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

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

Clean Science Humor

Hello All,

I read a blurb about Pedro Martinez handing out Good Humor ice cream to Red Sox fans and for some reason it reminded me about the power of humor in teaching.  It also reminded me, sports references have aided me in the classroom with connecting students to content.  Here are a few references for science jokes.  Check out this video from Coma Niddy with some Really Bad Science Jokes at the secondary level.  Looking for something geared more toward all ages, try Science Kids Science Jokes.  Jokes and Science is a wonderful site with jokes divided into topics for use with students K-12.   There are numerous science joke sites out there, due to content or title not all are appropriate to be referenced in the classroom.
Hmm...perhaps a science-sports posting to come in the future.

May you laugh some each day,

Mrs. A

If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.  Proverb

Modern Technology or More 'Traditional' Paper Based Methods

Hello All,

Humor is important.  I believe both modern electronic technology and more 'traditional' paper based methods can be effective in the classroom. 

Happy viewing,

Mrs. A

Secondary Content Review...

On and off, it’s good to brush up on content.  Sometimes it is more a matter of looking for a source that will better reach students or to save the teacher time in creating videos/presentations for flipping lessons. Online learning is a great place to start.   Two sites I like that cover a variety of subject areas including science are Khan academy and  Hippocampus.  SparkNotes is another outstanding site covering many branches of science and other subject areas.  While the first two sites have video presentations, SparkNotes is truly in a written note format. 

Happy learning,

Mrs. A 

Lab Safety Training

Hello all,

The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI) and BioRAFT are offering a free lab safety webinar on June 25 from 1-2PM EDT with James Kaufmann, PhD presenting.  View the link for more information on topics to be covered.

The use of Flinn Safety Contracts and tests are popular in school districts around this area.  Flinn offers free online high school and middle school laboratory safety courses with a certificate option.  The site includes other safety related courses and PD opportunities as well.

Stay safe!

Mrs. A

Digital Footprints...

Hello all,

I find it ironic Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, thinks the Internet could use a delete button, since Google is busy collecting users information as they surf and contribute on the Internet in order to improve its search engine and marketing database.  This seems a change of heart from his previous anti-privacy comments from a few years ago.  Let’s face it, the youth we are teaching represent a significant portion of the data being collected.  Do they get it? Do they care??   

While I like to believe the majority of schools are doing their best to educate students and their families, I don’t think some students truly comprehend how what they post today could impact their university or employment prospects later.  As a digital immigrant, I’m still learning about privacy settings and how to protect my digital footprint, not to mention trying to keep up with the popular apps students are using such as Snapchat and Instagram.  The May 17, 2013 posting of the study, Learner Profiles: Middle School Learners and Technological Privacy, takes a closer look at the understanding middle school students have of their online actions.  While the study focuses on one specific school, it raises the question of how comparable these results are to the students we are teaching in our schools.

Enjoy the statistics,

Mrs. A

Some Music for Science

Hello all,

I was in a classroom last week with students singing the Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song.  OK...I gave them permission to sing it, if they knew it.  The brief encounter reminded me music can be a great hook for a lesson.  It can also be useful in helping students recall information and encourage them to become more familiar with vocabulary.  Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

Greg Crowther Music Links  Plenty available for Biology, Life Science, and Biochem.

Coma Niddy University Science Raps  Dark Matter, String Theory, Nanotech, Gen Science.

Educational Science Raps Great Water Cycle Rap.

Mr. Lee Gen Science, Earth Science, Life Science.  Huge fan!!

Rhythm Rhyme Results  Gen Science, Earth Science, Life Science (some require payment).

AGHS Lab Safety Rap FREE Lab Safety Rap, uses the Lab Safety rap from Rhythm Rhyme Results.

The Singing Zoologist  The name says it all.  May be better suited for elementary students.

Have Fun Teaching  Quite a variety here, including subjects other than science.

The Hurricane Song Classic song about hurricanes.

The Element Song Classic by Tom Lehrer.  Updated list, including elements Fl and Lv from 2012.

Mr. Edmond’s Density to the tune Popular  He has many other, mostly Physical Science, videos with visuals here.

I’ll save the Mole Day goodies for closer to the special date ;-).

Happy listening,

Mrs. A