SciRefInst3.4

[JCONSTANT@UMASSD.EDU]

SCIENCE REFERENCE INSTITUTE  TIER THREE  JULY 27, 28, 29,  1994  SIMMONS
COLLEGE


FRIDAY SESSIONS:

Before the sessions began, Bobbie Robinson of the Museum of the Commonwealth
distributed flyers about the Mass Studies Project, a collaborative project
about government, people, places, watersheds, etc. in Massachusetts.
Information will be accessible using technology. A Database will be created
this fall, and libraries will be key elements in the dissemination of
information.

SESSION ONE: RON LATANISON, Chairman, Council on Primary and Secondary Science
Education, MIT.

Mr. Latanison described parallels between education and health care. Emphasis
must shift from treating illness to promoting wellness. Present resource
allocation for education places 70% of funds for the small percentage of
students that will go on to higher education. Vocational education should not
be considered a second class education for citizens of the 21st century. The
School to Work Act is important. MIT hopes to change U.S. mindset about
vocational education.

COUNCIL ON PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCIENCE EDUCATION HAS FIVE MAIN FOCUS AREAS:

1.Making math and science relevant for students by relating them to concrete
systems (ie.. issues such as water distribution) . Many students don't want to
study these subjects because they are often taught in the abstract.

MIT has developed campus teams which include 3 teachers, one school
administrator, 1 representative from local government, 1 business
representative, and 1 representative from higher education. These teams are
working to make education a part of larger systems as part of a year long
Institute for Teaching and Learning.

2. MIT has a new undergraduate minor in Education

3.Many practicing public school teachers take sabbaticals to participate in
this program.

4. Project Access, an electronic network, connects public school teachers and
students with MIT staff.

5. 10 year plan commitment by MIT to work with k-12 schools. There are also 150
independently motivated outreach activities by MIT staff. A directory, MIT
EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM, lists the names and telephone numbers for these
150 individuals who offer a short term commitment to k-12 schools.. This can be
requested from MIT.

MIT also cooperates with museums to provide outreach programs using MIT
graduate students.

PALMS PROJECT (see handouts)
Mr. Latanison, who is also a PALMS co-principal investigator, discussed this
federally funded statewide initiative to improve the teaching of science and
math through partnerships and hands-on learning.


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Second  Session:
HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS and
  PRIVATE UNIVERSE PROJECT BY Nancy Finkelstein, Project Director for
Educational Affairs



HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS

This organization is a partnership between the Harvard College Observatory and
the Smithsonian Observatory. It is the largest astrophysical society in the
world.Nancy Finkelstein is Director of Educational Affairs in the center's
Education Department. They develop curriculum projects to improve k-12
education.

Nancy is involved with the Science Media Group. Among  their major projects are
the Private Universe Project, and the Case Studies in Science Education
Project.

CASE STUDIES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION:
This project will create a series of 25 1/2 hour Video Case studies in Science
Education, accompanied by written guide materials for use in k-8 preservice and
inservice teacher education programs. Each of the case studies will focus on
one teacher's approach to a problem (s)he has encountered. Project advisors
will work with the teachers to design intervention strategies and to evaluate
how the strategies helped to improve teaching effectiveness (or not.) Some of
the problems discussed will be: inclusion, bilingual students, administration,
etc.. These case studies could become part of a school library collection.


PRIVATE UNIVERSE PROJECT:
In 1985, the Science Education Center of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
created A Private Universe, a video project for science teachers   which
illustrates how students' preconceived ideas and beliefs can pose critical
barriers to learning science, whether the learning environment is a public
school or a prestigious private college. The Private Universe Project will
produce a series of six broadcast television programs on student preconceptions
or misconceptions in six scientific disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Earth
Science, Math, Physics, and Environmental Science.) The project will alert
teachers to the problems and provide insights into how obstacles can be
overcome in the classroom. Nine teleconferences will be broadcast over
MCET(Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications) during the
fall of 1994. Footage from the teleconferences will be included in the  six
video, which will then be broadcast over PBS for the general public.

HANDOUTS:
-Harvard Smithsonian Case Studies in Education (flyer)
-Science Education Department, Summary of Projects (flyer which summarizes the
eight major projects of the Science Education Department
-Private Universe Project (several flyers describing the project and fall
teleconferences)


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WGBH EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES  by Pepita Soto

WGBH is a flagship station with a history of broadcast excellence.   During the
last five years, there has been an increase in community activities and an
outreach to teachers. Many PBS programs are now evolving into "multi-version"
projects which include video, print and interactive segments,  and hans-on
activities.

Sample Projects:

INTERACTIVE NOVA: the video programs now have accompanying magazines and
teachers' guides. The focus is becoming more interdisciplinary and systems
oriented.

PRODIGY ONLINE

SECRET OF LIFE: 6 PART SERIES ON GENETICS, BIOENGINEERING, ETHICS

NEW 4 PART SERIES  ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE. Supportive materials for this project
include print materials, hands-on classroom  materials (girls writing about
image of science they have, image of women in science)

Off-air taping rights are different for each series. To get resource lists
contact the Audience Services Department. They also have a database retroactive
to 3-5 years which lists the producing station, telephone number, purchase
price of videos produced by other PBS stations.

INTERACTIVE VIDEODISK PRODUCTS
-Miracle of Life (multiversion )
-Habitat
-Race to Save the Planet
-Earth

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, CONFERENCES, AND GRANT PROGRAMS SPONSORED BY
WGBH

-How to Use Nova for Interdisciplinary Activities

-Using Carmen Sandiego

-Interactive Videodisk Technology

-WGBH Teaching With Technology Institute in August, 1995. A one week institute
funded by Filene's Department Store on using video, videodisk, online and cd
rom.

-Supplying interactive hardware and software to 10 schools. The school which
used the videodisk hardware and software most successfully was in Holyoke, MA,
where the equipment was installed in  the school library media center by the
teacher. The equipment was used much more not only by his students, but also by
students in other classes.

HANDOUTS:

WGBH EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE LIST: One page flyer listing telephone numbers.
General number is (617)492-2777)
Extensions are:
Audience Services: ext. 5400
Educational Print and Outreach Services: ext. 3848

WGBH: TV THAT ENTERTAINS AND EDUCATES
One page flyer describing various educational services, including PTV: the
Ready to Learn Service, a new initiative to insure that students come to school
ready to learn, and FLA, the Family Literacy Alliance which uses book-based
television programs to encourage interest in reading and language.

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Friday Afternoon

Leo Pierre Roy, Undersecretary for Planning and Policy, Massachusetts Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs

Mr. Roy is responsible for the creation, development and implementation of
environmental policies, initiatives and strategies at the Secretariat. He is
also concerned with developing new environmental businesses.
........................................................

Mr. Daniel Cohen, State Representative from Milton, MA spoke to the group about
his support for legislation promoting a statewide library network in
Massachusetts.

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LUNCHEON SPEAKER: Jack Borden
FOR SPACIOUS SKIES, AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE SKY

This project has been cited for helping pupils academically and emotionally,
and The For Spacious Skies Foundation received an award from the American
Meteorological Society for promoting innovative school and public education
programs, based on an awareness of the sky, which involve unique cooperation
between school educators and broadcast meteorologists.

The project originated as an EPA funded University of Arizona study  involving
4,800 interviews by Jack Borden, a  television broadcast journalist. People
were asked to close their eyes and describe the sky at that moment. Only one
person in ten had "sky awareness" and could accurately describe the sky, not as
a background for a plane or as part of a weather front, but as an object in
itself.  The criteria for "seeing" the sky was to see it as a resource in
itself.  Mr. Borden quoted various authors, including Emerson and Thoreau when
he described the sky as" the ultimate art gallery above" and "the sub-soil of
the learner's mind".

The people who did have an awareness of the sky also tended to have the
following characteristics:
-a sense of environmental responsibility
-aesthetic sensibility
-sense of wonder
-spiritual dimension to their nature
-receptivity to information about the sky and atmosphere
-a more calm or less agitated nature

A Harvard study of students in Needham, MA who were exposed to the For Spacious
Skies interdisciplinary activities revealed the following: 37% scored higher in
music appreciation, 13% in literary skills, and 5% in visual art skills.

"A kid who appreciates what Ralph Waldo Emerson called "the ultimate art
gallery above" does not mug Cumberland farms cashiers or shoot people in
Dorchester. It gives new eyes to children"  -a comment made by Mr. Borden

A teacher in Hillsboro, MO who has been bringing the sky into science, art,
music and other subjects has noticed an improvement in skills, especially in
language arts,

Among the books listed as good source materials by Mr. Borden are the
following:

-Peterson's First Guides to Clouds and Weather by John A. Day
-Meet My Psychiatrist, by Less Blaylock
-"Education of Sky Beings" by Charles E. Roth (Paper presented at For Spacious
Skies Conference on the Sky)
More recommended titles are listed in the activity guide which is described
below.


HANDOUTS:

-Cloud Chart

-Summary of Forecast Rules by cloud Types: a Guide to Aid in Weather Prediction

-For Spacious Skies Activity Guide 49 page booklet of activities, primarily
for grades k-8, including a list of recommended reading for adults, and a
booklist of books in science, biography and history, stories, mythology and
folktales, and science fiction about the skies. The activity guide is available
for $7.50 from For Spacious Skies, 54 Webb Street, Lexington, MA 02173 .
tel.:(617)862-4289
ebb Street, Lexington, MA 02173 . tel.:(617)862-4289

-"For These Children, School is  Up"  an article in the Christian Science
Monitor, Monday, April 18, 1994 by Elizabeth Levitan Spald
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