NEACT NORTHERN DIVISION

DAVID CROCKETT – POLAND REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

POLAND, MAINE

NORTHERN DIVISION CHAIR 2004-2006

Reported by Andy Corcoran

The 500^th meeting of the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers was held on Saturday, October 1, 2005 at Cliffside Lodge, OMNI Camp, 135 Verrill Road, Poland Springs, Maine. Original venue, Poland Regional High School, was changed due to closing of roads in the vicinity for the Homecoming Parade taking place. What an absolutely beautiful setting. The lodge was constructed of Maine pine logs and lumber along with native granite. It was built in 2004 by John Libby of Houses & Barns of Freeport, Maine. The lodge overlooked a pond and a vast expanse of Maine forest. Breathing in the air on this early autumn morning was like a rush of pure invigorating oxygen to the system. Although the conference was held inside the lodge, everyone first ascended to the lookout at the upper level of the lodge to breathe in deeply, and take in the verdant vistas. Off in the distance one could see the world famous Poland Springs water bottling facility.

OMNI Learning Institute was established in 1971 by Gar Roper Ph.D. At the Cliffside Lodge he organizes sessions to help teachers recharge their psychological batteries. The main room of the lodge was dedicated to Gar’s mother, Margaret Farquhar. I found this on a plaque in the room: “The great room of Cliffside Lodge is being named for Margaret Farquhar in honor of her life. Peg, as she was known, was my mother, my first teacher and a dedicated educator in her role as a first grade teacher. From her I learned the value of words and the infinite potential of human learning, when it is supported by steadfast belief and patient support. The OMNI Learning Institute was born in the tutelage of this remarkable woman who treated each child as a wonder of possibility, intelligence and creativity. Henceforth this room will be called the Margaret Farquhar Room in her memory. May the work that she inspired, inspire today’s generation of teachers and educators and carry forward to generations to come.”

Dr. Roper was present at the meeting and was of no small help in setting up the facility on short notice. Registration, a bit delayed because of the change in venue, went smoothly helped along by Judith Kelley. Refreshments were available.

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

The presenter for this time slot was Michelle Garcia of Poland Regional High School, who was introduced by David Crockett. Topic was “Inquiry-Based Learning in Classrooms With and Without Walls.”

Poland Regional High School has heterogeneous groupings. There are some upper level courses available. Michelle has anywhere from 10 to 12 different subjects going on at the high school. Three that she mentioned later in her presentation were Marine Biology, Anatomy, and Marine Science. One beneficial outcome of this she claims is that the students are also teaching her. The presentation opened with the question: “What is Inquiry?” Some shown responses were:

· Is what people learn when left alone.

· Allows student’s questions and curiosities to drive the curricula.

· A prescriptive model, Socratic in nature. The process is guided in order to reach predetermined objectives. Ultimately the learner will discover “how to learn”.

Michelle asked participants what they thought “inquiry” was. It turns out that it is a loaded word. People have quite different opinions about this philosophy. Anthony suggested that it could be a resurrection of an older concept called “discovery learning”. He mentioned one drawback, especially in teaching chemistry, that placing too much trust in the student can lead to problems. Judith Kelley, speaking from experience at the college level, stated that it works well with non-science majors working in small groups. Pick a topic of interest, e.g. athletes are interested in knowledge of drugs. Inquiry was her best course. She appreciated how students were responsible for explaining concepts to others. Unfortunately, she was given assignments in other courses. David stated that for him, inquiry is the way each person uses intellectual skills and perspectives. The goal is to move from uninformed guesses to a more educated guess.

The next displayed topic was “Why We Do Inquiry?” Audience input was solicited. Some responses were:

· Students lose in early years so reversal is necessary in later years.

· It is necessary to get away from cookbook learning.

· It helps develop cause and effect skills.

· There is a need for good scientific techniques which can only come from practice. Helps balance learning strategies.

Another question posed was: “What keeps us from doing inquiry”? A series of responses elicited from the participants were:

· Teacher/Student ratio is important – method is difficult with large groups.

· It takes more time and sometimes involves more “fighting” on the teacher’s part.

· There is student resistance in some cases. Many of the good students insist on knowing exactly what is the outcome.

· Inquiry is hard because students are not used to this approach.

· It is too open-ended. Students are conditioned to know expectations.

· Need some basic knowledge. Many students in their younger teen years have somewhat limited appropriate knowledge.

· David pointed out that students have different skills and abilities. You also need administrative support. It is a challenge to keep everyone on task while giving personal support to others. The goal is to get to some acceptable level at the course’s end.

Michelle listed three types of “Inquiry”: Inductive and Deductive, Discovery Learning, and Problem Solving. She uses Problem Solving, finding that it works well with heterogrouping in either small or large classes. A basic Inquiry Model was shown as a visual. A series of questions were posed around a central “Actual Question or Problem” mode. Such questions were: “What do you wonder?, What do you observe?”, etc. In a handout she listed a series of “What Do You Wonder?. Among some were: “Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue?; Why we have rainbows?; and Why hummingbirds never seem to land?” In the handout, which she passes out to the students at the beginning of the school year, she lets them know that this is their chance to look in depth at something they wonder about; have fun looking for an answer; and can actually get credit for doing it.

The handout had a section: What I want you to do (the BIG picture):

· Take a look around the next day or two; make some observations about the natural world around you. What interests you and what would you like to take time to discover?

· Ask a question based on your observations.

· Design a way to test your question. This ideally should help you formulate an answer.

· Write a lab report with all of your information, data and conclusions (we will do the lab report in small parts and then put it all together at the end)

Lab report sections were:

· Introduction – What was I looking for?

· Methods – How did I look for it?

· Results – What did I find?

· Discussion – What does this mean?

Some questions Michelle received are listed here:

· How and why does a fire change color?

· Can a fish drown?

· How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

· Will a starburst dissolve if you don’t chew it and how long will it take?

· Which sex is more affected by eating chocolate? (The answer obtained by the student was “female”. It was also pointed out, however, that it was difficult to get enough males to eat chocolate).

· What kinds of substances combust and what kinds of substances explode?

Some reflections were given on “problem-based learning”:

· Is messy and complex in nature

· Requires inquiry, information gathering, and reflection

· Is changing and tentative

· Has no simple, formulated “fixed solution”

· Ideal for heterogeneous groups

One of the participants posed the question that if there is no right or wrong answer, how can a student be marked wrong? Michelle answered this by insisting that a student must back up any opinion with facts.

What are some challenges to problem-based learning? A listing included the following:

· AMBIGUITY – you won’t know all the answers.

· You have to be able to let go – learn along with the students.

· Formative assessment is much more observational

· Making sure there is individual accountability when students work in group.

How can you help the young students with problem-based learning?

· Build time in for meetings, whether with individuals or with the group.

· Do regular check-ins and reflections, whether peer or self.

· Provide the students with resources including websites, books, experts, etc.

· As them questions, get them to think about what they need to do,….but

· DON’T TELL THEM WHAT TO DO!

Michelle has found that all the students get where they were headed.

At this point in the presentation, Michelle gave some details on problems she presented to the students.

For her Anatomy Class: MEET YOUR PATIENT. “ Laura has been your patient for most of her young life. She is currently nine years old and is in the 4^th grade. Laura’s mother has brought her in today; she thinks that she might have a stomach flu or food poisoning. Apparently Laura has been unable to eat very much recently. She seems to get diarrhea at least once a day and when she doesn’t she gets constipated instead. She has lost some weight due to her inability to keep much down. She also has been projective vomiting her food at times. She seems to have a rash of blistery type lesions on here knees and elbows.” In the hand-out there is information given on Laura’s medical history, vitals and tests, organ assessment, and initial examination. Students are to come up with a plausible cause of the problem and then to give a presentation.

For her Marine Ecology Project: NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. “The Maine Power Company in conjunction with the New England Electric System are proposing to build a nuclear power plant at Popham Beach in Maine. Thermal pollution may be one of the effects that Maine’s coastal marine areas experience. In order to find out the possible effects we must learn about the surrounding ecosystem in an unharmed state. You will research the ecology of one organism that may be affected. You will then hypothesize to what the possible effects of the thermal pollution might be on that organism.” Detailed information is given to the students to properly direct their study.

For her Marine Biology Project: THE UNKNOWN PLANKTON. “You are a marine biologist working at Bigelow labs in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. You have been sent some information from the local university on an unknown plankton species. The students there collected it and are unsure what type it is, they have asked you to help them figure it out. Unfortunately you cannot get a picture or live sample of the plankton and all you have to go on is the description that they gave you.” Once again appropriate information is given in the handout to guide the students in pursuing a solution to the problem.

For her Chemistry Class: THE CHEMISTRY OF CRIME. “On the morning of Monday of August 14, a horrible crime was committed in the Department of Chemistry. The office of Laboratory Professor Angy Stacy was burned. Since we are studying forensic chemistry in lab, we decided to let you, the students of Chemistry 1A, solve the crime. Unfortunately, due to the very recent nature of this event, much of this material has not been included in the lab manual. All of the evidence obtained by the police has been place on the World Wide Web for you easy access.” Information from the web is provided to the students. The web address shown was http://ww.cchem.berkeley.edu/~chem1a/fall95/lab/crime/evidence/evidence.html.

At the conclusion of this presentation, Michelle mentioned “Place-Based and Service Learning Projects are expected of the students. The project they will be working on in the spring will meet the following course standards:

· Investigate and evaluate human activities and disturbances in terrestrial systems.

· Discuss the impact that abiotic factors have on terrestrial systems.

· Integrate critical thinking skills/problem solving skills in the study of the terrestrial environment.

· Design and complete relevant terrestrial experiments and/or projects in your community.

Some examples of this spring time activity include:

· Internship at the Maine Wildlife Park

· Erosion restoration project

· School planting project

· Stream surveying

· Habitat assessment. An example here was concerned with the best way to remove the invasive purple loosestrife. Michelle related a story of a particular student who hated science but later was excitedly involved in invasive plant studies in the South.

At the end of Michelle’s presentation, a discussion took place with her and some of the assembled members. Of interest was how to handle a repeatedly absent student when doing group projects. One approach was to have the group itself take on the responsibility of bringing the student up to par. Some participants suggested that the group itself decide whether the repeatedly absent student pass or fail a project. Michelle pointed out that her classes are small, usually no more than 20 students per class. She also mentioned that Poland Regional High School uses standard report card grades. The report includes a “habits of work” grade.

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

In this time slot, a joint presentation was given by David Crockett and Sally Motycka, both of Poland Regional High School, Poland Spring, Maine. The title of their presentation was: “Seeing the Light of Inquiry: Spectrophotometer-based Investigations”. Because this presentation was done outside of the usual settings, it was obvious that both teachers did a lot of preparation setting up the video system and providing tables laden with working demonstration and written materials.

David opened by reading a story about six blind men who went out to explore an elephant. Each touched a single part of the elephant and drew his conclusion. One felt a leg and concluded it was like a tree; another felt the side and concluded it contained a high wall; another touched a trunk and concluded it was like a spear, etc. At the end of the exploration, each went home quite mistaken about the nature of an elephant. An amusing cartoon was then shown of an elephant with a blindfolded, snoopy-like, dog investigating various parts of the beast. All this was to emphasize that starting off in the classroom we have to establish what we really know, yet recognize that we may not yet have the correct answer to everything. David believes most students have required the skills necessary to do authentic inquiry learning. He is always on the lookout for attention-catching cartoons whose message is to get to kids to look at things properly. One he displayed involved a girl flying a kite with the message: “The eye does not control the mind, the mind controls the eye.” Put yourself in the student’s place, e.g. when looking at a test tube and contents, what does the student see? Sally came in at this point and emphasized, as a team, she and David are looking to get kids to observe and make connection between what they see and what they know. When assigning a task, some students are reluctant to proceed simply because they don’t know how to- the instructor must show students how to begin.

Leonardo da Vinci is held up as a model for the students. This Renaissance man was a good observer and artist. When studying light, David has the students look through a spectroscope and observe the various spectra. They record what they see, and results are compared. Interestingly, there is a difference in the results. The student without detail is not necessarily lazy but may lack appropriate skills. Certainly the opportunity exists to help this student improve his/her observational skills.

Sally has the students do the color wheel in class. Through this they can learn about colors, primary, complements, mixtures, etc. David injected that you may need to develop small pieces before going to bigger things. A common ground between chemistry and art is color. A handout was given and a visual was shown titled “The Birth and Meaning of Light” which included a question posed by Hazel Rossotti (Colour; Why the World Isn’t Grey)-“How far will chemistry and physics….help us to understand the appeal of a painting?” Sally showed a collection of student art works which covered a wide range of different mediums. Even from this point, it is possible to follow logical progressions which lead to use of a microscope, spectronic 20 etc. Wavelengths and intensity can now be introduced. With the spectronic 20, David has the students analyze three different colors instead of three different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Initially, most students think of the spectronic 20 as a magic box so it is important to get them to understand what is “going on”. Before using the spectronic 20, the students look at incandescent light through a small spectroscope. David had all the equipment for this activity set up for the meeting attendees to use. Flat bottles containing blue, yellow and red solutions are in turn placed between the incandescent source and the spectroscope. Students observe and describe what they see. This activity is striking in its effect since absorbance now becomes understandable. Students draw the location of the missing regions in the spectrum and can later make the relationship to what is happening when the spectronic 20 is used in analysis.

Students are familiar with rainbows and the rainbow effect from CDs etc. so this can be used for effect when teaching about colors. Of great use is the familiar slinky which allows the students to see the relationship between wavelength and increased or decreased energy input while shaking. Sally cautions once again to keep in mind the power of small things which are familiar to the students. You may have to go deeper than usual to bring up things long since forgotten.

Sally and David complement each other in this team- taught course. Sally appreciates David’s sometimes “playful” approach to explanations. It was pointed out that other teachers in the system and elsewhere never completely understood the nature of pigments until they encountered this team. David admitted that he always had an objective view of color until he worked with Sally. He appreciates the artist’s view of color as it relates to tints, tones, etc.

At this point, graphic visuals were shown of absorbance versus wavelength for primary colors, and Prang Blue & Black Saturation Series. Sally indicated that it was a revelation to her that intensity is greatest with a pure color.

Once students know how to use the spectronic 20, many project possibilities result. As an art activity, give the students a color kit and allow them to make different mixtures. They are surprised to learn that not all black is the same. Have they made the blackest black or the whitest white? In chemistry class, students can work with pH indicators. This helps them to understand buffers and the results of combining two different colors. Did red and yellow actually give orange? Check this by measuring absorbance.

In conclusion, Sally mentioned that even bright kids like doing this fun stuff – they can freely explore but don’t have to think (unlike chemistry class) and can be greatly stimulated.

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Attendees paid $10.00 for a buffet-type lunch during this time slot. Of course, most carried their fare out to the expansive balcony on the same level and engaged in socialization while at the same time breathing in the deeply fresh air of the forest, and visually taking in the sylvan views.

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

In this time slot, an Inquiry-Share Workshop was presented by Lois K. Ongley, a chemistry teacher at Oak Hill High School, Sabattus, Maine. Lois has been at Oak Hill High School for four years. She teaches two chemistry levels, one which is “college prep”. The school has recently changed from a trimester to a semester system. A handout was given titled-“Heavy Thinking (density, mixtures, critical thinking and science writing)”. Lois assembled a table full of some of the equipment and materials used with the handout. Students are required to determine the density of an aluminum sheet, of pennies and of various foreign coins. Four interesting problem choices were given to the students who only needed to choose two of the four.

1. Examine and describe the three varieties of shot (buck shot) available to you. List at least four characteristics that allowed you to determine the metal identity; at least two of those properties must be intensive properties. Which type of shot is legal for hunting water fowl?

2. Examine the blue plastic. Determine what type of polymer it is. Your choices are: high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate. For what is this plastic used?

3. Calculate the thickness of the coin described below (a 5 kroner 1975 Norwegian coin used to commemorate 150 years of organized emigration from Norway). Appropriate data were given such as alloy composition, weight, and diameter. After completing the calculation, the students would measure the coin’s thickness.

4. Assume that old French coins (old francs minted during WWII years, 1 franc was 100 sou) like the one pictured below are made of an alloy of aluminum and magnesium. Determine the composition of the alloy

For resources the students could use textbooks, the internet, the manual for the electronic balances in the lab, or any books in the classroom or the media center. Items or equipment of use were a variety of plastic samples, several liquids of various densities, a hammer (with appropriate cautions and warnings), and a Vernier caliper.

Some error analysis was in order. For instance, some coins have ridges. Lois indicated that another activity that takes place involves a field trip to a nearby lake to do water analysis.

Many of the participants engaged in a discussion of the measuring equipment. Most mass measurements today are digital whereas volume measurements are not. Some teachers expressed concern that with digital equipment, students don’t understand basic concepts. Even now some micrometers are digital. Inexperienced measurers don’t know when a measuring device is inaccurate. Purists can establish competency by showing the ability to read scales. Some problems encountered with students are that they use a large size graduate to measure the volume of a small coin and they assume all coins are identical. Some teachers argued that the students should be allowed to make mistakes. When they come up with the wrong answer, they are challenged to find a solution. The discussion ended with views on significant digits and relative errors. For instance, two measurements, 0.1 and 0.9 both have one significant digit but the 0.9 has a smaller relative error which many consider of greater importance.

2:30 p.m.

As the formal part of the meeting ended, Dr. Gar Roper, Director of OMNI Learning, gave more information relative to the Cliffside Lodge-at OMNI. OMNI Learning was founded on the belief that every child has the potential to become a successful, lifelong learner. Workshops allow one to share and discover teaching techniques that make this kind of success possible, while at the same time enjoying a relaxing getaway in a beautiful setting. Workshops will:

· Sustain and rekindle your enthusiasm for teaching.

· Help you create a classroom environment in which ALL students are motivated to learn.

· Provide you with tools, techniques, and activities you can put to use right away

Both one-day and two-day workshops are available. Sessions are led and moderated by experienced classroom teachers and by Dr. Gar Roper himself. There are a number of bedrooms in the lodge but no greater than 40 people stay overnight. Gar passed out a handbill announcing a concert this evening featuring the musician David Mallett. Ticket price is $17 in advance or $20 at the door. Proceeds benefit the OMNI Learning Institute’s “Maine Teachers First Initiative”. A website was given: www.omnilearning.org.

Two possible trips were on the agenda, but because of the lateness of the day neither took place. One listed was a trip to Poland Spring Museum and the other a possible tour of Poland Spring Water Bottling Plant. Generally, no tours are available of the Poland Spring Bottling Plant, but an exception was made for us as chemistry teachers. Bad timing, however, because of a company picnic, there would be no tour this day. It was mentioned that the original spring is no longer functional. Theoretically, we were told that a spring means the water is bubbling up from the ground. Sufficient water is obtainable from a large aquifer in the area. Personally, I would recommend a trip to the last remaining Shaker community in America at Sabbath Day Lake, which just down the road from the meeting.