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).
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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

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.

Try, "Evaluation."

When you hear or read or see something, can you evaluate it? Can you tell if there is a bias or are ideas presented neutrally? Can you tell if the ideas presented are supported? Can you rank the value of the ideas presented according to your own value system?

Try using evaluation skills and other H.O.T. Skills (Higher order thinking skills) as you review the following site. Write what you have decided. Then, develop the higher order thinking skills you've used so you can use these skills any time.

http://video.about.com/landscaping/seaside-plantings.--5m.htm

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How do you get to Primary Sources from Secondary Sources?

Here is a secondary source article on ants (Click the words).

How would you find primary source articles on the same ants?

Here is an example of
a primary source article
that came up when searching in PNAS for
ants. It is not on Martialis heureka,
and, not by Christian Rabeling:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2447876.
Still, it might provide some clues.

The secondary source cited PNAS...Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, so let's look there:
http://www.pnas.org/content/105/14/5287.full?ck=nck. But, we have to go find a library that has this or purchase it to find out if it talks about the new species. It is like detective work.

A ha! Information on, "the 'ant from Mars' single specimen discovered in the Brazilian rainforest represents a sister lineage to all other ants... ARTICLE #08-06187: 'Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution,' by Christian Rabeling (rabeling@mail.utexas.edu (Source:http://chinese.eurekalert.org/en/pub_releases/2008-09/potn-sif091808.php, 9-19-08)), Jeremy M. Brown, and Manfred Verhaagh." Let's try to find that! Here we go...Here's the link to the abstract: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/09/13/0806187105.abstract. Remember, when looking at a primary source article like this one, to use "reach reading" (trademark, jsshipman). You may have to look up a lot of new vocabulary. But, remember after reading 4 or 5 articles on the same topic, you'll likely learn all that vocabulary and be well on your way to becoming an expert. At the elementary school level, just getting the gist of an article and knowing that such primary sources do exist is the idea. (You might do an activity like circling or listing all the words you don't know...Remember not to write in books or journals unless you personally own them, however.) Don't get frustrated. Remember, just finding such articles and knowing they exist is great at this level. People who win the science fairs on the national level usually use these types of articles even in grades 1-6. On the high school level and junior college level, do try to paraphrase the gist of the article. (Knowing how to do this may come in handy during your life time, in case someone gets sick and you want to look up current research to discuss with your doctor, for example.) Upper class members and graduate students can remember that this is college level reading...and, it takes time to become familiar with such reading, even at these higher education levels. But, you should slug through articles in your research area, until you comprehend them. You might have to stay on the same paragraph for three days, or more, to do that. (Again, don't get frustrated nor discouraged.)

Could you also find primary source articles on the plants used as food, or habitat, or in the environment of these ants? Oh, another detective task! Let's see... First go back to the article and see if any plants are mentioned.
Try your hand at this and I will get back later on and update the post.

I don't know if you checked or not, but, you've had some time to look. When I looked, I didn't find anything there except, "plants of the Amazon rain forest," so I went to the primary source abstract. No plants were listed there, either, but, I found the words, "hypogaeic foragers." Those "Reach Reading™" words might help us. For example, knowing the meaning of common prefixes, roots, and suffixes will boost your chances of understanding new words. That is, we can guess from word parts:
Hypo...low, below
Gaeic... Earth, earth

We can also look in on-line or print dictionaries: hypogaeic foragers.

Now that we've checked those meanings, we can use these terms together with Amazon rain forest, to see if we can find anything: http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=967765773&dok_var=d1&dok_ext=pdf&filename=967765773.pdf appears to be a thesis or dissertation from Germany, however, it is written in English and holds a clue: "[Ants known]...to feed on palm oil had broad food spectra (Rettenmeyer[,] 1963; Savage, 1849; Roonwal, 1972; Moffett, 1986)." Looking at the cited articles, we see these complete references:

Moffett, 1986. M. W. Marauders on the Jungle Floor. National Geographic 170:273-286.

Rettenmeyer, C. W. 1963. Behavioral studies in army ants. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 44:281-465.

Roonwal, M.L. 1972. Plant-pest status of root-eating ant, Dorylus orientalis, with notes on distribution and habits (Insecta:Hymenoptera). J. Bombay. Nat. Hist. Soc. 72:305-313.

Savage, T. S. 1849. The driver ants of Western Africa. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. 4:195-200.

The National Geographic article is likely a secondary source. The others look outwardly like they might be primary source, refereed journal articles. We can obtain these articles on-line, or, through interlibrary loan, or, by going to a library that has the journals. I suggest looking at the Roonwal article first, because he talks of roots and plant-pests. But, this article is in the Bombay journal... so, it likely doesn't mention plants of the Amazon that are fed on by ants.

If we have a difficult time finding such articles... on ants eating what plants in the Amazon, it may suggest a research area where we can provide new information. Of course, our literature search has just begun, but, it is an idea worth noting down. (These days you may wish to keep your notes in a spread sheet type file or a database. Personally, I find Microsoft Excel (trademark Microsoft) to be the easiest to rapidly manipulate and to be easy to add new columns and change the data types being stored, if desired. I have also used a number of other systems and file cards and notebooks, or combinations of the above...You have to find your own best system. For young students, this finding-your-own-best-system means learning specific ones your teachers give you, so you can try them out, to later discover what works best for you for note-taking.)

I hope at this point you are catching a feel for the detective-like, puzzle-solving excitement of science... Tracking down ideas in the technical literature so that you can build on the shoulders of the scientists preceding you. Gathering information is one of the steps needed in designing experiments. It allows you the tools to create sound experimental design. One must guard against being biased by the previous work, however. Go and explore. You can search for more primary articles on ants and their plants, or, you can select another science topic that interests you. Remember, the goal is to distinguish between primary and secondary sources, while you read about a science topic of interest to you. (By the way, this skill of finding primary and secondary sources is transferable to other areas such as history, music, math, art and all others.) Enjoy the detective work, and, don't get discouraged by difficult words.

Feel free to add comments on articles that you find, or on your own literature search adventures. If you have questions on primary and secondary sources, be sure to ask those, too.
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Further Notes:
While looking up, "hypogaeic," to link definitions into the post, I came across this post on a "new" (1903) hypogaeic ant from Texas and have included it for your information: http://www.jstor.org/pss/1535770. When searching the technical literature, "old" literature may provide valuable information. This point is important because students are taught to stay current, and that, too, is important. But, some information is only available in older works. For example, one would not disregard the works of Aristotle or Plato, even though they are old. I mention this because I've seen schools teach students to throw out old references just because they are old. Sometimes that's valid, sometimes, it's not. The important thing is to think deeply about the value. For example, if you were reading an article on heredity from the 1930's and used it as your only source for a paper on heredity, then, you'd be in trouble, because so much new information is known on DNA and heredity since that time. The article below might provide a great comparison and contrast with the earlier article, cited in the secondary source that started this post... style of writing, methods used, similarities and differences in the descriptions, and so on.

The reference to the Texan ants is shown below:

• William Morton Wheeler. 1903. Erebomyrma, a new genus of hypogæic ants from Texas. Biological Bulletin, 4:3 (Feb., 1903). 137-148. Published by: Marine Biological Laboratory.

Once the post is updated, I will indicate the update at the bottom of the post: Updated 9-18-2008; Updated 9-20-2008.

How do you think about science?

Often in science we think about specific topics such as osmosis or the Kreb's cycle. Today, let's examine how we think about topics in science.

First of all, pick a science topic that you are now studying and list it:
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Now, identify what you have done with that topic:
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Look over what you have just written. What thinking skills did you use?
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When working on this topic, were you studying, "history of science," or, were you, "doing science," or, both? Give examples.
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With parental or guardian(al) permission, look for new-to-you information on the internet or at the library on the topic you selected. Read and paraphrase (Put it in your own words), or, summarize (write the information in a short form covering major points) that information. Check what you've written for both spelling and grammar, and for accuracy.
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Analyze what you have read. Compare and contrast it with what you already know for example. Do you agree with what you found? Why, or, why not? Again review your work for spelling, grammar, and accuracy.
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Create an experimental design related to your topic. (An experimental design has an introduction (background information and what others have done and said on this topic---which you will cite), materials and methods (What you will do, with what, and how), blank data table, and literature cited (What references did you quote, paraphrase or get ideas from?). Again review your work for spelling, grammar, and accuracy.
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Share you work with other students or family members. Remember to concentrate a portion of your discussion on how you were thinking about your topic.

As an extra activity, you might try to find a refereed journal article that talks about that topic as a focus, or, as a small part of the article. Have fun doing this. Such articles will likely be difficult to read and will require you to use "reach reading" skills (trademark). Reach reading skills, just like using skills to find new treasure in a video game, help make such scientific library research fun.
(c) 2008 J S Shipman
trademark J S Shipman

Here's a Look at a Primary Source Article

Here's a look at a primary source article (related to the September 10th post) via a link. If you can't get a direct link by clicking, your librarian can likely help you get a copy via interlibrary loan, or, you can try the library at a nearby college. Please follow the rules for the links. For example, the patient link is not to be used for educational purposes. It is only for patients. The Medical link does have a 30 day free trial today. Your institution may have access to these or other on-line refereed journal article access.

The genetic response to short-term interventions affecting cardiovascular function: Rationale and design of the Heredity and Phenotype Intervention (HAPI) Heart Study

Here's an activity to try: Draw two interlocking circles for a Venn diagram. Then lable one as Primary source and one as a story about science (or a secondary source). Use the Venn diagram to help you compare and contrast the two articles.

(c) 2008 J. S. Shipman

Monotropa hypopithys

Monotropa hypopithys L was spotted on a recent field trip up Mount Fuji (See earlier post). So, what is it? Well, it may be a mouthful to say, but doing a search to find out more can be exciting. Do you know how to find out more?

The plants database shows the following: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MOHY3
Click it and see some details and another photo.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotropa_hypopitys

The Connecticut Botanical Society: http://ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/monotropahypo.html

Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium: http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=MONHYP

There are many sources. How do you evaluate them? What sources are good? Becoming proficient in higher order thinking skills can help you evaluate the value of different sites, or, texts, or journal articles.

Suppose you want to use "Reach Reading^(TM)," to read some journal articles? Where and how would you find them? Think about that.

You could just happen upon one, like I did with this one from Japan, for example: http://mobot.mobot.org/cgi-bin/search_pick?FOCNAME=Monotropa+hypopitys+glaberrima
But, how would you go about a systematic search on this topic?
(Site under development)

How do you use your science knowledge?

Applying knowledge is a higher order thinking skill.

Do you use your science knowledge to better the world?

Do you help eradicate noxious weeds? Invasive species?

Do you mentor youth?

Do you vote wisely?

Do you educate others?

Do you wash you hands frequently?

Do you eat, sleep, rest, play and in other ways live a healthy lifestyle?

Do you shop thinking about the environment?

Do you make choices that contribute to world peace?

What do you do?

Asking Questions and Pursuing Answers

Keys to learning in science,as in all academic disciplines involves asking questions and seeking answers. In science, students can explore scientific phenomena via investigation and experimentation build essential scientific skills such as observing, measuring, replicating experiments, manipulating equipment, collecting data, organizing and reporting it.

When students choose what phenomenon to study or what investigations to conduct, and what experiments to do, with guidance from the teacher, they are more likely to remember the desired content. In addition, they are using critical thinking skills to formulate the questions. In this way, too, needs of students of various levels and backgrounds can best be accommodated.

Science is not so much studying history of science, rather, it is using historical scientific knowledge to build new knowledge. If students do this from their own starting points, the most overall growth can occur. Instead of gifted waiting and waiting for others and those less talented struggling and struggling while the middle group feels content or waits or struggles, each child can be in his or her own optimum learning environment.

(c) 2008 J. S. Shipman

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.