T C E B TRIANGLE COALITION ELECTRONIC BULLETIN AUGUST 30, 2001 VOL. 7, NO. 32 _____________________________________________________ Published by the TRIANGLE COALITION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION _____________________________________________________ THIS WEEK'S TOPICS: TCEB SCHEDULING NOTE THE NIH RELEASES NEW K-12 CURRICULUM SUPPLEMENTS INTERNET USE DIVIDES TEACHERS AND STUDENTS JETS ANNOUNCES THE 23RD ANNUAL TEAMS COMPETITION GETSMARTER.ORG LETS STUDENTS TEST MATH AND SCIENCE SKILLS INTERNATIONALLY HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS DISCOVER COMPLEX INTERACTIONS AMONG OCEANS, AIR, AND ICE PARTNERSHIP BUILDS ON UNDERSTANDING OF DATA LITERACY TOOLS BACK TO SCHOOL, MOVING FORWARD ____________________________________________________ TCEB SCHEDULING NOTE The TCEB will next be issued on September 13, 2001. ************************************ THE NIH RELEASES NEW K-12 CURRICULUM SUPPLEMENTS The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is releasing three new curriculum supplements -- part of an ongoing series that promotes inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning in grades kindergarten through 12. The state-of-the-art instructional materials reveal science research discoveries on neurobiology, environmental health, and oral health. The NIH, the Federal focal point for medical research in the U.S., is distributing the modules to teachers free-of-charge to improve science literacy and to foster students' interest in science. The new curricula (listed below) are among the first educational resources aligned with the National Science Education Standards released by the National Academy of Sciences. Each supplement comes with an interactive CD-ROM. - The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology Through the Study of Addiction. Allows students in grades 9 through 12 to explore how drugs alter brain function by changing the way neurons communicate. - Chemicals, the Environment, and You: Explorations in Science and Human Health. Enables students in grades 7 and 8 to explore the relationship between chemicals in the environment and human health, utilizing basic concepts in the science of toxicology. - Open Wide and Trek Inside. Encourages students in grades 1 and 2 to explore the wonders of the mouth as a living environment and learn major scientific concepts relating to oral health. The three earlier installments in this series, designed for use in high school classrooms, are Cell Biology and Cancer, Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, and Human Genetic Variation. To request a free copy, visit http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements. ************************************ INTERNET USE DIVIDES TEACHERS AND STUDENTS (Source: Detroit News, August 21, 2001) High school students say the Internet is a great help in doing schoolwork, and many feel they can meet most of their research needs on a computer. Educators encourage its use but often caution students not to rely on the Internet alone. American adults, in general, have mixed feelings on the topic. An Associated Press poll found they were about evenly split on the importance of Internet skills for students. About half said those skills are very important and the other half said they are somewhat important or not important at all, according to the poll conducted for the AP by ICR of Media, PA. Some educators, such as Vermont principal Elizabeth LeRoy, wonder whether the Internet can make things too easy. "My concern about using the Internet is that students might take an article directly off the Internet rather than reading it and summarizing it," said LeRoy, principal of the Craftsbury School, a K-12 school in rural Vermont. "Usually, teachers require something besides a web reference, like an encyclopedia. The students can't just use the web." The percentage of adults in the poll who felt Internet skills were very important for students dropped steadily as respondents got older, according to the poll. The poll of 1,006 adults was taken July 27-31 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Residents of metropolitan areas were far more likely than those in rural areas to say Internet skills were very important for children in school. Seniors were less enthusiastic than young adults. While adults are wrestling with their attitudes about the Internet, young people appear to be plunging ahead. More than two-thirds of teens said within the last year that they use the Internet as their major resource when doing a big project for school, said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. ************************************ JETS ANNOUNCES THE 23RD ANNUAL TEAMS COMPETITION TEAMS is back - and better than ever! The 23rd annual TEAMS competition, sponsored by JETS, will take place between February 9 and March 16, 2002 at over 100 college and university campuses across the U.S. JETS is a non-profit educational organization that works to promote high school student interest in math, science, and engineering. The organization sponsors TEAMS, an annual one-day, two-part event that consists of an open-book, open-discussion exam taken by teams of four-to-eight high school students. TEAMS presents the multidisciplinary aspect of engineering work by illustrating how the math and science concepts students are learning work together and are applied to solve real-world problems. Awards are presented at the local, state, and national levels. The TEAMS exam is unique in that it asks teams of students to work cooperatively and think critically. What do past participants have to say about TEAMS programs? "I made new friends, learned effective teamwork, and mastered scientific principles I wouldn't have encountered until college." "My students love this competition!" "The TEAMS program gets the best and brightest students in one place at the same time." "TEAMS is an exceptional way to showcase your campus to prospective students." Interested students and teachers should contact the appropriate regional host listed on the JETS website at www.jets.org. College and universities that are looking to host a TEAMS competition may contact JETS at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Engineering industry representatives are encouraged to participate by submitting problems for the exam, mentoring a local high school team, hosting a competition, or sponsoring an existing host. For more information, visit www.jets.org, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], or call 703-548-5387. ************************************ GETSMARTER.ORG LETS STUDENTS TEST MATH AND SCIENCE SKILLS INTERNATIONALLY How much does an A- or a B+ or C- really indicate about what a child knows about science and math? Parents know that grades may not give a true picture of how prepared their children will be for tough college level courses and for competing with their peers around the nation and the world. GetSmarter.org (www.getsmarter.org), a free, confidential website, gives elementary, middle school, and high school students a chance to evaluate their math and science skills on an international scale. In addition, the site offers educational games to help them improve those skills. American students -- even those who perform well in the classroom -- are lagging far behind their international counterparts in math and science. In fact, as students progress through school, they actually fall farther and farther behind their peers around the world. According to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students who performed above average in math and science in 4th grade were near or at the bottom by the 12th, compared to other countries. GetSmarter.org features: * The Real Challenge -- a test similar to the one administered to students in 40 countries for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Users get the results of their test -- and how they rate compared students around the world -- instantly and confidentially. * Educational Games -- tutorial games that help to improve math and science skills. Math Safari takes the user on a geometric adventure while Mastery Science Theater asks: What is the Wizard of Osmosis? * Students Page -- links to many other informative math and science websites. GetSmarter.org is an initiative of the Council on Competitiveness, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of leaders from the business, university, and labor communities working together to set a national action agenda for U.S. leadership in the global marketplace, technological innovation, and education. ************************************ HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS DISCOVER COMPLEX INTERACTIONS AMONG OCEANS, AIR, AND ICE The natural cycle of water moving from the oceans into the atmosphere and back to the Earth in the form of precipitation (snow) provides a logical structure to help students gain understanding of the complex interactions and effects of Earth systems in daily life. These interactions are the focus of Earth's Fluid Spheres, the third of five hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum modules comprising the Earth System Science in the Community (EarthComm) curriculum program for grades 9-12. The American Geological Institute (AGI) is producing the EarthComm curriculum in association with It's About Time Publishing. The series, developed in accordance with the National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061's Benchmarks for Science Literacy, is designed to help high school students understand fundamental Earth Science concepts by the time they graduate. Through their inquiry and activities in this module, students develop understandings of the complex Earth systems interactions associated with the Earth's oceans, atmosphere, and cryosphere (glaciers). EarthComm also provides the teacher and students with a wide selection of content that meets local interests and course objectives. The modules can be used as stand-alone units or as a full course presented in any order. Each chapter in the Earth's Fluid Spheres module addresses an event or process that occurs in the oceans, atmosphere, or cryosphere; and the activities and background text enable students to understand the complex processes involved in each event. In "Oceans and Your Community," students examine El Niņo, an event that occurs in the Equatorial Pacific. In "Severe Weather and Your Community," the second chapter, students examine the evolution and natural hazards of thunderstorms and associated weather phenomena. In the last chapter, "The Cryosphere and Your Community," students examine the effects on the world's glaciers in the event of a global temperature increase. For more information, visit www.agiweb.org/earthcomm. ************************************ PARTNERSHIP BUILDS ON UNDERSTANDING OF DATA LITERACY TOOLS Triangle Coalition member TERC and Key Curriculum Press have announced a partnership designed to improve the model for teaching and learning middle and high school statistics. The National Science Foundation-funded project is expected to reach hundreds of teachers and thousands of students and combines data visualization tools with academic research about the way teachers and students learn and process statistical concepts. As can be seen in the public discourse surrounding topics such as HIV/AIDS and the most recent U.S. Census, data literacy has become a fundamental skill essential to participation in a rich democracy. But few people have a solid understanding of data distribution, covariation, or the ways in which data are correlated. Despite an abundance of growth and interest in research about the ways in which people learn mathematics and statistics, until now cooperation between educational software developers and educational researchers has been infrequent. The primary research vehicles for the project are two advanced software programs, Fathom Dynamic Statistics, for use by high school students, and Tinkerplots, designed for middle school students. For more information, visit www.terc.edu. ************************************ BACK TO SCHOOL, MOVING FORWARD President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige celebrated the first day of school at Griegos Elementary School (August 15) by launching "Back to School, Moving Forward," Secretary Paige's cross-country back-to-school tour promoting accountability for our elementary and secondary schools. The President and Secretary toured an elementary school with a strong record of academic improvement and spoke with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders assembled to mark the students' first day of school. Secretary Paige also unveiled the first of three back-to-school publications from the Department of Education and gave copies to families at the school. One of these publications, "Back to School, Moving Forward: What No Child Left Behind Means for America's Families," is available online at www.ed.gov/backtoschool, and offers: * the schedule of the Secretary's tour * news about the tour, including speeches and press releases * links to contact information about schools near you * facts about schools. As Paige and other senior education officials visit with students and teachers in classrooms throughout the nation, they will also meet with business and community leaders to discuss their roles in building an education system that holds our schools accountable for improving the performance of all students. _____________________________________________________ This TCEB is made possible by a grant from AT&T. Please visit www.att.com/learningnetwork for more information about AT&T's support for education. The TCEB is a newsletter provided to members of the Triangle Coalition. Members may forward individual articles or the issue in its entirety providing that credit is given to the Triangle Coalition, and all of the following contact information is included in any republication. For TCEB subscription or membership information, contact: Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 phone: 800-582-0115 fax: 202-289-1303 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.triangle-coalition.org To submit information for possible inclusion in TCEB, contact: Joanne Van Voorhis, Target Marketing, Editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************ THE MISSION OF THE TRIANGLE COALITION IS TO FOSTER COLLABORATION AMONG LEADERS IN EDUCATION, BUSINESS, AND GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION. The Triangle Coalition membership includes business, labor, education, science, mathematics, technology and engineering organizations, and community and state-based alliances. ************************************ -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
