You can smell it, hear it, feel it… Dr. Gelmini is the house!
The classrooms are empty and it is no ordinary school day. You hear it in the hallways. You feel it in the floor. You smell it in the air. Dr. Gelmini is in the house. Recently our all-time favourite rock start chemistry prof, Dr. Gelmini of MacEwan University, visited our local elementary school with a chemistry demonstration out of this world. Never have so many bright young minds been so attentive during chemistry class. Never has a science class sounded so much like a rock concert (only the music was missing). As the show progressed the floors shook, smoke filled the air and the sounds of increasingly louder explosions followed by the howling of an approving audience reverberated through the hallways, all while young bright minds were being filled to the brim with impression to last a lifetime.
Most elementary schools may not have a dedicated chemistry laboratory so a live chemistry demonstration such as Dr. Gelmini’s provides an unique opportunity to illustrate some mind-boggling chemistry experiments allowing students to gain appreciation of the ubiquity and subtlety of chemistry in our daily lives. It also provides an opportunity to build on and integrate with many of the science topics students encounter in elementary school. For example, Dr. Gelmini’s demonstration provided direct links to the following topics covered in the Alberta Education science Program of Study for elementary school,
- Grade 1, Topic A: Creating colours, e.g. explore how colours can be created when mixing different materials and how colours can be used to investigate the properties of materials.
- Grade 2, Topic A: Exploring liquids and Topic D: Hot and cold temperatures, e.g. recognizing the properties and interactions of liquids, effects of heating and cooling, and identifying methods for heating and cooling.
- Grade 3, Topic D: Hearing and sound, e.g. experiencing that certain sounds can be felt and the importance of protecting your ears from loud sounds.
- Grade 4, Topic D: Lights and shadows, e.g. experience different sources of light (e.g. fire, luminescence and glow) and different types of light (e.g. black light).
- Grade 5, Topic C: Classroom chemistry, e.g. describing the properties and interactions of various household liquids and solids and interpret their interactions.
- Grade 6, Topic Evidence and investigation, e.g. experience the role of observation and inference has for recognizing and interpreting patterns and for science inquiery.
As teachers we often talk about the importance of science inquiry in the classrooms, i.e. the process of finding answers to questions that help us understand our world. What we typically do not talk about, however, is the central role curiosity has in scientific inquiry. Sure there are scientists that want to solve a specific problem or want to make the world a better place, but many scientists are fundamentally driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand something. This curiosity is manifested as scientific inquiry and sometimes may provide solutions to a problem and perhaps even improve our way of life. Although there are many ways inquiry can be encouraged in schools there are perhaps few activities more compelling and efficient for igniting curiosity and building the foundations for scientific inquiry than witnessing, first hand, the passionate scientific inquiry of a professional scientist such as Dr. Gelmini.
Curious pre-service teachers and principal in awe.
Balancing chemical reactions for a captivated audience.
Chemistry is full of surprises.
You have never popped a balloon this way.
Spooky science at 800℃.
Chemistry 101 to a very attentive chemistry class.
The best use of soft drinks.
Looking for volunteers proved difficult.
Garbage cans can be this much fun.
Child scientist about to add a window to the room.
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
Teaching evolution in the face of misconceptions and disinformation
Today Darwin is turning 204 years old and while many of us are celebrating his great achievements there is also a more somber side to this day. After Darwin published his theory of evolution almost 154 years ago it rapidly became the accepted scientific theory for explaining the origins of biological diversity. While evolutionary biologists still debate about the finer details of the evolutionary process there is no controversy whatsoever about the validity of the theory as a whole. Despite this, it remains controversial and plagued by misconceptions among the general public. This in itself is one important reason why we need to continue drawing attention to Darwin’s birthday to promote science literacy and dispel misconceptions.
The tree of life from the eyes of a 4 year old. It is never to early to start promoting science literacy.
Scientific literacy starts in school (or preferably even earlier) and, unfortunately, so do some misconceptions about evolutionary biology. As a teacher, how do you teach natural selection and adaptation when even the text books get it wrong sometimes or purposefully convey ambiguity and erroneous information? Well, for one, as a teacher you do not need to use the textbook, or as my EDSE 352 instructor said, “The textbook is not the Program of Study!”. My mentor teacher, Ms. H., embodied this idea last week when she decided to forgo using the chapter on astronomy in her grade 9 textbook because it was outdated (e.g. still classifying Pluto as a planet even though it was kicked out of the planetary club seven years ago) and had her students do a project on the topics covered in the unit. Obviously, as my recent post clearly shows, teachers have a need for resources on natural selection and evolution that are more carefully vetted than run-of-the-mill textbooks.
A few notable resources with teaching material on evolution are worth mentioning;
- The National Centre for Case Study Teaching in Science provides a amazing trove of case studies for teaching any topic in science. The resources for teaching evolutionary biology at the senior high school level is extensive and covers a broad range of concepts, from classical case studies such as Darwin’s Finches and Natural Selection, to topics with strong Science, Technology and Society (STS) links such as Evolution of Human Skin Colour, to case studies on Why Sex is Good (scientifically speaking).
- The University of California Museum of Palaeontology web site Understanding Evolution for Teachers is not just a source of information and lesson plans but also provides a virtual roadmap for how to approach teaching evolution in classrooms. For example, one of the first stops on the roadmap is Nature of Science (aka NoS). After all, the development of evolutionary thought is an excellent example on the nature of science and understanding NoS is fundamental to understanding what the theory of evolution actually means.
- The National Evolutionary Synthesis Centre (aka NESCent) provides curriculum resources that include lesson plans, e.g. on the transmission dynamics and evolution of influence virus (providing a direct Science, Technology and Society [STS] link) for the high school level, links to relevant resources, and a collection of video and audio recordings on the topic (including a whole pile on sticklebacks).
- Last but not least, if your students are using the TI-Nspire CX family of graphing calculators Texas Instruments have developed a simulation model for these devices that allows students to model natural selection and evolution of fur coat in a population of rabbits. If the cute rabbits are considered being Snowshoe hares (which is not a far stretch considering the snow-covered ground) then this activity can link to a uniquely Canadian social and environmental context thus providing a STS connection.
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
Teaching evolution in Alberta classrooms
Happy Darwin Day! Today Charles Darwin is turning 204 years young. While many of us may be aware of the abysmal state of affairs of the teaching of the theory of evolution in classrooms in the U.S. there is not much focus on the situation here in Canada. Here is a short writeup on the state of teaching evolution in Alberta high school classrooms. This essay is based on an assignment I wrote for my EDSE 352 class (Curriculum and Teaching for Secondary School Biological Sciences Majors I).
Four decades ago Theodosius Dobzhansky, on of the most influential evolutionary biologists of the 20th century, published his essay Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution (Dobzhansky, 1973). In this seminal essay Dobzhansky explores the central role evolution plays in explaining the interrelatedness of biological phenomena with the aim of establish evolution as a unifying idea in biology education. While the scientific community has confirmed Dobzhansky’s notion of Darwin’s evolutionary theory as the unifying idea in biology, among the public and in schools the concept has not gained the same acceptance. A recent poll showed that while 61% of Canadians think that humans have evolved only 48% of Albertans share this view, which is the lowest rate in Canada (Angus Reid Public Opinion, 2012).
There are at least two possible sources of misconceptions about evolution in the classroom; firstly, if the teacher is lacking a proper understanding of evolution (Greene, 1990; Christensen, 1998) and, second, when concepts leading up to the evolution unit are covered in earlier grades and in doing so create misconceptions. In the Alberta educational curriculum for science and biology, concepts leading up to evolution are introduced at various grade levels, but it is not until senior high school (Biology 20, Unit B: Ecosystems and Population Change, Alberta Education, 2007) that evolution is explicitly covered. This unit builds on many biological concepts covered in grades 7-9 that have the potential to introduce misconceptions about evolution. For example, one textbook that is approved for the Alberta junior high school science Program of Study (Guy et al., 2001) includes a definition of the concept of adaptation. When the textbook uses earthworms to illustrate the concept it says
“Earthworms have developed special features over time that help them survive in their underground environment.” (my emphasis).
The problem with this statement is that it uses the term “developed”, which in a scientific context refers to the ontogeny of individual during their lifespan, as a substitute for “evolved”. Using this term together with the statement “over time” can easily be interpreted as earthworms developing (in a Lamarckian sense) characteristics during their individual lifetime enabling them to live underground. Another example occurs in a grade 9 science textbook (Lindberg et al., 2002) where, under the text briefly covers natural selection and evolution. When presenting the classical case of industrial melanism in the peppered moth it states that
“…the once rare, dark-colored moths became predominant…” (p. 65) (my emphasis).
In this context the word “became” can easily be misinterpreted in several ways. For example, the statement could be interpreted as saying that moths acquire their phenotype during their lifetime in response to a perceived need, an inherently Lamarckian concept.
These are just two examples of potential sources for misconceptions originating in textbook. What these two examples have in common is that the textbooks are not using the correct terminology for concepts that are introduced to students. An analysis of textbooks in other subjects and at different grade levels shows that this practice is common. This suggests that the choices of wording in the above examples are deliberate attempts to rephrase scientific terminology and in doing so creating opportunities for misconceptions to arise. When comparing some of the misconceptions that students have about evolution, e.g. that changes in traits are a result of need/use/disuse, with the terminology used in earlier grades I can only conclude that it is important to teach students the correct terminology from the very beginning. The task for doing this rests on the teacher and hence it becomes fundamentally important that teachers have a thorough understanding of evolutionary concepts, the Nature of Science (NoS) and how it applies to evolutionary theory and the development of evolutionary thought.
Studies have consistently shown that students’ misconceptions about evolution are often based on a naïve understanding of the NoS and the fundamental mechanisms of evolution, often with undertones of Lamarckian evolution (see Alters & Nelson, 2002; Bishop & Anderson, 1990 and reference therein). Some common misconceptions include, e.g.
- evolution is “just a theory” (Dawkins, 2009),
- evolution increases complexity (Jensen & Finley, 1996),
- mutations are detrimental to fitness (Alters & Nelson, 2002),
- changes in traits are a result of need/use/disuse (Brumby, 1984),
- acquired phenotypes are heritable (Alters & Nelson, 2002),
- environmental conditions do not play a role for selective pressures (Ruthledge & Warden, 2000),
- evolutionary change is based on gradual modification in traits (Bishop & Anderson, 1990; Ruthledge & Warden, 2000) and
- evolution is deterministic (Bishop & Anderson, 1990; Lord & Marino, 1993; Alters & Nelson, 2002).
Because of the prevalence of misconceptions and deeply held non-scientific beliefs many students have about evolution, teachers are likely to be confronted with challenging questions when teaching this concept. Research shows that when students are presented with new information that does not fit with what they already know or believe they are most likely to reject the new information (Sewell, 2002). Examples of teaching strategies allowing teachers to improve students’ understanding of evolution include, e.g. allowing students to evaluate their understanding of evolution from the perspective of the historical development of evolutionary thought, specifically in the context of the shift from Lamarckian to Darwinian evolutionary theories (Jensen & Finlay, 1996). This activity fits into the specific outcome 20-B2.3k in Biology 20. Another strategy that has been shown to be successful in increasing students’ understanding of evolution is the constructivism approach of the 5Es (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) (Burton & Dobson, 2009). An example of this approach is the hands-on modeling exercises sporks and beans that addresses many misconception regarding evolution using a simple and fun inquiry-based activity involving an evolving population of spoons, forks and sporks under resource limitations (Burton & Dobson 2009). This activity dovetails with several specific outcomes in Biology 20, Unit B: Ecosystems and Population Change, e.g. Specific Outcome for Knowledge 20-B2.1k, Specific Outcome for Skills 20-B2.2s, 20-B2.3s, 20-B2.4s (Alberta Education, 2007). This activity also illustrates NoS by incorporating record keeping, hypothesis testing, replication and analysis results (STS 20-B2.1sts, Alberta Education, 2007).
Bibliography
Alberta Education. (2007). Programs of Study, Science. Retrieved January 27, 2013, from Alberta Education: http://education.alberta.ca/media/654841/bio203007.pdf
Alters, B. J., & Nelson, C. E. (2002). Perspective: Teaching Evolution in Higher Education. Evolution, 56 (10), 1891-1901.
Angus Reid Public Opinion. (2012). Britons and Canadians More Likely to Endorse Evolution than Americans. Angus Reid Public Opinion. New York: Angus Reid Public Opinion.
Bishop, B. A., & Anderson, C. W. (1990). Student conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 27 (5), 415-427.
Brumby, M. N. (1984). Misconceptions about the concept of natural selection by medical biology students. Science Education, 68 (4), 492-503.
Burton, S. A., & Dobson, C. (2009). Spork & Bean: Addressing Evolutionary Misconceptions. The American Biology Teacher, 71 (2), 89-91.
Christensen, J. (1998). Teachers Fight for Darwin’s Place in U.S. Classrooms. The New York Times, November 14 issue.
Dawkins, R. (2009). Evolution is Only a Theory. Retrieved January 27, 2013 from YouTube: http://youtu.be/mLeztJkhi4U
Dobzhansky, T. (1973). Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution. The American Biology Teacher, 35, 125-129.
Greene, E.D. Jr. (1990). The Logic of University Students’ Misunderstanding of Natural Selection. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 27(9): 875-885.
Guy, D. et al. (2001). ScienceFocus 7. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Ontario.
Jensen, M.S., & Finley, F.N. (1996). Changes in Students’ Understanding of Evolution Resulting from Different Curricular and Instructional Strategies. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 33 (8), 879-900.
Lindberg et al. (2002). ScienceFocus 9. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Ontario.
Lord, T., & Marino, S. (1993). How university students view the theory of evolution. Journal of College Science Teaching, 22 (6), 353-357.
Ruthledge, M. L., & Warden, M. A. (2000). Evolutionary theory, the nature of science and high school biology teachers: Critical relationships. The American Biology Teacher, 62 (1), 23-31.
Sewell, A. (2002). Constructivism and Student Misconceptions: What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Them. Australian Science Teachers’ Journal, 48 (4), 24-28.
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
The Allendale LEGO Kids at the 2012 Jr.FLL Expo/FLL Tournament
After two months of research, countless hours of designing, engineering and tweaking LEGO models, a handful of research field trips and copious amounts of snacks and juice boxes, the day finally arrived when it was time for the Allendale LEGO Kids to share the results of their hard and dedicated work with the world…, and the judges. Early in the morning on Saturday January 19 the the team convened on the campus of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) together with 44 other teams from all corners of Alberta to participate in the annual Jr.FLL Expo/FLL Tournament. Already by 8am the pit area was bustling with activity as teams were setting up their displays, waking up their sleepy LEGO robots, mingling and having early morning snacks. As it turned out we were team #1 for good reasons as we were the only Jr.FLL team in attendance.
By 8:30 everyone had made their way to the main gymnasium for the opening ceremonies. After the national anthem, a short introduction by chief judge Vin Stocking and a recital of the core values the event was official opened. Although the gym appeared full of kids in multicoloured shirts, lab coats, banners a number of teams from Fort MacMurry were unable to attend as the road had been closed. Much to our disappointment Bright Sparks, the FLL team we had visited in December, was nowhere to be seen.
Following the opening ceremony all the teams made their way back to the pit are to prepare for the judging events. Our team was scheduled for two judging events, a core value judging and a presentation judging. The core value judging took place in a classroom where the team met with four judges. The team was asked about their experiences participating in the challenge and then were asked to “build a school bus”. After a bit of discussion and brainstorming about what parts that are required for a school bus and if passengers are necessary the team got down to business and created a buss with a driver, four wheels and an exhaust pipe. After a chat with the judges we rushed over to get to the next event, the judging of the presentation. This judging took place in a rather large lecture hall where three judges were waiting for us. Things were a bit more formal this time. Three judges, the team up by the blackboard and a time limit of 5 minutes. Not exactly how we had prepared for this event. With the parents on edge and the judges waiting in silence the team engaged in a brief discussion and then, like magic, improvised a great presentation. They told the judges about their poster and then they showed their LEGO model. Everyone was very impressed.
The rest of the morning the team spend presenting their display to and mingling with the other teams and robots. All in all everyone had a blast.
We were done by noon at which point a special award ceremony took place, just for our team. Chief judge Vin Stocking congratulated the team, encouraged them to come back for the next season and awarded medals to each team member. We also found out that next challenge has already been released. The 2013 FLL challenge is called Nature’s Fury and the Jr.FLL challenge is called Disaster Blaster. In these challenges teams will explore the awe-inspiring storms, quakes, waves and more that we call natural disasters. Teams will discover what can be done when intense natural events meet the places people live, work, and play. We better brace ourselves! It is safe to say that we will be back for more more.
Before I wrap up the 2012 Jr.FLL season with the amazing Allendale LEGO Kids I would like to thank the Allendale Community League for sponsoring the team. It is the best investment you could have made! I would also like to thank all the parents for their support and for helping coaching the team to their first successful tournament. I could not have done this without you. I am also very grateful to Karen Stix and her team the Bright Sparks, Dr. Kim Adams at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Mayor Stephen Mandel Ms. Betty Loree and Linda Hut at the Edmonton City Hall for your generosity with sharing inspiring stories with the children.
Finally, and most importantly, I owe a huge thanks to the children that made up the team. Without you, well…, there would not have been a team. You made this happen and every single one of you amazed me with your creativity, team work, boundless enthusiasm and ability to take initiative. Your amazing performances at the Jr.FLL Expo made me very proud. You rock! 
We are all winners!
Presentation blowing the socks off the judges (metaphorically speaking, their socks actually stayed on their feet, you get the drift…).
Driving a school bus during the core values presentation made the judges very excited and the parents vary proud.
Presentation to chief judge Vin Stocking.
Crowd admiring our display… “Is that…?”, “Yes, that’s us meeting the mayor.”
Team pep talk while waiting to meet the judges.
From the desk of the Allendale LEGO Kids coach
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
Meeting #7 of the Allendale LEGO Kids
Last Sunday, January 13, the last meeting of the Allendale LEGO Kids took place. The next time the team will meet will be at the Jr.FLL Expo/FLL Tournament on January 19. The last meeting was organized differently than previous meetings focusing on last minute tweaks and practicing the presentation of the model, poster, core values, and the work the team has done.
We set up four work stations that team members circulated among. One station was for tweaking and practicing the presentation of the LEGO mode. Another station was for final adjustments and practicing the presentation of the poster. The third station was for practicing presenting the team and it’s members, and the fourth station was for practicing presenting the team core values. Team members were buzzing around visiting the stations and parents were helping out mentoring, quizzing and coaching the team wherever needed.
After two hours of intensive and fun work we wrapped up the meeting. It was a little sad realizing that the team will not be meeting again at the community hall for their fun filled and energetic LEGO hackathons but at the same time it is very exciting the know that the next time we will get together it will be at the big expo in the spotlight of family, friends, other teams and the judges.
The Allendale LEGO Kids are ready to meet the world and show off their work.
Allendale LEGO Kids goofing off during snack time.
Practicing presentation of poster.
Practicing presentation of team core values.
From the desk of the Allendale LEGO Kids coach
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
Mark your calendars: Edmonton Regional FLL Tournament & Jr.FLL Expo is coming to town
This post describes the adventures of the Allendale LEGO Kids, a community-based Jr.FLL team participating in the 2012 challenge Super Seniors. For more information about the team, visit their home page.
This post was updated on January 10, 2013.
This year’s Edmonton Regional FLL Tournament and Jr.FLL Expo is just around the corner. This is an annual event held on the campus of Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, aka NAIT, where FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL) teams from around Alberta bring their LEGO models and robots that they have created over the span of many weeks or months to take part in real-world science and technology challenges. FLL and Jr.FLL is a robotics program for children between the ages of 6 to 14 years designed to get children excited about science and technology and teach them valuable life skills, e.g, problem solving, team work and the role of technology, engineering and science in our society. In this year’s challenges the aim of the teams is to improve the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities.
The difference between the two programs, Jr.FLL and FLL, is that the Jr.FLL program introduces the youngest students ages 6 to 9 to the exciting worlds of science and technology. This program features a real-world challenge, to be solved by research, critical thinking and imagination. Guided by adult coaches, students work with LEGO elements and moving parts to create solutions and present them for review. For us this year’s regional tournament is going to be extra special as our very own Jr.FLL team, the Allendale LEGO Kids, will be participating. For students ages 9 to 14 the FLL introduces them to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface (see our visit to the FLL team Bright Sparks).
This event will be an awesome, action packed day for kids, adults and bots of all shapes and sizes to have fun learning about and doing science and robotics. If you love LEGO and cool bots then you definitely do not want to miss this events. You may just get so blown away that you decide to start your own team for next year’s challenge (sounds familiar).
When: Saturday January 19 (8:30am-4:00pm)
Where: NAIT Main Campus (11762 – 106 Street, map here)
PARKING INFO AND SCHEDULE UPDATED on January 10!
NAIT has been gracious enough to lift all parking fees for this tournament at all of their parking lots. So parking at NAIT should be free for this event.
The tentative schedule for the day’s events are:
08:30 – Opening Ceremonies
09:00 – Jr.FLL Exhibition & FLL activities
11:00 – Awards Ceremony
11:30 – Lunch Break
12:00 – FLL tournament
16:00 – Closing Ceremonies
In case you are still in doubt, check out the short movie below from a tournament a few years ago in Alberta or our pictures from last year’s tournament at NAIT.
From the desk of the Allendale LEGO Kids coach
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
Meeting #6 of the Allendale LEGO Kids
This post describes the adventures of the Allendale LEGO Kids, a community-based Jr.FLL team participating in the 2012 challenge Super Seniors. For more information about the team, visit their home page.
The 6th meeting of the Allendale LEGO Kids took place yesterday January 6. The meeting started off with a team building activity called the Marshmallow Challenge where teams are challenged to build the tallest free-standing spaghetti structure that can support a marshmallow. This exercise teaches some simple but profound lessons in collaboration, innovation, and creativity that are central to the engineering process. The two teams, parents vs. Allendale LEGO Kids, worked at a feverish pace for 18 minutes each vying for fame and glory as their structures reached dizzying heights. In the end the parents took home the victory with their structure reaching an impressive 60 cm (24 inches). This exercise was followed by continued work on the team’s LEGO models with specific focus on structural improvements, modifications, redesigns and optimizations. After a healthy snack we re-focused and continued working on the team poster. Curiously and fortuitously it appears that all the parents are becoming increasingly more involved in the model building and poster design. Clearly LEGO and arts and crafts is a captivating and fun activity for children of all ages.
Below are a few pictures from today’s team meeting. More pictures are posted on flickr.
Allendale LEGO Kids showing of their spaghetti marshmallow structure.
Victorious parents with their impressive spaghetti marshmallows structure.
Hard at work writing the acknowledgements and decorating LEGO minifigs.
Acknowledgements of everyone that made this project possible and so much fun.
From the desk of the Allendale LEGO Kids coach
May the curiosity be with you, always! This is from the “The Rocket Scientists” blog ( http://therocketscientists.ca ).
