How to Spread the Knowledge of Physics Beyond the Walls of the Classroom
… and still get tenure
Diandra Leslie-PeleckyDepartment of Physics &
AstronomyCenter for Materials Research &
AnalysisUniversity of Nebraska
Scientists in the K-12 Classroom: Can We Make a Difference?
Acknowledgements
Gayle Buck (Dept. of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education)
PF Co-PIs Sue Kirby, Clinton Elementary Roger Kirby, UNL Physics Pat Dussault, UNL Chemistry Barb Jacobson, Lincoln Public Schools
Pat Dixon (National High-Field Magnet Lab), Evaluator
Outline• Motivation
What am I doing here? Why should you care?
• Can scientists meaningfully participate in K-12 education? Project Fulcrum Case Study
• Can pre-tenure scientists meaningfully participate in K-12 education? Some suggestion to help you make a
decision• Conclusions
Outreach
(n.) 1.The act of reaching out
(n.) 2. The extent of reach(n.) 3. The extending of
services beyond usual limits
According to Webster
Outreach
Those things your
colleagues know aren’t teaching or
research
Academic Definition
Will Working on Education/Outreach Affect My Research and Teaching?
Yes.
#1: Negotiate!
• Not just outreach – Anything beyond standard expectations
• Reduced teaching load? – probably not good idea
• Reduced service load? – usually more feasible
When something is added, something else has to give
Balancing ActTenureDecision
• Negotiated trading part of my teaching responsibilities for ‘education/outreach’ activities
• Included in tenure contract
• Managed to negotiate other ‘perks’ in exchange
Why?
Abraham Lincoln
“Public opinion is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.”
the characters in the Star Trek television program
Source: USA Today 123(2591), 15 (1994)
Other interest promoters were teachers, parents and the TV program 'Beekman's World.'
A survey of 30,000 students found that:
had the strongest influence in getting the students interested in science.
Vocabulary of Science Constructs
Light travels faster than sound
Humans did not live at the same time as the
dinosaurs
The Earth goes around the sun once each year
Electrons are smaller than atoms
The Earth travels around the sun
20% 40% 60% 80%
Electrons are smaller than
atoms
The Earth goes around the sun once per year
Light travels faster than
sound
The father’s gene determines whether the
baby is a boy or girl
Lasers do not work by focusing sound waves
Antibiotics kills viruses as well as
bacteria
Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer
Source: 2002 Science and Engineering Indicators
Public Belief in Paranormal Phenomena
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Astrology or position of stars and planets can
affect peoples’ lives
People can hear from or communicate mentally with someone who has
died
Ghosts or spirits of dead people can come back in certain places
and situations
Houses can be haunted
Extrasensory perception
20011995
1990
“…pseudoscience is a sort of background noise, annoying, but rarely rising to a level that seriously interferes with scientific discourse…
“…The more serious threat is to the public, which is not often in a position to judge which claims are real and which are not. Those who are fortunate enough to have chosen science as a career have an obligation to help the public make that distinction.”
Robert L. Park, 2001
But I Don’t Have Time for
AltruismThe Case for Self-
Interest
Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics
Source: AIP
0.7%
0.36%
0.8%
Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics
Source: AIP
Ph.D.s in Physics
Source: AIP
NSF’s Role in Education & Outreach
Motivation
NSF: Integration of Research and Education
“One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects and activities it supports at academic and research institutions.” NSF - GPG
#2: To CAREER or Not to CAREER?
• Not competing against established scientists
• Prestigious• 4-5 year grants
carry you through tenure
• ‘Regular’ grants requiring education portion, too
• Giving reviewers two targets
• Weight of education/ outreach activities varies among programs
• Have to do both if you get funded
Pros Cons
NSF CAREER AwardWorked with teachers and students in a Title I school
97% of students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch
30% ‘turnover rate’ Kids came to school in the winter
without coats – or shoes Teachers on first-name basis with
probation officers, police
TeachersNeeded Science equipment More (and more current) science
knowledge More time for teaching/planning Experience with the excitement of
science
Had Incredible dedication to kids Desire to learn about science and
science teaching
NSF develops large $ education and outreach programs
Motivation
Administrator
Large research centers (MRSEC, NSEC, ERC) require education/outreach components
#3: External Funding
• $$$ Overhead Resources for
outreach
• Infrastructure• Demonstrates
ability to Write grants Organize large-scale
projects
• If it’s a really bad idea, probably won’t get funded
• Have to write the grant
• Can’t decide to just stop doing it
• Reports• PI meetings• Everybody expects
you to do it for them
Pros ConsShirley Mills• PF Project
Manager• Former
elementary school teacher
• Grad student in Higher-Education Adm.
#3b: Pace Yourself
One $1,000,000 grant
is better than 10 $100,000
grants
NSF’s Primary Goal
Produce scientific research leaders who are aware of and sympathetic to the
challenges addressing K-12 education
Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Schools
NSF’s GK-12 Program Partnerships with schools STEM graduate students learn new teaching
methods and improve communication skills; Increase teacher content knowledge Increase teacher confidence Increase the content knowledge of K-12
students Provide professional role models with whom
K-12 students can relate.
U. Hawaii’s Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Grad Program
Cornell’s Environmental Inquiry Research Partnership
University of Washington’s Engineering Educators
NCSU’s Math/Science Integration Project
Georgia State’s ‘Science on a Bus’ Harvard, BU (2), Tufts, U. Mass Boston…
GK-12 Models
#4: Treat Your Project Like Research
• Define the problem and approach• Assemble Resources
• People• Equipment• Infrastructure• Money
• Take/analyze data• Re-do the experiment the right way• Publish• Ask for more money
Scientists as Role Models: Are We Really Having Any Impact??
Eisenhower Professional Development ProgramNational Science Foundation
Graduate students work with 4th/5th graders at a Title I school
Pilot Study
Do student attitudes toward science change?
Does student content knowledge increase?
Do teachers change the way they teach science?
Experimental Setup 8 weeks of
Magnetism/Circuits 80 fourth/fifth graders
Title I school Large ELL population 2 hours/week
4 teachers 3 science
graduate students
Pre-surveyed students about their attitudes toward science and scientists
Image of Science & Scientist Scale (Krajkovich, 1982)
Student Opinion Survey (McMillan, Simonetta, Singh, 1994)
Student Interviews
Teachers provided measures of the students’ prior and current performance in science
A selected sample of students was interviewed every two weeks
Assessment Details
Psst….
…You know, the kids don’t believe
you’re scientists
Emphasize graduate students as scientists from the university
Have students talk about their research
Videotape Lead graduate student In her lab, explaining her
research Shown in week #4
Addressing Role Models
Students did not accept that their visitors were scientists
87% described the visitors as ‘teachers’
When asked whether the visitors were scientists, 75% explicitly said NO
Results
The visitors didn’t look like scientists
‘They were too pretty to be scientists. Only women who aren’t pretty enough to be in the movies would be scientists’
‘Scientists would be wearing white coats with glasses, have grey hair and be old’
Results
The visitors didn’t act like scientists
‘They showed expressions’ ‘They let us do fun things’ ‘Real scientists talk about
complicated things’ ‘They are trying to make things
easier for us to understand’
Results
The parents didn’t get it either
‘When will the real scientists show up?’
‘It was really nice of the scientists to let their wives do this’
Results
Students started with common stereotypes about scientists
The scientists in the classroom did not fit these stereotypes
Not only did the students not change their stereotypes, they rejected the visitors as scientists because they didn’t fit the stereotypes
Conclusion
Buck, Leslie-Pelecky and Kirby, J. Elem. Sci. Educ. 14(2), 1-10 (2002)
Public Stereotypes of Scientists
“The scientist is a man who wears a white coat and works in a laboratory. He is elderly or middle aged and wears glasses…. He may wear a beard, may be …unkempt… He is surrounded by equipment… and spends his days doing experiments.Mead and Mertraux, 1957
Introduce scientists via videotape first to establish identity
Have scientists start by dressing like stereotypes, then gradually becoming ‘themselves’
Have scientists start by doing ‘shows’, and then have them move into working with students in a ‘teaching’ mode.
Ensure that scientists are always referred to as ‘scientists’, not ‘grad students’ or ‘teachers’
Breaking Stereotypes
Psst….
…You know, the kids don’t believe
you’re scientists
#5: Make Your Time Count
Dabbling is a waste of time Know what’s been done Collaborate: Find people
who compliment your experience and share your goals
You can do more harm than good
Archimedes
Project Fulcrum – Year 3– Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I can move the Earth –
Joint project between Arts & Sciences, Teachers College, Lincoln Public Schools
30 Resident Scientists/3 years in grades 3-8
Resident Scientists spend entire year as school-wide resources w/Lead Teacher
8 h/wk student contact; 2 h/wk planning, no more than 4 h/wk prep
Weekly ‘group meetings’ for teachers, Resident Scientists
Stipends same as NSF Research Fellows $27,500 2003-2004 $30,000 2004-2005
Project Fulcrum
Provide grad students with realistic picture of K-12 education and their possible role in it
Increase student access to inquiry-driven experiences
Improve student and teacher attitudes toward Science Scientists
Help Fellows improve pedagogical, communication and teamwork skills
Assess the program Strengthen partnerships
Project Fulcrum Goals
Access to Inquiry
Error analysis Reproducibility Learning to ask the right
questions Comparing data with other groups Graphing/Tables Troubleshooting equipment
Making Experiments “Real”
7th Graders: Forces and Motion #1
0 10 20 30 40 500.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.2
Ve
loci
ty (
m/s
)
Angle (Degrees)
7th Graders: Forces & Motion #2
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.00.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
a (m
/s2 )
F (N)
Access to Inquiry
Evening session with parents & kids
What makes a good experiment? You don’t have to know the
answer before you start Consultation hours throughout
year Direct kids to resources Get kids over ‘humps’
Practice presentations
Science Fair Projects
Access to Inquiry
Now: Teachers teach more hours of
science/week Trend seems to be continuing
With teachers who don’t have a scientist this year
At schools PF is no longer working with
Teachers report marked increase in student participation in extracurricular science-based activities
In many K-5 classrooms, science was taught less than one hour a week – if at all
Resident ScientistsExpectations
All went in expecting to change the school Reality of working in school quite
different than they thought All left happy with what they were able to
accomplish
Respect Increased respect for ‘what teachers have
to put up with’ (esp. discipline) Increased appreciation for process vs.
inquiry balance
It’s About Them, Not You20 engineering students volunteer to teach elementary students
“The reason why you fell down and why it was harder for you to hold on with the backpack was – I paused momentarily to add more drama – ‘gravity’
I sounded like Beakman.
‘Gravity pulls things down and gravity is what makes thins feel heavy. Remember this word because you’re going to hear it every time I am here – gravity’, I concluded proudly.”
S.G. Hagerott “Physics for First Graders, Phi Delta Kappan, 78(9), pp 717-720
It’s About Them, Not You
“Reading Physics for First Graders” was disturbing in a familiar way,similar to what I’m sure I would have felt watching the author… plugging a speaker into a wall outlet”
D. Hammer, “Physics for First Graders?”, Science Education, 83 (6), 797 (1999)
Teachers Teachers more confident in
their understanding of science Teachers feel more appreciated
by parents, principals, administrators
Teachers feel more like professionals“It is great to be part of community that treats science teaching as a
profession in which we can continue to mature and improve”
Kick-Off Event
Carl Wieman and Lead Teacher Linda Splichal (below).
Lawrence Krauss poses with
several Project Fulcrum members (above).
Students Economically disadvantaged students
Initially showed less interest in science and less self-confidence
Differences were eliminated by mid-year; maintained through end-of-year
At start of new school year, students asked if they would have a scientist in their classroom this year
More girls are participating in science fairs
Parents are more aware of students’ science-based activities.
Partnerships
PF as a framework for faculty who would like to (or must) include an education component in a proposal
We know what works Contacts with Lincoln Public School
District Developed a cadre of teachers who want
to work with scientists
Example: All MRSEC participants are pledged to do 20 hours/yr outreach
But What About the Role Models???
Role Model Project Don’t allow scientist to work with
students until after videotape is shown Teacher does short unit on scientists &
what they do Changed title from ‘Fellow’ to ‘Resident
Scientist’ Wear nametags: “Scientist” Role Model Project:
Diverse faculty, grad students, industrial scientists
Relate to content matter Scientists talk about why they are in
science, etc.
Role Model Project Results At midterm, majority of students
believed their Fellow was a scientist
By end of year, majority was back to believing he/she was a student teacher
Definite gender dependence Very Scientist-specific In some cases, image of a scientist
went down Passive F scientists/strong M or F
teachers Different results for girls/boys
Scientists as Role Models
How do graduate students negotiate being role models as they are becoming scientists?
Track male and female scientists throughout the year to see how their image of themselves and their image of themselves as role models changes.
Can Scientists Make a Difference in K-12 Education?
Yes.
From a Teacher
“Thank you for caring enough about science and children to invest like you have… this opportunity has given me the chance to self-examine/mindfully improve my quality of teaching on a daily/weekly basis. It feels like I'm in 'seminar' every week - and what a great way to keep fresh and keep learning.”
Should Scientists Try to Make a Difference in K-12 Education?
Should Pre-Tenure Scientists Try to Make a Difference in K-12 Education?
Impact
LARGEEffort
InstitutionalSupport/Resources
Getting Tenure
To Outreach or Not To Outreach?
Belief you will make a difference
Outreach and Tenure
The further you stray from the ‘traditional’ assistant professor
profile…
The more nervous you’ll be in the years prior to
tenure
Doing Both
• More invited talks
• More papers• More $$• More visibility• More invitations
to review grants
• More refereeing of papers and grants
• More travel to give talks
• More papers to write
• Real need to efficiently divide your time
Pros Cons
Balancing
Decide how much time you’re going to devote to your outreach (teaching, family, etc.) and STICK TO IT.
Getting Your Feet Wet
• Start small Work on someone else’s project Make sure that you like working
with teachers, students, etc.
• Local resources University office for recruiting Minority affairs College of Education
InstitutionalSupport/Resources
Getting Tenure
To Outreach or Not To Outreach?
Belief you will make a difference
Risk Assessment• Ask dept. chair if these efforts
will be valued – in a tangible way Will it count toward tenure? Does your idea dovetail into
existing departmental programs? Can your idea provide visibility to
help the department?
You can always start AFTER tenure
Institutional Support
UNL pre ‘02
Research
Teaching
Service
UNL post ‘02
Research
Teaching
Service
Administration
Outreach
•Use existing institutional structures• Secretarial• Organizational• Logistical• Managerial
Institutional Support
Invest your time in things that really require your
skills.
InstitutionalSupport/Resources
Getting Tenure
To Outreach or Not To Outreach?
Belief you will make a difference
Do things you feel passionate about Listen to the needs of the people
you want to “help” Investigate what has already been
done – and whether it worked Involve specialists Infrastructure! Stay optimistic
Conclusions
Outreach
Is it a Waste of Time?
If you don’t do it, you definitely won’t make an
impact
-Tom Weber
If you do it, you may not make an impact.
Project Fulcrum:www.physics.unl.edu/~fulcrum