January 15, 2007

Mentos Geyser Hits the Classroom… But Some Teachers Don’t Get It

It has the potential of being the most popular science fair project of all time. The Mentos Geyser is definitely fun to watch, but some teachers are missing the opportunity to use the activity to teach science. Over the last few weeks, I've received emails from students explaining that their teachers are forbidding them from doing the Mentos Geyser as a science project. Why? The common response is... "there's no science to blowing up pop." What? How did these teachers miss the rich science content that oozes from the bottle with every eruption? Combine the strong science with the student's motivation to want to use the scientific method and you've got an amazing activity. Brian Rice, a math teacher at Gwinn Middle School in Michigan, recently used the Mentos Geyser as a great teaching opportunity. As one of the experiments, the middle schoolers measured how high pop would spray when a Mentos candy is dropped into the pop bottle. In one day, eighth-grade classes and some seventh-grade classes conducted the Mentos and pop experiment with the objective to see whether different types of pops have greater eruptions. They ended up testing a total of 44 different varieties, ranging from … (more...)

August 14, 2006

Stop Squeezing My Science

When I asked elementary teachers what would be the best way to teach science, the teachers responded with a no-nonsense approach. "Give us easy science activities that help our students build critical thinking skills... to use the scientific method... and are so engaging that kids want to learn more on their own."The days of trying to squeeze science in at the last minute are over. We need to stop squeezing and start integrating science with other areas of the curriculum. Watch the Video Here are a few articles that illustrate the need for better teaching of real science in today's classrooms... Bad News for Elementary Teachers Stop Squeezing My Science You Might Be Teaching the Wrong Thing A Wake-up Call to Parents

August 6, 2006

Science in the Rockies: Potatoes Flying Everywhere

We promised that the three days in Denver would be a learning experience, but we never guessed that it would be so much fun. Science in the Rockies set a new record this year with 160 teacher participants representing over 27 states and 5 countries. One reporter called the three day institute a "Mr. Wizard-style" boot camp for teachers. The training targeted earlychildhood through middle school teachers who need creative science integration strategies... who are tired of trying to "squeeze" science into their already packed teaching schedule... and who want to make science even more fun and meaningful in their classroom. Watch the News Story - NBC affiliate 9KUSA-TV featured the teacher training on Friday morning. Our goal was to give teachers the necessary training and tools to do more science in their classrooms in the coming year. The problem is one of time: teachers want to do more science with their students, but many elementary teachers just cannot find the time needed to give students the opportunity to really do science. Some elementary teachers are even forced to put science on the back burner until early Spring when state testing in other curriculum areas is finished. Science … (more...)

August 31, 2005

The hardest thing about teaching science - not enough hours in the day

In a 2003 survey, elementary teachers said the hardest thing about teaching science was "I don't have enough time in the day"?. In that survey supervisors were asked the same question. Their responses related to not enough materials or staff development opportunities. The secret is if we are going to make science a priority in our classrooms, we have to integrate science into the curriculum. Listen to my podcast on teachers and time (File size is 0.5 MB) (Show length 2 minutes)

August 25, 2005

After school demos make great teachers

So you want to be an amazing teacher? Start with the parents. Back to school night is a great time to do some science demonstrations. Imagine yourself doing an experiment right in front of the parents' eyes, like filling a Ziplock bag with water, spearing the bag with pencils and the water doesn't come out. As you do this you weave a story around this demonstration about how you're taking their children whom they've entrusted in your care and taught them exciting new things. "Your children are our liquid assets, and it is my job to provide school 'SPEAR-it'...The secret is to make sure we don't lose any of those liquid assets." Then remind the parents: "You are giving your children to me for six hours of the day. Help me for the rest of the day to reinforce those five fundamental things I taught your child today to ensure that, after a year, your child is the best human being he or she can be." Incorporating demonstrations and storytelling is a very effective and simple way to communicate a message to parents. Listen to my podcast on after school demos (File size is 1.8 MB) (Show length 3 … (more...)