Western Noyce Scholars Regional Conference
Agenda, Presentations, and Sharing Comments
Friday, January 23 |
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5:00-9:00 |
Registration |
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5:30-7:00 |
Dinner |
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7:00-9:00 |
Networking Reception and Activities |
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Saturday, January 24 |
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7:30-8:00 |
Breakfast and Registration |
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8:15-9:30 |
Welcome and Announcements |
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9:30-10:30 |
Educator Resources: As only NASA can! NASA has a significant collection of resources for teachers. These resources focus on Space and Earth Science, Aviation Technology and Astrobiology. All NASA materials for educators are free and carry NO COPYRIGHT. Most NASA materials are available on the Internet. Educator Resource Centers are strategically placed in California to offer face-to-face help from trained NASA personnel. Several NASA resources will be showcased as examples of the format and content of these materials. |
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10:45-11:45 Concurrent Sessions |
Manipulatives in Secondary Mathematics The use of manipulatives constitutes a valid teaching strategy in secondary school mathematics. Manipulatives enable doing mathematics in a more relevant way for the students as well as foster exploring abstract ideas in a concrete way. In this session the participants will experience genuine mathematics learning by using appropriate manipulatives. |
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Virtual Courseware for Participants will learn how interactive web-based simulations are a convenient and effective way to bring inquiry-based learning into the classroom. Two activities will be demonstrated: Earthquake, which deals with epicenter and Richter magnitude determination, and Relative Dating, which deals which deals with inferring the relative order of geological events. |
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Using Virtual Physics Labs in the Classroom Come explore on-line labs and demonstrations that align with the CA physics standards and AP physics course objectives. We will share how to do the labs and differentiate them for use at multiple levels. We will also address how to use virtual labs (all labs!) in challengingsituations, with ELL students and Title 1 schools. |
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Engaging Your Students in Scientific Inquiry: This presentation will describe a model you can use to create and implement inquiry-based lessons for your students. You will also learn how to access these lessons from the UCLA GK-12 Program. Finally, you will engage in a discussion about the successes and challenges of implementing inquiry-based science lessons. |
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11:50-12:50 |
Lunch |
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1:00-1:30 |
Building Locally, Linking Globally: Networking Micro-Communities of New Science and Math Teachers Using the NSDL to Advance Instructional Excellence in High Need Schools We will briefly discuss our design and implementation of a pilot Noyce Scholars Institutional Teaching Commons (ITC) that functions as a portal for mathematics and science teachers to engage in NSDL and MERLOT resources and tools, as well as the creation of project-specific virtual communities of Noyce Scholars that are networked together as part of MERLOT’s new “Voices” capability. The balance of time in the half hour session will be participant discussions of the mathematics and science teacher needs that can be addressed through virtual network tools, resources, and services. |
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1:30-2:15 Concurrent Sessions |
Scholars: Birds of a Feather Networking Southern CA/AZ: Suzette Meraz, CPP * William Quintana CSUSB |
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Noyce Faculty & Staff: In what ways do different sites support their scholars and recent graduates in the classroom? We have much to learn from each other, let’s share ideas! |
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2:30-3:30 |
Keynote: Be a Dream Maker, Not a Dream Breaker! |
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3:45-4:45 Concurrent Sessions |
Scaffolding Math Concepts What do you do when your students do not know the prerequisite concepts for today’s class topic? We will give an overview of “scaffolding”, and discuss how we can scaffold math concepts in teaching Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. We’ll see some typical examples in these topics. |
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Virtual Courseware for Inquiry-based Life Science Education Participants will learn how interactive web-based simulations are a convenient and effective way to bring inquiry-based learning into the classroom. Two activities will be demonstrated: Drosophila, which deals with principles genetic inheritance and Natural Selection, which deals with adaptation and evolution. |
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Remote Sensing Ices on Mars: Scientific facts are often presented to students with little or no attention to process of inquiry that leads to our scientific understanding. In this workshop, we will model a collaborative, guided-inquiry activity that will both enhance your understanding of the arctic regions of Mars and, more importantly, reveal how we know what we know about different types of ices on the Red Planet. This remote sensing activity was developed by members of the 2001 Mars Odyssey science team which discovered buried water ice on Mars using gamma ray spectroscopy. |
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NASA/JPL’s Global Climate Change Website The NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created an award winning website to both interpret the issues of Global Climate Change and display up to date scientific information collected from Earth orbiting spacecraft. |
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5:00-6:00 |
Strategies to Manage the Science and Mathematics Classroom that Model Elements of Inquiry Based Learning One of the critical elements of inquiry-based learning is the use of a student-centered curriculum in which students have opportunities to discuss and choose how they learn as well as how to collaborate with others in the process. The compassionate discipline model has proven to be a very effective holistic and democratic model that parallels inquiry based learning in that it incorporates student input and choice in the discussion of norms, expectations and consequences that will be used in a classroom. |
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6:00-7:00 |
Dinner |
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7:30-9:30 Concurrent Sessions |
Scholars – Informal Networking |
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PI Meeting We will discuss ways to obtain support for our sites, support and track scholars, possible joint applications for funds, and other issues of common concern. |
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Sunday, January 25 |
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7:30-8:30 |
Breakfast |
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8:30-9:30 |
Multi-faceted Investigation into Assessment: We will do a brief overview of the basic principles of assessment for learning and ways in which we need to rethink assessment. This highly interactive session will encompass elements of assessment that bring value to all stakeholders including State, administration, teachers, students and interested others. Through group collaboration, we will discuss the desired outcomes from assessment and examine examples of assessment items in terms of their interpretation to the various stakeholders and interested audiences. |
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9:45-10:45 Concurrent Sessions |
Assessment in Mathematics Building upon the general session, we will look further into assessment as it applies to the teacher and students through actual student products in mathematics. |
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Assessment in Science In this session we will discuss and demonstrate the importance of aligning instruction, goals, your assessment, state standards, and state assessments. Participants will see the importance of and learn ways to deal with misconceptions and the value of unpacking standards. You should leave with the skills to create lessons and assessments that connect your students to your state’s standards based assessments. |
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Teaching With Online Resources: This session will provide an opportunity for four Fresno State Noyce Scholars/Teachers to share their experiences with and uses of NSDL/NOYCE Project online resources |
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Finding Biological Relevance in Everyday Life An understanding of basic biology is critical to being a responsibly educated citizen in the modern world. Fortunately, many aspects of the biological sciences may be made both relevant and interesting to students at many levels. With a minimum of jargon, students can be engaged in concepts of evolution, medicine, the environment, - even their own pets and their own anatomy with lessons that are both entertaining and "close to home". Examples and strategies for each will be provided, and attendees will be encouraged to develop their own as well. |
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11:00-12:00 Concurrent Sessions |
Writing to Learn: Using the Science Writing Heuristic The session will introduce the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), a writing to learn approach that guides students to think like scientists when engaging with laboratory (hands-on) activities and observing demonstrations. Students using the SWH format write Beginning Questions, Tests and Procedures, Observations, and Claims and Evidence. Unlike experts in science (instructors and practicing scientists), science learners (novice scientists) think and write much differently when using the SWH format as compared to completing traditional laboratory reports. |
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Teaching the Periodic Table for Understanding |
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Put Life Into Algebra Make algebra meaningful for your students. Use real-life contexts to motivate the development of conceptual understanding, problem solving and essential procedures. This session will examine practical ways for teachers to put life into algebra and answer the question, "why do we need to know this?” while addressing the California algebra standards. |
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Technology in the Math and Science Classroom This session will provide an overview of valuable technology tools to support student learning, including some that are free! Discover ways to collect, share and analyze data; use virtual manipulatives and experiments; communicate complex concepts and relationships effectively; and find quality educational resources on the Internet. This session will offer ideas you can immediately implement in your classroom and others you can use to expand your school’s vision for a 21st Century education. |
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12:00-1:00 |
Lunch |
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1:15-2:30 |
Teaching Creatively In Today’s Classroom Go beyond textbooks, lectures and paper/pencil tasks. Learn how to engage your students with creative projects while addressing the standards. |
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2:30-3:00 |
Closing Comments and Evaluations |
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