PROMSE

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Associate Thom Glasovatz says ‘every student can learn’

At the end of each school year Waverly High School’s lawn becomes a space shuttle launch pad when students in Thom Glasovatz’s introductory physics course launch small rockets to practice the concepts they’ve learned throughout the year and have some fun.

For the past ten years Glasovatz has taught a variety of science courses at Waverly High School in Michigan. Besides the introductory physics class, he also teaches a freshmen science course.

Unlike the subjects Glasovatz teaches, his education philosophy is simple. “Every student can learn and learning is the responsibility of the learner,” Glasovatz notes. “I believe that we live in a society that makes excuses for why students cannot learn”. He says the simple fact is that students choose whether they will learn or not. It is the job of teachers, in the words of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, to introduce students to the joys of finding things out.

Prior to becoming a teacher Glasovatz occupied a myriad of jobs, including a three-year career as a law enforcement officer. But science always captivated him. With the urging and support of his family, he enrolled at Michigan State University and earned a degree in physics. “I wanted to make young people as interested in science as I am,” Glasovatz says. “I truly wish to wipe out ‘science ignorance.’”

With nearly fifteen years of science education experience, Glasovatz notes that today’s educators face the challenge of promoting dynamic and evolving education standards and curriculums, while at the same time refusing to lower expectations. He urges both students and educators to embrace the idea that every student can learn in an innovative, flexible and challenging learning environment. “Teaching and learning are not stagnant processes, they are dynamic. We as teachers must be ready and able to change at a moments notice,” Glasovatz says. “Teachers often think that changing education means lowering standards. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Glasovatz recognizes PROM/SE’s role in ensuring that science education is adaptable and designed to meet the needs of students on their way to becoming scientifically literate citizens. PROM/SE has helped him gain a better understanding and respect for how other teachers, especially those teaching lower grades, develop ways to meet science objectives. The data generated by PROM/SE also provides a wealth of information. Glasovatz notes that the data has pointed out holes in the science curriculum and helps facilitate changes to the current curriculum and classroom practices.

As a PROM/SE Associate, he looks forward to helping school administrators be more curriculum-minded and doing his part to streamline and update Waverly’s K-12 science curriculum. “We should increase our expectations and embrace the philosophy that every student can learn. I expect a great deal from my students and in turn, they give me all they can.”
Written by Alicia Clarke

Science Associate Jessie Psink Ties Science to Everyday Life

Groups of sixth grade students at St. Clair Middle School have built their own water filtration system. Now, they must use their inventions to make “waste water,” created from food coloring, cooking oils and other household ingredients, clean enough to be returned to St. Clair’s water system. Their teacher, PROM/SE Science Associate Jessie Psink, has designed this and other projects so students can connect science to their world.

The 2005 school year marked Psink’s eleventh year at St. Clair Middle School, Michigan. This year she teaches sixth grade life science and reading. Previously she has taught mathematics, language arts and a core class centered on building students’ self esteem.

To Psink, teaching should be meaningful. “Teachers themselves must be passionate and excited about what they teach. If the students see their instructor as enthusiastic about a subject, they will become more interested and involved,” Psink says.

Her goal is to connect what happens in the classroom to the students’ everyday experiences. She utilizes resources in her community to make these connections.

Most of Psink's students and their families live along the St. Clair River. She uses the river as a teaching tool by inviting a St. Clair county health department official to teach her sixth graders about water quality and pollution. Her students also collect water samples from the river. From these exercises, they learn about water run off and ways to protect and reduce the pollution of their city’s water system.

Teaching has always been a part of Psink’s life. As the oldest of five children, she often found herself teaching her younger brothers and sisters. She credits her mother with instilling the importance of education in her life.

Psink has a BS in Science with a minor in mathematics and earned a MA in early childhood development. She is currently pursuing an education specialist degree in Curriculum Development.

Her love of children and education made teaching the ideal career. “It just felt right,” Psink says.

Teaching styles have changed since she began her career. “Eleven years ago, there was not such a push for collaborative learning,” Psink said. “Individuals read material in books and did the worksheet. There was not much difference in the curriculum. It was one size fits all. Now, there is much more collaborative work being done in the classroom. Educators must teach their students teamwork skills and how to communicate with others.” To do this, she designs group projects and activities to challenge every learning level.

Psink is a new member of the PROM/SE community. She wants her students to be successful and said PROM/SE will be a part of that success. Psink attended the 2005 PROM/SE Summer Science Institute where she gained an understanding of where her district’s students stand relative to others from the U.S. and around the world.

She hopes that working with PROM/SE will bring about a better science curriculum and strategies to improve science scores.
Written by Susan Pettit Riley and Alicia Clarke

Associate Patricia Shelley Thinks Creatively to Engage Students

Patricia Shelley’s classroom at Williamston High School in Williamston, Michigan is a place where students come to build a solid foundation in science that will last a lifetime.

“I want students to be very competitive in the outside market so they can fulfill their dreams,” Shelley says.

Now in her sixth year at Williamston High School in the Ingham County Intermediate School District, Shelley sees herself as a facilitator of scientific knowledge. Currently she teaches chemistry, physical science and environmental chemistry. For the last six years she has also served on the District Curriculum/School Improvement Committee.

“Today students have access to a vast array of technology like television, video games and computers. Because of this, teachers now must think of creative ways to encourage students to engage in scientific principles,” says Shelley. She does this by incorporating technology and multimedia tools in her lessons to appeal to her students’ interests.

While studying hazardous waste and water pollutants, students in her environmental chemistry course visit the websites of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Williamston to examine information about the local water supply. Shelley also makes use of the Logger 3.3 graphing program so her chemistry students can manipulate their data.

“I want to get kids involved—living the subject areas that I’m teaching them,” says Shelley.

Educating others has long been a joy of Shelley’s. Before entering the teaching field in 1986, she had a career in Agribusiness as a greenhouse manager. For six years Shelley taught community outreach and enrichment classes and soon discovered how much she enjoyed working with people and sharing her knowledge and experience. She soon returned to school to pursue a second Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

Scientific developments are constantly evolving and teaching it can be difficult. The blending of more and more students of different learning styles and abilities into one class presents a challenge as Shelley sees it. “Teachers teach towards the middle. The upper end and lower end often get forgotten,” Shelley remarks. She tackles this difficulty by staying current with scientific discoveries and ensuring that she challenges those students who are ready to advance, with out leaving others behind.

PROM/SE has brought many advantages to her personally, and to her school and district. PROM/SE offers its participants the opportunity to react and discuss issues with colleagues in and out of Michigan. Shelley believes that this will ultimately lead to a greater perspective on what is happening in the academic community. She hopes that being a PROM/SE Associate will help her to better understand the needs of her students and create a fine-tuned curriculum to meet those needs.

She and other associates from her district attended the PROM/SE 2005 Summer Science Institute. “The Institute gave a better perspective of the overall status of our district, from K-12,” Shelley says. “PROM/SE is providing a wealth of information that is hard for a school or a district to gather alone. It will allow us to take a good hard look at the math and science curriculums and see what we are doing well and what needs to change. The group base line data can be used for years to come and will effect long range planning and curricular decisions in our district.”
Written by Susan Pettit Riley and Alicia Clarke

Associate Renee Everling receives Presidential Award

As a group of 10 year olds peered through a magnifying glass at an odd looking animal that has changed little over the eons, they imagined what life was like for this pre-historic creature in the ancient waters of long ago. These junior scientists watched with excitement as a triop, a small crustacean that looks like a miniature horse-shoe crab, doubled in size almost daily. The students were not on a field trip to a local museum; instead, they were experiencing nature and science in their own classroom. With the aid of their teacher and a magnifying lens connected to a large screen monitor, the triop was transformed into a powerful hands-on teaching tool used to convey key concepts of the scientific process and explore the characteristics of living organisms.

Now their teacher, Renee Everling, is being recognized for instilling the love of learning and the thrill of discovery through her innovative classroom teaching that combines mathematical and scientific tools enhanced through the use of technology. Everling is one of 95 outstanding elementary and middle school teachers honored this year with the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for teaching in these fields.

Everling is a PROM/SE Associate and a teacher at J.F. Burns Elementary in the Kings Local School District located in Kings Mills, Ohio. Her district is a member of the High AIMS Consortium, a PROM/SE partner.

"Without trying, Renee is a model for all of us. Her enthusiasm and energy for teaching, her openness to new ideas and her ability to relate well to all of her adult peers are the traits that distinguish her as a teacher leader. She deserves all the recognition that comes her way," states Bob Yearout, director of the High AIMS Consortium.

She entered the teaching field 14 years ago aiming to use her knowledge and experiences to encourage students to become active and excited learners. The start of each school year brings the opportunity to try new and evolving instructional techniques that allow her students to make observations, ask questions, discuss what they see in their environment, and ultimately, not just learn, but also truly own science.

“This award recognizes the contributions that teachers make to America’s legacy of progress by encouraging young people to study and understand math and science,” wrote President George W. Bush in a letter to all the awardees. “With a strong foundation in these critical subjects, today’s students will be able to better compete and succeed in the 21st Century workforce.”

“These outstanding teachers show us what excellent teaching looks like,” said Mark Saul, Ph.D., program director of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education at the National Science Foundation (NSF). “They have a passion for their subject and a dedication to their students. They know how to bring out the best in every student, in every kind of school. We hope their example will stimulate the creativity of other teachers and help attract new recruits to the mathematics and science teaching profession.”

Awardees traveled to Washington, DC for a week-long celebration including an awards ceremony, professional learning opportunities, conversations with leaders in education policy, and opportunities to meet government dignitaries.

The chance to meet fellow winners and swap ideas is perhaps the most valuable reward for the teachers. “When I met many of the other awardees, I realized that I was in some very talented company,” remarks Everling. “The group made an instant connection and we continue to share ideas.”

Sharing ideas and working as a team is part of what makes Everling’s teaching stronger. She draws upon varied resources gathered from workshops, on-line, and the lessons and ideas created in grade level planning sessions. She also is learning as a PROM/SE Associate.

“Being a PROM/SE Associate has offered me exposure to instructional practices that expand beyond my classroom and district doors. Our professional development sessions keep me on my toes with the mathematics content and stretch me to find ways to incorporate what I learn into my teaching. Having this opportunity only strengthens me as a teacher and also as an informational source for my colleagues. As we move deeper into this process, I can see more of the ideas and experiences becoming practice within our building and district.”