Newton's Apple

Always looking for good science video streaming that is accessible from school (YouTube is blocked).
http://www.newtonsapple.tv/

AAAS - AAAS News Release - "Graduate Students Gain Essential Skills While Showing Grade-Schoolers What It's Like to be a Researcher"

AAAS - AAAS News Release - "Graduate Students Gain Essential Skills While Showing Grade-Schoolers What It's Like to be a Researcher"

On Becoming Tech Savvy

A red light flashes inside a little box that is mounted above the whiteboard in my classroom—the wireless internet signal is down again.

The custodians changed the windows over the summer, ripped out all the wiring and damaged the sensors that control the weather monitoring station.

The cord to plug in the laptop is missing. The projector that connects to the laptop that allows the interactive Smart board lesson to launch was stolen.

The theft happened on the night of a Yankees World Series game so I suspect some jerk decided that watching sports on a big screen in his living room was more important than my middle school students. Now I am so paranoid that I even lock up the computer speakers and extension cords. It is no telling what might grow legs and walk out of this building.

I was a fine teacher before all these new finagled things came out, and one thing is for sure- I can rely on simple, easy and efficient time tested, technology-free methods to improve student achievement.

I really do want to extend and enhance best teaching practices with all these neat tools, but are they needed and necessary? The answer is no, and neither are the headaches. Plan B is now Plan A. I have some rubber bands and sand in the supply cabinet to model earthquake faults, an overhead projector for visual displays and good ol’ pen & paper. I am certain students will be engaged and eager to learn what I hope to teach them, with or without youtube, skype, real-time data and virtual fieldtrips.

Guess what now? The printer ink is out and it is going to take at least a week before the order will arrive at the school. There is no paper left in the school to make copies. Basics. Unavailable. Really? I wonder what it is going to be like after budget cuts?? Ugh.

The computers in the faculty lounge have not been maintained, or for that matter, even hooked up. The student computer lab door is locked and rarely available for use.

People keep telling me about a volt in the basement that is full of locked up resources. I am hopeful that a new projector, a cord, some wire, ink and paper will find there way back to my classroom some time soon.

In the meantime, I am becoming tech savvy. My plan is to use technology to eliminate the annoying, tedious teacher tasks that nearly drove me away from the profession in the first place. I will NEVER grade student work again. The computer will. Now this is a technology plan that will result in 100% teacher buy-in.

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!

The Real Dominican Republic!

Last weekend, we ventured to Cana Hondo Ecolodge in San de la Mar and National Park Los Haitises. We rented a car and drove northwest about 100 miles which takes over four hours due to the roads and terrain. We left Punta Cana and made a stop in Higuey where we visited St. Mary's Cathedral and had dinner at a local restaurant. The mangu was fantastic! The drive north went through several small villages and into the mountains. These are the places where you experience the real Dominican lifestyle, and were I felt what it is that the native people love about their home.
Our final destination was nothing short of magical. We arrived in a small village on the Samana Bay on the northeast side of the Dominican Republic. Among other things, we took a boat ride through a mangrove forest, visited caves once occupied by the indigenous Taino tribe, hiked through humid forests & fields of sugar cane and cattle, swam under waterfalls in the crystalline water of the Jivales River, and met a young man named Raphael who is part of The Green Brigade Environmental Group from a nearby village.

Punta Cana

I'll be spending the month of July in the Domican Republic at the Puntacana Resort & Club thanks to a fellowship from Columbia University's CERC Teacher Training Institute & the Puntacana Ecological Foundation.

About twenty five educators, including myself, will learn from and collaborate with scientists. The course work includes developing an integrated curriculum and doing field work. Hopefully, I'll be on the beach surveying coral reefs!

Really, Really White People

'They' came in a big, pale herd. Everyone of 'them' with ghost-like skin, light eyes, and a preppy look. They all had a way of speaking (along with really corny jokes) that made me want to smack them in the face for no other reason than that they just didn't get it. I found myself judging and scrutinizing every fiber of their Massachusetts, surburbanite beings. The whole package of them felt insulting.


It was as if their stuffiness reflected their close-mindedness. Enough to make a liberal-minded, urbanite want to gag. They wore these stupid uniforms-- you know, the jeans with a polo shirt and a baseball cap. The inflection in their voices and their body language was offensive. Lack of eye contact, poor posture, and unnecessary use of big words, I immediately recognized as a thin veil hiding fear, a lack of depth, and a self-righteousness that needed taken down a notch.

Or was it that at all?

Stereotypes.

Quick judgements.

Once upon a time, I was a white girl growing up in rural Michigan with very little exposure to cultural diversity-- at least before college. My experience outside of a really, really white community consisted of the black people I saw in the mall three times a year at the nearest city center 60 miles away, and the Korean daughter of the only foreign doctor in our town.

There was one multi-racial student in my high school-- Chris Jones had a black father from Flint. Every young girls parents feared that their daughter would date him. Oh, the shame! He had a great personality, was an awesome football player, and was my locker partner during my junior year. He died from a rare blood disease senior year, and then we were back to a bunch of white hicks and a losing football team.

We all need to take off our uniforms.

We all need to look below the surface.

The British Are Coming!

Paul Schmaul from London is poking around our school for a couple of days as part of the school's Quality Review. Why is some British schmuck evaluating an inner city public school? I suppose it has something to do with the new way schools are being assessed. Rather than looking at performance indicators to determine the success of a school, there is a new fancy mathematical formula (modelled after the British system) that looks at other indicators including progress, curriculum, standards, parental/community support, and I forgot the last one. AYP (adequate yearly progress) at our school earned us an A on the school report card while other high performing schools actually failed because they are not making "progress". There is a lot of controversy surrounding the new grading system. Despite some flaws, I think that it holds school communities accountable for most of the factors that influence a student's opportunity to learn and get a good education regardless of what neighborhood school they attend.  Whether or not a quality review is able to measure those factors is another issue all together.

The new model stresses learning over teaching. What are the kids doing? Are students needs being met? Are students supported at home? Too often, educators are defensive about their teaching methods rather than reflecting on the progress of students. Focusing on how we can helps kids become more successful, using data to inform instruction and creating a classroom environment were students feel respected and nurtured are steps in the right direction.

Today, Pauly Pete grilled a group of teachers including myself at a luncheon with questions like, "What are the goals of your classroom? What are the best things about the school? How do you differentiate instruction? How is student behavior dealt with at the school?" Everyone gave politically correct answers to help bolster up the school. I played along and spoke up when I could make an honest & positive contribution. After the meeting, I called bullshit on one teacher who called in-house detention the "SAVE room" as if being put in isolation and treated like a herded animal is some form of rehabilitation for troubled students.

Well, tomorrow the Brit will be observing my students. I planned a tiered activity based on ability. Students get to chose different projects and presentations that correlate with their "readiness" on the topic (water cycle), interest and literacy skills. Hopefully all goes well, and students will be able to present at the end of the class to show their understanding of the water cycle and concepts related to the movement of water in and around the earth The list of options includes sixteen activites in total (four at each level). Some examples are plays/skits, posters, drawings/pictures, storyboards, meteorology broadcast, tv commercial, and flash cards.

3/20/08

Every once in a while, all the right elements come together and the moment is nothing short of magical. In the midst of all that could go right, Mr. Paul walked into my science classroom. He had to step over kids who were sprawled out on the floor with construction paper and squeeze around the kids staging a water cycle drama presentation. Students were really focused and engaged in their chosen projects as he circled around the room and asked students questions. My ears were open and I glanced over when I could without being too obvious. He approached the students by joking with them about his accent and then said, "I'm here to see what kind of school this is and want to know what you are doing." Brittany showed the handout that listed the choices for the water cycle project. She was working on a poster with two other students. He then moved on to Siara & Maribel who were working on a presentation to explain the importance of precipitation and its role in the water cycle. The girls were referring to their notes and a book. He asked content based questions (that I couldn't really hear), but I moved a little closer and heard Maribel telling him the affects of low precipitation on food crops and available drinking water. He was nodding his head yes and showed enthusiasm on his face. He spoke to Elissa who was planning a powerpoint presentation to explain the water cycle. At this point, I had to consult with Dennis regarding the skit he was planning and Mohibur to make sure he understood water safety and purification. I caught another glimpse of the Brit as he looked around the room wide-eyed with a smile on his face. I was SO PROUD OF THE KIDS. Not only did they know the content, but they were able to communicate what was going to the visitor, work together with little guidance from the teacher (me), and stay on task. In the end, everyone came up with really content-rich, creative projects. It was one of my proudest moments as a teacher.

Yuk, Omar & Kevin presented a TV Broadcast from Channel MS88 alerting the public that all the oceans had dried up and the earth was no longer the blue planet. It was so awesome! They planned three segments 1) A meteoroligist explained what had gone wrong due to increased temperatures & increased evaporation rates. 2) A farmer was interviewed who shared the problems with his crops due to lack of water. 3) A scientist shared recent research on finding new water sources and ways to counteract the problem.

I can't wait for the other presentations on Monday! Samantha called the project "brilliant." She's almost right. The kids are brilliant. I just gave them the opportunity to prove it.

Gossip Girls & Basketball: TGIF!

"Oh mY GOD! Look, it's Serena & Blair from Gossip Girls. That is my favorite show!!"

I took a group of students to the NY Academy of Medicine yesterday to do medical library research for their science projects and we saw an episode of The Gossip Girls being filmed. The Upper East Side at 103rd St was completely lined with Harrad's trucks all the way to the edge of Central Park. My students completely flipped out, but the girls were a bit disappointed that they didn't get to see Nate and his dreamy blue eyes.

I have to admit, I'm completely out of the loop when it comes to what is cool these days. I'm teaching sex education in health class right now and we are discussing all the changes that happen during adolescence. I mentioned laws regarding the age of consent for sexual activity and how being at parties with alcohol and older teenagers or college age students is a recipe for disaster. One student said, "That's what happened on Degrassi."

Is it just me or are the teen shows these days really edgy? I remember watching Nickelodeon and Saved by the Bell at their age. Green slime was about as graphic as it got. Well, at least the new teen shows are more realistic than the lame lifetime television specials I saw as a kid.

After school, we all let off some steam at the teacher vs. student basketball game! It was a double win for the teachers!Female teachers won against the girls team by 4 points, and the male teachers beat the boys team in the final minutes.

Teachers rule and students drool!

When it comes to basketball, I'm more of a Joe than a Pro. "Lagos, get on the court. You are the most athletic person here." No, not really. I planned to warm the bench. Really. Dribbling the ball while running and getting the ball in the hoop have always frustrated me, but somehow I managed to make four rebound shots and had three steals. "Mrs. L is really aggressive." "Good defense, Mrs. L " I chuckled. If they only knew... about the time I won the free throw contest in the third grade by shooting granny shots.

Small miracles happen all the time :) And trying your best is more important than winning.

AMNH Hall of Human Origins Student Video

Tinkerbell Strategy for Math

Don’t worry, kids. Just do your best. No pressure at all. Get a good night’s sleep. Eat a healthy breakfast. Believe in yourself with all your heart then you will get a very high score. That’s right, the Tinkerbell “I think I can” strategy is listed in the test prep tips right after “sit next to the smartest kid in the class and copy his or her paper.” Luckily, dictionaries are allowed during tomorrow’s state math exam. I’m just waiting for a student to ask how to write “2” in English. Scrap paper and calculators are not allowed. Bring your thinking caps and a number two pencil. Wait, wait. Don’t tell me. You forgot your pencil. And you forgot how to convert decimals to percents. Not a good day for memory lapse. I’d hate to see you become another statistic.


I doubt you will forget what I’m getting ready to tell you: An inferior test score on your 7th grade math exam sets into motion a sequence of events that will lead you into a less-than desirable high school, a less-than prestigious university, a work world where this early achievement gap translates into less wealth, the same unfair disadvantages for your underachieving mate and more of the same for your less-than privileged offspring. A high score could change your luck. It's a numbers game.

Lately, there has been a lot of “talk” at my school about why “best teaching practices” are not translating into “high student test scores.” We are a “model school” for math and reading, yet most of our students are not meeting the standards. At a recent teacher leader meeting, I gained a little insight into one glaring problem:

THE FORMULA. Schools under pressure to raise student achievement have to make trade-offs and decisions about which students they will invest time and energy.

Standardized tests are scored as follows: level 1(far below standards), level 2 (approaching standards), level 3(meeting standards) and level 4 (above standards). However, a student whose standardized test score moves from 1 to 2, or low 2 to high 2 does NOT help the school’s report card as much as raising a high 2 to 3, or 3 to 4. In the end, the level 1 and 2 kids are not “recruited” or “encouraged” to attend tutoring services and after-school programs like the higher level 2 and 3 students. It does not "pay" to help the kids who need the most support.

And here you have it, just like the middle-class is disappearing in the good ol’ US of A so are all the average students. The push is on to transform Susie-does-pretty-darn-good into Susan-does-super-duper-great. All the while, Rogelio-can’t-read and Mohammed-fails-math stand on the corner outside the school waiting for Susan to get out of her after-school enrichment program.

Maybe I should write a sequel to "Dumb and Dumber" called "Smarter and Smartest" where the characters outdo each other and themselves. This reminds me of Judith Warner's op-ed piece, "Glass Slippers, Old Hat," in Saturday's NY Times about a new trend in the "assortive mating" social science phenomenon that shows "alpha males are... marrying equally high-octane women." Such super-charged couples will likely pop out hybrid overachievers, either that or greater numbers of children with autism and bi-polar disorder, according to hypotheses from researchers at the University of Cambridge.