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Volume 55, Number 2
May 2011
Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Inside:
• New STAT Officers • STAT Awards Nominations • Lesson Plans and Tips • Membership News and Pics • and much more!
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The Official Newsletter of the Science Teachers Association of Texas
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Remember the first time you fell in love with science?
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We do. It is the reason we believe in hands-on scientific technology. It engages students in a meaningful way, develops keen analytical skills, and awakens a love for discovery.
President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations
www.vernier.com for product tours, training videos, FREE sample labs, and to look for FREE workshops in your neighborhood.
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Vernier Software & Technology | www.vernier.com | Toll Free: 888-837-6437
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About Us Calendar
We are STAT, the Science Teachers Association of Texas.
President’s Message
STAT is committed to the enhancement of the teaching of science in Texas at all levels and in all science disciplines.
New STAT Officers
For STAT Position Statements, go to: http://www.statweb.org/positions
STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
STAT is: o A statewide organization of elementary, middle level, and high school teachers, college educators, supervisors of science, and others dedicated to maintaining the highest levels of science and education in our schools. o A chapter of the National Science Teachers Association o Visit the NSTA site STAT seeks to: o Serve as a unified voice for the science teachers of the state. o Keep science teachers and other members informed about current trends in science education. o Provide opportunities for members to examine techonology, curriculum, materials, and services. o Inform members of local, state and national meetings, conferences, seminars and workshops related to sciences. o Cooperate with other science oriented organizations and teacher associations in the promotion of teaching of science. History: STAT, Science Teachers Association of Texas, was formally organized in 1957 during the 4th Annual Conference for the Advancement of Science & Mathematics Teaching (CASMT). STAT membership is now more than 8,000 strong!
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Calendar..............................................................5 President’s Message .........................................6 New STAT Officers ...........................................8 STAT Awards Nominations ............................9 Farewell from the Past President...................10 CAST 2011.........................................................13 Candycoated Labs ...........................................14 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance ................15 STAT Membership News ..............................16 When They Drive You Crazy ........................18 STAT Contacts .................................................20 Elected Officers ....................................20 Appointed Positions ............................20 Affiliate Congress ................................21 Texas State Board of Education..........22
President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Cover art illustrating “The Art of Science” by Avery Hodges, student at Frenship Middle School in Wolfforth, TX.
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Contents September TAEE Conference September 23-25 Navasota, TX
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October CAST 2011 Committee & STAT BOD Meeting
President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
June TSELA Meeting, June 17 Jewish Community Center 7300 Hart Lane, Austin, TX
November CAST 2011: The Art of Science November 17-19 Dallas, TX
July NSTA’s Chapter and Associated Groups Meeting July 12 - July 16 Baltimore, MD
CAST 2011 STAT Board Meeting November 19 Dallas, TX
www.hmheducation.com/tx/science
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Holt McDougal
Texas Supplemental Grades 5–12 Science
STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy
One-Stop Solutions
Enter the digital classroom and find everything you need, all in one placevirtual labs, animations, editable materials, and other rich media to complement your current science instruction.
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Enter the digital classroom and try our one-stop solutions for Texas Science at www.hmheducation.com/tx/science
ENGAGE
Resources include virtual labs, animations, and other rich media to meet the learning needs of all students.
EXPLORE
Search by TEKS to locate comprehensive instruction over all science concepts, as well as connections to current science issues through SciLinks, and correlations to current science programs.
ENRICH
Prepare for STAAR with instruction, review, and practice assessments.
EQUIP
Great Source • Heinemann • Holt mcDouGal • international • riGby • riverDeep • riverSiDe publiSHinG • Saxon • Steck-vauGHn © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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A Message from President Hill
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As your brand-new President of the Science Teachers Association of Texas, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ross Ann Hill, and I have had the honor to educate seventh and eighth graders at Idalou Middle School for the past twenty-seven years. Idalou, a small West Texas town outside of Lubbock, is where I was born and reared. This year has been an exceptional year to be an Idalou Wildcat with our successes athletically and academically!
President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs
As the school year winds down, we educators notice definite changes on the horizon. With the ongoing legislative session, who knows what modifications will transpire before the dust settles with new TEKS, the STAAR test, and end-of-course exams. More on that in a moment.
3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy
Thankfully, the Science Teachers Association of Texas is experiencing enormous growth as we are now more than 8,000 members strong! Currently, we are gearing up for the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching at the Dallas Convention Center on November 17-19. This year’s theme - The
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Art of Science – recognizes the student (and her teacher) as a whole; some might invoke left brain/right brain references. I prefer to think that if we are well-rounded and open to “creative” learning opportunities, we will better forward our young people into the complex world they are inheriting. CAST is always an enlightening adventure, so I encourage your attendance this fall. In addition, the Award Nomination site is accepting nominations for those inspiring science teachers in your life who deserve recognition: http://www.statweb. org/awards. Please take time to recommend someone so we can honor our best! As promised, another word about elected officials and their processes in Austin. We all know that the resolution of the school finance issue is reduced to two options: very bad and much worse. We will again be asked to do more with less, and most of us will do so. The big loser is the children (and their future employers, and the Texas economy, and these children’s children, and American international competitiveness, and society’s safety, and higher education’s expectations, and….). STAT can no longer stand by with crossed fingers.
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Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President
I feel compelled to take this opportunity to thank the many folks of STAT, most of whom prefer to remain nameless, who have been rolling up their sleeves and participating in the public process to reduce the detrimental changes that are occurring in Texas science education. My one shout-out is to Sandra West, STAT’s Legislative Committee Chair, who on numerous occasions has driven to Austin to testify at hearings of the State Board of Education, the Senate, the House of
Representatives and any other captive audience on science education issues. Sandra, on behalf of all of us, thank you very much for your selfless service to our profession. Hopefully, your brief summer will be relaxing, educational, and restoring because a new school year with its multiple challenges shall be looming.
CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy
CONGRATULATIONS! TO THE 2011 REGIONAL FINALISTS
Splendora ISD • Aransas County ISD • Conroe ISD • Edinburg CISD • Brownsville ISD • Harlandale ISD
Rising Star
Leadership
Lifetime Achievement
Ms. Jennifer Garcia
Mr. Michael Massad, Sr.
Ms. Jayne Doxsey
Hornsby Dunlap Elementary
Patton Elementary
Reeces Creek Elementary
Ms. Lindsay Richard
Ms. Jimmie Walker
Dr. Diana Maxwell
Wilderness Oak Elementary
Cambridge Elementary
Fort Sam Houston Elementary
Ms. Kimberly Buskirk
Ms. Cindy Cormier
Mr. Richard Landmann
Gardens Elementary
Jan Schiff Elementary
Forest Ridge Elementary
James F. Bay Elementary
Ms. Vanessa Rincones
Mr. Michael Sweet
Ms. Dora Newell
Carman Elementary
Thigpen-Zavala Elementary
Ms. Dolores Cisneros Emerson
Sam Houston Elementary
Ms. Christy Zamora
Ms. Martha McLeod
Ms. Belinda Silva
Flour Bluff Early Childhood Center
Fulton 4-5 Grade Learning Center
Moses Menger Elementary
Ms. Jennifer Welch
Ms. Melissa Cooper
Ms. Ella Whitley
Murchison Middle School
Claude Cunningham Middle School
Mr. Jason Sabotin
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Small Districts Argyle ISD • Large Districts Mesquite ISD
Arlington Heights High School
Ms. Penny McCool Robert E. Lee High School and STEM Academy
Mr. David Foss
Ms. Levinia Lara John Hoffmann Elementary
Ms. Erin Tite Morningside Elementary
Ms. Galen Hoffstadt Luther Jones Elementary
Mr. David Gonzalez George Washington Middle School
Ms. Janice Cuccia
Alamo Heights High School
Fox Tech High School
Ms. Carol Briggs
Ms. Carole Smithwick-Kiebach
Westfield High School
Seven Lakes High School
Ms. Rachelle Grace
Ms. Yolanda Fernandez
McAllen Memorial High School
Del Rio High School
Booker T. Washington High School
Ms. Judy Holmgreen
Ms. Linda Colman
Alice High School
Ms. Ann Lilie Summitt Elementary
Midway Middle School
Dr. Nghia Le Mr. James Butler
Principal
Cuero High School
Dr. Patricia Castillo Claude Cunningham Middle School
Mr. Charles Pickitt Richardson High School
Mr. Michael Cardona Robert E. Lee High School
Dr. R. Scott Allen The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Uvalde High School
Finalists receive the following AWARDS • Principals receive $1,000 and their school receives a grant for $2,500.
• Teachers receive $1,000 and a matching grant goes to their school. • Small School Districts receive $2,500. Large School Districts receive $5,000.
All of these finalists will go on to the statewide competition in May where they have a chance to win $5,000 to $100,000 for themselves and a matching grant for their school.
Visit heb.com/education in June for the list of 2011 awards winners ©2011 H-E-B, 11-2424
and to nominate your favorite educator or district for the 2012 awards program.
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Calendar
The Votes Are In!
President’s Message
Congratulations to the new STAT Executive Committee. Officers will take their positions June 1st, 2011.
New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations
Farewell from the Past President
President
Ross Ann Hill
CAST 2011
Past-President
Joel Palmer
President-Elect
Sharon Kamas
Vice President
Donald Burken
STAT Membership News
Secretary
Jo Anne Jackson
When They Drive You Crazy
Treasurer
Terry Ward
Member At Large
Kiki Corry
Member At Large
Denise Hill
Member At Large
Deidre Parish
Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
Contacts
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Calendar President’s Message
STAT Award Nominations It’s time to nominate yourself, a friend, colleague, or mentor for a 2011 STAT Award.
New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2011. Show your appreciation for an excellent teacher who deserves recognition! Please Note: Only current STAT members may be nominated.
STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Click Here to go to the online awards page.
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Farewell from the Past President by Joel Palmer
31,600,000 seconds ago Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
(give or take 100,000 or so) I sat down to write a very different letter. That letter was my first letter as the new President of STAT. This letter is my farewell letter.
31,600,000 seconds ago, gas was an average of $2.90 per gallon1, and we were complaining about the price. Today the average is $3.96 and we think fondly of prices a year a go. 31.6 x 106 seconds ago (or 1 year for those of you who have not figured it out yet) there was a teacher surplus. Districts around the state were having record numbers of people showing up at job fairs. Some districts had as many individuals show up at their job fair as they had teachers in their districts. Nevertheless, there were openings. My district hired about 20% fewer teachers than in prior years, but we had some openings. This year my district and all the districts near mine simply canceled their job fairs and most have hiring freezes. While I have not heard of any science teachers being laid off yet I know of several Science Curriculum Coordinators and Instructional Specialists that are looking for jobs. I have openings in my district for science teachers but am not allowed to fill them. Budgets are not yet adopted at the district level because a budget has not been adopted by the State 10
Legislature. Until the Legislature votes on the budget there is a great deal of uncertainty. In addition to the budget decisions that the Legislature has yet to make, they are looking at a number of bills that will impact legislation. STAT is tracking these bills and making them available to you as a member. You can see the bills that relate to education on the STAT website under News/Legislative Tracker. There are links to each bill on Texas Legislature Online where you can find the entire bill and see the status of the bill. These bills address educational funding, unfunded mandates, professional employee salaries, deadlines for notification of teacher of nonrenewal of contracts, implementation of the STAAR, teacher appraisal and more. STAT is actively tracking these bills and engaging in conservations with the legislators. It is easy to think that your voice is not important. Nothing could be further from the truth. Last December, four STAT members went before the state school board to advocate for the 9-12 supplemental science textbook adoption. By the end of the meeting, not only had the board reversed it decision on the 9-12 adoption, it had reinstated the 5-8 supplemental adoption. Teachers make up a large demographic in Texas. If we remain silent the Legislature will not know what we want. One role of STAT is to be a voice for science teachers, but your voices are needed as well.
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Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Farewell from the Past President (cont’d.) It has been an interesting year as STAT President. New TEKS, transition to new assessment, budget crises, and an outstanding, record-breaking CAST. I cannot take any credit for the 2010 CAST in Houston. The credit goes to Past President Patsy Magee and her committee. My job now is to make the 2011 CAST in Dallas just as good. STAT is committed to providing the premier professional development for science teachers. As I hand off the presidency of STAT to Ross Ann Hill, I know that the organization is in good hands. In addition to the success of CAST 2010, STAT has a number of other successes this year. We impacted the State Board of Education decision on the supplemental adoption. STAT began offering professional liability insurance to its members. In addition to CAST, STAT sponsored a number of successful MiniCASTs around the state. The biggest accomplishment for STAT this year is a reorganization of the STAT Board. Prior to this year the STAT Board consisted of the President, Vice President, President Elect, Past President, Secretary and Treasurer. This year you, the STAT membership, voted to add three additional positions. These positions are the Member At Large positions, and the individuals may run for two consecutive terms. In addition, the Vice President and Secretary may also run for two consecutive terms. These changes will provide broader representation on the board and
more continuity with all positions, allowing members to serve for more than one year. Ross Ann will lead a very different STAT board than the one I had, and I believe that it will be a stronger board that can continue improving STAT’s benefits to its membership. Working together, we can provide better educational opportunities for all students in Texas.
Narayanan, R., U.S. Pump Price Update – May 11, 2011, American Petroleum Institute www.api.org/aboutoilgas/gasoline/upload/ PumpPriceUpdate.pdf 1
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MOLU_PE3 Clr StateliteAd 4-11:Layout 1
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presents
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The Mobile Offshore Learning Unit (MOLU) The Mobile Offshore Learning Unit (MOLU) is a $1.2 million dollar engaging traveling exhibit. It features six self contained learning centers with curriculum-based, hands-on activities about energy and the technologies and sciences involved with
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the oil and gas industry. The curriculum for each of the 24 activities is based on national and Texas
President’s Message
state standards (TEKS). Although the MOLU is geared for 5th grade students, it is also appropriate
New STAT Officers
for other age groups. The MOLU is sponsored by Teachers will need to accomplish the following prior to the visit: ■ Administer pre-test ■ Have students view 2 complimentary DVDs, OEC’s The Offshore Story and API's Fuel-less ■ Have students complete a Career Interest Profile form
STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President
Following the visit, teachers are asked to: ■ Review and correct answers in the MOLU Pass booklet with students ■ Administer post-test ■ Score pre/post tests and mail to OEC ■ Complete online teacher evaluation form
Devon, Dominion, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Marathon Oil Company, and Schlumberger. For more information about the MOLU and to download a MOLU Request Form, please visit www.oceanstaroec.com
A pre-visit package containing all necessary materials will be sent to the school prior to the MOLU visit.
CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
Presents
Project E³: Expanding Energy Education Workshops At Ocean
STAT Membership News
Star Museum in Galveston – 20th Street at Harborside Drive
20 11 W O R K S H O P D AT E S Knowledge Box Grades 6-12 Thursday, June 16, 2011 Thursday, July 14, 2011 Thursday, August 4, 2011 Saturday, September 24, 2011 Saturday, October 22, 2011 Saturday, December 10, 2011
When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Playing with Petroleum Grades K-5 Tuesday, June 14, 2011 Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Tuesday, August 2, 2011 Saturday, September 17, 2011 Saturday, October 8, 2011 Saturday, November 19, 2011
Participants will receive free admission to the Museum, a complimentary guided tour along with a light breakfast, lunch, and the Project E³: Expanding Energy Education Teacher Guide (a $35.00 Value). We require a $35.00 refundable deposit to discourage NO-SHOWS. Registration deposits will be cheerfully refunded to registrants that attend the workshop and those that cancel three days prior to the workshop date. Workshops begin at 9:00am and end at 4:00pm. Each participant will also receive 6 CPE hours and will be able to check out the Knowledge Box or Playing with Petroleum Kit up to 30 days to utilize in their classrooms at no charge. ( Free pick-up and delivery within the Houston area.) The first time a 2011 workshop attendee checks out a Knowledge Box or PWP Kit, he/she will receive a $25.00 incentive bonus upon the OEC’s receipt of a completed survey.
Mail checks to: Offshore Energy Center 200 N. Dairy Ashford, Suite 4119 Houston, Texas 77079 (281) 544-2435 Fax: (281) 544-2441
Ask about workshops outside of the Houston/Galveston area.
For more information about the workshops, visit our website: www oceanstaroec.com or contact Doris Tomas, Education Director, dtomas@oceanstaroec.com
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CAST 2011 District budgets are a...
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Balancing Act.
President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News
Extra-Early Registration is only $115. Visit www.statweb.org/cast to learn more.
Click Here to Register for CAST 2011! Thank You to Our Sponsors for Making CAST 2011 Possible! Sponsorships are still available. Visit the menu HERE for more details.
When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
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Candy-coated Labs by Deena S. Harper
Simple labs to use in order to introduce students to the concepts of scientific processes TEKS 1A; 2A, B, C, D, E; 3A, B, C, E Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Scientific processes are skills science students should be introduced to early and used often throughout their 6-12 science classes. The Candy labs are the result of trial, error, experience, and a profound interest of mine in the nature of science. The use of plain and peanut chocolate in a colorful candy shell is not new to some science teachers, but I have developed these labs to focus on specific scientific processes. In order to introduce my students to the scientific processes and the nature of science, I use the following activities. These activities establish the beginnings of lab procedures for our class and have worked well with 6th through 9th graders. As with all procedures, we may need to reteach at times. I explain to my students that we may be using candy, but we are learning scientific processes that we will use as scientists. In addition to the scientific process terms, I introduce the terms metacognition and constructing knowledge. I share with them that it is important that they are aware of how they learn and knowing this makes them responsible and active in their own learning (metacognition). They learn that in order to construct their own knowledge, they need to be able to link what they know and what they are familiar with to what is unfamiliar (constructing knowledge). The use of plain and peanut chocolate candies as the focus of the endeavor provides them with something familiar, non-threatening, and fun. The lab activity introduces them to making observations, measuring, classifying, organizing data, inferring, defining operationally, predicting, hypothesizing, making models, and exploring variables. Conducting this activity at the beginning of the school year introduces the students to the vocabulary and concepts of the scientific process and provides a reference point for future and more rigorous lab activities. This activity is conducted at our desks and not in the lab. Each lab has a vocabulary that should be taught to the students in context to the lab. Allow time for students to reflect on each experience and make connections between their experiences and the value of each scientific process to their future experiences in your class. Click Here for the Full Article.
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3-D Learning to 2-D Performance© by Barbara ten Brink, Ph.D.
Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President
On the Brink of Success 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance© 3-D to 2-D© By Barbara ten Brink, Ph.D. How can we ensure that our students will transfer their knowledge from the instructional practices we implement in the science classroom to the state assessment? • What is 3-D? • What is 2-D? • I know I taught it. I know my students learned it. How can my students transfer their knowledge to a test?
CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy
The value of district benchmark tests and statewide assessments is: we can assess students’ knowledge on specific state and national standards; we can predict student performance on those assessments; and we can identify gaps in the cycle of Curriculum, Instruction, Learning, and Assessment. In this case study, we discovered the students’ inability to transfer their learning from the lessons in class to the district’s benchmark test. If this trend continued, we foresaw a disappointing performance on the State’s assessment. We will extrapolate the success of this case study to instructional strategies to improve science performance.
Contacts Click Here for the Full Article.
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STAT Membership News
Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011
The numbers are in. STAT is now 8,000 members strong and growing each day. If you know a science teacher or administrator who isn’t yet a member of STAT, invite them to join for only $25/year. We provide year-round benefits such as access to publications, email alerts, and social networking. Remind your friends to attend CAST 2011 and receive a year of STAT membership included!
Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
In the News...
STAT Membership News
STAT Member Bhavna Rawal has been named a regional winner in NSTA’s Shell Science Lab Challenge, a new competition for middle and high school science teachers.
When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
See the full story here.
STAT member Jim Westgate is a Piper Award winning professor of science at Lamar University. See the full story here.
Past President Michael Baldwin chronicles his daring escape from Libya, where he moved for a teaching assignment immediately following CAST 2009. Read about his adventures here: http://www.dinomike01.blogspot.com/
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STAT Membership News
Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President
Sandra West Moody, STAT’s Legislative Committee Chair, joined STAT Executive Director Chuck Hempstead at the Capitol.
CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs
The STAT Executive Board: Joel Palmer, Deidre Parish, Terry Ward, Ross Ann Hill, Sharon Kamas, Kiki Corry, Jo Anne Jackson, Donald Burken, and Denise Hill.
3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
Past-President Joel Palmer congratulates the newly-elected Members At Large: Kiki Corry, Deidre Parish, and Denise Hill.
Joel Palmer passes the gavel of STAT Presidency to Ross Ann Hill.
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What to Do When They Drive You Crazy by David Peters
I am sure
Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
when she acted out in class I would act like we’ve all had that I didn’t see or hear her, but that didn’t work student, that one, the only one that drives well at all. I tried praising and encourageyou nuts! You know the class is coming, ment: when she made a high score on a test and you stand in the hallway and see them or project I would let the whole class know. walking towards the classroom and you This worked sometimes but at others was cringe. You think, “How am I going to make disastrous. In the end, she was just a difit through another class with that student?” ficult student to figure out. We finally just Then the bell rings, the class begins, and as came to a mutual understanding that she you begin to take roll... it starts. You hear was going to act as she wanted and I was gothe voice and you see the movement and ing to just have to accept it. you know it’s going to be a tough class. It’s the student that isn’t quite bad enough to She wasn’t bad all the time. She send out of class or even write a discipline always made very high grades on tests and, referral on, but, bad enough to cause some when she did daily work, her work was class disruption and drive you crazy trying excellent. Just getting her to concentrate and to control the class. do the work was the problem. I had one of these, we’ll call her Lucy. Lucy was 16 years old and in my Pre-Advanced Placement (PAP) Physics class. She was super intelligent, but she was a challenge to my patience and teaching. She had the qualities of a Gifted and Talented (GT) student, but had not been identified in the schooling system. She obviously knew she was gifted as she was in a PAP class, but, just had just never been labeled. She had the knack for saying the perfect thing at the perfect time to completely disrupt the class or my train of thought. When she took a test, she would actually come to me and ask me for the answers! I tried several different approaches in my treatment of this student. I tried ignoring: 18
I’ve had several students like this one in my years of teaching, but she definitely stood out as one of my most difficult. I guess the most difficult part was she was so intelligent and so hard to work with. Most of my difficult students were usually not very highly motivated or were of average intelligence, but Lucy was definitely above the norm. I believe this is why I found her to be so difficult: I saw such tremendous potential. Fortunately I was able to keep with up Lucy over the years. After she left my class, we became friends and she also became friends with my daughter, who was roughly her same age. This friendship has lasted for several years, so I know how her life has
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Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
When They Drive You Crazy (cont’d.) proceeded. I found out in the course of time that one of the reasons she was so difficult in my class is that at the time she was going through a lot at home. Her parents had just split up and in her grief she was experimenting with drugs and drinking and acting out. Over the next few years she quit the drugs and drinking and accepted her parents break-up. She went on to receive a full athletic scholarship at a Midwestern university and studied pre-med. At this time she is a medical student at a major university and will soon be a pediatrician. So, in the end, this most difficult student became highly successful. Is every difficult student going to be as highly successful as this one? Unfortunately, probably not, but you never know which one will be. So, it is always best to be patient and work with the difficult students as best you can, because you never know, the next difficult student could end up being a doctor, lawyer, or even President of the United States and all they needed was a little patience and understanding in their early years.
but most likely, there are some deep-seated reasons behind the behavior. So, if you are a new teacher, or even a veteran, when you have a student that drives you crazy in your class what do you do? You approach them with patience and understanding as much as you can. You can try and find out what underlying issues could be causing the behavior through a counselor, parent or even the student. If you find an underlying cause then you know how to react to the student and hopefully, how to reach the student and regain control of the class. If you are unable to find a cause or if the student is just challenging beyond our efforts, then, you can always try the traditional methods of write-ups and consequences, but in most cases this is not effective and only a stopgap measure. I have always found that using patience and understanding is much more effective than consequences (although it’s sometimes a nice break when they are out of class in detention or in-school-suspension (ISS)!).
So, when you hear that student coming down the hall and you cringe, remember: that student may be having problems you are not aware or at the very least, the acting out could be a mask covering tremendous potential. Of course, they could just be a bad student that needs more discipline, 19
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Elected Officers As of June 1
STAT Office Mailing Address: 5750 Balcones Dr., Ste 201 Austin, TX 78731
Calendar President’s Message
Phone: (512) 491-6685
New STAT Officers
Fax: (512) 873-7423
STAT Awards Nominations
www.statweb.org stat@bizaustin.rr.com
President: Ross Ann Hill (806) 892-1900 president@statweb.org
Past President: Dr. Joel Palmer (972) 882-7388 pastpresident@statweb.org
President-Elect: Sharon Kamas (281)-604-7000 presidentelect@statweb.org
Treasurer: Terry Ward (817) 305-6741 treasurer@statweb.org
Vice President: Donald Burken (713) 723-0273 vicepresident@statweb.org
Secretary: Jo Anne Jackson (806) 766-1162 secretary@statweb.org
Farewell from the Past President
Members At Large: Kiki Corry Dr. Denise Hill Dr. Deidre Parish
CAST 2011
kiki@statweb.org denise@statweb.org deidre@statweb.org
Appointed Positions
Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
Executive Director: Chuck Hempstead
STAT Membership News
(512) 491-6685 stat@bizaustin.rr.com
CAST Exhibits Manager & Advertising Manager: Frank Butcher
When They Drive You Crazy Contacts
(281)424-1230 frank.butcher@comcast.net
Texas Science Teacher Editor: Dr. Joel Palmer (972) 882-7388 president@statweb.org
STATellite Editor: (512) 491-6685 stat@bizaustin.rr.com
TEA Representative: Dr. Kenn Heydrick
(512) 463-1827 Kenn.Heydrick@tea.state.tx.us 20 20
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Contents
ACT
Calendar President’s Message New STAT Officers
Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas
Informal Science Education Association
Amiee Modic
Chip Lindsey
TAEE
TCES
amodic@sbcglobal.net
STAT Awards Nominations
TABT
ISEA
chip@dhdc.org
Farewell from the Past President
Texas Association of Biology Teachers
Texas Association for Environmental Education
Texas Council of Elementary Science
CAST 2011
Michael Wells
Sally Wall
Deborah Rang
Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
mwells@springisd.org
swall@gccisd.net
deborah_rang@roundrockisd.org
TESTA
TMEA
TSAAPT
Texas Earth Science Teachers Association
STAT Membership News
Gail Gant
ggant@sjs.org
Texas Marine Educators Association Marolyn Smith
marolyn.smith@yahoo.com
Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers Karen Jo Matsler kjmatsler@gmail.com
When They Drive You Crazy
TSELA
Contacts
Texas Science Education Leadership Association Kevin Fisher
kfisher56@msn.com
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Contents Gail Lowe, Chair Bob Craig, Vice Chair Mary Helen Berlanga, Secretary
Calendar
SBOE District 1 - Charlie Garza
SBOE District 10 - Marsha Farney
SBOE District 2 - Mary Helen Berlanga
SBOE District 11 - Patricia Hardy
12453 Tierra Cipres Dr. El Paso, Texas 79938 (915) 630-2427
President’s Message
2727 Morgan Avenue Corpus Christi, TX 78405 (361) 881-1000 (361) 881-1028 fax
New STAT Officers STAT Awards Nominations
SBOE District 4 - Lawrence A. Allen, Jr.
SBOE District 13 - Mavis B. Knight
SBOE District 5- Ken Mercer P.O. Box 781301 San Antonio, TX 78278-1301 (512) 463-9007
Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance
SBOE District 6 - Terri Leo 23516 Twin Oaks Dr. RR#5 Spring, TX 77389 (281) 257-0832 fax
STAT Membership News
SBOE District 7 - David Bradley 2165 North Street Beaumont, TX 77701 (409) 835-3808
When They Drive You Crazy
900 North Elm Weatherford, TX 76086 (817) 598-2968 (817) 598-2833 fax
SBOE District 12 - George Clayton
2130 Vermillion Oak St. Fresno, Texas 77545 (713) 203-1355
CAST 2011
P.O. Box 99 Georgetown, Texas 78627 (512) 966-6771
SBOE District 3- Michael Soto 2034 W. Kings Hwy. San Antonio, TX 78201 (210) 685-8378
Farewell from the Past President
William B. Travis Building 1701 North Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701-1494
526 Tiffany Trail Richardson, Texas 75081 (972) 834-3618 6108 Red Bird Court Dallas, TX 75232 (214) 333-9575 (214) 339-9242 fax
SBOE District 14 - Gail Lowe
11 Chris Avenue Lampasas, TX 76550 (512) 556-6262 (512) 936-4319 fax
SBOE District 15 - Bob Craig
P.O. Box 1979 Lubbock, TX 79408-1979 (806) 744-3232 (806) 744-2211 fax
SBOE District 8 - Barbara Cargill 61 W. Wedgemere Circle The Woodlands, TX 77381 (281) 465-8095
Contacts
SBOE District 9 - Thomas Ratliff P.O. Box 232 Mount Pleasant, TX 75456 (903) 717-1190
Need to find your state legislators? Search by zip code at:
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us 22 22
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Contents
Want to be published? E-mail us your letters and articles! Calendar
STATellite Due Dates
President’s Message
Due dates for publication of articles in The STATellite are:
New STAT Officers
Submission Deadline February 1 May 1 August 1 December 1
STAT Awards Nominations Farewell from the Past President CAST 2011 Candy-coated Labs 3-D Learning to 2-D Performance STAT Membership News When They Drive You Crazy
Publication Date February 15 May 15 August 15 December 15
Text files or Microsoft Word documents are preferable, but InDesign files are also acceptable. A minimum of one picture to accompany each article is required. Mail or e-mail your submissions to: The STATellite 5750 Balcones Dr., Ste 201 Austin, TX 78731 stat@bizaustin.rr.com The views of the columnists in The STATellite do not necessarily represent the views of STAT or its Board members.
Contacts
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