How can a science teacher find professional development (PD) opportunities that are meaningful, coherent, and sustained that will foster teacher and student learning? The authors believe that science teachers can and should be savvy consumers of PD—seeking out learning experiences that are designed with a few key features in mind. The purpose of this article is to articulate those key features by presenting a consumer guide that includes two parts—a shoppers’s guide and a user’s guide to PD.
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Misconceptions broadly exist in a variety of subject areas, such as physics, biology, geography, and other sciences. Among them, bringing students to an understanding of why things sink and float has proved to be one of the most challenging topics for student conceptual change. To address this issue, the authors designed ten multiple-choice items to help teachers diagnose common misconceptions related to sinking and floating, which are described in this article.
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A long-term, coherent program of high-quality professional development (PD) is the best way to foster improvement in classroom practices and student learning. Administrators and district office personnel must make high-quality professional development a top priority in all schools and provide adequate funding for its implementation. Districts must provide long-term PD opportunities that have both depth and breadth of content and allow ample time for teachers to learn how to incorporate the new practices and content into their instruction.
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The Adventure Engineering Academy provides teacher participants with a model of inquiry-based instruction that integrates the engineering design process as used in authentic science environments. Participants were provided with background information regarding the integration of inquiry and engineering processes and an opportunity to complete a series of hands-on activities that integrate and promote these processes within their classroom. Literacy, technology, and math skills were integrated throughout the academies.
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Texas Watch is an environmental stewardship-in-action program that works with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to collect environmental data and to address nonpoint source pollution issues. Volunteers across the state monitor rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, bays, bayous, and estuaries. The information helps local and state resource managers make scientifically sound decisions. This article describes how participation in this inquiry-based project promoted environmental awareness in seventh- and eighth-grade students while engaging them in meaningful, scientific research.
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A middle school science teacher from Texas shares his professional development experience as part of the ARMADA Project, which partners science teachers with field research scientists. He was paired with a group of oceanographers studying the ecology of one of Barrow, Alaska’s major food sources, the bowhead whale. Based on his experiences in this study, he developed the lesson featured in this article. Its focus is on science/societal interactions; specifically, how science and other factors can affect a community’s right to obtain their traditional food source from their local environment.
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Nanoscale science is a growing field, and to appreciate the work of scientists in this field, it is important for students to understand the scale of work being done. This activity, designed to bring nanoscale into the familiar macroworld, is from a two-week workshop on nanotechnology conducted by Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee that was sponsored by the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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Lesson study is a form of professional development that has spread across the United States from its origin in Japan (Stigler and Hiebert 1999; Lewis, Perry, and Hurd 2004). In lesson study, teachers form a collaborative team that changes both the way they teach and the way they work with colleagues. It’s not only about the lesson they design; it’s also about thinking deeply about teaching and learning.
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The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), parts 171—180 explain what is required of a shipper to transport hazardous materials safely. The regulations cover classification, packaging, incident reporting, and handling of hazardous materials. Hazardous material packaging is the first line of defense in helping to prevent the material from being released during transportation. School personnel who deal with hazardous shipments should review the suggestions outlined in this month’s column.
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When the planet Saturn is mentioned, most probably picture the spectacular rings above the planet’s equator. The rings are not unique to Saturn (planetary rings encircle the four Jovian planets), but they are the only ones visible from Earth. Despite the compelling beauty and mysteries of ring systems and the dynamics that add to their allure, the incredible variety among the many moons of these planets is equally exciting.
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Students who engage in scientific inquiry must be able to evaluate the processes and evidence used to reach conclusions about scientific issues, regardless of whether the process is conducted in the classroom or through an information search on the internet. To explore strategies for integrating information literacy and science, the authors engaged students in analyses of internet-based content related to a current socioscientific issue: global warming. A WebQuest, which is described in this article, was developed to guide students through the process of evaluating websites.
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To help students think like scientists during cooperative science investigations, the author developed the “thinking roles” strategy described in this article. Thinking roles make students responsible for asking certain types of questions during cooperative investigations. The roles include the following: Prediction manager, Evidence collector, Researcher, and Skeptic. They promote student discussion about scientific investigations, engage students in scientific reasoning with peers, and keep group members mentally and physically involved.
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Mashup is a new technology term used to describe a web application that combines data or technology from several different sources. You can apply this concept in your classroom by having students create their own mashup maps. Google Maps provides you with the simple tools, map databases, and online help you’ll need to quickly master this web-based application. All you’ll need is a collection of student data that you’d like to translate into a high-tech, interactive, multimedia map. This article describes how the authors used the data collected about local trees to create a mashup map.
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Fort Hays State University and Emporia State University partnered with high-needs rural school districts to develop and offer a three-year professional development institute. The statewide institute was planned collaboratively to specifically meet the needs of middle school science teachers. The institute was managed concurrently at the two sites and coordinated through distance-education technologies, making it possible for teachers to participate at an institution near their homes. This unique professional development experience can be emulated by other states interested in improving inquiry- and modeling-based instruction.
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