about how science for kids can be boring and nerdy at times.  She says that when you ask students to draw a scientist they usually draw and older man, white lab coat, big classes, and in a lab. This is where students are wrong about science.  They need to understand that science is happening everywhere and can be really fun. We as teachers need to teach our students that science is fun and can be engaging. 

Kari gives great ideas for parents to help their students enjoy science more because it happens everyday all around us.  She talks about dropping Mentos in a bottle of Coke and you can introduce Chemistry.  Or taking a walk in the park and take pictures of animals.  Then students study their eating habits and where they live and that's biology.  I thought this was a great blog and can be beneficial for teachers as well as parents.   Kari's blog

Science and standardized testing blog 3

In this blog I am looking at the Wisconsin Student Assessment System as a whole. As a way for students to demonstrate their progress towards the standards in English laguage arts, mathematics, science,and social studies is through the Wisconsin Student Assessment System, WSAS for short. WSAS currently consists of two tests; the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinination, the WKCE and the Wisconsin Alternative Assessment for Students with Disabilities, the WAA-SwD.

As of the 2005-2006 school year the NCLB act required all students to be tested in math and reading in grades 3-8 and again in 10th grade. WKCE scores are used as one of several criteria for advancing students from 4th to 5th grade and 8th to 9th grade. The other factors looked at are academic performance, teacher recommendations based on academic perfomance, and any other criteria chosen by the local school board.

references: http://www.dpi.wi.gov/oea/wkce.html

virtual presentation

After seeing a few other people use glogster, I was interested in giving it a try. I created a poster on how to teach science without using a textbook. You can view it here
http://itsme2.glogster.com/jessies-science-glob/

Investigations

Recap- I’ve been blogging about the most effective ways students learn in a science environment. For this blog, I will be discussing how scientific investigations are developed.

The book I’m using as a guide recommends 3 ways: Step-by-Step, Trial-and-Error and Investigating. It also defines investigating as the “doing” of science (Berger, 2003).

My first thought is to reject the Step-by-Step process. This was the way that I did science when I was younger. Ask me 3 months ago if I thought this was sufficient to learning science and I would have said yes. Recently, I was taught that Step-by-Step investigations don’t accurately portray how science works. Many disadvantages are discussed here about the Scientific method. Over all the, the this type of process (scientific method) eliminates the notions of exploration and choice.

The Trial-and-Error process is more about students exploring the possibilities of doing something (Berger, 2003). This process fits more with the learning cycle and allows students to explore on their own. As a teacher, this is what I would implement in my classroom if possible. Students are able to understand how to apply something learned if they are more mentally engaged.

Investigating is explained as, “planning and designing experiments, following procedures, assembling materials and asking questions…”(Berger, 2003). I like this method better then the step-by-step process, but I still feel there are many things wrong with it. This method gives limited choices to students; they get to choose, but based on what the investigation recommends.

Berger, C. F., & Czerniak, C. M., & Krajcik, J. K. (2003). Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms: A Project-Based Approach. New York, New York: Mc-Graw Hill.

Final Presentation

presentation

Resources To Make Science Fun and Engaging

My earlier blogs were all about how to make science fun and engaging.  It is also important to make sure that the students actually learn something when they are doing these hands-on activities. We talked in class about different traps you might fall into as a teacher.  One is called activity mania, this is when the teacher has a ton of fun activities for the students but that's all the do.  There is no purpose for learning when all you do is activities.  They can be engaged and having fun but still not learning anything.  This is where the teacher should ask thought provoking questions to make sure the students are learning as well as engaged.  Questioning is also a good assessment tool for you as a teacher.

A website and resource for kids that I found was the Science Explorer.  This website if full of different activities you can use as a teacher to introduce a topic, or for an activity for a lesson.  All of these activities are hands- on and engaging.  Most all of them use materials that you can find anywhere and they are something that you could bring into the classroom.  The thing that I liked about the website was that for every activity there was a purpose. For every activity, there was a "What's going on" section.  This section talks about what is happening during the activity and explains why this is happening.  As a teacher I wouldn't show this part to my students at first, I would first as them what they think is happening and why they think this.  At the end of the activities there is an interesting fact for students to think about.  The one thing I didn't like about this website is that all the activities had step by step directions.  We know scientists do not follow a step by step process and we shouldn't make our students do this either.  As a teacher I would let my students first explore they activity and try to do it own their own.  Some assistance may be needed if they are having trouble getting started.  Overall I think this is a good resource for teachers and students who are interested in science. The Science Explorer
The Science Explorer is also a book that you can buy just about anywhere.  It is full of activities for teachers and students.

Science Tip

I've been trying to remember my experience in science classes as elementary school, and find ways to make them better. The thing that is most vivid to me is watching Bill Nye the Science guy, we watched them from like 3rd grade all the way up to high school physics. Bill Nye is on TV occasionally but is getting to be out of date so I looked for some science shows that are current.

Kids Shows
Dinosaur Train-PBS
Go Diego Go-Nick
Jungle Junction-Disney
Sid the Science Kid-PBS
Animal shows (Jack Hannah, Jeff Corwin, more)

For older elementary students there are a lot of shows on the National Geographic, Discovery, and Animal Planet channels. I have never heard of any of these kid shows and I desperately don't want to become that teacher that shows the old boring movies/TV clips. I have seen the students in my clinical class become really excited to watch a video and then be bored out of their minds, if we can find tv shows that will keep the excitement up and have them teach students important scientific ideas watching TV can have a usage in class. Although they should still only be used very sparingly.

Science Tips

I always loved science magazines when I was younger, they were the only scientific aspect that I was consciously aware of doing outside of class. So with this blog I will be talking and listing materials that would make a good science library in a class. The first two materials that I would obtain are Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, they are both magazines that I read or had in middle school. For about $40 you can subscribe to both for two years. The articles may be targeted towards a higher grade level, but there are many aspects of the magazines that younger students would find interesting even if it's just the pictures. Also the magazines are a great way for a teacher to stay up to date on current science events.

I can't say I know many children book that will help understand science. So I found a site that give some tips when selecting books.
http://www.science.org.au/pi/goodbooks/
You can click the link on the side and it gives you a bunch of good books that have science themes. Reading through the list I see a couple of books/series that I would classify as a must. The Magic School Bus series are wonderful and Zoobooks were always one of my favorites. These two series are very factual and interesting for students

If you don't have the resources to get these books in your classroom, at least make sure that your library has them available for students. It is always a good idea to integrate science into other subjects, with some schools cutting science times it is important to be creative when teaching science and other content areas.

Science Tips

Since a big emphasis in the class is science inquiry I better give some tips that I have found about how to do it right. Getting students to find out science for themselves can be extremely enriching for a classroom, but with those benefits there comes some risk with it. In order to maximize student learning using inquiry it is important to do some of these things.

Meet students half way
Students aren't going to get everything, you have to scaffold students sometimes.

Invest time in the activity design and questions
This can be said when doing any lesson I suppose,you should always think about the unique aspects of your class and problems that may arise.

Try your own experiment
Just because something looks easy doesn't mean it will be. Try it out and work out any kinks or misconceptions you have.

Be safe and think cheap
If you can use a similar material or idea save yourself some money, but don't do anything that would endanger students. A little obvious but sometimes the most mundane things can be a safety issue.

Find the positives in failure
Every now and then something might go wrong and a lesson or group will fail, always look at the positives and things that students can learn from the experience.

Looking at these tips maybe make inquiry seem a little scary, but you can find a lot of areas to be aware of any lesson. I have seen the great gains that inquiry can bring and it obvious that the strengths outweigh the negatives.

Science Tips

In my first blog I talked about mystifying students in order to gain students attention and get them into science. So I looked on youtube for some cool tricks that could be done in the classroom to get students into science. Here are some that I would use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2suY9h7xnKg
This is a really simple trick using pepper water and detergient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs8wAJIk1gA&feature=related
This trick uses a candle to show suction and pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntjHVQOKDdo&feature=related
I am not really sure how this one works but the supplies are simple, toothpicks, bottle, water, and plastic wrap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghn4lEtdusQ&feature=related
This one includes fire which is a little risky but all you need is a teabag and liter.

On youtube there are a ton of illusions that I would stay away from, to me it is important to make sure that the experiments are explainable. Students should be able to research a trick and be able to explain how and why it works. There is an endless amount of these tricks that students would find mystifying. These tricks only take a minute and would be a really awesome way to start class.

Final Blog-Presentation

• My final presentation for this blog project. 
  https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AYm_ob8cvV_XZHNjdnpod181ZzQ0ZHdnZ3M&hl=en

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the semester
Nancy

Having Fun in Science

Science Tips

So in my last blog I talked about some tip that make science fun. The most intriguing aspect of that post was the use of games. All the games were online, so for this blog I researched classroom games that could be played. Here's a list of some games I found.

Science Jeopardy
Science Taboo
Science Bingo
Science Pictionary
Science Baseball
What in the World?
Twenty Questions
Computer Games & Simulations
Tangrams
Timers & Stopwatches
Icebreaker games
Science Bowl
What in the World

I was pretty disappointed in the classroom games I found. None of them seem to creative to me, a lot just piggyback a game and used science themes. When I was a kid I would still rather have played Science Bingo than read in a textbook or weekly reader I guess. To me science baseball sounded like the most intriguing game, although I'm a baseball nut and I think a lot of students would be bored by most of these games. If anyone has used or found some fun science games I would love to hear about them thanks.

http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/games/
http://www.ehow.com/list_5973121_science-classroom-games.html
http://www.insidemcc.mchenry.edu/PD/Tutorials/Games/Games/Games%20for%20the%20Science%20Classroom.htm

Science and Standardized Testing- Blog 8

For my final post, I found an article found here that describes how preschool has evolved into the new kindergarten.  The article discusses a recent shift in lower elementary classrooms has swapped out practices like nap time for preparation for standardized tests.  The effect of standardized tests in primary grades has passed down to lower grades in terms of pressure on the teachers and students.  Teachers have changed their methods of teaching in order to begin preparing their students early for the standardized tests.
The article also address activity mania a bit through saying that science is more than arts and crafts.  In class, we talked about keeping a balance between preparing activities that keep students engaged and excited about science, but also have an objective and purpose. We have discussed how activity mania is an easy trap to fall into
In addition, another article found here I found tips for parents about preparing their children for standardized tests and questions to ask their children's teacher.  Some examples of tips to help their children is to make sure that they are eating healthy, doing their homework, and have plenty of books and magazines on a variety on topics.  Some examples of questions for the teacher include: Are the test results consistent with the child's performance in school? Should the child take practice tests?  How can a specific skill improve?

Virtual Presentation

For my Virtual Presentation I decided to use the website www.prezi.com. I was my first time using this website, and I had some challenges using it. However, I feel that the more I explored the website the more I discovered. I think this website would be great to incorporate into my future classroom.

The link to my presentation is http://prezi.com/omrqlxmlsqoc/science-blogs/.

Movies in science

All of my previous blogs have dealt with using literature such as picture books and magazines in the science classroom both as a resource and a way to produce lessons. I was looking for new information about using trade books to teach science, but kept running across the same information. That lead me to thinking about using online books, but my search was not successful. I finally decided to go in the direction of using movies in the classroom to help teach a science topic. I used a couple youtube videos when I was teaching my science unit in my placement, but it may be hard at times to find quality videos. Then I found a website (http://www.teachersdomain.org/) that contains thousands of videos in all of the subject areas. I clicked on science, and then was able to choose the targeted grade level and what subcategory of science I was interested in (physical science, earth and space science, etc.) These are quality videos that are available for downloading and viewing. They also give the standards that the movies cover, which is extremely helpful in coordinating with lesson plans.

I think that incorporating movies or short videos into the classroom is a good idea because it is very helpful for visual learners. They are able to see certain things more clearly that they would have a hard time visualizing from a reading or still pictures, such as how a volcano erupts. Students are always excited when they are able to watch movies, even before they really know what the movie is they are going to watch. It allows them to continue learning, but also gives them a little break from the more intense learning points of the day.

An article I found by Shawnda Moss titled Effectively Using Film in the Classroom gives the following steps for watching movies in the classroom, which are very important in order for the students to understand that this is still a learning opportunity:

There are three steps to keep in mind when sharing a film in class: pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing. Pre-viewing means to activate the students background knowledge of the film and explain the purposes in showing that particular film or clip. It could include discussing the theme or historical or theoretical context, teaching about genre, or introducing vocabulary used in the film. Viewing time should be spent completing a specific task given to the students to perform while watching the film. They could follow an individual character, answer questions about content, or compare and contrast aspects of the film. Post-viewing discussion and assessment is necessary in order to relate the film and its message or theme to the topic at hand, the students’ individual lives, or to their understanding of the world in general.

Anther point made in her article is that children are watching way too much tv in today's day and age. Because of this it is important that the videos or movies being viewed have a definate purpose and aid in learning. Also, they should not be overused, but only suplemented in at times. (http://cmi.byu.edu/Articles/FilmClassroom.html)

Overall, I feel that using videos and movies is a great resourse for teachers in the classroom, especially to help teach some difficult science topics.

BLOG 4 - Math and Science Teaching in Northeast Asia: Do They Do It Better?

Introduction:

Math and Science Teaching in Northeast Asia: Do They Do It Better?

At a meeting sponsored by the Asia Program, Division of United States Studies Program on Science, Technology, America and the Global Economy, and the Division of the United States Studies, in November of 2007, 4 experts on international education spoke on the subject of teaching math and science in the United States verses Northeast Asia.  The meeting was introduced by Mr.  Mark Mohr, Asia Program Associate.  The podcast of the meeting can be found at:

http://wilsoncenter.org/ondemand/index.cfm?fuseaction=media.play&mediaid=5B039C90-0FBC-3AE3-91CD4F2D9AB55840

 

This is my fourth post with regard to this subject.  The first three posts which summarized the first three speakers’ presentations can be found at the following locations:

http://uwo1.blogspot.com/2010/11/math-and-science-teaching-in-northeast_06.htm

http://uwo1.blogspot.com/2010/11/post-2-math-and-science-teaching-in.html

http://uwo1.blogspot.com/2010/11/post-3-math-and-science-teaching-in.html

The fourth speaker, Raymond Simon, United States Deputy Secretary of Education, began teaching in 1966 in Arkansas.  In his early years, math and science curriculum was placed into high gear due to the space race between the Russians and the United States.  There was new math, set theory and number theory.  The curriculum was derived to make sure that the United States was dominant in math and science with respect to the rest of the world.  So what happened?  According to Mr. Simon, some students did fine, but many students got left behind and just “didn’t get it.”  Over the past 41 years, the United States educational system has experienced change after change including fads, quick fixes for “real or imagined problems.”  

Mr. Simon listed two significant factors that have affected our students’ ability to complete globally:

1.   Our collective cultural attitude toward math and science, and

2.   The level of support for teachers (or lack there of).

According to Mr. Simon, in the United States we have convinced ourselves that some students will never achieve academic excellence in math and science; particularly girls, children of color, poor students or students who come from uneducated families.  Our culture has produced students that do not understand the value or relevance of math and science.  Their parents generally consider that the status quo is good enough, that their students currently learn enough.  Many people believe that a math and science education is only valuable for doctors and scientists.

The following are some statistics for that Mr. Simon included in his talk:

• Girls account for:

Ø      only 1/3 of students in Advanced Placement Physics;

Ø      only 15% of students in Advanced Placement computer science classes;

Ø      only 20% engineering majors in college.

·         The percentage of girls pursing computer science in college has dropped 25% since 1985.

·         Less than 50% of our students who graduate high school are ready for college level math and science.

·         84% of middle school students would rather clean their rooms, take out the garbage or go to the dentist than do their math homework

Mr. Simon also interestingly mentioned the fact that in our culture it is OK when people say that they are no good in math… there is no stigma like there is when adults say they can’t read.  He stressed that it is time for an attitude adjustment!

Over the years since Mr. Simon began teaching he has seen a change from teacher-based, classroom standards to statewide standards.  Since the 1990s the statewide standards are the “law of the land.”  According to the 2007 national assessment, it appears to be working with achievement gaps narrowing.  In 2006, President Bush established a National Math Advisory Panel to assess our teaching methods and to recommend changes.   According to Mr. Simon some of the significant shortcomings of our current educational system include the following:

• Students in the United States take longer to solve basic mathematical problems than their counterparts in other countries.
• Fractions for students in the United States seem to always be difficult through adulthood.
• Children in the United States attribute mathematical achievement more to ability rather than effort.  In the United States we believe that a student must have a natural ability to excel at math rather than have to put fort the effort.  In other words, if a child does not have a specific mathematical ability, no matter how much effort is put forth, he or she cannot be expected to learn.
• By the year 2015, there will be an estimated shortage of math and science teachers (shortage of 280,000 teachers), which will be especially critical in high poverty schools.
• Students in poor schools have a 50% chance in to get a teacher who is neither licensed nor qualified to teach math or science. 
• Only 1/3 of teachers majored or minored in the subject they are teaching.

The following teaching strategies are being considered by the panel.

• Teach for mastery of a few topics;
• Benchmark skills at critical grade levels should guide classroom curriculum mathematics instruction and state assessments;
• Federal and state policy should give incentives for schools to offer access to an authentic Algebra 1 course in grade 8;
• Adequate preparation of students to take Algebra should require teachers to have a strong mathematical background;
• Teachers’ content knowledge is important.

Mr. Simon emphasized the importance of good teachers.  The panel is investigating why some teachers are more effective than others.  The bottom line is that the teachers must be respected and have support and encouragement.  No Child Left Behind legislation requires all students to have high-qualified, highly-effective teachers. “Good teaching is the heart of good learning.”

According to Mr. Simon the shortage of good teachers is due to a lack of support or respect for our teachers.  They leave for higher-paying jobs (especially those teachers teaching math and science).   His solution is to provide incentives for teachers whose students score higher on achievement tests.  He also indicated that ongoing professional development and raising teacher’s salaries are integral to retaining good teachers.  “Giving the status quo the heave ho,” were Mr. Simon’s exact words to solve our educational shortcomings.

To put how important education is to society, Mr. Simon spoke about his conversations with the Minister of Education of Rwanda, Mr. Romain Murenzi.  Mr. Murenzi measured his educational reform relative to before and after the genocide of over 1 million people.  Mr. Murenzi indicated that the murderers were uneducated.  He believes that education is the most important factor in to prevent this from happening again.  According to Mr. Murenzi, the schools, which will focus on science and technology, “will be the most visible structures throughout the country, the center of local communities and the symbols of the best hope for the future.” 

In summary, Mr. Simon reemphasized the following two points that we need in the United States for academic success for our students:

1.         High expectations for kids and a culture that values strong education; and

2.         Respect and support for teachers.

Math and Science Teaching in Northeast Asia: Do They Do It Better? BLOG WRAP UP….

From listening to the 4 speakers who spoke about teaching math and science in Northeast Asia versus the United States I have learned a great deal.  The main points that I took from this exercise is that the key to teaching students math and science is curriculum standardization and having well-educated, prepared teachers who are valued and supported. 

I really liked the point that Mr. Simon made about the fact that people in the United States have no stigma when they indicate that they “can’t do math,”  as opposed to the stigma attached to those who can’t read.  I also thought the idea of having an inherent “math ability” versus putting forth the effort to do math was very interesting.  I remember in elementary school when I was told that “C” students should play trumpet, “B” students should play clarinet, and only “A” students can plan flute.  From early on we are labeled and categorized and placed in groups.  Asian students are not tracked until high school.  Just something to think about……..

Virtual Presentation

For my virtual presenation I decided to you Glogster because I've been hear a lot about it, but have never used it or seen it before. It is a great website and would be great to incorporate into your classroom! Very fun and interactive!

Here is a direct link to my first Glogster!

http://dessysue.glogster.com/engage-your-students/

POST 3 - Math and Science Teaching in Northeast Asia: Do They Do It Better?

Introduction:

Math and Science Teaching in Northeast Asia: Do They Do It Better?

At a meeting sponsored by the Asia Program, Division of United States Studies Program on Science, Technology, America and the Global Economy, and the Division of the United States Studies, in November of 2007, 4 experts on international education spoke on the subject of teaching math and science in the United States verses Northeast Asia.  The meeting was introduced by Mr.  Mark Mohr, Asia Program Associate.  The podcast of the meeting can be found at:

http://wilsoncenter.org/ondemand/index.cfm?fuseaction=media.play&mediaid=5B039C90-0FBC-3AE3-91CD4F2D9AB55840

 

This is my third post with regard to this subject.  The first two posts which summarized the first two professor's presentations can be found at the following locations:

http://uwo1.blogspot.com/2010/11/math-and-science-teaching-in-northeast_06.htm

http://uwo1.blogspot.com/2010/11/post-2-math-and-science-teaching-in.html

The third speaker on the panel was Hyunjoon Park, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.  Professor Park is most interested in how the South Korean educational system deals with disadvantages students so they can achieve the minimum level of academic skill standards, but provided important insight to the topic of the differences between Asian students versus Western counterparts on standardized tests.

Professor Park stated that Korean students did better on international science, math and reading tests than their peers in the United States and other Western countries. Some United States educational policy makers believe there is a lot to learn from understanding Korean teaching methods.  However, these methods may not be directly transferable due to differing social aspects, cultural differences and diversity of students in the United States.  Other United States educational professionals and policy makers believe that the Korean students excel due to rote memorization.   However, as Professor Park explains, the international tests do include exercises in creativity and problem solving, and the Korean students excel in these questions as well.

What do we actually know about what contributes to the higher testing results for the Korean students?  Professor Park states that to answer this question, we have to “step back” and take a broader look at what educational factors may play a role.   First, Professor Park shows a slide that demonstrates that not only do the highest achieving students do better than their Western counterparts; the lowest-scoring Korean students also obtain higher scores than the lowest-scoring Western students.

Interestingly, there is no differentiation of students up to the middle school level.  All students of all levels, regardless of their academic abilities sit in the same classrooms and study from the same text book.  Only in high school are the students divided into vocational high schools (approximately 30 % of the students) and academic high schools (approximately 70% of the students).   It is counter intuitive as one would expect that the highest achieving students may not achieve their highest potential because they are being taught aside lower achieving students, but this does not seem to be the case.  Every student learns from the same textbook, from the same teacher in the same class.  Advanced students are not offered advanced learning classes.

Professor Park also looked at socioeconomic factors that might play a role in Korean academic excellence.  He looked at the level of education achieved by the mothers of the highest and lowest achieving students in both Korea and the United States.  The data showed that in both the United States and in Korea, there was a correlation between a student’s academic achievement level and the highest educational level achieved by their mother.  For example, the higher achieving students had a higher percentage of mothers who had tertiary educations.  However, the data gap for the Korean students was much smaller than in the students from the United States.  For example, the students whose mothers did not have a college education did much worse than their Korean counterparts. 

So why do Korean students do so well academically?  According to Professor Park, their success is a result of Korea’s highly standardized system.  All students, regardless of their ability use the same textbook and have the same teacher.  The curriculum standard (national standard) provides a core academic curriculum to all students, which in turn decreases the socioeconomic inequality.   The standardization requires that all students across the board receive the same level of instruction and are required to master the same literacy skills.

This conclusion is very similar to that of the second speaker in the panel, Tadanobu Watanabe who attributed high academic achievement for Japanese students to nationally standardized core curriculum and standardized, concise textbooks.

Remember That Each Child is Unique

For my last blog, I thought it would be a great to discuss the importance of remembering that each child you teach is unique and has different requirements. This is true for every type of student you have and as a teacher it is your job to get to know each child on a personal level and understand how they learn and what makes them who they are.

Although, I have not taught my own classroom yet, through my placements and time of teaching dance, I know we all have those students we love and the ones who know how to push all the right buttons and it is important to remember that there is a reason for a student to act out. They might not get the love and attention they need at home and school is the only place where they can receive it and it starts with you, the teacher. To begin my research I type in to the search engine box on google "every child you teach is unique" and found something that I think could be beneficial for everyone. One www.onewithnow.com there is a list that caught my attention;

1. No one is perfect.

Every human being makes mistakes. We all have something we don’t like about ourselves. The important thing is—accept this as part of being human. Don’t look for the flaws in your self or in others. Look for the beauty and ability instead, and your life will always be full of wonder.

2. Love is the most powerful thing we can give and receive.

Nothing can match the love you receive from your parents, your siblings and friends. You are most alive when you feel the love that connects you with other human beings. Love is our nature. Be love and give love. It is within you.

3. When you hurt someone, you hurt yourself.

When you make fun of someone, you will regret it later. When you physically hurt someone, the experience will haunt you. Making others suffer is never the solution. When you face a violent situation, try to find a peaceful way to deal with it. Be kind and see the kindness in others.

4. You are truly one of a kind.

You are complete the way you are. You are a unique person. Everything you need to be happy is within you. You don’t need to impress any one or to explain yourself to others. Don’t expect others to have to explain themselves to you either.

Don’t try to fit in and don’t expect others to do it. When you try to blend in, you lose yourself and the joy in your life.

5. Listen to your gut feeling.

Do things that feel good and excite you. Don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right. Follow your heart. You are doing it now, so don’t stop doing it when you grow up.

6. Loss is part of life.

With life and love, there is always a chance to lose someone we love or something we enjoy. It is OK to go through these painful experiences. You will have people around you who will support you and give you the strength to move on.

7. You always have a choice.

Don’t do anything because you have to. Do things that you want to do. When you are a child you may not know what’s best for you. So you will follow the advice of adults. But when you grow up, you will have the wisdom to know for yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

8. Make the most of every minute of your life.

Do one thing at a time and do it well. When you are doing anything, remember what it feels like now when you just enjoy coloring or playing games. Have a blast working and playing and make the best of every thing you do.

9. Forgive and let go.

When you make a mistake, don’t be too proud to admit your fault. Apologize to the other person if you can. Forgive yourself and let it go. Remember we are all human—there isn’t one human being out there who never made a mistake.

If someone hurt you, remember: they are human too and they make mistakes. Forgive them just as you would want them to forgive you.

If you tried something and it didn’t work out, learn from it and move on. There is no failure in life. Be grateful for the fun you had and the lessons you learned. Let go and move on to the next adventure in your life.

10. Give with all your heart.

When you are with your family or friends, give them all your attention. When you are helping others, do the best you can and give as much as you can afford. You can give money, spend time with others, or you can listen to someone who needs to talk. But the most precious gift you can give is: love.

Love everyone around you. It is contagious. The more love you give, the more you spread it around the world.

I also believe that there is an inner child in every one of us and these are lessons that not only children can live by, but adults as well!

Ideas on How to Modify Assignments

In my last post, I discussed the importance of modifying lessons for students with special needs and ideas on how to keep your students engaged. On a previous post also related to this topic, someone asked if I could post some examples or websites on how to modify and I began researching even further.

A great website that lists examples that teachers have used is www.forums.atozteacherstuff.com. The website offers some great ideas and here are some examples that especially stood out to me:

1. Always provide a word bank of vocabulary words that students must use.
2. Allow for more space on the page and spread items out.
3. Do not add to much text.
4. Use larger font for students with visual impairments.
5. Use colored paper for student with dyslexia (Some research has shown that children with dyslexia can read better on colored paper).
6. Use step by step instructions at the top of the paper.
7. Read the directions out loud for the student.

It is also important to remember that allowing extra time is usually not beneficial for students with special needs. In some cases it can be a great modification, but can also be extremely useless for students. The main idea is to find what specifically works best for that type of student and to remember that each student is different and requires different modifications. These modifications can also be used for your regular education students too and overall could be extremely beneficial modifications for assignments and activities.

Standardized Testing in the Science Classroom Blog 2

To start my project I am doing a short over view of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. According to the US Department of Education there are four pillars of NCLB. "NCLB is based on stronger accountability for results, more freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and more choices for parents."
stronger accountability for results requires schools that are not making adequate yearly progress to provide supplemantal services to their students. After 5 years of not makeing adequate yearly progress schools must make dramatic changes to the way they run the school.
More freedom for states and communities allows states and school district to allocate thier federal funding to advance their schools.
Proven education methods must be used. Methods that have been proven through rigorous scientific research must be used in the classroom.
More choices for parents; more choices for parents of children attending low performing schools. If a school doesn't meet adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years, parents may transfer their children to a better performing school within thier district for free, including transportation costs.
NCLB leave behind norm referenced tests: assessments that compare on testtsker to his or her peers for standard referenced assessments: assessments that measure each student against the concrete standards. There have been both positive and negative comments about NCLB. As a parent I am glad to see more accountability of both school and teachers. As an education student I have not seen the greater effect of NCLB on teachers and schools so I do not pick a side.

sources www.dpi.wi.gov , www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

Sara's Final Virtual Presentation

I chose to use Glogster to make my final virtual presentation because I had never used it and wanted an alternative to making a slideshow/video. I enjoyed making the poster and found it even a little bit fun! I used only the tools that Glogster provides to find images and public domain photos. Enjoy!



Just a side note: when I preview my post, the Glog doesn't show up very large... if that's the case, feel free to follow this link to a larger glog. It's the same thing - just the direct link! Plus, if you go there, you can see the whole thing as the embedded Glog has some stuff in the way of my words :)

Overview of How To Make Science Fun For Every Student

For this blog project, I chose to focus on ways to make science fun for every student in the classroom. I feel that it is very important for students to know science because it’s everywhere and they will need to know it for everyday life; it’s important for all students not just those who go on to college. Science classrooms when I was in school (and still some now) were not that fun. I always enjoyed learning about science (I am a science minor after all) but there are still some topics that I just can’t get into and I can remember the environment in which they were taught – not fun ones, I can tell you that!

Using fun activities and innovative ways to get students hooked on science are things that every teacher should be doing every day. There’s no reason not to – it’s helping all students enjoy science and school.

My first post was focused on two things to bring into the everyday science classroom: a type of current event activity and a weekly scientist. I really wanted to stress that teachers had to get creative with their thinking and that there should be no excuse for this because we literally have thousands of ideas at our fingertips when using the internet.

Next, I looked at virtual field trips in the science classroom. This was a new idea to me but I found some great sites that I know I can use in the future (even if it’s just for myself or my own kids!).

My third post was about science fairs. I had no experience with this idea either because my schools never offered them but I did find some pretty awesome videos on YouTube (Steve Spangler is awesome!) that showed science fair ideas. Hands down, I will be using this idea in the future.

Next, my post was about using holidays to inspire learning in a science classroom. I found a few ideas with science behind them that could be used with a whole class or in small groups/centers. I think it’s great to pull ideas from outside the classroom into your class because it mixes things up and gives students something to look forward to.

My fifth post revisited the idea of using current events in a classroom. Current events are a powerful way to connect student’s lives with what they are expected to learn so I think they are beyond important.

Next, I explored using science TV shows as a way to ignite learning for students. It seems that students have so much going on outside of school that there’s no reason we can’t bring those things into their learning. I wish I would have been able to do something fun like this when I was in school because I enjoy science and connecting it to TV would have been a great way to get me more excited.

My seventh post was like my fifth post in the way that I came back to an idea. I examined letting students have choices in the classroom. It’s a tried and true classroom management method and is also just a great way to let students feel empowered.

I wanted to write this last post as an overview of everything I wrote about so that my peers could see everything I’ve talked about in one place. I know we’ve all been busy this semester and we haven’t been able to get on every week and check out what everyone else has said. Hopefully, if you see a topic that is interesting to you, you follow the links and save some ideas for your own science classroom.