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Month: April 2014

We lost the stars…

Posted on 29/04/201426/10/2020 By Mrs. Wilson No Comments on We lost the stars…
Teaching

Lost the starsIn the ever advancement of society and technology, we often forget to stop and think about what we have lost. As I was watching the most recent of episode of Cosmos (“Sisters of the Sun”), Neil deGrasse Tyson mentioned that we lost the stars with the advent of electric lights.

The other day as we were learning about where we are in the Milky Way Galaxy, I provided my students with a set of clues. Some of them mentioned the visible Milky Way. It lead to questions, and when at one point I explained that the Milky Way got its name because it looked like milk spilled across the sky by ancient peoples, they were surprised.

And why shouldn’t they be? Most students have never seen the wisps of the Milky Way across the sky. Even in the suburbs, there is enough light pollution to block out only the brightest stars. Our children have lost the stars, and they do not even know the stars are missing.

In education, we have also lost the stars.

Although we realize there is a problem with how we are educating our students, the solutions often seem to be just a re-branding of what we are already doing. We realize the vast majority of students are treated like a factory product. Even teachers are evaluated on the quality of the product (in student test scores). How did we lose the stars? We took all of the natural curiosity and thirst for learning from students and required everyone to learn a standard curriculum. Take a standard test. And somehow, learning fairly turned into everyone learning the same.

Maybe one day, there will be a widespread power outage at night. We’ll stop what we are doing, and gaze up at the sky. Then, for the first time in a long time, we will really see the stars. We’ll realize what we are missing, and as a society, we’ll choose to make a change.

Perhaps there will be a metaphorical power outage in education as well. We’ll realize what we were missing. We’ll remember the power of learning when students feed their own natural curiosities and interests. We’ll remember that learning is about passion, experiences, adventure, and fun. We’ll watch students remember how to learn authentically. We’ll choose to make a change.

And we’ll see the stars.

Funding Inspiration

Posted on 27/04/201426/10/2020 By Mrs. Wilson No Comments on Funding Inspiration
Teaching

funding inspirationI received a letter in my post box yesterday from a student in my neighborhood.

It made me sad.

It reminded me of how difficult it is to fully fund inspiring activities for students in our school systems. The letter explained that two teams from our local middle school (not where I teach) won the state Odyssey of the Mind Tournament and are now headed to the world finals at the end of May.

Exciting, right?

Except it goes on to explain that despite their numerous fundraising activities, they just do not have the funds yet for the 14 students to cover travel costs, lodging, meals, and transportation of materials. (It will cost about $1,000 per student.)

Isn’t it sad that students may miss out on an amazing STEM opportunity like this due to lack of funding?

It would be awesome if this were an isolated story, but sadly it’s not. I am sure almost every school extracurricular activity (especially STEM ones) has a similar story to tell. My Team Kennedy teammate, Kaci Heins, is currently raising funds to take a small group of students to see the launch of a rocket in June. It will be carrying an experiment they designed to the International Space Station! She has also been conducting a series of fundraisers for this project from the initial funding needed to get a spot on the rock to get the experiment on the International Space Station to travel expenses for the students to attend the launch.

It’s amazing that students have these incredible, authentic experiences in problem solving, engineering, and science. These are the type of adventures that hook students into the STEM careers that we keep hearing so much about.

But it’s sad that it takes so much to fund inspiration. I wonder what the solution is?


Feeling inspired yourself to help out one of these many worthy causes?

Donations for the Odyssey of the Mind Teams can be made out to DMS-OM and mailed to

C.W. Davis Middle School, c/o Kim Carroll, 4450 Hog Mountain Road, Flowery Branch, GA 30542

You can contact Kaci Heins via Twitter for information on how to donate funds to her students for the launch

@spacespartan

And if neither of these interests you, find something amazing happening at your local school, and go support it!

 

Imagination Games: 20 Ways to Fight Post Standardized Test Boredom

Posted on 25/04/201426/10/2020 By Mrs. Wilson No Comments on Imagination Games: 20 Ways to Fight Post Standardized Test Boredom
Teaching

imagination gamesIt’s standardized testing season! I am sure you and your students are so excited! (or perhaps not) No matter what your feelings, they are a requirement. Since students test in groups, there are bound to be some students who finish earlier than others. We found out this year that students cannot read when they are finished, so what to do during all of that quiet time?

Here’s a list of 20 activities that can be completed by an individual student while seated silently. Hopefully it will help your students think of ways to amuse themselves and to realize that they can find creative things to do amid silence.

20 Ways to Fight Post Standardized Test Boredom: 

  1. Make a mental list of your five favorite words. Why are these words your favorite? Ponder the memories that are attached to each word.
  2. How’s the chair feeling? Imagine the perfect school chair. Design it in your mind. What makes it the perfect chair?
  3. Stop and think about the sensations in your right big toe. What is that toe feeling? Did you have to move it to feel it? Continue the process feeling each of your toes on both feet.
  4. You’ve been bubbling for a while. I bet your hands are sore. Try some hand exercises. 1. Hold your hand in front of you with your fingers normal. Spread your fingers apart and hold for ten seconds. Return to the normal position. Repeat 10 times for each hand. 2. Open your hand then make a fist (but don’t clench hard). Keep it closed for a few seconds, open, and repeat 5-10 times per hand. 3. Make a thumbs up. Rotate your thumb to make circles for 10 seconds in one direction. Reverse directions for another 10 seconds. 4. Touch your thumb to each of your fingertips, one at a time. Repeat 5 times for each hand. 5. Rotate your wrists carefully and slowly in each direction. 6. Massage each of your hands and wrists to ease any remaining tension. (These exercises adapted from http://www.sharecare.com/health/bone-joint-muscle-health/article/hand-exercises-1)
  5. Eye games! Stare at a spot on the wall, table, board, etc. Count how long you can keep your eyes open without blinking. Close your right eye. Count how long you can keep it closed. Repeat with your left eye. For all eye games, repeat each day and try to beat your best time!
  6. Leg stretches. Extend your right leg out in front of you. Extend your ankle out and hold for 10 seconds. Flex your ankle back and hold for 10 seconds. Rotate your ankle clockwise for 10 seconds. Rotate your ankle counterclockwise for 10 seconds. Place your foot back on the ground. Repeat all exercises for your left leg.
  7. Take a visual tour of your classroom. Imagine how you would arrange the furniture if you were the teacher.
  8. Count how many times your teacher walks by your desk.
  9. Create a mental palace (a la Sherlock Holmes). What does it look like? Where is it? Now, start storing important information in different rooms of your palace.
  10. Take a beach vacation. Close your eyes and feel the sun on your skin. Hear the waves crash in and the birds call above. Squish your toes in the imaginary sand. Relax and breath.
  11. Just breathe! Take in a deep breath through your nose and fill up your lungs while counting to 10. You should feel this all the way into your diaphragm. Slowly exhale while counting to 10. Repeat the breathing exercises 10 times.
  12. Make a mental list of your favorites:
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Foods
    • Web pages
    • Animals
    • People
  13. Pretend you and your classmates are the first people on the voyage to Mars. Everyone else is in stasis, and you are the only person awake. The space ship is silent except for the roar of the engines. What thoughts are going through your head?
  14. Life Goal List (aka Bucket List): Start brainstorming a mental list of must-do activities over the course of your life. What things do you really want to do? See a rocket launch, watch the aurora, go to college, and visit exotic locations around the world are just a few ideas.
  15. Brainstorm a list of titles that would work for your autobiography or a movie about your life.
  16. Design the perfect school day. Think about how long it would last, what classes you would go to, what the schedule would look like, etc.
  17. Count how many people are in your class. Calculate in your head how many fingers, toes, hands, feet, etc. are in the classroom at that given time.
  18. What test did you take today? Reading, science, social studies, math? Whatever test you took,assign a vocabulary term for each person in your class that you think they most identify with. On math day, you could assign each person a shape (a very complex person may be a dodecahedron, for instance). On science day, you could decide what each person is most like that you studied that year (planet, rock, plate boundary – and be specific).
  19. Tell a story. Use your imagination to start writing a story in your head. Will it be a novel, a play, nonfiction? You decide! Have fun.
  20. Counting games: see how high you can count until everyone is done testing for the day. On the first day, count by 1’s, on the second day, count by 2’s, on the third day, county by prime numbers, on the fourth day, county by squares, and on the final day, count by fives (you’ll be tired!). Or if you prefer, choose your favorite counting method each day.

 

These ideas are inspired by this awesome post “16 Things You Can Do While Actively Monitoring During Standardized Testing” at the Love, Teach blog. The post is both amusing and gives some great ideas of what to do to occupy your mind while moving around the classroom actively monitoring your students during testing. Hopefully these two lists will help you both you and your students occupied during testing!

The Great Rock Mix Up: NSTA Edition

Posted on 15/04/201426/10/2020 By Mrs. Wilson No Comments on The Great Rock Mix Up: NSTA Edition
Teaching

NSTA: the National Science Teachers Association holds conferences each year: three regional area conferences each fall, a large national conference in early spring, and a STEM forum in May. This year, I had the chance for the first time to attend a national convention and to present (twice!).

I have previously shared my Great Rock Mix Up lesson, an approach I use to bring inquiry to my classroom from the first day of school. I modified some of the information I have previously shared and added some details including the inquiry based rock cycle lab. Whether you looked at the original lesson or not, I invite you to download the resources and use them in your own classroom. I would love to hear how it works for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 NSTA Great Rock Mix Up

Here are a few photos from the presentation. It was so exciting to see my presentation room fill up before the session began. I thought I was being optimistic planning for 40 participants, but before I knew it, I was out of handouts. By the time I got started, there were almost twice that many people! I encourage you to think about sharing your favorite lessons at conferences like NSTA. It is a great experience, and it it wonderful to share with fellow educators!

The room is filling up before the presentation begins
The room is filling up before the presentation begins
Teachers participating in the rock activities
Teachers participating in the rock activities

 

Data: It's a four letter word

Posted on 13/04/201426/10/2020 By Mrs. Wilson No Comments on Data: It's a four letter word
Teaching

I love data.

I love numbers.

I love collecting data, analyzing it, drawing conclusion, finding new questions, and exploring all over again.

I love data. Without data, science would be difficult to communicate.

Data is beautiful.

Numbers explain the world around us and help us make sense of our daily lives. I remember the first time I read in my calculus textbook that you could calculate where a rainbow would form. I loved calculating relationships in statistics. It is thrilling to collect titration data, put it into a spreadsheet, generate a titration curve, and discover the equivalence point of the acid.

I love data.

But I hate data.

dataThe data I once loved has become perverted. The students in my room have become numbers on a spreadsheet. It is no longer so much about understanding or learning; it is about changing those numbers and making them higher. We collect numerical data constantly comparing it to the data we collect the day before, the week before, the month before, the year before. We are continuously asked what the data is telling us about our students. What are the numbers showing? Now collect this piece of data. Enter it into this spreadsheet. Enter it into that spreadsheet. Data, data, data. Data focusing on short term gains. The word data, as used constantly in schools, has almost become profane to me.

And I’m a science teacher! Data drives what I teach. How can I hate data?

It seems like we forget that we teach children. That some students in our room may show measurable short term growth, but what we really need to measure is long term growth. Data is rarely looked at for a particular student once they leave an institution (elementary school, middle school, high school), so longitudinal data is scarce. I want the focus in my classroom to be on the joy of learning, of understanding, of discovering. I want to help my students create a long term way of thinking and approaching the world.

Sometimes, the data we collect is not numerical. It’s not measurable and quantifiable, but that should not make it any less valid. How much joy is there when a concept finally clicks for a student? You can see it in their eyes – that moment of elation, of understanding. Is that measurable? I suppose in a way it is, but it is not something you will see on a spreadsheet in columns of names and numbers.

What about when a child drives parents crazy in a science museum explaining all of the exhibits to them ecstatically because she learning all about it in science? Did that show up on the test? Without stories from the student, you may never know the moment even took place. But was there growth? Was there learning?

How can we shift the paradigm from focusing on numbers on a spreadsheet to measure growth to something more valuable? I would love for our focus to move to student portfolios and student reflections. To conversations with students about their growth and learning. For a child to explain to me what they know and understand and then to document it not in a spreadsheet but in a journal of learning.

Perhaps for me, the trouble is that I am a scientist. I like controlled experiments. Students are not a controlled experiment and neither is their learning process. The learning cannot easily be quantified in a spreadsheet. What happens in the classroom is influenced by outside factors that I may never know about.

Perhaps for me, the trouble is that my goal is not to improve test scores. My goal is for my students to fall in love with science. To appreciate the world around them. To learn to ask beautiful questions that lead them on a life’s journey of learning and discovery. To maybe, one day, look back at the time they spent in my class and think, “Mrs. Wilson helped me see that I could be a scientist (or engineer).”

Perhaps for me, the trouble is that I want students to love collecting scientific data but not to be caught up worrying about grades and test data. I want the focus to shift from making an A to deep learning and understanding. (If it were up to me, we would through grades out the window, but that is a discussion for another day.)

As a scientist, I love data. But as a teacher, an educator, data is a four letter word. When used continuously to describe students, it is profane. We must change this!

Data is a four letter word.

I love data.

But I hate data.

What about you?

Beautiful Questions

Posted on 11/04/201426/10/2020 By Mrs. Wilson No Comments on Beautiful Questions
About

QuestionsI don’t normally expect to find inspiration in the seat back pocket on an airplane, but last week while flying to Boston for the National Science Teachers Association’s national conference, I found just that.An article in Southwest/Airtran’s Spirit magazine about asking beautiful questions (“Chasing Beautiful Questions” by Warren Berger) started me thinking about just that: asking questions. The basic idea of the article as that questions – the right questions – lead to innovation and change. It’s not about finding answers but about asking the right questions.

Isn’t this what science is all about? Asking questions, and the journey those questions then take us. In the article, Berger outlines three beautiful questions:

  1. Why?
  2. What if?
  3. How?

Not only do these questions lead us to scientific discovery but engineering change as well. As I plan to incorporate more engineering into my classroom with science, I wonder how I can incorporate the idea of these beautiful questions. Teaching students how to ask good questions is a goal of mine. Now, I realize it’s also about asking the beautiful questions that lead to a life of passion. Berger also has a book about beautiful questions: A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas that is now on my reading list.

The idea of beautiful questions also started me thinking (and questioning) more about education in general. While at the NSTA conference, I spoke with many teachers. There was a common theme. We’re all in difficult places. The  focus has been shifted from learning to scoring well on tests. There is so much talk about data and numbers; I often feel we have forgotten that we teach children. Many (most) teachers feel powerless to affect change, yet there are so many of us! Surely all of us together could change the face of education. Why not? What if we did band together? What would that look like? How could we do it?

I encourage you to check out the article on beautiful questions and to start asking your own beautiful questions.

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