Are You Suffering from Sage on the Stage Syndrome??

Hello All,

I recently had two students working on independent projects that were not turning out quite the way they were expecting. I was especially delighted about one not working out so well.  It excited me to be able to respond that sometimes one can learn just as much or more from something not working as it should as something that works out perfectly.  Happily, I could have probably typed out two pages of many ‘great scientists’ who made a mistake that led to a discovery or who while working on one thing changed direction in order to address another issue with the unexpected way the research had gone. With that tucked away somewhere in my mind, the title “How to Learn? From Mistakes” caught my attention.  As Dianne Laufenberg shares in her talk, the reminder is there sometimes the greatest way to learn is through mistakes.  Students need to fail some. I could relate to information she presented regarding the educational system and where the access to information has been located over the years.   I had to admit I had grown up in a culture where the teacher was usually the sage on the stage, the great dispenser of knowledge.  As a teacher, I continue the battle of transitioning away from becoming a sage on the stage teacher to more of a teacher that guides students to do, find, and explore on their own...'guide on the side' seems to be the current catch phrase. I find for some students that have been in the system of the teacher as the great dispenser of information, this can be a challenging transition.  Other students, it seems to open up a wonderful freeing creative process. I too agree with the speaker that often when I allow students to generate their own projects with minimal guidelines, much of the work I receive exceeds what I would have received with an extremely detailed rubric and exemplar. Students simply sometimes use resources and applications I am not up on.  Not only is there ownership and learning of content knowledge for the student, I often am able to learn from my students as well. Let’s face it, there is so much available in our digital age, it is impossible to be a true sage anymore.  In the present journey, I rather be a part of a community of learners where we are all learning from one another than one where I am a potential limit to who those in my classroom can become.

Happy to share the stage,

Mrs. A

Science and Math Review with Study Jams

Hello all,

There do not seem to be many tools to support students with the general science MAPS test.  There seems to be numerous resources available to students to improve their reading, language, and math scores. Beyond the MAPs test, it's nice to find additional study resources to reinforce concepts that go along with the science curriculum or from time to find resources that refresh students' memories of past science topics. I have found Scholastic's Study Jams fulfills both purposes of curriculum support and concept review from past years. Study Jams are available for both science and math. Many of the science Study Jams feature a video or slide show followed by test yourself questions. The questions are scored at the end and the reasoning for the correct answers is revealed by looking at feedback for each question.   Study Jams seems to be geared toward the 5th-8th grade crowd.  I've especially found it beneficial for the 6th grade reinforcement of topics. The test yourself questions work well for team trivia battles.

Happy studies,

Mrs. A

Happy Computer Science Education Week!

Hello All,

This week, Dec. 9-15, is Computer Science Education Week! Most schools offer a weak attempt to interest K-8th students in computer programming.  From what I have seen, a number of high schools lag in up to date technology offerings.  There's a class being offered at a nearby high school that causes me to reminisce of the old RadioShack Trash80s and early Apple IIs.  It even gives me the urge to introduce my own children to the version of  Oregon Trail that I recall playing on an Apple II. There are also many high schools producing quality courses with students well prepared to continue their technical education after graduation. Let's face it, the pathway for educators to receive a computer science license is fuzzy in many states and contributes to the issue of varying quality among K-12th tech programs along with funding.  Statistics seem to show there are many jobs available in computer science and the universities are not producing enough graduates to fill them.  If you would like to introduce a student to computer programming visit http://csedweek.org/learn. There are options to participate in the festivities this week and information on how to continue spreading the joy once the event is over.  If you are considering offering a class, there is also a free suggested curriculum. If programming isn't your strength, most offerings require the instructor to have little previous programming knowledge.  I can tell you both my children (late elementary and middle school) were able to easily manipulate Scratch without using the tutorials on the side.

Have you hugged a computer today{ }?

Celebrating tech time!

Mrs. A

MOSART

Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-based Assessment Resources 

for Teachers

Hello All,

Teaching and tutoring science and mathematics, I have learned students can have some interesting misconceptions.  Many misconceptions are fairly common, not necessarily tied to current or past instruction.  Sometimes it is easy to see how a student came to a certain way of thinking, other times it requires the teacher to question.   MOSART tests are distractor-driven multiple choice tests developed to assess understanding of science concepts within the National Science Education Standards (NSES) in grades K-12 in the areas of Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy/Space Science.  MOSART tests have the potential to be a powerful diagnostic tool for determining the level of understanding of each science concept along with determining where misconceptions may be hiding allowing teachers to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of a class or individuals.  At a later date, if desired, a parallel test could be administered as a post-test to check for students' growth during a course.  Teachers must take the short tutorials that explain how to use and understand the tests before being allowed to select tests.  After, the selected tests can be emailed to the teacher.  The key at the end of each test connects each question to a standard which may be used for more in-depth analyses.  This is followed by a list of common misconceptions for the grade level and subject.

Happy analyses,

Mrs. A

From the Classroom to the Garden

Hello All,

Seeing cucumbers and zucchini sitting on a counter recently led to some kids discussing their home gardens.  In our community, there are advertisements running to plant a row for a local food pantry.   Why not extend what students are learning in the classroom? Why not encourage students to start their own home gardens if some families are not gardening already?  Maybe it could turn into a service project to give back to the community? Why not use the grocery store as the source of seeds and recyclables as the source to start the new plants?  If going this route, it is best to select produce for home that is heirloom over hybrid if the intention is to save or plant the seeds.  We have had success planting the bases cut from celery and green onions.  Varieties of dry beans we have tried sprouted.   We even have had surprise extra tomato plants grow from our past garden compost.  There are many online articles and videos listing fruits and vegetables to try and information on seed and cutting care.  Depending on the zone one lives in, the options for what will do well and when vary.   Here, I have found the UW- Extension helpful in providing information about planting and harvesting.

Happy late gardening,

Mrs. A

Local Nature Resources

Hello All,

When my kids were much younger I enjoyed taking them to parks, state parks, and nature centers. I had the peaceful outdoor time I craved and they had vast areas to explore and run around.  As a science teacher, I have found state parks and nature centers to be a wonderful resource for pamphlets, guides, workshops and a valuable connection to other government resources.  Recently, I was able to score some guides on common forest trees in our state and pamphlets referencing invasive species in our area.  There were a few books available for review and purchase showcasing regional wildlife.  If your school is strapped for providing resources, it may be time to look for some low cost and no cost alternatives and training other places.  Great local places to check are nature centers, state park offices, museums, departments of natural resources/environmental protection/agriculture, and university extension programs.

Cheers to appreciating nature locally,

Mrs. A

On Standards

Hello All,

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf

I haven’t taken the time to sit down and read the Center on Education Policy’s Year 3 of Implementing the Common Core State Standards: An Overview of States’ Progress and Challenges.  I made a quick scan of the 20 page report after reading the article, Admins Predict Changes in Rigor, Instruction Under Common Core by Laura Devaney in eSchool News August 8, 2013 that referenced it.  While there is no ground breaking information in the article beyond the link to the report, it does remind me that the CCSS have a direct impact on science education.  After all, I have spent time tying CCSS into a unit plan with state standards and local learning targets.  The CCSS have me paying more attention to where and how colleagues work literacy into their content areas, not necessarily science.  I’ve been much more aware of the role literacy plays in my own preparations.  I cannot deny the changes in rigor seeing the increase in Lexile range for grade levels and the writing emphases.  Being associated with some that provide professional development, I’ve been able to hear about the challenges and progress being made in school districts in our state.  I realize my thoughts are focusing more on the Language Arts side of the Common Core State Standards; I appreciate and value math in science education as well. It seems the math side of science has had more attention with STEM in the news for many years.  As an educator, I am thankful there has been effort placed in referencing the Common Core State Standards in the Next Generation Science Standards as I expect there to be a push to align curriculum with NGSS over the next few years.  I have to admit including that information may make the transition to NGSS move along faster coming out so close to the implementation of CCSS.

Happy reading,

Mrs. A