Education Commons^™

Learning To Teach Mathematics And To Analyze Teaching Effectiveness: Evidence From A Video- And Practice-Based Pre-Service Course, Rossella Santagata, Cathery Yeh

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Although emerging consensus exists that practice-based approaches to teacher preparation assist in closing the distance between university coursework and fieldwork experiences and in assuring that future teachers learn to implement innovative research-based instructional strategies, little empirical research has investigated teacher learning from this approach. This study examines the impact of a video- and practice-based course on prospective teachers’ mathematics classroom practices and analysis of their own teaching. Two groups of elementary prospective teachers participated in the study—one attended the course and one did not. Findings reveal that the course assisted participants in making student thinking visible and in pursuing it …

I Have A Solution To Share: Learning Through Equitable Participation In A Mathematics Classroom, Mary Q. Foote, Rachel Lambert

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Student participation is an issue of equity. Without participation there can be no learning. This study focuses on the participation (and therefore learning) of struggling students (those with individual education plans [IEPs]) during the implementation of a relational thinking routine in a third-grade inclusion classroom. Students with IEPs often initially used direct modeling with linking cubes as a resource for presenting their thinking. In this way, they were able to demonstrate their ability to think relationally. As the year progressed, these students, who had earlier been reluctant to share and had done so only by using several of the resources …

Issues In-Depth: Advancing Understanding Of Drug Addiction And Treatment, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

While most school districts utilize a drug abuse resistance curriculum, as science teachers, it is our responsibility to understand the science behind drug addiction in order to most effectively educate our students against drug abuse. In the last two decades, increases in scientific technology have permitted significant discoveries surrounding the neurobiology, genetic components, and treatment of drug addition. This article addresses the latest scientific knowledge about drug addition and treatment with information that can be used in the middle school setting, focusing on cocaine addiction to illustrate the points discussed. (Contains 2 online resources.)

Enough Already? Linking Science, Geography, Mathematics, And Sociology Through Population Study, Roxanne Greitz Miller, Lilian M. Were

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In several previous Issues In-Depth columns, science topics deeply affected by population size--such as climate change, fuel and agricultural resources, and ecology--have been discussed. In this column, we will discuss the issue of population growth in developed and developing countries, why this is an important topic to discuss with young adolescents, and how interdisciplinary connections can be made between science and several other subject areas through an examination of populations across the globe.

How "Bright" Is It To Use Cfls? A Look At The Controversy, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Commonly referred to as CFLs, compact fluorescent light bulbs are rapidly replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs for residential use. However, controversy and even comic parody have arisen surrounding CFL use. CFLs contain small amounts of mercury, and several public forums and news agencies have been announcing that the breakage of a CFL in one's home may result in exposure to dangerously high mercury levels that can cause serious physical side effects. The purpose of this article is to introduce the basics of how incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs work, explain why the switch to CFLs is being promoted, and …

The Pet Food Recall Puzzle: Who, What, Why, And How Much, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Last spring, North America was gripped in the largest pet food recall in history. News outlets reported tens of thousands of dogs and cats becoming ill, and many dying, as a result of ingesting contaminated pet food. Several pet owners have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers and distributors of the pet food products. I think this is an excellent real-life science story to use with students to show science investigation in action, and to discuss the intersections between the role of regulatory agencies and the public.

In order to understand the case, you first have to know the facts. We'll …

Making Some Bones About It, Roxanne Greitz Miller, Frank Frisch

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The article discusses the importance of bone tissue to human beings and the ways to help students to understand its functions. The bone tissue forms the human skeleton to produce varied motions such as walking and talking. In addition, it protects the vital organs of a person and contributes the development of blood. The bone is composed of bone matrix, a dense material occupied by calcium and potassium salts. The matrix comprises several cell types including osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. According to the author, a continuous influx of new calcium is necessary because of the constant remodeling of bone tissue. …

Are You What You Eat? An Inside Look At High-Tech Food, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

If we abide by the familiar saying "you are what you eat," it is understandable that people may be concerned with the incredible advances in food science technology and their possible impacts on human health. For example, in recent years high-tech scientific processes such as genetic modification, irradiation, and cloning have all been used to increase the safety of food supply, create foods that are more appealing to eat and easier to produce, and increase crop yields. This article will summarize a few hot topics in food science, address what is currently known about the safety of these processes, and …

Inside The Rainforests Of The Sea: Coral Reefs And Their Endangerment, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This article focuses on coral reefs and their endangerment.

The Ins And Outs Of Curbside Recycling Programs, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, numerous municipalities in the United States and abroad have implemented either mandatory or voluntary curbside recycling programs. In most of these programs, household trash is sorted into paper, metal (steel and aluminum), and plastic products prior to its collection and then transported for processing into recycled materials. While the materials are not recycled at the curbside, the term curbside recycling generally now represents both the collection and sorting phases for these household materials.

Before we get into specifics, please note that this particular article will only address the third R of solid waste management--recycling--and not reducing or …

Inside Global Warming, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Over the last 15 years, much attention has been given to global warming, and whether the increase in the Earth's temperature in recent decades threatens the survival of life on Earth. Release of the films The Day After Tomorrow (2004), where North America is rapidly plunged into a new ice age, and An Inconvenient Truth (2006), where Al Gore focuses on the future impacts of global warming, has raised much public and media attention on the subject. As such, it's important that science teachers understand the basics behind the scientific phenomenon, the controversy surrounding the topic, and how to discuss …

Cloning: A Critical Analysis Of Myths And Media, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The writer discusses cloning and the teaching of science and media literacy. She provides information on cloning and presents myths about cloning perpetuated by the media. She then provides activities that improve students' media literacy and critical thinking through an investigation of the media's portrayal of cloning.

Pesticides, People, And The Environment: A Complex Relationship, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The writer provides information on pesticides, the controversies surrounding their use, and pesticide safety.

Setting Fires To Stem Cell Research, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The goal of this lesson is to present the basic scientific knowledge about stem cells, the promise of stem cell research to medicine, and the ethical considerations and arguments involved. One of the challenges of discussing stem cell research is that the field is constantly evolving and the most current information changes almost daily. Few science texts contain stem cell information, and those that do are generally written at a reading level above that of a typical middle grade student. In the lesson, students are introduced to the FIRES strategy and given an opportunity to evaluate stem cell information from …

Making Thinking Visible: A Method To Encourage Science Writing In Upper Elementary Grades, Roxanne Greitz Miller, Robert C. Calfee

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In order to make a dramatic change in the way teachers approach science writing, the authors found it necessary to address both science instruction as a whole and the use of writing during various stages. To guide them in this endeavor and communicate a concrete idea of an ideal foundation for highly effective science writing to teachers, the authors turned to the CORE Model of Instruction. The CORE Model on instruction, which was originally developed as a representation of the manner in which reading and writing can be linked and reinforcing to each other, is described in this article. The …

Making Science Teams Work, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Science teachers, likely have more experience with students working together than teachers in any other subject area due to teaming students for hands-on activities. While the importance of teamwork is emphasized in the National Science Education Standards, getting teams to actually work-meaning getting students to share equally in the academic assignments and to interact in a positive and productive manner-often eludes even the best of teachers. It has been the author's experience as a middle level science teacher that effective teaming requires careful planning, clear communication with students and parents, relevant motivational strategies, and arranging the classroom and activities to …