Topic: Data Driven – What Does this Really Mean?
Date: HELD Tuesday, December 7, 7-8 p.m.
PETER’S SUMMARY:
We had a productive Teacher Meet on December 7th! Our focus was analyzing data. We looked at standard deviation and creating error bars in Google Sheets. We talked about applying these concepts to a variety of lab activities ranging from measuring heart rate during different exercises to analyzing the number of bacterial colonies using different plasmids in heat shock transformation. We agreed that anytime that students can analyze data is great, but it is helpful to get them to think beyond just calculating an average – how do you know if the data you collected is meaningful and whether it supports your prediction? Once again, it was a great evening of conversation about teaching science.
Please note: this session was designed as a companion to PETER’S BLOG [same title as above] for November, 2021
Past sessions:
Topic: Addressing Misconceptions in the Science Classroom
Date: HELD Monday, October 25, 7-8 p.m.
PETER’S SUMMARY:
We had another great Teacher Meet on October 25th! Our focus was on misconceptions in science that our students bring to class and strategies to address them. We also talked about concepts which our students struggle to understand. Samples topics included:
- teachers know all of the answers
- everything in science has already been discovered
- understanding how small some things are (bacteria vs. viruses vs. atoms)
- why organisms cannot simply adapt to climate change
- learning happens in 45 minutes while in school, not out of school
It was great to learn from each other. The opportunity to gather as science teachers is valuable and I always take away something that I can bring back to my students. Hope to see you at the next meeting.