The Pizza Story

The Pizza Story, A Cautionary Tale

Once upon a time, in a pizza shop far, far away, pizza makers made pizzas. Not just ordinary pizzas, but extra-deluxe pizzas with tons of toppings, including chocolate sprinkles.

Each pizza shop made a different type of extra-deluxe pizza, depending on the tastes and experiences of the pizza maker.

Then came state pizza standards, and the pizza expectations changed. 

“Extra-deluxe pizza is way too much — no extras like chocolate sprinkles! Making deluxe pizza is OK, but you should all try to make the same deluxe pizza.”  

“Hmm…” thought the pizza makers, “Chocolate sprinkles probably don’t belong on a pizza anyway, but why does our pizza have to be the same as another shop’s pizza?” 

Soon, though, the pizza makers adjusted to making deluxe pizzas according to the same recipe. It wasn’t too bad — there was still a lot of pizza variety and creativity.

Then came district pizza essentials, and the pizza expectations changed again. 

“Deluxe pizza is too much — all those toppings are non-essential (too fancy, too expensive, non-standardized, not very SMART…). Get rid of the toppings and focus on the essential pizza.”  

“That seems kinda harsh,” thought the pizza makers, but eventually they learned to focus on just the essential, no-frills pizza: crust, sauce, and cheese. 

Occasionally, the pizza makers still had enough time to dust the surface of the pizza with a few chopped herbs or red pepper flakes to make the pizza more tasty. 

Then came competition from other industries demanding time and space inside the pizza shop, and the pizza expectations changed again. 

• “What about something to drink? You can’t serve pizza without a drink. Make sure that you serve some water with the pizza (essential, no-frills water, of course).”
• “What about some fruits and vegetables to go with that pizza?”
• “What about events before and after the pizza?”
• “What about dessert?”
• “What about a nap?”
• “What about non-pizza announcements and presentations?”

The list of pizza competitors grew and grew, adding tremendous pressure to the pizza makers’ daily expectations and routines. How would all of this affect the customers?

With myriad demands from different stakeholders both inside and outside the pizza shop, making quality pizzas has become an extraordinary challenge, requiring pizza makers to cut into the very essence of pizza itself. The choices pizza makers face today are limited and often paradoxical — ultimately they make no one (except maybe the crust, sauce, and cheese corporations and their lobbyists) happy…

“I guess I’ll just have to take away something from the essential pizza,” says the pizza maker. But if you take away the crust, sauce, or cheese, it’s no longer a pizza. What happens when a pizza is no longer a pizza? 

“I’ll serve smaller pizzas,” says the pizza maker. But then customers only get a small bite, and leave feeling hungry. It’s better than nothing, right? What happens when customers are deprived of their recommended daily serving of pizza? 

“I’ll hand out the essential pizza ingredients in the pizza shop, then have my customers bake the pizza at home. We’ll call it the Homework Pizza,” says the pizza maker. But it takes hours to bake pizzas at home, some customers don’t have pizza ovens, and some customers prefer going out to other restaurants rather than staying home and baking pizza. What happens when customers balk at having too much pizza homework? 

“I’ll ask my customers to gather the essential ingredients, bake, and eat the pizza at home, then we can discuss the pizza in the pizza shop tomorrow. We’ll call it the Flipped Pizza,” says the pizza maker. But then the pizza shop is no longer necessary. What happens when no one makes pizza and just wants dessert? 

“My customers didn’t show up today, so I’ll excuse them from their daily pizza,” says the pizza maker. But then we starve our customers. What do we do for customers who frequently miss their essential pizza shop visits?

It’s really tough being a pizza maker these days. I feel sad for the pizza makers and their customers. I hope stuff like this doesn’t happen in schools…

One Word

Inspired by a post on Edutopia's Twitter feed:
"What's your ONE WORD for the 2014-2015 school year?"

I asked 8th graders this simple question on the first day of school, and they each wrote their word on a sticky note. Here are the results:

I'm Not a Scientist

Image courtesy of: Wikipedia

Recently a group of national-level politicians has recklessly embraced a “I’m not a scientist” mantra in order to avoid any meaningful dialogue about global climate change, its impacts, and steps we should be taking to mitigate its effects. Hiding behind a shield of “I’m not a scientist” is cowardly, incurious, and irresponsible.

Dear "Leaders" — We’ve entrusted you to represent the best interests of "We the People" in a mature and honorable manner. Your ignorance (real or feigned) should not be an excuse for inaction on global climate change (or any other issue you may find distasteful to your privileged status). Avoiding the consensus of thousands of scientific experts and the overwhelming abundance of climate data collected from around the world is criminally negligent and morally bankrupt.

Sadly, we elected you, so a portion of the blame lies with us. We deserve better, but it appears we’re willing to settle for mediocre charlatans who force us to fiddle while the planet burns.

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“At every crossroads on the path that leads to the future, tradition has placed 10,000 men to guard the past.” — Maurice Maeterlinck, Author

“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” —Daniel Patrick Moynihan, US Senator

“If you’re scientifically literate, the world looks very different to you, and that understanding empowers you.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist

Whining

This week, I heard teachers described as "self-aggrandizing whiners." That's quite the turn of phrase. During times of anger and frustration, it's easy to attack semi-anonymous, semi-faceless groups of people—but words matter, and words hurt.

Self-aggrandizing whiners. These three words were used to vilify a dedicated team of professionals who struggle to motivate, nurture, and teach children. We're not perfect, we're not superheroes, but we are trying our best under often-trying circumstances.

Are we going to fail occasionally? Certainly.
Are we going to agonize and punish ourselves over our mistakes? Definitely.
Are we going to try to make things better and do things differently? Absolutely!

This is as much a reminder to myself as it is to others: Even during the most challenging times, we need to show patience, empathy, and respect. We're all in this struggle together.

A mentor once told me that teaching requires you to develop a thick skin. I originally thought that meant wearing invisible armor to protect oneself from attacks, but now I realize the thick skin is scar tissue built up over time from repeated wounds and injuries—painful memories that fade ever-so-slowly, but which never completely disappear.

I'll stop whining now...

Cosmos Redux

"The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be."
—Carl Sagan, Cosmos

His eloquence capturing my curiosity and imagination, Carl Sagan is one of my all-time favorite scientists. His cosmic journeys stirred my sense of wonder about the universe and solidified my lifelong passion for science. How fitting that one of my other all-time favorite scientists, Neil deGrasse Tyson, should revisit and revise this cosmic journey that Sagan began 30+ years ago. The newly-launched Cosmos is once again stirring my imagination and reviving that sense of wonder I first felt decades ago. Cosmos, both the original series and the new series, should be required reading and viewing for "every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner."*

*Excerpted from Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot speech (with apologies)

Our cosmic journey just got more interesting this week with the announcement of confirmatory experimental evidence for a key piece of the Big Bang Theory, the scientific explanation for the origin and evolution of our universe. Scientists used careful telescopic observations to detect faint ripples that emanated from the inflationary expansion of our universe in its nascent micro-moments. While behind most humans' everyday experience, this new knowledge is a triumph and celebration for astrophysicists who have sought to understand the very beginnings of this universe in which we exist. Carl Sagan would smile with this astonishing discovery.

Thank you to all scientists who dare ask bold, audacious questions about our universe and who courageously seek the truth amidst the mystery of the unknown—despite the charlatans who would endeavor to discredit you. You inspire us!

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Excellent explanations about this week's discovery about cosmic inflation have been produced by:

• PHD Comics
• MinutePhysics

Why Science?

Having endured (survived?) two weeks of state testing—with an additional week yet to go—I feel starved for nourishing, hopeful science.

For 15 years now, I've seen firsthand the damage wrought by standardized testing. These tests stifle creativity, curiosity, and the human desire to understand and discover—in both students and teachers. Learning is reduced to its lowest forms: to the memorization and regurgitation of bland facts; to mindless reading and writing and bubbling with wooden, graphite-based, number 2 pencils; to the measurement of socioeconomic wealth and privilege disguised as "assessment." Is it any wonder that our educational system continues to suffer under this "Race to the Top" where "No Child's Left Behind"?

So then... Why does science matter: to me, to our students, to our economy, to our society, to our planet? Where is the purpose and hope for science in our schools and in our lives?

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once again eloquently explains why science and science literacy matter in both a democratic society and our human quest to understand the universe:

Existential Questions

Existential questions for a K-8 school pondering its vision and identity:


Who Are We?

• as a school
• as a level (middle, elementary)
• as a department
• as a team
• as a community

Who Am I?

• within the school
• within my level (middle, elementary)
• within my department
• within my team
• as an individual

What does it say about ourselves and our culture if I/we struggle to answer these fundamental questions? (confidence, trust, self esteem, efficacy, consciousness, interdependence, etc.)

The Long Standards-Based Journey

Our school has undertaken many journeys over the years. One particularly long and turbulent journey has centered on standards-based grading (SBG). Here are some of my thoughts about this ongoing journey—what SBG and its expectations are, what a transition to a new grade reporting system might entail, and best hopes vs. worst fears for our continuing SBG saga.

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Our SBG Philosophy

We strive to use a standards-based grading system to provide feedback to students and parents about a child’s learning progress. A child’s learning is assessed in two ways: his or her progress toward meeting national, state, and/or district content standards (formative assessments), and his or her mastery of national, state, and/or district content standards (summative assessments). Teachers use a variety of formal and informal assessments to provide children with timely, effective, and ongoing feedback to guide them on their lifelong learning journeys.

Formal and informal assessments can include reading and writing tasks, inquiry-based investigations, short- and long-term projects, discussions, conversations, performances, homework tasks, quizzes, tests, observations, peer- and self-evaluations, etc.

Traditional grading systems use A, B, C, D, F to quantify a student’s progress. While our online grading system stills uses A, B, C, D, F to report end-of-trimester progress, the underlying meaning behind these letter grades has shifted. In a standards-based system, teachers are focused on how proficient students are at meeting standards, rather than degree of effort or accumulation of points. In general, letter grades can be interpreted in the following standards-based ways (notice that “B” is equivalent to “proficient”):

• A: above proficient, exceeds standards
• B: proficient, meets standards
• C: partially proficient, shows progress toward meeting standards
• D: unsatisfactory, struggling to meet standards, little data to evaluate
• F: failing, not meeting standards, no data to evaluate

In a standards-based system, extra credit is not available to boost grades, since grades are based on learning mastery.

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Basic SBG Expectations

1. Each middle level department creates their formative, summative, PPQ (practice/preparation/quality) percentages and expectations for the online grading system.

• Each content area and teacher may have slightly different grading expectations, which are usually provided to each student and discussed at the beginning of the course. Information about expectations can also be found in online weekly notes and on teacher websites.

2. At our school, we allow students to “redo” their assignments to ensure that students are learning the concepts, skills, and knowledge.

• Redos are offered at teacher discretion (see individual classroom expectations and redo policies).
• Redos are not automatic for every assignment.
• Redos can only be offered when honest effort has been made on the original assignment (encourages honesty and integrity; discourages procrastination and laziness).
• Redos occur under logical conditions and within reasonable time frames (avoids end-of-trimester panics).
• Redo opportunities may differ from the original assignment: a different assessment, a different format, etc.

3. No “zeros” policy.

• Reference: Reeves, D., “The Case Against the Zero,” Phi Delta Kappan, 2004.
• On a 10-point (or 100-point) scale, zeros skew grades disproportionately downward when averaged among other assignments.
• Zeros reinforce the concept of grades as punishment—they de-motivate students, and probably exacerbate missing assignments (“Why bother?”).
• Zeros could be used on a 4-point (0, 1, 2, 3) or a 5-point scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 4).

4. Other.

• In a standards-based system, extra credit is not available.

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Grade Reporting vs. Feedback

Our biggest struggle as a teaching staff has been grappling with our grade reporting system. We are caught between  maintaining the current, traditional grading system (A, B, C, D, F) and moving toward one that is wholly standards based with detailed feedback about student learning. This has led to some difficult conversations—overall, there is a reluctance to fully embrace a standards-based reporting system at our school despite many years of trying to move in this direction.

What tasks/training/timeline are necessary to either maintain our current grading system or transition to a new system?

Current System

• streamline and clarify language to minimize student/parent confusion
• be clear about the impacts of missing assignments
• use common language around “learning” vs. “grading”
• continue professional development around effective feedback

4, 3, 2, 1, 0 System

• create standard definitions for each point on the scale
• set up new grading scale for our school in our online grading system
• set up new gradebooks in our online grading system
• rewrite course syllabi
• rewrite student/parent handbook

Feedback-Only System

• define a feedback-only system
• train teachers on providing effective feedback in a non-grade environment
• set up new grading scale for our school in our online grading system
• set up new gradebooks in our online grading system
• create/maintain student portfolios
• rewrite course syllabi
• rewrite student/parent handbook

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What are the best hopes and worst fears as we continue our SBG journey?

Best Hopes

• conversations/conferences will center around learning, not grades
• motivation for learning will shift from extrinsic (rewards-based and competition-based) to intrinsic (curiosity, hunger to learn)
• grades will no longer be used as carrots and sticks, instruments of control and compliance, reward and punishment
• reporting systems will shift from Ds/Fs and missing assignments to feedback about a child’s strengths and opportunities for growth

Worst Fears

• students won’t be prepared for high school’s A, B, C system, and high school won’t take the time to explain their system
• “Is that an ‘A’?” (students/parents retaining a traditional grading mindset)
• creating community confusion, anger, and backlash
• making our school less attractive to prospective families
• polarized beliefs about grades will damage relationships among teaching staff
• status quo continues
• district, administrators, parents, students won’t support a new system

Confronting the Missing Assignments Monster

Missing assignments have long been a problem at our school—students choosing for a variety of reasons to just not turn in their schoolwork. It's a frustrating, vexing conundrum that saps time and energy from our learning environment. I've thought about and researched the problem ad nauseam; while there is no quick-fix solution, I've drafted a document that will hopefully help rein in some of the rampant missing assignments that plague our school.

Please don't feed
the Missing Assignments Monster

The document I'm sharing evolved from many hours of discussions among the teachers at our school—during team meetings, department meetings, staff meetings, etc. The purpose of this document is to help clarify the shared expectations and responsibilities among students, parents, and teachers at our school so that the business of learning can rightfully be the focus of our efforts and energy. While this document alone cannot eliminate every missing assignment, it is one piece of a complex systemic puzzle that seeks to rebalance the learning equation in our school.

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Confronting the Missing Assignments Monster

As students become more independent in their middle school years, missing assignments can sometimes become a problem. It is important that students, parents, and teachers work together to ensure that missing assignments do not compromise our learning time and become a persistent educational challenge.

Students usually have missing assignments for one or more of the following basic reasons:

• Not using class time wisely and/or not finishing/completing assignments (distractions, socializing)
• Not finishing assignments at home (“I don’t have any homework” excuse)
• Not turning in assignments because of forgetfulness (planning, organization)
• Not turning in assignments because of avoidance (confusion, embarrassment, power struggle)
• Not making up assignments after being absent (out of sight, out of mind)

For Students: What do I do if I have missing assignments?

Missing assignments do not go away magically—you must apply energy and work to eliminate them:

• Be honest about missing assignments with your parents and teachers—do not lie, make excuses, or avoid your responsibility.
• Turn in any missing assignments immediately, even if they are not done—incomplete is always better than missing.
• Ask your teachers specific questions that will help you finish a missing assignment.
• Evaluate your use of class time:
• Are you distracted by your friends and socializing too much?
• How will you reduce distractions and minimize socializing?
• Create and follow a homework routine:
• Do you have a regular time/place to do your homework that is free from distractions?
• Do you check the online grade system at least once per week?
• Do you review the online weekly notes every Monday and throughout the school week?
• Practice organization and develop your organizational skills:
• Do you use your planner in every class, every day to write down learning goals, assignments, homework, due dates, etc.?
• Do you use study hall time well every week to help stay up-to-date with your schoolwork?

For Parents: What do I do if my child has missing assignments?

Missing assignments are first and foremost your child’s responsibility, so before emailing your child’s teacher:

• Monitor the online grade system and the middle level online weekly notes regularly, at least once per week, to identify and discuss missing assignments quickly.
• If your child has a missing assignment, ask your child why he/she did not turn in this assignment—ask for honesty and do not allow excuses.
• Encourage your child to take ownership for the missing assignment and require your child to turn it in the very next school day.
• Have a serious and heartfelt discussion with your child about using class time wisely and avoiding distracting situations.
• Help your child develop good homework routines and regularly practice organizational skills to mitigate missing assignment problems.
• Ask your child “learning” questions at home—encourage your child to teach you about what she or he is learning in classes at school.

Sometimes it feels as if you and your child’s teachers are stressing more about missing assignments and working harder than your child. In these cases, perhaps a dose of harsh reality is needed, especially as your child approaches high school. Allow your child to “fail,” but also to work through both the natural and your established consequences of missing assignments—be firm, be fair, be supportive, but avoid repeatedly bailing out your child if he or she is not being responsible.

For some students, the intrinsic motivation to get assignments done is not there yet. Do not teach your child that incomplete assignments are a reasonable choice or an acceptable option. You should give your child room to navigate their work independently; however, if they are not being successful, they need reminders (and follow-through) about established rewards and consequences. Start with both small and large goals: "If you have no missing assignments this week, then..." and "If you have less than two missing assignments this trimester, then..."

Many years of teacher observation and experience tell us that the best way for students to avoid missing assignments is to use class time wisely every day.

Please don’t feed the Missing Assignments Monster—stay focused on learning...

Pre-Lab Science Safety Video

Science safety should always be the #1 priority in the laboratory. Reminding students to be safe before performing experiments is key to creating a safe laboratory environment for everyone. I created a one-minute video slideshow to help remind students about the common science safety expectations in the lab...

Predicting State Test Scores: Folly or Sensibility?

Can teachers precisely and accurately predict student scores on state standardized tests?

Last week, teachers at our school were asked to predict our students' state test scores. I had extreme difficulty engaging in this task because I felt it was speculative, fraught with error, and ultimately had no statistical significance. The task continues to bother me, and I need to explore my unsettled thoughts and feelings more deeply.

Science Education vs. State Testing?

Predicting how students will score on a state-level standardized test feels mostly like guesswork; in fact, the task was described as being one of "gut feelings" and "guesses." I have no qualms with making educated predictions—this is something scientists do all the time. But I'm worried that this year's mostly random guesses will be used for evaluative purposes at some later date: "Why were your predictions wrong?"

To progress from random guesses to educated hypotheses to informed decisions requires controlled methodology, meticulous experimentation, and detailed data collection in order for conclusions to have validity. The peril lies in jumping from guesses to conclusions, which I fear is where we are headed.

In our current system, few people in the educational realm—administrators and teachers alike, let alone students and parents—completely understand how the sausage is made when it comes to creating standardized tests. Our state provides technical papers on its website that explain some of the behind-the-scenes details on how state tests are created and scored. These papers are long and dense, and many of the methodologies described within the papers require an advanced understanding of statistics. Nevertheless, having reviewed the papers, I gleaned some valuable (if disturbing) insight into the sausage-making process.

Our state establishes four categories of performance on standardized tests: advanced, proficient, partially proficient, and unsatisfactory. These four categories are delineated by cut scores on the various tests that students take each year, which include writing, reading, math, and science. The cut scores are established through a process which determines the probability of a student correctly answering a particular question on the state test. For example, a test question will be considered to be a "proficient question" if a student has a 2/3 probability of answering that question correctly. Each test is a mixture of questions that fall across  the spectrum of cut score categories.

State tests are mainly comprised of two types of questions: selected response (i.e., multiple choice) and constructed response (i.e., written sentences and paragraphs). This model exists because both selected response and constructed response questions are easiest to score and statistically analyze. Selected response questions are either right or wrong, and constructed response questions have a rubric-based scale for scoring via keyword analysis. Selected response questions are limited in their ability to assess high-level skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. Constructed response questions are limited to matching student responses against key words and phrases found in the scoring rubric—creativity and originality are not part of the equation.

The combination of the question response type and cut scores allows for the "best" statistical analysis of student performance on state standardized tests. These details have been tweaked over the years to a level of optimization that permits the state to categorize students as advanced, proficient, partially proficient, or unsatisfactory. The very way that tests are constructed prevents all students from being either advanced or unsatisfactory: if all students are unsatisfactory, the test is too hard; if all students are advanced, the test is too easy. Thus, the tests themselves have been constructed in such a way that there will always be a distribution (or variance) of scores across all four categories—proficiency exists in realm of endless statistical manipulation in which there will always be winners and losers, and the game will never end.

Which brings us back to the question of whether teachers can predict test scores…

If we assume that teachers can predict (guess) test scores, how valid and reliable are those predictions?

Recall that student performance on the state test is sorted into four categories: advanced, proficient, partially proficient, and unsatisfactory. What are the probabilities that a student will fall into one of those categories? In our school, very few students fall into the unsatisfactory category: our students are generally good writers and readers, and since state tests are reading- and writing-based students will be able to decode and respond to the test questions fairly well. Those students who score unsatisfactory tend to fall into the following categories: special education, English language learners, and intentional non-learners. If you are unable to read/write in the English language because of learning disabilities, language barriers, or complete apathy, then you will probably not score highly on the test. Because these conditions apply to a relatively small group of students at our school, we can predict that most of our students will either be advanced, proficient, or partially proficient. I, then, have a one-in-three chance of correctly predicting  my students' test score. To be safe, I will tend to classify each student as "proficient" unless I have a solid feeling or reason for choosing advanced or partially proficient. There is very low risk to my predictions, which makes them feel little better than guesswork.

If I wanted to make better guesses—more educated hypotheses—I would need to fully understand all of the variables involved in standardized testing. What are the variables that determine whether a student is advanced, proficient, partially proficient, or unsatisfactory? I alluded to the fact that students who score unsatisfactory may do so because of many different types of barriers. In a similar argument, students who score advanced probably have many fewer barriers which impede their performance. Can we quantify the myriad variables and barriers that affect each and every student's performance on a single set of tests given once per year in a highly artificial testing environment? (um, no...) Then, how can we predict, with accuracy and fidelity, how students will score on these tests?

If we accept that our test score predictions are nothing better than guesses, then what validity do they have at all? One of the rationales posited was that the prediction exercise increases inter-rater reliability, the measure of how reliably different people can assess and score the same test. To improve the accuracy and precision of inter-rater reliability requires knowledge of the test itself. Here we encounter another large barrier. Our state has deemed (rightly so) that it is unethical to "teach to the test," and that access to and use of testing materials throughout the school year is prohibited. It is not possible to improve inter-rater reliability in a vacuum; without data to work with, our best-intentioned predictions are still merely guesses. At most, our year-to-year predictions can be considered "persistent."

In meteorology, scientists rely on a wealth of data in their attempts to make precise and accurate weather predictions. At the lowest level of weather forecasting is persistence, the notion that tomorrow's weather will be the same as today's weather. This type of forecasting is valid only if weather conditions don't change in that time period. If any variable changes, then a persistence forecast is extremely poor and unreliable; in fact, it will probably "bust". Beginning meteorology students learn quickly that persistence forecasting is highly unscientific and that accurate weather forecasting relies on deep understanding of how all weather variables are interacting and evolving throughout atmospheric time and space.

When we are ignorant of the variables that affect a student's performance on a state test, I feel that our attempts to predict a student's future performance lack sensibility and are at best folly…

The Balance of Science Learning

A shared article in a recent issue of Science discusses the concept of science learning progressions: a continuum of really big ideas in science on which students focus their entire K-12 educational journey.

The domains of science learning

The authors postulate that science learning encompasses three domains: content (knowledge), practice (skills), and epistemology (thinking). I envision a Venn diagram wherein these three domains are represented as overlapping circles (see figure). If we were to represent the relative importance/emphasis of each domain in both our curriculum and school cultures by the size of its circle, I judge the content circle would be the largest and the epistemology circle would be the smallest. If we wish to have the domain circles all the same size—at all grade levels—what we would have to change about our curricula and our school cultures? (Put that on your staff meeting agenda!)

Attempts to expand the size of the epistemology circle would, in my opinion, engender fear, anxiety, and resistance because of myriad entrenched institutional and cultural barriers in our school systems. State tests ask (require) students to regurgitate content; teachers continue to emphasize content; students/parents/teachers are conditioned to seek only the "right answer;" students/parents/teachers resist critical thinking and problem-solving because it's too hard; progress monitoring systems spit out grades and scores ad nauseum... the list of barriers is endless.

I wish that our epistemology circle was much larger: "the process of science" vs. "the scientific method," open inquiry, problem-based learning, teachers and students as scholars, etc. To create a "culture of epistemology" (if we choose to do so) requires a massive and deliberate shift in thinking among adults, especially if we expect to see deeper thinking within our students. Otherwise, our inertia will probably continue steering us down the content pathway.

We do great things in our classrooms, but have we achieved balance among these three science learning domains?

Why Writing Matters

A language arts colleague at my school shared a link with me, "20 Great Writers on the Art of Revision," which prompted me to ponder why writing matters—for all students, and in all content areas (science included).

Image courtesy of MorgueFile

This quote from novelist Vladimir Nabokov most resonated: “My pencils outlast their erasers.” Writing is never a one-step process, is never easy, and is never done.

Many of our students—more often boys than girls—see writing as a destination rather than a journey. They race to complete any writing task without giving much thought to what they’re actually writing. And editing/revising? Forget it...

At my school, we do a fairly thorough job of teaching kids how to write and expecting kids to write across all content areas, but I wonder about us teaching them WHY to write:

• Why do we write? Why does writing have value? Why do these words on a page matter?
• Why should I as a writer care about what I write? Why should I agonize over every word, sentence, phrase, and punctuation mark?
• Why should I always throw out bad writing? Why should I throw out good writing?
• Why should I care about my audience? Why do I have a responsibility to my readers (and who are these faceless readers anyway)?

Whether it’s writing a masterpiece caption in science class, writing mathematical problems, writing computer code, writing a blog, or writing the next great novel... whether it’s written by hand or written digitally... whether it’s written for millions of people or written just for one, quality writing always matters—to articulate our thoughts and ideas, to make meaning and communicate our understanding, to teach and learn, to share our world with others.

A big "thank you" to all teachers who teach kids (and remind kids, and cajole kids) to own their writing. When I was growing up, I had a few good teachers who would not tolerate sloppy writing. Period. They were strict and tough, but fair—these are the teachers I remember and honor the most.

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PS: I wrote the original draft of this message in a Google document so that I could track my revisions. The first draft took me 29 minutes to write, and in that time I had over 30 major and minor revisions—not including typos. Writing takes practice, practice, practice...

The Science of YouTube

If you are looking for engaging, entertaining, and excellent science on YouTube, you can't go wrong with the following channels:

Image courtesy of: Compixels

• Crash Course: teaches you ecology and chemistry
• Feynman Series: promoting scientific education and scientific literacy in the general population through the mind of physicist Richard Feynman
• MinuteEarth: science and stories about our awesome planet
• MinutePhysics: cool physics and other sweet science
• Periodic Table of Videos: your ultimate channel for all things chemistry
• Sagan Series: promoting scientific education and scientific literacy in the general population through the mind of astrophysicist Carl Sagan
• SciShow: where the science goes
• Veritasium: the science video blog from atoms to astrophysics
• Vsauce: amazing facts and the best of the internet

What are your favorite YouTube science channels?

Investigating Water Temperature

Research Question: How does temperature affect ocean water? Specifically, how does the temperature of a purple solution (hot vs. cold) affect the movement of the purple solution through room temperature water?

In our quest to better understand ocean currents, we investigated the effects of temperature on the motion of fluids through water. Students set up and performed a controlled experiment that tested the movement of hot vs. cold potassium permanganate solution (aka, "purple stuff") in columns of room temperature water. Watch as one group of students performs a trial (hot on the left, cold on the right):

Based on the experiment, ponder the following questions:

• How does temperature affect ocean water?
• How does temperature affect the way water moves?
• Which is more dense, hot water or cold water? What evidence from the experiment do you have to support your answer?
• How might uneven solar heating of the Earth (equator vs. poles) cause ocean currents?
• How do you think ocean currents affect global weather and climate?

To better appreciate how and why scientists monitor and study ocean circulation, explore NASA's Aquarius Mission website, which has many excellent animations such as the one below:

Education vs. School

"In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." —Al Rogers, pioneer in long-distance learning 

What exactly is the educational role of schools these days? Are schools flexible enough to meet the challenges of 21st century learning, or are they dinosaurs on the brink of extinction? Are stakeholders—teachers, administrators, students, parents, politicians, and bureaucrats alike—prepared for the looming academic cliff?

Are we brave enough, heroic enough, humble enough to discard the failed systems of thinking and finally embrace authentic, intrinsic, hyperconnected learning... or will we continue our desperate cling to a technophobic past that is doomed to collapse under the crushing, extrinsically-motivated weight of grades, test scores, heartless competition, and race to the top?

(And how complicit am I in perpetuating this anachronistic march toward obscurity?)

Of these questions and more I ponder...

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Thanks to for the love of learning, et al., for sharing this video

Ouch

The 2012 state of science standards: Colorado = D

"American science performance is lagging as the economy becomes increasingly high tech, but our current science standards are doing little to solve the problem. Reviewers [at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute] evaluated science standards for every state for this report and their findings were deeply troubling: The majority of states earned Ds or Fs for their standards in this crucial subject, with only six jurisdictions receiving As. Explore all the state report cards and see how your state performed."

I'm looking forward to the Next Generation Science Standards...

Value: Captured or Created?

"Create more value than you capture." —Tim O'Reilly, technical book publisher and entrepreneur

A recent article written by Tim O'Reilly mused about value creation vs. value capture, which got me thinking about educational value: Are we creating value or capturing value?

Image courtesy of morgueFile

With relentless emphasis on grades and test scores, I feel that today's schools and students are more focused on "value capture" than "value creation." The result is a motivation gap that is both widening and deepening within our education system—extrinsically motivated schools and students intent on grades and test scores engage more in value capture than those who seek intrinsic motivation and value creation. Of these two approaches, value capture is short-sighted and unsustainable, relying more on instant gratification and temporary "feel goods" than lifelong learning.

A continued diet of value capture (devoid of enduring understanding and lacking longterm transfer of skills and knowledge) will ultimately drive us toward intellectual starvation...

Writing in Science Class

A question posted recently on the National Science Teachers Association blog caught my attention:

We’re having a discussion in our secondary school science department. Some of us think our lessons should incorporate more opportunities for students to learn how to write, while others maintain there’s little time for writing and that’s the job of the English teachers. Who is correct?

I felt compelled to respond:

Communication in all forms is fundamental to science; therefore, writing should be a regular part of the science classroom. Teaching the writing process should not be the exclusive domain of just one teacher or department, but should be shared as part of school, grade level, and/or department goals and curricular expectations. Arbitrarily injecting writing exercises into the science classroom is neither the most efficient nor most effective approach to the task—common language among teachers and students as well as common writing strategies are needed to help maximize student progress in writing. 

Image courtesy of morgueFile

Including the process of writing into the science curriculum takes time, effort, resources, and collaboration—it’s tough to go it alone. It takes a shared vision and commitment to help students become better writers in all disciplines. 

While it may be (and is) daunting to add “one more thing” to the science classroom, better writers ultimately enhance all learning. Start small—incorporate one simple, manageable, and authentic strategy into your existing science repertoire, such as writing descriptive titles or writing scientific questions—then slowly build from there. The key to success is modeling and practicing the process until it becomes routine and comfortable to you and your students. 

As a science teacher, I shared the exact same questions and concerns as you when we first started emphasizing writing at our school many years ago. Now, writing (as well as reading, math, and other shared practices) is a regular and natural part of our everyday science experience, which is a source of pride and achievement for our students, our teachers, and our school.

What Is a Research Question?

During a recent professional development session among middle level science teachers, we pondered the criteria for an excellent research question. Powerful ideas emerged from our collective thinking.

Investigating Heating and Cooling Rates

An excellent research question:

• clearly identifies variables that will be tested
• helps visualize/identify equipment and materials needed to perform tests
• provides information about data that can be collected during the test
• is related to background information and observations
• reveals thinking about causes and effects
• is realistic, real world, and testable
• uses specific content vocabulary

There was a palpable feeling of accomplishment and pride at the end of our collaborative session, as we celebrated our continued progress in developing a common vision for authentic and meaningful science learning in our school district.

I know that professional development days can often cause inconvenience for parents, but providing quality collaboration time for teachers is a worthy investment in our children's education. Thank you for indulging us in these rich and rewarding professional experiences.