If there is a discrepancy between the scope of your imagination and the depth of your bank account, this may be the ideal summer to stretch your horizons by diving into a good book. You can take a virtual vacation to almost any place or time by reading. You will not need to fill your gas tank or empty your pocketbook. Reading has a small carbon footprint and a big capacity for expanding your world. This article presents the NSTA Recommends “science stimulus plan.” To help teachers explore on a budget this summer, we have tapped into our reviewers, who suggest investments in some outstanding choices for your downtime that are guaranteed to make your learning stock rise.
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Biomedical engineers combine biology, physics, medicine, math, communication, and engineering to solve medical and health-related problems. Through their development of everything from pacemakers to artificial organs to computer software, these scientists work to make the world a healthier place. William Ditto loves his job—it combines cool science with the latest technology to help people lead better, longer lives.
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To supplement your summer reading, NSTA’s affiliates would like to suggest some recent articles on education research, covering such topics as diversity, technology, and science teacher retention. Start with The Science Teacher for interesting ideas on these topics, and explore the resources listed here for additional information and research. The best part is, you do not have to track these articles down—they are free for NSTA members.
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Among the fascinating anecdotes Gladwell offers up in his recent book, Outliers (2008), is his description of research into the socioeconomic achievement gap—why children from underprivileged families traditionally lag behind in academics. His conclusion: “Virtually all of the advantage that wealthy students have over poor students is the result of differences in ways privileged kids learn while they are not in school” (p. 258). Looking at reading scores of elementary students, Gladwell notes that underprivileged children actually learn just as well during the academic school year as those from a higher socioeconomic status (SES). In fact, they “out-learn” the wealthiest students during the school year. But while summer learning loss is common among all students, it dramatically affects lower SES youth. This month’s column focuses on closing the gap with summer reading.
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What are the health risks of sun exposure—are there any benefits? Also, are some sunscreens better than others?
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The start of a new school year is a challenging and exciting time for any teacher—and a time when beginning teachers particularly need our support. Working with new science teachers in the New Science Teachers’ Support Network (NSTSN) has shown the authors that veteran teachers have the greatest impact on beginning teacher’s success. The NSTSN is a federal research study of 59 new science teachers employed full-time across 3 school districts and 35 schools. Based on the study’s observation reports and survey responses—from new science teachers enrolled in NSTSN and the experienced teachers assigned to support them—they have arrived at the following suggestions to help experienced science teachers assist new teachers.
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In today’s classrooms—science and otherwise—all teachers are charged with helping students develop literacy skills. One effective method for supporting literacy is to create your own science classroom library. These collections can encourage students to read while also helping them to develop background and science-content knowledge. The collection should reflect your specific teaching area but also reach beyond it to provide students with a wide range of experiences in all of the sciences. In this month's Idea Bank, you'll discover how to start a classroom library of your own.
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When describing activities in today’s K–12 science classrooms, the word inquiry often causes some confusion. As a result, many of us find ourselves asking the same questions: How do we know when inquiry is authentic? What should happen in an inquiry-centered science classroom? What is the teacher’s role in an inquiry-centered class and what is the student’s role? The authors have thought long and hard about these questions. Here they offer suggestions for determining whether your classroom activities are engaging all students in true inquiry. In addition, they present an example of how a common, tried-and-true activity can be modified to facilitate inquiry.
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Topics such as sports, exercise, health, and nutrition can make the science of physiology relevant and engaging for students. In addition, many lessons on these topics, such as those on the cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems, align with national and state life science education standards. Physiology Understanding Week (PhUn Week)—sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS)—is an annual outreach event in November that highlights the science of exercise and health. As part of this event, physiologists volunteer to collaborate with teachers in their local communities and visit classrooms to engage students in physiology-based activities.
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We may assume that high school students are too “old” to enjoy simple, juvenile reading. But reading these simple books with students not only captures their attention, but also allows them to focus on larger science concepts and can introduce them to new science content (Madrazo 1997; Cerullo 1997). Reading juvenile science books aloud can also serve as a springboard to inquiry and higher-level investigation and study. This article presents suggestions for incorporating juvenile trade books into instruction and for selecting appropriate books for each science class. The instructions for reading aloud are based on the author’s own experience teaching high school biology students.
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The current recession has brought about a wave of changes for all of us. In some school districts, boards of education are “renegotiating” areas of teachers’ contracts, including class size maximums. Science laboratories that have typically accommodated a maximum of 24 students are being raised to 28 or more. This change far surpasses the legally established occupancy load and makes for unsafe lab work. So is the contract change legal? Before this issue can be addressed, it is important for teachers and administrators to know the correct legal terminology, which is discussed in this month’s column.
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Science is a social process—one that involves particular ways of talking, reasoning, observing, analyzing, and writing, which often have meaning only when shared within the scientific community. Discussions are one of the best ways to help students learn to “talk science” and construct understanding in a social context. Since inquiry is an important strategy for teaching science (NRC 1996; AAAS 1993), teachers face the challenge of facilitating meaningful discussions in an inquiry- or project-based setting. This article presents three types of discussions that can be used in inquiry-based activities and provides an example of each in a sample investigation.
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As you enjoy your summer break, are you thinking about professional development—or spending time with friends and loved ones? How about combining the activities! Conversing with friends and family offers a chance to practice questioning techniques that can be used in the classroom. Your friends will appreciate the interest you are taking in them, their responses will give you more to talk about, and you will become a better teacher—all at the same time. So talk, listen, and enjoy your summer!
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