Current Events II: HHMI Puts out Call for Proposals

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has put out a call for proposals for funding the training of STEM teachers according to a new report.  This is going to be an expansion of an already existing program, National Math and Science Iniativive (NMSI) UTeach program.  This is essentially a pilot program that Texas-Austin started.  It sounds very similar to the way thigns are done in the TEP here at Iowa however.  

What makes this my science education article?  It is the fact that it is all about the training and results.  They talk about retention rates in the pilot program of close to 70% in math and science where the normal attrition rate is 50%!  Now that is something to look at.  Of course, why is it that a four year degree and a teacher ed program works while something like Teach for America gives 50% rates?  

Impressive things to me is HHMI.  They don't throw money at things unless you get results on somethings.  I have seen HHMI labs (and pilfered their supplies when they weren't looking shhhhhhhhhh) they are all about compliance, hoops, publishing, graduating, and "achieving".  

Troubling facts to me about this whole thing.  Doing anything that originated in Texas.  NCLB.  'Nuff said.  Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation haven't found enough underqualified people in the classroom yet.  The Dell foundation is gonna be broke soon.  Exxon and Lockheed Martin obviously are in it as a pipeline to fill their workforce, but for all the evil they do they at least are stepping up and saying math and science are important (even if used against us).  

Student Observation

This was the week that creeped me out the most as an adult.  To litterally stare or observe one single minor for 90 minutes, even to try and observe their behavior just isn't exactly easy for a 36 year old to do with respect to 14 year olds.  I lucked out in that it was a test and not a typical class period.  I felt I could best observe a student or two without them feeling that I was staring through them to figure out what was going on in their very active hormonal driven brains.  I observed one male student who I sit right beside.  

To aid me I made an ethogram, which is used in behavioral biology.  I essentially observe for a given time, choose relevant major behaviors, and than go back and re-observe and record the amount each of those behaviors occurs.  

Behavior	Staring	Pen Cap Closing	Notebook closing	Notebook flopping	Other
Occurrences	6	7	8	15	7

Staring: Blindly staring off test paper for more than 10 seconds
Pen Cap Closing: Taking cap of pen, putting it on
Notebook closing: Taking out notebook, looks up information, closes it
Notebook flopping: Taking closed notebook and flipping it over
Other: Behaviors observed not found to be repeated.

The student is easily distracted, staring off into space.  He frequently places the cap on and off of his pend.  He's distracted by the hallway traffic even though he is on other side of the room by a window (which is out to a field).  His notes are transferred because the handwriting in the notebook doesn't match the writing on the test.  I do know that he is a good drawer.  The artwork on certain structures they are being tested over is not as good as his own work that I have seen him do and other students have asked him to reproduce for their notes.  His handouts/assignments are disorganized and really slowing him down.  He does use the assignments to model and find similar problems for his test.  Drawing ray diagrams seems to give him more focus as all behaviors except test taking seem to go away.  His nose starts to run, but he returns quickly nad gets right back to work.  He appears confused (facial expression).  He does seem to fold his hands in prayer/mediation as if that will enable him to finish/know the answers.  He does have an internal clock begins asking how much time with about 15 minutes or so to go in class.  

Student Interview

The last time I was at my practicum school I took advantage of a unit test to accomplish two lingering blog posts.  This post will deal with an interview of two young men (I had to look up at them and I'm 6'1"!!!).  They had finished their test early and were looking at their next long term project on the wall, a list of historical physicists, chemists, and a variety of female scientists not named Curie.  

One thing I learned, teenagers guard syllables more than a goblin guards gold at Gringot's Bank on Diagon Alley.  Monosyllabic speech is an art form at that age and these two guys were masters.  While I admit to not being the best interviewer (most of my experiments never talked back except for a couple of crickets and even then I had to coax them with a faux cricket recorded earlier).  

When I could bribe them to speak in complete sentences of yes or know I had found out the same thing:

What do they like best about this class and science learning?

Answer: they are given an explanation or some background.  They than do an activity generally by the next block.  They enjoy that the hands on activity does relate back to the topic and is not just some buy work project.

What has been their favorite activity/thing about the class?

First both expressed that this teacher is their favorite for this year.  Having read their student handbook, the first 2 years at this school are highly planned out in terms of requirements.  There is wiggle room for electives (foreign language, band, choir etc) but most students have to take 6 subjects out of 8 possible blocks with little to no choice over who teaches it.  Next their favorite activity was burning the food and calculating the "food calories" to the printed box calories.  Having done that myself, flaming Cheetos  cashews and marshmallows is a fun thing (of course one questions the wisdom of giving 14 year olds fire).  

What do they like least?

They can be overwhelmed by terms, formulas and procedures.  They have open note/open book tests.  The students feel that they have no means of organization and are left to fend for themselves in that regard.  They are struggling and just don't seem to know where to begin.  

Time Frame of Lessons

Well during my discussions I have learned that my cooperating teacher has pretty much decided he has the freedom to go with what he wants when.  He does have a system where he progresses through things in an organized manner.

I believe I missed a unit on how light energy is captured by the retina.  I came in on a unit on how energy specifically wind, solar, nuclear, and coal (through fossil fuels) is than converted to electricity.  They are now in a unit on waves and sounds.  He says he is not following any standards but is using examples he has gotten from the book, developed and refined over time, stolen from other places etc.  He'll finish the year with chemistry.  So there is long term and medium term planning evident.  I don't see enough day to day operations and the time so far has been too brief to ask about short term planning, but I do know it's timed about down to the week (about 2-3 days due to block schedules).  tomorrow I do know the students will be taking their unit test on waves, and the next time I'll see them may not be till April and the midst of chemistry due to Spring Breaks of both their school and Iowa.