STS-12 Program
The following proposals for STS-12 were submitted by the "Early Bird" deadline of 15 August 1996:
20-minute papers
STS: the Search for Talented Scientists Bonnie Kaiser, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021
In Rockefeller University's Precollege Science Education Program, juniors and seniors engage in graduate-level research and enter science competitions. They gain mentored laboratory research experience and have access to national and international competitions. Since 1992, 250 students and 31 teachers have worked at Rockefeller. In 1995-96 two students won the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Committed to providing opportunities for all gifted and talented students in the greater New York area, the Precollege Science Education Program held its first local international science and engineering fair (ISEF). Seventy high school students from 16 schools engaged in a dialog about their science in a poster/research report competition with 60 judges, half of them Rockefeller scientists and the other half master science teachers from partnership schools. Our students won a first place in biochemistry and a third place in zoology at the ISEF in Tuscon; and a first place in biology and mathematics, and a third place in zoology at the NAACP Afro-American Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics.
Science, Technology, and Society: Problems in the Institutionalization of Revolution Jesse S. Tatum, Vermont College, Port Republic, MD 20676
If academic institutions, as guardians and dispensers of authoritative knowledge, are apologists for the status quo, can we expect them to accommodate a field like "Science, Technology, and Society" (STS) which is founded in a questioning of the very notion of authoritative knowledge? This presentation will be designed to initiate a general discussion of possible means for preserving the revolutionary possibilities inherent in STS pursuits in the academic world. Among other possibilities, I will suggest consideration of a more direct appeal (through publications and by other means) to a latent constituency for new directions in science and technology: ordinary citizens.
Home Power: Participation Before Technology Decision Making Jesse S. Tatum, Vermont College, Port Republic, MD 20676
Now counting over 100,000 homes whose owners have implemented their own photovoltaic, wind, and microhydroelectric power systems, the home power movement in the United States is examined in an effort to extract a new model for direct public participation in science and technology decision making. The home power movement seems to confirm, among other things, Albert Wurth's suggestion that "participation" must come before "technology decision making," and the public participation in technology decision making gives an inappropriately inverted priority to "technology." Audience participation will be sought in discussion of how the lessons of home power might be extended into other areas of technology design and development.
Changes in Students' Decision Making-Oriented Higher-Order Cognitive Skills HOCS) Profiles Uri Zoller, Haifa University-Oranim, Kiryat Tivon 36006, Israel
By means of a specially developed questionnaire, this study examined university students' decision making-oriented higher-order cognitive skill (HOCS) profile changes in addressing science-technology-environment-society (STES) issues. The findings are discussed in the context of evaluating students, courses, and instructor practices. The study's results indicate that student profiles have remained fairly stable after an approximate two-month time interval. These results point to the need for implementing specific strategies to foster and reinforce higher order thinking in the classroom. This evaluative study is important in the context of the transferability of decision making-oriented HOCS within and across disciplines, an important consideration for the design and evaluation of courses and programs aiming to facilitate the development of these skills.
Seeds of Change: Rethinking Biological Literacy Hector Flores, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Teaching and research constitute a false dichotomy and are in fact two integral aspects of the same ideal, the quest for and dissemination of knowledge. Seeds of Change: The Uses of Plants is a new course based on the premise that botany can be taught to nonbiology majors without compromising on the basic concepts and at the same time contribute to the scholarly training of science students. The underlying strategy of understanding how the biological and chemical features of a particular plant have determined its use, mode of cultivation, and distribution is established through exercises ranging from the deconstruction of a salad to the history of major crops. The Columbian Exchange is emphasized as the most comprehensive and far-reaching example of plant-people interactions. The course has so far attracted students with majors such as anthropology, history, and biology.
Process STS: How STS Enhances Learning and Teaching Richard A. Deitrich, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
The context/content controversy addressed by Yager, Fuller's answer to the question whether STS is an academic field or an educational emphasis, and Deitrich's categories of high-church, low-church, and no-church within the STS movement will be explored and discussed. Beneath these broad contours within basic STS understandings lie process STS pedagogical methods, which work well underneath to enrich the entire STS enterprise. Process STS will be explained and experienced by role play, which will take the attendee through a semester's worth of an exemplary STS course.
Cautions on Integrating Science and Technology at the K-6 Level Patrick N. Foster, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
It's possible to bite off more than we can chew when science and technology are integrated at the elementary level. Specifically, it is important to point out the differences between studying the natural and human-made worlds -- distinctions which are becoming less clear to adults and children alike. This session will focus on the results of (primarily) qualitative research in elementary school technology education. A plan for integration of science and technology, based on the presenter's research and classroom experience, will be presented.
1-hour workshops
Effective, Energized Education -- STS At Its Best Carol Wilson, WIlson Educational Services, Inc., Wallingford, CT 06492
Energy management is an ideal focus for STS education. It is interdisciplinary, deals with real-life problems, teaches and enhances important academic skills and save real energy and real money. Best of all, it gives students a way to change the future.
This workshop will provide a look at two programs, STEM and Watt Watchers, that provide energy management education. STEM teaches students in grades 7-12 such academic skills as problem solving, dimensional analysis, critical thinking, data management, use of exponents, measurement, and written and spoken expression. Watt Watchers teaches students in grades 5-6 such academic skills as use of decimals, data gathering, use of tables, problem solving, meter reading, data management, written and spoken expression. Both programs have proven successful at saving thousands of dollars in energy costs for their schools, mostly through low cost/no cost measures.
Participants will try some hands-on activities used in STEM and Watt Watchers training. They will receive copies of worksheets for use with their own students and have an opportunity to examine program materials, including reports prepared by students to convince their school boards to implement their recommendations.
How Do I Reach You, Let Me Share the Ways Bernice Hauser, Horace Mann School, Riverdale, NY 10471
With thanks to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for inspiring the title, "How Do I Reach You" is a series of exploratory projects that draw upon a variety of materials: children's literature, technology, history, mythology, science, mathematics, economics, the arts, history, language projects, research, and critical thinking skills. The activities enable the child to construct his/her own knowledge through the raising of questions, the experimenting with materials, the presentation of issues, the explanation process, and the documentation of his/her discoveries which take various shapes and forms.
Consider the following questions: 1) How does a young boy get rescued if he breaks a leg while skiing? 2) How does a deaf child ask for help? In this presentation I hope to stimulate thought among my colleagues in early childhood and primary education about the scientific possibilities inherent in the material they teach. Handouts and references will be provided.
Energy: How Does It Impact Our Lives? John L. Roeder, The Calhoun School, New York, NY 10024
This workshop will involve participants in activities from one of the modules for Middle Level Science developed by the New York Science, Technology, and Society Education Project. These activities follow from an opening experience imparting the limited supplies of fossil fuels and lead to formulation of plans for an energy future without fossil fuels. Handouts will be provided.
How Level is Sea Level? Michael J. Passow, White Plains Middle School, White Plains, NY 10605
Sea surface heights measured by satellites show that sea level is far from level. In this American Meteorological Society "Maury Project" module workshop, participants will learn more about how satellite meteorology reveals much about remote areas of our planet, including ocean bottom topography. The hands-on activity is classroom-ready and can be included in a variety of themes in science.
Technology Education: A Course of Study for All Learners Ahmad Zargari, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351 and Charles E. Coddington, Eastern Illinois University, Chareleston, IL 61920
As technology advances to meet the changing needs of society, educational institutions must be equipped to help students understand, apply, and control technology for the improvement of our living conditions. To prepare technology literate citizens and highly skilled workers, the schools' curricula should react to and predict the life requirements of their students. This presentation will introduce a curriculum that could provide students, at all levels, with an awareness and understanding of the skills needeed to participate in a technological environment.
Just Think: Problem Solving Through Inquiry Susan Burns and William Peruzzi, New York State Education Department, Albany, NY 12234
Participants will be engaged in and discuss one of the hands-on middle school STS activities from the New York STS Education Project. The presenters will then facilitate a discussion following showing of two 12-minute video programs from the video series, Just Think: Problem Solving Through Inquiry. The videos illustrate the design and inquiry problem-solving techniques present in the STS activity. The other videos in the series will also be described.
Integrating Technology Into the Classroom and More Jerry Dawson, Pierian Spring Software, Portland, OR 97201
With the right techniques, the computer, TV monitor, or an overhead projector can work together to make technology a vital part of your classroom. If you are not blessed with a laboratory of computers, you can find out how technology can work for you by attending this hands-on workshop, where you will learn about finding appropriate software, using courseware products (specifically science), incorporating multimedia projects, integrating technology into a variety of teaching metiods, and utilizing the Internet to publish your class projects around the world. With a click of the mouse, you can make software a tool of exploration and connections for your students -- and a help to you! There are absolutely no prerequisites.
The Physics of Automobile Crashes John Kwasnoski, Western New England College, Springfield, MA 01119
This workshop will present analysis of a motor vehicle homicide case study using principles of physics to reconstruct vehicle motions before impact. Similar activities that are part of "Science and Traffic Safety" materials developed with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be discussed.
STS: the only way to teach science to ALL STUDENTS Beverly Nelson, Hackensack High School, Hackensack, NJ 07601
I have found the traditional way of teaching science is not the best way to reach most students. Teaching the science, technology links, and societal concrens of our global issues does work. I have been working on alternative ways to teach and assess science for the general level student, especially the low-motivated and the underserved. I will share sample lessons, alternative methods of instuction, and tips on how to help these students succeed in science and enjoy it at the same time. You will have the opportunity to participate in one of these activities.
1-hour roundtable discussion
SETI and Pseudoscience: STS Topics for General Science Courses Art Hobson, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701Because all students take at least a few science courses, it is feasible to teach STS topics to everyone by including these topics within general science courses. This is easy to do in courses for nonscientists, because they are flexible, conceptual, and taught to students whose interests span a broad range. I have written a text (Physics: Concepts and Connections (Prentice-Hall, 1995)) for my large-enrollment liberal arts physics course, which, in addition to physics, its philosophical context, and such societal topics as transportation, exponential growth, ozone depletion, and global warming, also includes the two topics to be discussed: the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and pseudoscience with emphasis on the evolution/creationism controversy.
There is plenty of good science and good pedagogy in these topics, which are treated as applications of the underlying science; and students find them fascinating and relevant. Workshop attendees will discuss and brainstorm ways to teach these topics and will receive a packet of transparency masters and other materials that can be used to teach them.
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