Statistics for Teaching Science: Part 3 Getting Comfortable with Variance, Standard Deviation, Standard Error of the Mean, and the 95% Confidence Interval
The variance, standard deviation, and standard error of the mean are excellent methods for describing data because they convey the variability of the observed data around the mean. Anyone teaching AP, IB, Pre-AP, Pre-IB, or college-bound science students will likely want to know how to calculate these values, what they indicate, and how to contextualize […]
Using Team Challenges to Foster Collaboration
Whether for STEM, foreign language, arts, or humanities, applying information is one of the most effective ways for a student to increase their level of understanding and for a teacher to assess mastery of knowledge and skills. Team challenges include any activity that asks a cooperative group to use what they have learned to accomplish […]
Using Debates to Teach Evidence-based Reasoning
An exciting way to engage your students in their online or in-person class is to use a topic that sparks discussion, research, and the desire to sleuth out additional information. In this 1.5 hr. workshop, teachers will participate in an asynchronous debate (such as a posted homework assignment) and synchronous debate for use during an […]
Statistics for Teaching Science: Part 4 Expressing Error on a Graph
Error bars are placed on a graph to give a more detailed account of what was observed. Although there are many descriptors that can be used to draw error bars, in each case the value is used to express the uncertainty or variability of the data. Error bars created from certain calculations are especially informative […]
Writing Easy-to-Use Rubrics
In this 1.5 hr. workshop, participants will practice writing rubrics with the intent of assessing the attainment of specific content and skills standards. We will explore how rubrics can be designed for ease of use and consistent interpretation. I will challenge the participants to make rubrics that are flexible enough to allow accurate assessment of […]
Using Stop-animation Videos to Learn Concepts
Stop-animation videos are short movies made with a series of photos taken from the same position and a handful of items that can be moved about to create a story. In this 1.5 hr. workshop, you will create your own stop-animation video of processes or phenomena, to cover main ideas or convey detailed information. Through […]
Student-designed Experiments: Part 1 Building Curiosity
In this workshop, we will practice a repeatable structure for introducing a topic that will be studied through scientific exploration using a remote teaching and learning platform. We will help our students conduct a preliminary investigation at home developing interest in a particular phenomenon by generating data and making observations and hypotheses. We will then […]
Statistics for Teaching Advanced Science: Part 5 Hypothesis Testing Using a Chi-squared Analysis
Parts 5-8 continue the Statistics for Science series to include the skills required in high school Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) science courses. In these workshops, we will learn how and when to use each of the most common statistical tests that are used to test hypotheses. A hand-calculation will be done using […]
Developing and Using Models Part 1
In this 1.5-hour workshop, we will explore 2-dimensional modeling for use in Next Generation science and math courses. Whether it is a schematic diagram, a systems map, a simulation, a graph, or a computer algorithm, models are used pervasively throughout science to interpret, predict, and test the way individual variables interact to yield a complex […]
Offering Choice Menus for Differentiated Assessment
Participants will be given an example of a choice menu to see how this assessment tool can be used within an online or in-person class. Assessment menus allow greater autonomy in a class as students choose the type of assignment that appeals to them or allows them to utilize their strengths. Although students may complete […]