National Lab Day

NSF GK-12 Conference

We just got back from the NSF GK-12 Conference. It was held this weekend in Washington DC.

I was particularly impressed by the teacher training work done by the University of Wyoming.  They hold summer institutes and weekend workshops focused around field work and inquiry instruction.

Our team lead two presentations:

Sharing Ways to Invent (and Assess) Integrative Lessons, Andrew Mugler (Fellow), Columbia University; Michael Seymour (Teacher)

Incorporating Technology into an Urban Middle School Classroom: Successes and Challenges

Jeffrey Lancaster (Fellow), Columbia University

The LEEFS website, designed by Jeffrey Lancaster, earned an award. Woohoo!

Truth be told, the best part of the trip was my Friday evening run around the Capital building then into the sunsetting behind the Washington Monument. A close second was our dinner at Bankok Bistro in Georgetown.

Howe Caverns

I would love to take my students to Howe Caverns on a geology field trip!
http://www.howecaverns.com/schooltours

NYC Timescapes

This week, the whole school steps outside the normal constraints of the curriculum and works on an integrated project.

Project Description:

Travel through time and find out how and why NYC was transformed from a wilderness into the greatest city in the world. You will learn about Manahatta's legacy during field trips to the Museum of the City of New York, the Empire State Building and exploration of different neighborhoods. You will connect this new information with prior knowledge of timelines, maps and scale from math, science and history class.

The showcase product will be the creation of your own mapping project of Manahatta that will include the neighborhood of your choice showing past, present and future models.  You will make environmental recommendations and predictions about what you think NYC will be like in the future.

Resources:


Manahatta Curriculum
http://themannahattaproject.org/download/curriculum/

Google Earth Viele Map
http://ecotoneprojects.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/fun-with-google-earth-viele-map/

Museum of the City of New York
http://www.mcny.org/exhibitions/

Student Quote of the Day

You sound just like my mother, but in English.

Kids Learn Science Through Rap Songs

My classroom was featured in today's NY Daily News!

Readin', writin' and rhymin': Kids learn science through rap songs
BY Ben Chapman
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, March 9th 2010, 8:15 AM

 "They're singing their hearts out for science."

Read more of the article here.

ALL my students in 713, 714 & 715  deserve a shout out for their great efforts in the rock battle!  The article couldn't mention everyone so here is a list of some top projects.  I plan to post some of the geology lyrics and student classroom performances that go along with the student created songs.

713 SHOUT OUTS

Rosalina performed  to the tune of “Bedtime Story” by Slick Rick

Imani performed to the tune of "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" by Dem Franchize Boyz

Jayden  & Zion created original songs.

 

714 SHOUT OUTS

Sean performed to the tune of “Crank Dat” by Soulja Boy

Wael performed to the tune of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” by Will Smith

Johari, Jordan, Travis, Freddy, Rafael, Danilo, Justin, Jameek all created original beats.

715 SHOUT OUTS

Mahesh performed to the tune of “24's” by T.I.

Lear performed to the tune of  “You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz

Brian performed to the tune of “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z

Kirrat performed to the tune of “I Can Transform Ya” by Chris Brown

Digital Teachers & Learners

Haiti Earthquake Headlines in the Classroom

This January, my students visited the Hall of Planet Earth at the American Museum of Natural History to learn from the exhibits on geologic time, the rock cycle, volcanoes, earthquakes, continental drift and convection currents.  Coincidentally, Haiti experienced a catastrophic earthquake that same week.  The museum experience connects nicely to the NYC seventh grade science geology unit curriculum, but this visit was unlike any other year. Seismology was suddenly a hot topic.

Students stood quietly in front of the earthquake monitoring station and watched real time seismic data on the screen.  Red dots indicate earthquakes happening that day, and yellow rings showed the earthquake's magnitude- a huge yellow ring surrounded Haiti.  Students were quick to share about what we learned in class about the tectonic plate boundaries and the convection currents in the mantle causing movement in the crust above.

A part of me was smiling inside because my students understood the science behind the earthquake.  But the rest of me felt the magnitude of loss- millions dead, buidling destroyed, people desparate for medicine and food, orphaned children- and I knew it was important to talk to my students about how they felt about the Haiti earthquake and how we can help the survivors.

• Multimedia teaching materials on plate tectonics and seismology can be found at http://www.iris.edu/. 
• Tectonics of the Haitian Earthquake
• The AMNH Hall of Planet Earth field guide

Don't Kill the Creativity

The biggest smirk came across my face when Steve Spangler described what will NOT lead to success in the classroom. A slideshow of faces streamed through my mind as he described hardworking teachers with worksheets, rubrics, detailed procedures, lists of standards, goals, data, and laminated lesson plans filled with definitions taken directly from an outdated textbook.

Spangler thinks he has the answer to success in the classroom, but the education community on large does not. As recently reported in a NY Times magazine article, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is investing millions to improve teaching quality, but what does that mean? “Unfortunately, it seems the field doesn’t have a clear view of what characterizes good teaching,” Gates said. “I’m personally very curious.”

Spangler proved his point by leading the audience through an investigation of Bernoulli’s principle. He posed the question, “How many breathes will it take to fill the plastic bag?” We all made our best guesses. I could feel the robotic steps of the scientific method start their march from question to hypothesis to observation and so on. He then instructed the volunteer to put her hand on the end of the bag, her mouth on the bag and blow. Clear step-by-step procedures were given, and the volunteer performed the duties like a good student would. We observed how full the bag became after three breathes then were asked to estimate how many more breathes would be needed to fill the entire bag.

This activity sounds like a pretty typical middle school science demonstration. Science teachers know that they need to give students opportunities to apply the scientific method, but also fear losing control of a room full of crazy thirteen year olds. The marriage of these two objectives results in TOO MUCH HAND HOLDING. These sorts of experiences are not teaching students to think like scientists. They prepare them for jobs at fast food restaurants or assembly lines.

“As soon as I said, put your hand right hear and put your mouth on the bag, I killed the creativity.” Spangler suggested a better approach. Instead, introduce the task by saying “I don’t know how you are going to fill the bag, but you have 3 minutes to figure it out.”

The latter describes real inquiry! This gives students an opportunity to try different methods, learn from trial and error, and possibly discover the secret is to blow air in front of the bag so that a fast stream of air comes behind and fills the bag with the air around us. Bernoulli’s principle taught without the definition. The teacher still needs to address how this works, but this is done after students are already hooked and have a reason too want to know the answer. Brilliant.

Joy + Learning = One

The equation to being a great teacher, not just a good one is joy + learning = one. This message was threaded through every session I attended today at The PBS Celebration of Teaching and Learning 

Teachers can use the same things good rappers do to engage students in the classroom.

Columbia University Professor Chris Emdin had a packed house for his morning session "Rethinking Student Participation: A Model from Hip-Hop and Urban Science Education".  He has a new book out entitled "Science Education in the Hip-hop Generation” that I look forward to reading.  The premise is that hip hop is not just a music genre, but a culture and a part of student lives than we can connect to in the classroom.

Chris believes that educators can form stronger ties with students by recognizing the differences in the way they think and act. Using rap music in the classroom gives students the room to create and express themselves while learning science content.  This is based on mnemonic. "Once the students know it then push the thinking forward."

On Sesame Street, we use... advertising methods to sell letters and numbers.

Sid the Science Kid is a boy who says things like "scientist in the house". The 'Dinosaur Train' capitalizes on two things every little boy loves.  In both cases, what is "cool" is connected to the message they want to get across about science. And, of course, there is music.  A guitar-picking Craig Bartlett sings a new version of the ABC song with dinosaur names. 

Lisa Henson spoke about developing fun characters that the audience can relate to. In my mind, this is a model for teacher development  When students step into the classroom, they decide right away if the teacher is someone they can learn from or the kids "turn the channel". A great teacher can and should be a fun "character" that the "audience" relates to.

PBS gets it that we need to meet young children where they are, embrace what they already like and let their natural curiosity and creativity lead them to great learning experiences. It seems to me that educators and producers of educational programs need to continue this trend in the middle and high school years. Imagine  MTV or VHI for learning.. Something similar to 'Yo Gabba Gabba', the Nick Jr. children's television show hosted by DJ Lance Rock, but with more thought-provoking lyrics and popular guests with a positive message for older kids and young adults.  Emdin is on to something!