STEM Ed Announcement: Fall 2012 STEM Tuesday Seminars

["Mort Sternheim" <mort@k12s.phast.umass.edu>]

This is a UMass STEM Ed program
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 REVISED SCHEDULE
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 Fall 2012 STEM Tuesday Seminars 
 
 STEM seminars are held at 4PM on the first and third Tuesdays of
 each month during the academic year in Hasbrouck 138. Everyone is
 welcome; no reservations are needed, and there is no charge.
 Parking is available in the Campus Center Garage. 
 
 September 18 
 Robert and Ellen Kaplan Founders, The Math Circle 
 "Math Talent Is a Myth" 
 
 This will be an interactive conversation with the lecture audience
 as we show you what our approach to learning math is in our Math
 Circles - We won't describe but demonstrate the approach of our
 Math Circle, whose fundamental principle is: tell no one anything,
 but give them an attractive mystery to work on collegially, letting
 them discover insights together, and together invent proofs. It
 takes no special talent to do this because math is our forgotten
 native language. To find out more, see our website,
 www.themathcircle.org, or read our book, Out of the Labyrinth:
 Setting Mathematics Free. 
 
 September 25 
 David Lustick, Professor, Graduate School of Education, UMass,
 Lowell 
 "Cool Science: Improving Public Understanding of Climate Change" 
 
 The purpose of the presentation/workshop is to provide k16 teachers
 with an overview and information about how to get their students
 involved with a statewide art competition about climate change
 science. Winning students and their schools will receive $200 in
 gift certificates and have their work put on display throughout the
 Lowell public transportation system in the first half of 2013.
 Ideas about how to integrate the Cool Science competition into
 existing curricula and strategies for interdisciplinary
 collaboration will be addressed. All interested educators are
 encouraged to attend. 
 
 October 2 
 Bob Tinker, Founder and Director of the Concord Consortium 
 "InquirySpace: A Space for Real Science" 
 
 "Before graduating from high school, students should design and
 carry out at least one major investigation that closely
 approximates sound science."This ringing call for real science in
 the AAAS Benchmarks remains an unfulfilled but vitally important
 goal. I will present a technology-enhanced approach that seems to
 be able to make this goal more realistic. 
 
 October 16 
 Bob Butler, Physics Professor, Portland State University,
 Earthscope Distinguished Lecturer
 "Engaging Novice Earth Science Learners in EarthScope Science"
 
 "EarthScope will provide a foundation for fundamental and applied
 research throughout the United States that will contribute to the
 mitigation of risks from geological hazards, the development of
 natural resources, and the public's understanding of the dynamic
 Earth".  Education and Outreach personnel with the EarthScope
 National Office (ESNO), IRIS, and UNAVCO have developed educational
 resources and programs that are bringing EarthScope to millions of
 people, including educators, students and visitors to parks and
 museums. Five Colleges will be adopting an EarthScope seismic
 station as the array moves through New England over the next few
 years. 
 
 Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE) is a place-based K-12 Earth
 science teacher professional development program featuring
 EarthScope science and Cascadia geologic hazards. Drawing on the
 Orphan Tsunami of 1700, TOTLE and collaborators developed classroom
 activities inviting students to approach Cascadia tsunami geology
 as a "Crime Scene Investigation" through which they gain
 understanding of plate tectonic processes, such as the earthquake
 cycle. Inquiry-based learning about great Cascadia earthquakes and
 tsunami aligns well with National Science Education Standards;
 provides a case study of scientific discovery, an important
 benchmark of science literacy; and emphasizes science, technology,
 and societal connections through consideration of geologic hazards. 
 These motivations have been dramatically reinforced by the Chile
 2010 and Japan 2011 great earthquakes and resulting Pacific-wide
 tsunami.  Although TOTLE classroom activities were designed for
 secondary Earth science students, the analyses of EarthScope GPS
 and seismic observations, as well as associated animations and
 manipulative models, can also be adapted for college-level general
 education courses.  
 
 November 13 
 Joan Thormann, Professor, Leslie University 
 "Nuts and Bolts of Planning and Implementing your Online Course" 
 
 This seminar will describe strategies to support online course
 development and teaching that have proven to make the online
 experience engaging and satisfying for both students and the
 faculty member. Techniques to enhance student participation such as
 optimizing introductions, using targeted grading systems and voice
 conferencing will be presented. Ways to implement strategies that
 enhance student learning including having student moderators, using
 templates and setting up forums that encourage peer support will be
 discussed. 
 
 The presenter has been teaching courses online since 1996. The
 strategies to be presented are based on research and have been
 employed successfully in online courses for nearly two decades.
 They are described in detail in Dr. Thormann's recent book The
 Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Designing and Teaching Online Course
 published by Teachers College Press at Columbia University. 
 
 December 4 
 Richard Yuretich, Professor, UMass, Geosciences 
 "Technology and Team-Based Learning (TBL) in Introductory
 Oceanography" 
 
 Team-based Learning (TBL) is an active-learning strategy that uses
 class time primarily for investigations conducted by formal groups
 kept intact for the semester. Prior research has demonstrated that
 TBL increases student engagement, allows for a more flexible and
 dynamic class environment, fosters critical thinking and analysis,
 and elevates student performance. UMass-Amherst has constructed two
 prototype TBL classrooms outfitted with the technology to support
 development of appropriate teaching methods. The features of these
 classrooms include: round tables that accommodate nine students
 apiece; hard-wired laptops at each table to encourage research and
 presentations during class time; wall-mounted LED monitors and
 whiteboards for each table; and a centrally-located instructor's
 podium to manage the various audiovisual systems.

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