Science Teaching Tips

The final episode of Science Teaching Tips has been posted. But don't despair! They've been given new life (and a new webhome) over at http://exploratorium.edu/ti/podcasts. Check out the new location, it's all spiffy and snazzy, and listen to all the great episodes of the compiled wisdom of the Exploratorium's Teacher Institute. Enjoy!

Dying to know whether something’s positively or negatively charged? TI staff educator Modesto Tamez explains an easy – and dirt cheap – way to probe the electric charge of the world.

Students really struggle with the metric system. TI staff educator Lori Lambertson tells us how she helps students get a handle on what the units really mean.

Teaching isn’t just work, it’s a lot of fun. Staff scientist Thomas Humphrey quickly figured out he didn’t have the answer to every question in the classroom, and that’s the fun of it.

TI staff biologist Karen Kalumuck describes how she tries not to answer every question that’s asked during a class. Instead, she guides her students to discover ideas for themselves. Karen Kalumuck’s Web site: philo.exploratorium.edu/karenk

What is indigo anyway? Staff physicist Paul Doherty tells the story behind ROYGBIV, and how he’d like to change that standard palette. Paul Doherty’s Web site: www.exo.net/~pauld

What coin would just barely cover the full moon? You may be surprised. TI director (and recovering astrophysicist) Linda Shore explains how our brains distort the actual size of the moon.

A veteran teacher describes her first year of teaching—in Guatamala. She faced many, many challenges, but she stuck it out and has been teaching for 20 years.

Take a little sound quiz with our host, Stephanie Chasteen, and learn something about how our brains locate sounds. Stereo Find That Sound activity: http://exploratorium.us/listen/activities/dean/localize/lg_dean_localize.php Stephanie Chasteen’s Web site: www.exo.net/~drsteph

Have you ever really listened to a ball bounce? Exploratorium staff physicist Thomas Humphrey describes the elegant mathematics of a bouncing ball.

Despite my better judgment, I invite TI staff educator Eric Muller to do one more set of activities—several things you can do with soda straws. Holding Charge activity: www.exo.net/~emuller/activities/Holding%20Charge.pdf More of Eric Muller’s activities: www.exo.net/~emuller

TI teacher coach Zeke Kossover explains how he uses short, focused lab activities to really get concepts across to his students.

Do your lessons sometimes fall flat? Staff educator Modesto Tamez explains how to be a good salesperson and get students engaged.

Exploratorium staff educator Tory Brady performs a bit of theater, demonstrating the roles of the star players in the immune system.

Newton wasn’t really ready to believe that light was a wave, and so he didn’t see what was in front of his eyes. Staff physicist Paul Doherty tells how to do the same experiment that Newton did back in the 1650s to see the wave nature of light. Paul Doherty’s Web site: www.exo.net/~pauld

Put kids’ skepticism to work! Children’s book author David Schwartz explains how a class disagreed with the numbers in one of his math books, and set out to prove him wrong! David Schwartz’s Web site: www.davidschwartz.com

Exploratorium staff educator Don Rathjen makes some noise with this activity about Newton’s laws. Whack-a-Stack activity: http://www.raft.net/ideas/Whack%20a%20Stack.pdf The Old Tablecloth Trick (related): http://www.raft.net/ideas/Old%20Tablecloth%20Trick.pdf More of Don Rathjen’s activities: www.exo.net/~donr

Exploratorium staff physicist Thomas Humphrey explains what temperature and color have to do with one another.

When this chemistry teacher entered her portable classroom as a new teacher, she was fresh from West Africa—and there was a lot she didn’t know.

Nobody can really teach you anything—rather, you have to learn it for yourself. So how can you help your students understand science? TI staff educator Modesto Tamez shares some thoughts about helping students make ideas their own.

Geeks have strange hobbies. Staff physicist Paul Doherty plays the corrugated plastic tube, also known as a “whirly,” and explains the surprising science behind the sound. The science of whirlies: www.exo.net/~pauld/summer_institute/summer_day13music/Whirly.html and http://isaac.exploratorium.edu/~pauld/activities/AAAS/aaas2001.html

Exploratorium graphic artist David Barker describes the physics of baseball bats, and makes some sweet music in the process! Exploratorium’s science of baseball: www.exploratorium.edu/baseball

Staff educator Modesto Tamez tells how he gets students exploring electromagnets, a great preparation for making an electric motor. Stripped Down Motor activity: www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/stripped_down_motor.html

TI staff educator Eric Muller explains how to make your own record player! Groovy Sounds activity: www.exo.net/~emuller/activities/Groovy%20Sounds.pdf More of Eric Muller’s activities: www.exo.net/~emuller

It can be hard to make ideas about size and scale relevant to students’ lives. Children’s book author David Schwartz explains a series of neat real-world comparisons from his book that really get the concepts across. David Schwartz’s Web site: www.davidschwartz.com

Which is farthest away from the earth, the stars or Pluto? The answer may be obvious to you, but a lot of people get this wrong. Listen to TI director Linda Shore as she presents a little survey about how things are arranged in the heavens—and explains what the surprising results mean.

Exploratorium staff physicist Thomas Humphrey divulges a clever way to measure the speed of sound, and he explains how he’s used that information to measure things in the world.

A veteran teacher tells how much he was helped in his first year of teaching by an unusually supportive department.

The ancient Greeks knew about magnets, and they knew about electricity, too. But it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that a connection between the two was discovered. Staff physicist Paul Doherty tells the story of how a professor made the connection . . . which led to modern motors. Paul Doherty’s Web site: www.exo.net/~pauld

TI staff biologist Karen Kalumuck busts some of the myths about taste, and presents a few fun activities for the classroom. This activity is from the Exploratorium’s Human Body Explorations: http://explo.stores.yahoo.net/humbodex.html The Nose Knows activity: www.exploratorium.edu/ti/human_body/nose.html More activities by Karen Kalumuck: http://philo.exploratorium.edu/karenk

A stack of blocks seems to defy gravity in this activity by Exploratorium staff educator Don Rathjen. Take It from the Top activity: http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/take_it_from_the_top/index.html More of Don Rathjen’s activities: www.exo.net/~donr

A veteran teacher describes his first year of teaching, and the myriad things he adjusted to while he learned the profession he loves.

What do polarized sunglasses have to do with dog urine? Listen to this curious story from staff physicist Paul Doherty. Paul Doherty’s Web site: www.exo.net/~pauld

Size and scale can be difficult concepts to teach. TI staff educator Lori Lambertson talks us through one of her favorite activities, using one of her favorite dolls—Barbie.

How do you give your students the words they need to understand an activity or a topic? TI Staff Educator Modesto Tamez explains his opinion that vocabulary is best given towards the end of a lesson, not at the beginning.

Our host, Stephanie Chasteen, shares some more fun facts and activities having to do with the science of sound. Stephanie Chasteen’s Web site: www.exo.net/~drsteph

Kids can be pretty skeptical, which can help them to learn more. Children’s book author David Schwartz shares some of the letters from classes who thought they should double-check the numbers in some of his books. David Schwartz’s Web site: www.davidschwartz.com

Staff educator Tory Brady tells you how to make a teaching box—a valuable tool for getting yourself organized to teach a great science unit. My Science Box (Web site from TI alumna): http://www.mysciencebox.org/node/172

TI staff educator Eric Muller shows me how to carbonate my tongue. Blech! More of Eric Muller’s activities: www.exo.net/~emuller

TI teacher coach Jennifer Paillet explains how to fit in more labs, and get students thinking creatively by using take-home labs.

Students may come into your classroom with preconceived ideas about how things work. TI director Linda Shore explains why she feels it’s important to explore students’ private theories about the world, and some ways she’s found to do that in her own classrooms. A Private Universe (from Annenburg Media): http://www.learner.org/resources/series28.html

Exploratorium staff physicist Thomas Humphrey reveals why size does matter, at least in physics.

Need to remember why you teach? Listen to this incredible story from one of our teacher coaches recalling her first year of teaching.

When staff physicist Paul Doherty began to teach, he started by doing lots of demonstrations. But now, he explains, he has students get their hands on the science, which helps them to understand the calculations. Paul Doherty’s Web site: www.exo.net/~pauld File: 25-hands-on-science.mp3

It’s tough for a new teacher to keep up with everything from labs to professional development. TI teacher coach Arlette Manders provides a potpourri of tips on how to make life a little easier.

TI staff educator Lori Lambertson explains her philosophy of integrating math and science in the classroom, and how she puts it into practice.

TI staff educator Eric Muller demonstrates a “cool” thing to do with dry ice, and it even relates to the standards! More of Eric Muller’s activities: www.exo.net/~emuller

Children’s book author David Schwartz shares some creative ways kids and teachers have used his books to look at big numbers. David Schwartz’s Web site: www.davidschwartz.com

Our host, Stephanie Chasteen, shares some fun facts and activities having to do with the science of sound. Stephanie Chasteen’s Web site: www.exo.net/~drsteph

TI staff biologist Karen Kalumuck tells us how she tries not to answer every question in the classroom -– instead, she guides her students to discover ideas for themselves. Karen Kalumuck’s website: http://philo.exploratorium.edu/karenk/