Re: Physics for Ninth Graders?

[Larry Woolf <larry.woolf@GAT.COM>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim O'Donnell
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 6:35 PM

> from it. We need to examine the European "spiral" approach
> to see how it ought to be done.

I think this way also, but there is so much inertia, how
can I as one individual make any changes.  The
administration wants nothing to do with it - too many
problems with scheduling, credit for graduation, etc.
Other teachers don't want to change either - they are
comfortable in there niche.
---------------------------------------------------

Tim makes a good point.  What can one person do?

I think that one can and should attack any problem both locally as well as
globally.

Locally:
1.  Find model systems.  Find schools that are set up the way you think
things should be set up. Talk to the movers and shakers at these schools and
ask them how they did it.  Ask them for evidence that things are better now.
Communicate these thoughts to your administration.  As part of the Teacher
Science Alliance Institute of the APS, we all played the "Change Game" where
you had to change a school system.  Change involves a lot of talking to
people in charge and information workshops.  That is why the APS will host
or help you host an information workshop on science education reform.
http://www.aps.org/educ/tsai/index.html
Change is readily accepted by a few, slowly accepted by many, and refused
forever by some.

2. Give workshops on science topics in which you have expertise at local and
state K-12 science education conferences. Share your views in this and other
ways.

3. Get on the school board or school site council or ask an informed
scientist in the community to do that. Educate them on the issues that you
feel are important.

4. Participate in the APS Teacher Scientist Alliance. Find others of like
mind and have them join you.

Globally:
1. Help the APS or AAPT draft a document that would assist your cause.
Administrators may be more open to an official statement of an organization
than the pleadings of one individual. See
http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/standards/

2. Start a petition drive and get a lot of relevant folks to sign it.  This
may or may not help.  I started a petition drive to improve the California
Science Standards, but it was done too late to matter. But at least the
ideas of many are collected in one place, where they potentially have more
influence than if they were scattered.
http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/standards/

(To influence state standards and adopted curricula, you must get on the
appropriate committees early on in the game because once these committees
set up the rules of the game, the die is cast.  For example, in California,
in order for curricula to be approved for adoption by the state, the
curricula had to meet every standard at every grade level.  The time frame
between adoption of the state standards and submission of curricula for
approval was about 9 months. So text writers had to rapidly change their
books to meet EVERY STANDARD AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL.  This ruled out all of
the NSF sponsored curricula that were field tested and carefully developed
before the standards were adopted.  These curricula writers refused to try
to change their materials in 9 months. This may help some on the list to
understand how inferior and incorrect materials can be adopted by the state
board of education.  All the evaluators did was make sure that all the
standards were mentioned at the correct grade level.  This was the key to
getting adopted.)

Don't spend time preaching to the choir.

Hope this helps.

Larry