Hummmmmm.... A real problem with real potential

I heard an interview today on the way to work discussing the issue described in the Detroit Free Press article linked to here: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011108250534

Apparently there has been a mysterious humming sound heard by Windsor, Ontario and Essex County, Ontario residents over the last year or so.  At this time officials do not seem to know, or are not saying, what is causing the hum.

The potential for a PBL unit about sound concepts using this real problem is strong, and it can be developed for virtually any grades.  Some of the topics that can be addressed to varying degrees depending on the grade level include:

• Vibrations causing sound: As students brainstorm things that might be causing the sound, they will likely see that all the things they mention involve things that move.
  
  
• The transfer of sound as energy:  If the sound is created in one location, how does it spread to areas throughout the Windsor area.  Students may research or test how sound travels faster through some materials than others. Some of the hypotheses regarding movement of the sound include the fact that Windsor sits on some pretty solid bedrock, which can transfer vibrations well.
  
  

  

  Ontario Wind Farm

• The link between Science, Technology, and Society: One hypothesis is that a large wind farm north of Windsor is causing the vibrations due to the windmill towers being anchored in the bedrock and the sound transfer through it.  Another hypothesis is that is has to do with a large natural gas pipeline and storage process deep under Windsor that involves compressing the gas at various times, which may cause vibrations.  Virtually all of the hypotheses involve things that benefit the people living in the area.  There would likely be a cost if the cause of the sound is identified and stopped altogether.
  
  
• Sound insulation:  Students can learn about how to insulate sound and slow or stop the transfer of sound energy as they consider what might be causing the sound.  What kinds of engineering might be necessary to mitigate vibrations coming from large windmills or factories on the industrial Zug Island, which is not far from Windsor and might be the source of the hum.  Going beyond simply identifying the source of the problem to creating possible, viable solutions is where a PBL project really gets neat.
  
  
• Careers:  Connect with local or distant experts on sound, environmental sound issues, etc.  With Skype and other forms of e-networking, this should be easy, and what a cool way to have students learn how a career in sound can make life better for them and others.

The possibilities are almost endless.  Have students listen for sources of sound "pollution" in their own backyard. (As I'm writing this, my neighbor's air conditioning unit just kicked on and it's joining the natural hum of crickets in the night.)

This could be done at very high levels, in which students learn about the wave properties of sound, or a very elementary levels, in which students are starting to learn about sound as vibrations.

Leave a comment if you've got more ideas related to this specific problem or something similar pulled from the headlines.

The Geominator Strikes at the ATA!!

The Geominator

Pointman and geomes

The Geominator took his ATA geomes outside this week to review and teach some of the basic building blocks for the study of geometry this year.  Aided by his able sidekick, Pointman (Mr. Sygit), the Geominator had students thinking BIG as they accepted his challenges to form lines, line segments, rays, angles and planes using string, frisbees, and wooden arrows.

The students thoroughly enjoyed being outside, being able to move, and being able to occasionally don parts of the superheroes' costumes.  I observed great examples of discussions between students as they planned how to work together to meet the challenges.

Smiling geometry students!

I also observed students smiling and enjoying themselves while they worked.  Hmmm... Smiling students aren't always something you expect to see in a geometry class.

Debriefing the outdoor activity

The next day, after the Geominator was gone, Mr. Enghofer had students transfer their outdoor experience back to the more mundane, but important world of paper and pencil.  The students completed one more activity related to these building blocks of geometry before today's quiz.  Word just in from Mr. E. is that his students are showing strong evidence of mastering his learning goals from this series of lessons.

I expect and hope the Geominator will return to the ATA sometime soon!

We're underway!

It is truly great to see the halls filled with students again as we started the 2010 - 2011 school year today.  The halls had been shiny, but empty, for too long this summer.  We have six committed teachers and six knowledgeable support staff and a terrific custodian ready to provide ATA students with engaging opportunities to learn important things. 

I have been challenging our teachers to make it fun in their classrooms as quickly as possible.  Yes, rules and procedures must be discussed and practiced, but that doesn't mean you can't implement a quick hands-on science experience, solve a problem in math that requires some interesting data-gathering, or write about a topic way beyond the norm in English.  Some rules and procedures can wait.  And frankly, if you start with really good activities, the need for many of the rules won't materialize right away.

Fun learning does not mean less rigorous learning.  In fact, when students are enjoying the learning experiences they can be challenged with more rigorous tasks.  Teachers everywhere should challenge themselves to design lessons so that students leave their rooms excited about their class and anxious to get back the next day to see what's coming next.  Wouldn't it be great if they go home and say, "Mom, my science (or English or math) class is so cool.  Today we did ....!"

I'm looking forward to hearing what ATA teachers, St. Clair County teachers, or teachers from around the world are doing in the first week of school to grab their students from the get-go and let them know they are in for something good in their classroom this school year.

Willing to sacrifice for potatoes - powerful story and framework for teaching genetics

On the drive in to work this morning, I listened to a story on NPR's Morning Edition by David Greene titled, "Researchers Fight to Save Fruits of Their Labor."  It describes how urban sprawl near St. Petersburg, Russia, is threatening the Pavlovsk Experimental Station, which has been used by Russian scientists for research on plant genetics for decades.  The photo below is from the NPR page containing a link to the audio and shows one of the scientists who works with the plants that might be destroyed for the sake of new housing.

Leonid Burmistrov, a researcher at the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, stands amid orange "sorbus" or "mountain ash." This fruit and others could be destroyed if the Russian government sells the land in the village of Pavlovsk. 
(Photo from NPR/Morning Edition story linked to above and here.)

One of the most powerful pieces in the story was how, during the German siege of Leningrad in World War II, the scientists who were working with the plants and knew the value of long-term research and saving older seeds and plant specimens for future research, defended the seeds and potatoes from being eaten.  They ended up dying of starvation, but saved the specimens.  Their sacrifice might now have been in vain due to so-called progress in the 21st century.

So, what does this have to do with the ATA and learning?  I see it as a wonderful, real-world framework around which to build a unit on genetics.  Imagine people so passionate about their work that they were willing to give their life to see it live on!  Share this story with students via audio, photos, and any other resources available on the siege of Leningrad.  Then pose a question, such as, "Why is saving old plants for future research a good thing?"  Or, "Why would scientists be willing to give their lives to save seeds they could have eaten that might have saved them?"  Or, "How might St. Petersburg address the need for more housing without destroying the Pavlovsk Experimental Station?"  The latter question is probably the best one for a problem-based approach to genetics, because it requires students to design a solution supported by lots of learning about genetics, plant research, and the human impact and interaction with them.  And, just as in real life, there is no one perfect solution.

I look forward to meeting with Ann, our biology teacher, to brainstorm the possible things students could do while learning about genetics and its role today. 

• Learning about the history of plant genetics; i.e., looking at corn from where it was before humans started to alter it to the types of corn we have now.
• Design their own genetics experiments to be done in the greenhouse with Wisconsin Fast Plants or to start longer-term research that future ATA biology classes could continue.
• Learn about St. Petersburg, Russia.
• Contact scientists from the research center.
• Contact students from a school near there (email, Skype, web page, etc.)
• Connect to plant scientists from Michigan State University to learn about plant research and genetics and possible careers in that field
• Look for examples of genetics research or practice taking place in St. Clair County; e.g., on farms, animal breeders, etc.

On my list, but relatively low on it, is having students learn about what often makes up most of a genetics unit: Probability, mono- and di-hybrid crosses, Punnet Squares, etc.  It is better to generate interest in and possibly a passion about genetic research than bore most students with the details about it.

In just a few short minutes on my drive, I also envisioned connections with the ELA and math teachers on this project.  I don't know if such a unit will come to fruition.  That is something that Mrs. Harris, the teacher, and her 9th grade colleagues need to decide.  But this is an example of bringing the real world into school and connecting students and their curriculum to the human side of things and ultimately to other humans around the world.  Stay tuned.  If we move forward on this, you can be sure I'll post it here.

Going BIG with points, lines, and line segments

Dave came to me yesterday to ask about taking his geometry students outside early in the school year to assess their understanding of points, lines, and line segments; some of the building blocks of the language of geometry.  Dave is thinking of working with Ken, the ATA's project facilitator, to make some long wooden arrows to represent the ends of lines.  He is also planning on using large plastic lids to represent points.  These super-sized props will be used by his students outside.

What a great way to get students up and moving (good for the brain) and to help them see that geometry is more than just lines and points on a page.

We quickly brainstormed many ways to flesh out the activity, including:

• Giving small teams of students challenges of what to create using the over-sized geo-props.  Example: Create an 8 foot line segment.  Or, place two points anywhere along a line that is parallel to the woods.
• Either the students or Dave can take photos of what the students did that can be used during follow-up back in the classroom.  The students could use the photo of what they did to meet their challenge and explain why it does.
• Students can be challenged to note where they see points, lines, or line segments outside of the ATA or in the classroom or hallway.  The big idea is that they start to see the components of geometry everywhere around them.

Feel free to add new ways to use getting students outside with large props representing points, lines, and arrows (for direction).  I think Dave's got a great idea from which to build effect instruction, provide relevance, assess knowledge, and generate written or verbal discussion about math content.

Thanks to our very supportive school board!

The ATA School Board convened a special meeting this morning to formerly approve our four new staff members.  They took time from the preparation that most of them need for the opening of their own schools to come to the ATA and meet with the new and existing staff members before making the vote to approve.

The ATA is fortunate to have a board of trustees with such a wealth of educational knowledge.  Most are currently administrators from the local districts in St. Clair County.  The Board guides the ATA, but never tries to micro-manage it.  I am hopeful that we meet their expectations and make the time and effort that they have invested in the ATA over the past eight years worth it.  Each year about 200 students count on the support of the ATA Board to help create a school and learning environment that better meets their needs.

For a list of the ATA's Board of Trustees, please visit the ATA web site at www.sccresa.org/ata, and click "Board of Trustees" at the left.

New excitement in the building

It's now less than three weeks from the start of school.  On Monday, all six of our teachers will be here getting ready for the new year.  Given that in many schools teachers are only in the building a day or two before the students walk in, three weeks seems like an eternity.  But when you consider all the materials, technology and resources we use at the ATA and all the teaching strategies that are often not normally found in a teacher's toolbox and must be learned, three weeks is hardly enough time to fully prepare for the first day of school.  But we'll be ready.

For the first time in four years, we have new teachers at the ATA.  In fact, four out of our six teachers are new.  All of our teachers bring with them the excitement and enthusiasm of planning for a new school year.  They are learning about the wonderful tools available to them at the ATA and the expectations to teach in ways that go beyond traditional methods.  Those methods did not work for ATA students in the past.  In many cases, the more traditional teaching methods are far from what research indicates works best to promote learning.

Both our new and our veteran teachers will be challenged this year to carefully consider what their students are expected to know, to design units and lessons using best practice strategies that engage and teach them, and to design effective assessments to aid in the learning process and determine whether their students are, indeed, achieving the learning goals.

Like every year, we have our work cut out for us.  But with the energy I am already seeing in the classrooms and hallways at the ATA this week, and with another couple of weeks of planning and preparing to go, we will be ready when the doors open on September 7th, and the students arrive at the ATA.

What a difference a year makes

Last year at this time, I posted how I was spending the mid-summer days going through piles of journals, articles, handouts, and meeting notes and finding common themes about what makes for good teaching and results in the most learning by the most students.  I'm embarrassed to say that I only posted one or two other items to this blog since then.  My hope is to post much more frequently to become more of a contributor to the process of improving education than just a consumer of the works of others.

When I refer to "the difference a year makes" (in the title of this post), I am referring to the tremendous increase in resources I have to pore over this summer as compared to last summer!  And there was a lot last summer!!  In just the last few weeks, I have tapped into the world  of Twitter as another resource for professional development.  I am only following a few dozen folks at this time, and only a handful of them tweet regularly.  But those that do, tweet a lot, and many of their tweets look interesting and worthy of reading.

I don't know how the frequent tweeters find time to identify the resources and tweet them to others when I don't have time to read them... even when they are tweeted directly to me.  I need to find a system that will allow me to reap the benefits of being part of a professional Web 2.0 network as well as to contribute to it.  Not only that, but in addition to Twitter, there are different sub-networks within the 2.0 world, such as ASCD Edge, Edweb, etc.  I can't blog in all of them.  Can't message in all of them.  Sounds like my next trick will be learning to use RSS feeds and such to cross-post.

Well, it's time to return to my table (away from my computer) and look over the old-fashioned hard copy articles and journals.  Back with more hopefully sooner than next year.

Common themes arising from the clutter

I have spent much of the last few days going over the stacks of journals, manuals, articles and other printed resources that have been piling up on my desk throughout the past school year. I am reading, reviewing, and ultimately classifying them into piles: professional development, brain-based learning and strategies, data, classroom management and student behavior, etc., etc. Oh, and some things (probably not enough) are going into the trash.

The piles are covering much of the large table in my office and my office floor. I'm hopeful that in the next day or so, the piles will start to come together into much more organized folders, boxes, drawers, etc. My desk, then, will be much cleaner and neater and ready for the '09 - '10 resources to begin gathering.

One thing that jumps out at me as I read bits and pieces of all the articles and information is that the central ideas in all the categories are pretty much the same and have been the same for many years. Best practices in teaching have not changed much over the almost 20 years that I have been in education. Engaging students and their brains is still best done by lessons that connect to students prior knowledge, are relevant to students, are at an appropriate level of challenge, and provide the means and opportunities for students to meet the challenge.

The knowledge about what constitutes good lessons, good assessments, and good teaching is available in huge amounts. (Just look at my office!) It's up to teachers and all of us entrusted with the job of helping students learn as much as possible in the short time they are in school to put that knowledge to use. To ignore it or justify not trying to implement best practices for one reason or another is unacceptable when each student we see is with us only for two years, at best.

My job over the next few weeks is to synthesize the information that has been accumulating on my desk and share those big ideas with the teachers and other faculty members at the ATA, so we can be sure that our students experience that most engaging and effective lessons and learning opportunities possible. The ATA is already a welcoming and supportive place for students to be and learn. It will become that much more exciting when more of the information in the piles that surround me now comes to life in the classrooms and hallway this coming year.

Well, one more big pile to go!