Value Systems and Science: Khan Academy and Your Essay

Evolution, natural selection...Do these ideas fit your values?  Have you researched them or blindly repeated what you've heard said?  Data are truth.  Many religions seek truth.  Have you thought about truth?  Science and religion share that they are about truth-seeking.  Some students get excited about science when they study it from the point of their own value systems.

First have students jot down ideas for an essay on evolution from any perspective that they would like.  They can make a map of their ideas, or, use an outline, chart, picture, or list.  Let them use any way they would like to form a presentation of their ideas.

Next, have them put an opinion or feeling they would like to share.  They can circle this or put a box around it...Use some way to keep their sentiment or point in focus.

Set these items aside.

Now, here is a video to watch:
http://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/v/intelligent-design-and-evolution?v=qxOEz9aPZNY

Have the students watch the video.  They may take notes.  They don't have to take notes.  They may use any format for the note-taking they desire if they do take notes.

Have them jot down the major points of the film and then box their feeling or opinion about the film they would like to share.

Have students then take some time even a week or two to write a comparison and contrast essay between their initial ideas and the ideas presented in the video.  Have them add information from 5 other sources of their choosing, religious books, newspaper articles, texts or story books, or, even and hopefully at least one journal article...  Be sure to have them cite the sources.  (They can use a style manual for that.  The librarian can help you find one or you can find some on line.  I suggest using a science one or one for publishing articles in a magazine.)

The purpose of this essay will be for the students to examine science from their own value systems as they are.  The work should not be steered by any adult or voice.  Let the student think deeply.  Let them know that this is where they are now in their thinking and their is no "wrong-ness" in thinking their own thoughts.  Explain that throughout life we use our value systems whether cultural, religious or other, to influence how we think and what we think about topics.  If they were writing this essay in 5 years, their views might be different because of their life experiences, their learning, and their deepening of personal views.  Let them know that periodically re-examining where they stand on issues is a good thing.  Stagnation is not a good thing, on the other hand.
Let the students have fun exploring their values and how they relate to science and how they relate to growth in life.
(c) 2012 J S Shipman

Fire ants and Lizards: Reflection

Encouraging students to reflect, and support their views in essential to higher order thinking. The following video is sure to stir up some ideas. It is a video on fire ant and lizard interaction. Claims are made. Do you feel the claims are supported? Why or why not? Each student can decide for him- or her- self and students can then support the opinions they have obtained with literature citations, experimentation, and discussions. Students may obtain different answers. What is important is that they each take time to reflect, think, study, research, experiment and draw a conclusion they are comfortable with. Students are at different levels and bring different knowledge and value systems into classes. An open-ended exercise like this helps each student grow from where he or she is. The video has something for each of us to learn. Remember, we can all remind ourselves to keep ourselves current by periodically reviewing new information as it is learned. Then, we repeat the steps just taken here of reflecting and evaluating and drawing conclusions, anew.



Can you investigate and find out more about fire ants? About lizards? What type of lizard is that? How can you find out?

Here is a link on Eastern Fence lizards:
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/lizards/sceund.htm

Wikipedia link on Western Fence Lizards:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_fence_lizard

Here is the portal to more information on lizards:
http://www.nbii.gov/portal/community/Communities/Plants,_Animals_&_Other_Organisms/Reptiles/Reptile_Species/Lizards/

These are a good place to start. But, Remember to use your Reach Readtng TM skills to bridge uo to the refereed journal articles. Use HOT skills (higher order thinking skills) to enhance your learning on this (and other) topic(s).
.


.

Time to build immunity in your classroom?

"Immunity and You," Curriculum Available
This curriculum from Cornell will enable you and your students to learn about immunity.

I have posted related vocabulary words here. You can therefore double click on them for meanings and pronunciations. You might also want to use them to create a, "Word Wall," in your classroom. Perhaps each student could design a card and write the definition, too, for the wall.

AIDS Allergy Amino Acid Antibody Antigen Antihistamine Bacteria Disease Fungi Genes Histamine Genetic Recombination Homeostasis Immunity Immune System Insulin Lipid Microbes Organs Pancreas Parasites Pathogen Quarantine Receptor Molecule Recombination Synthesis Template Tissue Trait Tumor Vaccine Virus

Get rest, eat healthily, play healthily, and enjoy life. Build your immunity.

Potential New Crop Plants via Australian Portal

Here's a link to potential new crop plants

Have you thought about new crops?

What is the benefit of diversifying agriculture?

Do you need to think about, "invasive species," when introducing a plant to a new area?

Should a lawn be composed of several species? Why or why not?

What is a monoculture?

I've given you some open-ended questions for a brisk fall day's science discussion.

Have fun.

Dr. J

FYI: New Crops Authors

(c)2008 J S Shipman

Here's a chance to try some HOT Skills...

You may have heard about bacteria building up resistance to antibiotics, or, about using antibiotics in soaps, dish detergents and animal feeds leading to super germs. If not, do a search and see what you can find out about that topic.

Then, compare that to what you think might happen if fungal extracts are added to animal feed.

Here is an article to get you started on that topic:

THE EFFECT OF A WILD MUSHROOM (GANODERMA LUCIDUM) SUPPLEMENTATION OF FEED ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSE OF PULLET CHICKENS TO INFECTIOUS BURSAL DISEASE VACCINE hot!

Authors: A.O. OGBE¹, L.O. MGBOJIKWE¹, A.A. Owoade⁴, S.E. ATAWODI² and P.A. ABDU³

• ¹Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology,
• National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria.
• ²Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
• ³Department of Veterinary Surgery and Medicine, Ahmadu Bello
• University, Zaria, Nigeria.
• ⁴Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

See what you think. Use higher order thinking skills to develop a hypothetical public policy.

(c)2008 J S Shipman

History of the Periodic Table: BrentjChristy's You-tube and Ways to Learn Science

What do you think about these video's? Did you learn from them?

Do you think you would learn more if you created your own video on this topic?

Compare this video clip to the videos you've just seen:


or, this one...


Which video was easiest for you to remember the content? Why? Have you thought about how you learn and store information? Does a story about the information make it easier to remember?

Come up with ways to help you remember information that you are learning. Invent a song or create a video (or both) to help you remember information. Think about experimentation...Does doing experiments help you learn science? Why or why not?

(c) 2008 J S Shipman

Australian Ideas for Science Education

Here is a link to Australia K-6 ideas:
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/curric/k_6/ouroz.html

For example, you can take a virtual field trip to Australia.


You might like to compare and contrast Australian environmental weed control methods with Control of invasive species in your own country.

Finance, Integrity, Energy Solutions, and, Botany all in one great film

Frank Capra's 1938 film, You Can't Take It with You, staring, among others, James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Lionel Barrymore, foreshadows sustainability.

Tony Kirby (James Stewart) dreams of finding out how the, "green stuff," in plants can solve the World's energy needs. While the film has a touch of romance, covers family values, and, and provides social commentary on finance, the film could serve as a unique introduction to the study of photosynthesis, or, to how film can contribute to scientific reality, or, to the overlap of finance and science.

Use the film to jump-start an inspiring study of global energy, starting with the producers, the, "green," plants. You know, energy leads to money and money being called, "green," could have been providing a huge hint all these years to solving the energy problems of the world. Use your ideas. Go back through the critical and higher order thinking skills as you study. Relate the science knowledge you discover to the choices you make in your life, to public policy, to how you vote, how you choose your food. You make a positive difference by wise choices. Thank you.

Dr. J

P.S. I recently found this link: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=42 which might help with Americans wanting to use science knowledge to help decide their choices for the upcoming election. I haven't reviewed all of the points on the site, however, so, use your own judgment.
(c)2008 J S Shipman

Sometimes we use math!!!

I thought you would enjoy this math video. It is well done and the lyrics are available. It is an excellent example of putting math standards into an audible form, very artistic. Smile.


Congratulations, Drew D'Amelia!

It is a wonderful example. Can you do a creative video on science standards that you are studying? Just trying will help to expand your mental brain capabilities. Whole brain development is encouraged by such creativity. Enjoy and share your results.

Dr. J

Evaluate---> Create

Here's a post on teaching higher order thinking skills: http://www1.chapman.edu/univcoll/faculty/piper/2042/essential.htm

Use it and use the HOT Skills wheel as you read it. Use your background knowledge and your value system to evaluate what it says. You can do the entire post, or, just a paragraph. But, try to probe deeply into the ideas presented. Relate them to teaching/learning science.

Next, create something out of that reading and evaluation. Perhaps a video or a paper expressing key ideas and how you can use them to solve the, "No Child Left Behind," riddle. (Because as the NCLB stands, too many children are being left behind.) Or perhaps, you can create a painting or a ballet to convey a suggestion for public policy related to science education. Or, maybe, you have come up with a great lesson plan idea and you want to prepare a dynamic class for next week's science lesson.

Here are some ideas from the HOT Skills link above written earlier in this blog. You can use these ideas together with what you already know to help you evaluate the Chapman post and then create or synthesize your new ideas or ways of presenting based on what you read. What will you create?

Analysis: Do you see patterns? How are parts organized? Do you recognize any hidden meanings? Can you identify components?

Application: You can apply the data when you use information, methods, concepts,and theories in new situations. Solving problems by using required skills or knowledge is also, "application." For example, did you apply math skills that you already have to analyze the data.

Synthesis: Can you generalize from given facts, relate knowledge from several areas, predict, draw conclusions and use old ideas to create new ones? assess value of theories, make choices based on reasoned arguments, verify value of evidence, recognize subjectivity, compare and discriminate between/among ideas.

Remember to step through the thinking processes and be sure to use, "evaluation," and "creation." Have fun thinking deeply and being creative, too.

More Higher Order Thinking Links

1. Dan Montano added "higher-order-thinking" to Wiki
2. 
   Visit Gifted Education 2.0
3. Graphic Organizers---Video Welcome to Teachers At Risk

Elona Hartjes

(Click the "Graphic Organizers" link above, scroll down to the green video box, just above "Crowd") By the way, you may find the rest of the Elona Hartjes' Teachers at Risk page has useful information, too.

1. A video resource: Animoto Future link
   
2. Use "rich media" to engage and evaluate students' higher-order thinking
3. Andrew Churches: Digital World meets Higher Order Thinking
   
4. Higher Order Thinking Workshop a Success2008년 7월 28일 Dr-J이(가) 작성
5. Higher Order Thinking and Multiple Intelligences

The higher order thinking skills lead to students becoming good global citizens. No matter what country someone is from, he or she can look at data, and using his or her background knowledge, family's value system, and world view, evaluate the data and make informed judgments. It is likely if we all increase our higher order thinking processes we can contribute to World peace. Higher order thinking can lead to sustainability and to solving or lessening problems such as hunger, global warming, energy usage.

Solar power leads to sustainability... What do you think?

Watch this video and think about it. Compare and contrast your life to what you see in this video. Evaluate it based on what you know of science of solar power and on your own value system. Try writing about it. Do you know of other ways to use science to improve sustainability of the Earth and concurrently end poverty? Does charity overlap with science? Reflection using your science skills helps make informed decisions...


###
I have added another video that I found later:

A Program of Assisted Migration—selectively moving Certain Species to New Locations better suited to their Survival

Here's a topic to think about. Use higher order thinking skills, stepping through the six levels as you explore this topic. Write about what you find out. Don't forget to cite your sources.

Source: In the news---Today (left hand column)

In the News provided by The Free Dictionary

Teachers can come to the International Conference!

Teachers are welcome to attend the Botanical Society of America Conferences.

Teachers get a special (affordable) rate for the conference. Perhaps your school will sponsor you. Information on dates of the next two conferences is shown below. however, you can get much more detail at the BSA website: http://www.botany.org/conferences/

BOTANY 2008 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 26 - 30, 2008, Joint meeting with the Canadian Botanical Association-L'Association Botanique du Canada, American Fern Society and American Society of Plant Taxonomists

Note that the H.O.T. Skills Wheel Workshop will be held on Sunday at the conference. There are still a few openings if you would like to attend.

Botany 2009 - Snowbird, Utah, July 25 - 30, Joint meeting with the Mycological Society of America, ABLS, AFS, and ASPT

Computers, Proteins, Enzymes, Cheese

Computers, Proteins, Enzymes, Cheese
Watch this video, if you please.



Compare and contrast this video to the one posted yesterday. You might want to use a Venn diagram and write an essay on the comparison and contrast.

Secure and reliable access, control, and management capabilities across network and computing infrastructures

Pragma Systems is one of the American companies providing secure and reliable access, control, and management capabilities across network and computing infrastructures. Located in Austin, Texas and easily accessible by web, Pragma Systems is representative of the kind of secure environment desired on the web: SSH Telnet

What are they a model for? If you have many people accessing your network, you need a "server" that can handle that traffic. The server has to be affordable. You might want to customize the login so that it is specific to your network group.

Recently we talked about gathering data and evaluating it. These are standard tasks in science. You can use these science skills to gather and evaluate network and computer information, too. Try it and see. What can you find out about the state-of-the-art technology related to secure and reliable network access? How about control and management capabilities?

There's technology vocabulary to learn, too. Do you know what a server is? How about a network? What is a network? When a subject area has a special language, that language is called a "jargon." Many areas of science have their own jargons. Look at the following text from a small part of a Pragma Systems advertisement:

"Ability to run, manage, and control any 16bit, 32bit, DOS character or console mode program, including edit.com, command.com, vi, emacs, pmon, net, ftp, lynx, perl and shells imported from Unix"

Do you see any jargon? Are there words that you don't know? Have you looked up the words? Here are some examples of words found in advertising that at the time of publishing were not all in the dictionary.

• perl
• lynx
• pmon
  
• shells:

  "Computer Science A program that works with the operating system as a command processor, used to enter commands and initiate their execution."

How can you learn more? Does advertising play a role in learning about new technologies? What about bias? Do you need to worry about bias in advertising? State-of-the-art technology often means the manufacturers are doing a lot of educating about their products. Still, you need to use higher order thinking skills and evaluate the data that you gather.

How can you use science to help you make decisions?

In the United States, and elsewhere, many people are often concerned about their weight, how can you use science to evaluate whether you want a macrobiotic diet, a lap-band ventura or anything in-between?
lap-band ventura

Evaluating any decision regarding your health and lifestyle requires sound scientific principles. People are often aware of processes of scientific method(s). Some students, and grown-ups, too, will think of these methods in science class, but forget to use them in every day life. Making sound decisions leads to better health and improved longevity.

Across grades K-12, researchers have focused on ways that students investigate, model, discuss, and understand increasingly sophisticated mathematics and science concepts. Source: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/ncisla/research/. Accessed December 28, 2007.

Because of global warming, alternative energy, water use and other complicated social and environmental issues, people need to rely on basic science skills like evaluating data.
As a result of the societal and personal needs, decision making is being increasingly included in school curricula, for example, http://earthsys.ag.ohio-state.edu/Decision/aboutdm.htm, Ohio Sea Grant's education project for development of electronic curricula for decision making using Great Lakes data.
But, it takes more than "book-learning" or even internet-learning to make decisions. Higher order thinking skills are essential. Let's look at a sample set of educational standards on this topic:

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)

# Standard 6: Technology Problem-solving and Decision-making Tools
* Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
* Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.
Source: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/weatherproj/teacher_curriculumstandards.html. Accessed December 28, 2007. The standards, like the ones shown above, often suggest the end result for students. But how do they get there? How do we, adults, get there when we make decisions? Whether picking shampoo, or choosing the best presidential candidate, whether selecting a diet, exercise routine or surgery, we (students and mentors alike) need good decision making skills. We need to think deeply.

I have found that encouraging high school students to use the HOT Skills wheel has helped them to develop the skills necessary to be able to make decisions well. What are HOT Skills?

Let's look at HOT skills related to making a decision on the lap band.

Knowledge

Comprehension

Analysis

Application

Synthesis

Evaluation

1. Knowledge
2. Comprehension
3. Analysis
4. Application
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation

Source: http://www.youngstown.k12.oh.us/pyett/thinking/index.htm. Accessed December 28, 2007.

Knowledge: Do you know what a lap band is? Journey Lite specializes in Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding which is also known as LAGB or the LAP BAND System procedure. The LAPBAND Adjustable Gastric Band is designed to help you lose excess body weight, improve weight-related health conditions and enhance quality of life. It reduces the stomach capacity and restricts the amount of food that can be consumed at one time.

There's a quote from some of the LAPBAND advertising . It tells some information about the LAPBAND. This information falls in the "knowledge" category of thinking.

Another "knowledge" skill is to "list." Can you list products or lifestyle changes that compete with the LAPBAND? If you used the internet, or pamphlets at your doctor's office or from a medical or nursing text to list products and lifestyle changes that could acheive the same goals of the LAPBAND, you would still be in the knowledge category.

Comprehension: Do you understand the ideas gathered so far? The types of thinking you can do if you understand are:

• interpretation of facts, compare, contrast
• order, group, and infer causes
• predict consequences
• understanding information
• translation of knowledge into new context
• grasping meaning

How would you interpret the facts? Could you make a chart comparing the LAPBAND to competitors products? Could you talk to people who had the procedure and to people that made other life style choices and compare their answers?

Analysis: Do you see patterns? How are parts organized? DO you recognize any hidden meanings? Can you identify components?
Application: You can apply the data when you use information, methods, concepts,and theories in new situations. Solving problems by using required skills or knowledge is also, "application." For example, did you apply math skills that you already have to analyze the data.
Synthesis: Can you generalize from given facts, relate knowledge from several areas, predict, draw conclusions and use old ideas to create new ones? assess value of theories, make choices based on reasoned arguments, verify value of evidence, recognize subjectivity, compare and discriminate between/among ideas.

(c)2007 J S Shipman. Used by Read-about-it.blogspot.com with the author's permission.

Full Moon near Mars on December 23, 2007

http://www.earthsky.org/skywatching/

What do you think is meant by, "near," here?

Convection, Conduction, and, Radiation

Today, a student asked me a question about conduction, convection and radiation: "I am always confused between the difference of conduction, convection and radiation. What is being used in pouring hot water from a thermos?"

Students will often ask things that are assigned as homework. This might have been a homework question, or, it might have been genuine curiosity. I am always glad when students are curious.

I've taken the liberty of discussing the topic here because it is a topic on many state standards.

For these types of questions, try to guide a student in finding an answer. In this way, he or she is likely to remember the content learned. Here is a sample set of guiding questions and activities. I have also included some movies. Your students might be able to make movies that are more exciting and helpful to them. Review the "Botany Beat" or Tomato movies for some ideas. Here is one student's movie:




First, have you defined all the words? (You can use the dictionary links at the bottom of the page. Be sure to note down the date and the source you used.)

Conduction is ________________________________________________________
Here is a simulation on conduction:


And, here is an animation about conduction:



Convection is ________________________________________________________

Here is a movie on convection currents:


What do hot and cold have to do with convection?


Here's another convection movie showing some experiments and relating them to every day life.





Radiation is ________________________________________________________

Here is an animation on radiation and convection:


If you have trouble remembering them, try writing the definitions three or four times , or, try drawing a picture or writing a song about each one.

Also, try discussing these ideas with your friends or where you get snacks after school or with a mentor or adult in your family or community. These things can help you to remember them.



Did you brainstorm about them?



Do you have a thermos? If you don't have one, try to borrow one, otherwise, the question will be hard to answer.



If you put hot water in a thermos, can you feel the heat outside the thermos when you hold it?



What about if you put your hand over the thermos, can you feel heat, even when you are not touching anything?



What if you compare putting a plastic spoon into the hot water with putting a silver spoon into the hot water. What happens?



Think of things you know, for example:

The sun rays radiate.

The convection oven has heat rise and fall in circles.

A copper wire conducts electricity.

Now, think again about the question. When you pour hot water from a thermos, do you feel heat without touching it?



Does some heat stay in some matter, yet move?



Does some heat transfer from the hot water to the bowl or sink you are pouring it into?



Now that you have thought about all these things, and tried some of them, I think you can be confident of the answer that you develop. Be sure to back up the answer with why you picked it. You might speak, write and draw your answer, too. Let me know what you find out. Write back if you are still stuck. Dr. J

Related links:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/thermos1.htm

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99x81.htm

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas/Phys_p032.shtml

http://www.comsol.com/showroom/gallery/1448.php

Update... 2009
rockytop.adams12.org/growlercore/documents/Weather_notes.ppt
http://www.accidentalscientist.com/2009/08/conduction-convection-and-radiation-and.html
(c)2007, 2008, 2009 J. S. Shipman

Words are added each day, but, they change on archived posts.

Word of the Day: Words are added to this blog each day, but, they change on archived posts. Today's word is a science word, so I've added it here, in the posts, so that we can look at it again in the archived versions and still see what the word is. I've also added questions for a discussion and writing exercise about the word. You might like to keep a notebook or a spreadsheet or data base file about your words. I do this for new vocabulary I want to remember and for words I like to use. I then use the file in many way to enhance my own vocabulary development.

Today's word is, "ecesis."

It is said, "Eh-see-ses" and rhymes with , "yes," and the "c" sounds like and "s." "Ecesis," means, "The successful establishment of a plant or animal species in a habitat." A synonym is, "establishment. "A sample sentence is: "The ecologists were especially interested in ensuring the ecesis of the endangered species in the wildlife refuge."

1. 
   

2. 
   

3. Did you know this word, "ecesis," before?
   

4. Will you remember it now?

5. How does building your vocabulary help you learn more science?

12-17-07 petrous, stonelike