STEM education in the years after Sputnik

While Friedman (2010) wrote his article as an Op-Ed piece the points he highlights are relevant and ring true in today’s America. American’s have seen the rise of escalating focus on the war on terrorism in the past ten years, with billions of dollars dedicated to fighting that war. However, we have not seen the same kind of resources put into the education of our students in the areas of STEM careers. Though the government and many in the scientific community have expressed concern and support for STEM education in light of the lack of qualified applicants for jobs in those fields, the support at the local level has been sparse to say the least.  Many science teachers face the unenviable task of teaching science without adequate time, supplies or space. Compounding the problem is the fact that many students do not fully get to experience the level of scientific inquiry that they will need to successfully attempt careers in the STEM fields.

If we are to produce future leaders and innovators in the STEM fields we may need to do more than simply declare that there is a focus on STEM education.  We need to work on building the atmosphere that creates those leaders. Friedman (2010) asks the question, “What is our national project going to be? Racing China, chasing Al Qaeda, or parsing Harry?” and our answer to that question is not clear. We hear more about what happens with the war on terror than we do about the fact that America has fallen greatly in its standing in science on the world stage. Many people do not know that China, once the communist pariah of the new age, is now number one in the level of science education provided to students (Ranking America, 2011). How did we lose focus of the prize so quickly? Sputnik was not the last major scientific leap in the last century, however, it has seemingly become the moment by which we defined ourselves.  Back then eyebrows would have been raised in criticism if half of our products came out of Russia, but today no one so much as bats an eyelash at the fact that a large number of the products we use are tagged “made in China”. Are we in effect financing China’s rise to the top?

Maybe we need to take a page out of China’s book as far as education is concerned. According to Nicholas Kristof (2011) students in China are introduced to structured education at the age of two, where the focus is on education and not school sports. How often do we see students in our society who show up to school without homework completed or having reviewed for a test because they were at practice for some team sport? Until, and unless we realign our focus to what is important to the greater good of the country we will only continue to fall further from the top of the pack and may face being surpassed by other countries that twenty years ago were not even considered competitors, never mind superiors.

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.

Kristof, N. (2011, January 15). China’s winning schools? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/opinion/16kristof.html?_r=1

Ranking America (2011).The U.S. ranks 23rd in PISA science score. Retrieved from http://rankingamerica.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/the-u-s-ranks-23rd-in-pisa-science-score/

Science Lesson Using Models

Last week I had the pleasure of implementing a lesson on the rock cycle using the candy airheads as my modeling clay. While the activity itself was fun and the students enjoyed working with the candy and seemed to develop a greater unerstanding of how the rock cylce works and of how rocks are classified, it struck me that there were a few pieces that I took for granted where the students were concerned. For example, the students were able to identify the types of rocks created but were unable to identify the process which created the rock. I found myself thinking how strange it was that they could not name the proceses but were able to name the rocks. It was not until I asked that I realized that they had used different markers to identify the rocks. They knew that if a rock melted and cooled it became an Igneous rock, etc. It was then that I saw clearly the difficulty that could ensue if one has students attach their own definition to essential vocabulary words. These students while they are learning about the objects, they struggle when they enter a standardized classroom/test room and find that the questions on their standardized test are not written for them specifically and as such does not provide answer options that they are familiar with.

Overall, I enjoyed working with the models for this activity as it allowed me to see students clearly attuned to their acivity and enjoying what they were doing. It also gave me insight into how/when to use the lesson and what needed to be changed to make it a great activity. I also learned very quickly that airheads tend to solidify very quickly when heated and should always handle with care, and that the spare airhead pieces should be picked up quickly so that the students do not have a faceoff over candy:) Oh, and yes airhead in its molten form is very, very hot and definitely behaves as magma being pushed to the surface where it hardens.

Creating Compassionate Science-Minded Individuals

The recent tragedies precipitated by the tornadoes in the south have brought out the best and the worst in some people. Even though I did not specifically teach Earth and Space Science I did take some time out of my planned lessons to go over the formation of tornadoes, the devastation it can cause and go over the safety tips again with my students (when you have a self-contained class you can tend to deviate from the planned lessons more so than in the mainstream classrooms). For the most part the students were very interested in not just what causes tornados but specifically what happens inside the walls of the tornado. We covered some of the misconceptions that they had (some gained from Hollywood movies) and also looked to gain a greater understanding of tornadoes themselves and the reasons they are so difficult to predict. We also looked at the current weather patterns across the region and tried to determine if there was a correlation to the weather and the number of tornadoes that spawned during that period of time. The students were also asked to research if there had ever been a similar event in recent history. We talked about what the effects would be on the local economy of the current disaster and what the continuing effect would be if more tornadoes occurred within the region. The students seemed to grasp the concept rather well as they began talking about agricultural loss as well as jobs from businesses being closed, etc.

I shared pictures of the affected areas with the students so that they could see the damage inflicted by the tornados. They were all moved by devastation that they saw and had many questions about how long it would take to rebuild the towns and who would do the rebuilding. I tried to answer their questions as best as I could and also made it relevant for them by asking them to think about the students their age who lost everything they had and could not go to school because it was no longer there. I also encouraged my students to actively participate in fundraising activities being organized by different entities in the school and within their neighborhoods, and to verbalize any ideas they had about assisting as well.  While most of my students are from lower income homes (we are a Title one school) they contributed what they could to the relief efforts and took pride in updating me each day on new events that related to the tornado or relief efforts.

As teachers I think it is imperative that we teach our students the scientific data that they need to be able to process the information about the world around them. However, while doing so we still need to impart some sense of humanity into what is being taught. Students need to understand that what is studied in science affects people and things do not happen in a vacuum or a lab. They have to be taught that what happens in the lab is in direct relation to the greater good of the human race. Without being these skills students, though brilliant, may not be able to see past the facts and figures to the real purpose of the dedicated scientist.

Furthering my knowledge on Lupus

My question last week on http://www.askascientist.org/ was whether or not there is a geneti marker which would indicate a predisposition to the disease lupus. I know a bit about Lupus due to the fact that two of my sisters, are fighting and have fought this disease for quite some time (one of them is now recently deceased but not from the disease). I am interested to know about genetic influences on acquiring Lupus and whether or not myself, my children or any of my other siblings will develop the disease anytime in the near future. While the disease has no cure, care can be taken to minimize the flares that occur and even lessen them to a certain extent. However, there is so much more to learn about this disease and how it even begins. As for my question to ask a scientist, I have yet to receive a response. I expect that there will be some sort of response forthcoming but as with anyting worth knowing it may take some time to get an answer. What I do ferverently hope is that the answer is not "sorry but we do not have an answer for you at this time".

http://www.askascientist.org/ seems like a great site to use in my classroom for those questions that the students sometimes ask to which I have no ready answer. I usually have them write them down under the items to be researched on my whiteboard, but this is a way for them to independently try to get answers to some of their questions. Who knows this may even trigger more questions in their minds as they scroll through the site. There is one thing that is certain about middle school students in a science class, and that is that they usually have a ton of questions on every subject, and often it is not on the on you are currently teaching:) This way they can feel like a part of a greater scientific community and if they do receive an answer from a bonafide scientist this may spark their interest in the field of science even more.

21st Century Tools for Classroom Scientists

The list of technology tools available to Science teachers is heartening. There are tools available for every comfort level and stated purpose. These tools provide teachers with the ability to engage students in ways beyond the usual PowerPoint slides and static presentations. While it is adviseable to take some time while not in school to test run these sites there is the value of learning on the go, utilizing the concept of inquiry to guide the installation of one or more of these sites as part of the classroom culture.

One of the sites that I like and would consider using frequently is Web Poster Wizard. This site enables teachers to create assignments for students who complete them entirely online. The site is easily navigated and allows teachers to set up class assignments online and have students login using their class codes. Different codes are created for each class so that it is easy to pull the assignments for each class and grade accordingly. Students will like using this tool as it allows them to use the technology with which they are familiar and allows them to be infinitely more creative than if they had to use the standard poster board to present their work. It also allows students to be able to make adjustments to work posted by typing in their unique poster id code. This is preferable to having to redo an assignment due to changes indicated by the teacher.

Format Pixel is another tool that has what students would call the cool factor. It could be used to create student term projects or a classroom magazine that can be published by students. It offers the students some customizable options and can be tailored to create multiple page projects. Students would be able to upload their own pictures to make the magazine more personal. However, one thing bears mentioning. There is a limit on the storage size of the account created. There is a free account that allows one to save up to 512K of material. Anything above that would require a fee.

If using PowerPoint slides is more in line with your taste then there is a way to give them a boost by using Prezi. Prezi is to PowerPoint slides what turbo charging is to cars. The transistions in Prezi are smooth and look like movie effects (which your students will love). It also allows you to share your presentation on facebook and twitter. This allows students to be able to follow their classmates presentations online and even make comments and like or dislike it using a social media outlet that they currently have in their arsenal. Presentations can be customized and set to autoplay so that salient points can be re-stated when necessary without having to toggle back through previous slides. It is also key to note that one of the special effects of Prezi allows for the zooming in on specific objects/words during play. It creates a very strong impact and leaves a lasting impression on those viewing the presentation.

While this is not an all encompassing list of all the tools that are available for use with the technology that is available to us currently, hopefully it provides an impetus for you to check out what else there is that could be useful to you for your own specific needs.

21st Century Answers to Today's Energy Questions

One of the topics that most fascinates me and that I find I can easily get my students interested in is energy. The students always seem to have a number of ideas on how to either conserve energy or how to use different materials, some renewable and some not, as a source of energy. With the increase in the number of car manufacturers who are producing electric cars, advances in solar cell technology and its usage in neighborhoods across the county, and increasing government support of energy conserving efforts the students are very well aware of the concerns that many Americans have about the long term sustainability of fossil fuels at our rate of usage.

One of the 21st century tools that the students can use to gain more insight and facilitates the students learning of the concepts surrounding the topic and also provide an avenue for them to investigate on their own is the website http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=2. The site has valuable resources on all sources of energy as well as basic information on energy itself. It also provides charts and graphs for each topic area as well as games and activities for all grade levels including science fair experiments that the students can complete that relate to energy.

Another tool to use is http://www.neok12.com/Energy-Sources.htm. This site provides information about energy sources as well as alternative energy sources. The rather cool thing about this site is that it also includes videos on the different types of energy sources as well as the ability to create presentations for school and quizzes to share with friends as well. This will intrigue the more andvanced student and the videos will allow the strongly visual learner to fully grasp the many concepts covered in the discussion/debate about energy.

What is the best insulator?

For week four of class the task was to test four different materials to be used as insulators of cups of hot water. Each cup had the same amount of hot water and were lined up side by side on the counter. The only difference was the material chosen to cover each cup. For my materials I chose a Ziploc bag, Aluminum foil, a sheet of paper towel folded into four, and a Styrofoam plate. Prior to setting up the experiment I hypothesized that the aluminum foil would be the best insulator because of its use as a conductor of heat as well. However, after having the water sit the required 30 minutes I checked the temperature with a basic thermometer and lo and behold I found that the best insulator of the items I selected was the Ziploc bag. Coming in a close second was the Styrofoam plate. I was more than a little shocked that the Ziploc bag did the better than the aluminum foil which is used in kitchens across the country, and I dare say across the world. I recall my mom sending food to neighbors who were shut in and the food would be covered in foil to seal in the heat. Maybe I should tell my mom to use Ziploc bags next time.

This experiment led me to question if the same would be true with other materials that needed to stay warm. What about pizza or hot wings? I believe that because those food items are solid they will maintain their heat much better and the best insulator for these items may very well not be a ziplock bag. I will post an update to this blog once I have completed the same experiment with either pizza or hotwings. As is I may have to convince my hubby to throw out the well balanced dinner plans one night so that I can run my experiment.