Finding Worlds That Look Like Stars

This hands-on activity introduces students to searching for asteroids. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Middle school, High school

Spacecraft Reaction Wheels

This activity is designed to introduce the engineering aspects of precision pointing of spacecraft. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Middle school, High school

Duniway Middle School Counseling Center

This presentation on the Duniway Middle School Counseling Center was given by Kelsey Chance as part of her Kemper Internship during 2010

Can a Spacecraft Use Solar Panels at Saturn?

This hands-on activity is designed to introduce students to the complexities of using solar panels in space exploration. Educational levels: Middle school, Middle school, High school, High school

Examination of Student-Active Learning Practices in a College/Middle School Educational Collaboration

A college and middle school student teaching collaboration was developed to interest more college students in teaching K-12 science, to enhance diversity among K-16 teaching faculties, and to inspire the K-12 students to expand their knowledge beyond their classroom curriculum. To assess our results, we used a modified Likert survey instrument and self-reflective analysis in middle school and college students, respectively. Overall, middle school students expressed satisfaction in the science learning in which they participated. In addition, college students reported that they learned specific content when made responsible for teaching material to younger students. Collaborative projects such as this one may positively impact attitudes towards math and science learning among middle school students. Research suggests that middle school girls who have positive experiences in math and science classes select further training and career options in these areas. Similarly, college students reported increased interest in K-12 teaching. Collaborative project based learning could be successfully modified by other educators for use in alternative or mainstream educational settings

Who Stays and Who Leaves? Findings from a Three-Part Study of Teacher Turnover in NYC Middle Schools

This paper synthesizes findings from the Research Alliance's investigation of teacher turnover in New York City's public middle schools. These years are widely recognized as a critical turning point for students, and the NYC Department of Education (DOE) is pursuing a range of middle school improvement initiatives. The stability of the middle school teaching force has the potential to facilitate or complicate these efforts, yet there have been few studies of the rates and patterns of teacher turnover in the City's middle schools.This study provides the most current, comprehensive look at middle school teacher turnover to date. Drawing on a range of data sources -- including DOE human resource records from the last decade, a survey of over 4,000 full-time middle school teachers, and in-depth case studies in four middle schools -- this paper examines how long middle school teachers remain in their schools, how long they intend to stay, and what predicts whether or not they leave. It also explores how various aspects of teachers' work environment may influence these decisions. Among the key findings: Among middle school teachers who entered their school during the last decade, more than half left that school within three years -- significantly higher than the rates seen for elementary and high school teachers. Of the teachers who leave, most exit the NYC public school system altogether, and only about 1 in 10 transition to another grade 6-8 school. The findings point to several strategies that may be useful for increasing middle school teachers' lengths of stay

Sand or Rock: Finding Out From 1000km

This hands-on activity explores the nature of thermal inertia. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Middle school, High school

Virginia Commonwealth University\u27s Program for K-6 and 6-8 Teachers: The Interdisciplinary B.S. in Science

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has very recently revised its requirements for the K-6 Certification to include a total of 21 hours in mathematics and science as well as a three credit hour methods course in mathematics and science. This requirement includes a physical science and a biological science course, each with a laboratory component, a contemporary mathematics course with extensive student projects, collaborative work and applications, a statistics course and interdisciplinary science and mathematics course. We believe that as students complete these requirements they will meet the new State K-6 licensure requirements in all areas, with the exception of geometry. We are developing a new geometry course that we hope will be required of all future teachers. The challenge of preparing middle school teachers to teach mathematics and/or science is much more difficult. VCU has been preparing very few middle school teachers of mathematics and science. We typically averaged less than one middle school science teacher and less than one middle school mathematics teacher per year. This paper provides a description of our interdisciplinary degree in mathematics and science that appears to be attracting significant numbers of students with an interest in teaching mathematics and/or science at the middle school level

An Advanced Mathematics Program for Middle School Teachers

The Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and other organizations recommend twenty-one credits of mathematics coursework for prospective middle school teachers, beginning with a foundation based on mathematics for the elementary school curriculum, and followed by advanced courses directly addressing middle school mathematics. Three simultaneous factors—the emergence of the Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies Program at James Madison University, the release of CBMS guidelines, and a statewide focus on a critical shortage of qualified middle school teachers—provided an immediate audience for new upper-division courses built around the guidelines in probability/statistics, algebra, geometry, and calculus/analysis. We will discuss our experience with course planning and adaptation of other programs

Middle Grades Democratic Education in Neoliberal Times: Examining Youth Social Action Projects as a Path Forward

Although democratic education has long been considered a cornerstone of the developmentally responsive middle school model, current neoliberal priorities in education pose a particular threat to the democratic purpose of education. Due to their emphasis on student voice and civic engagement, youth social action projects present one opportunity to preserve democratic education as a focal point of the middle school concept. In this article, I offer a case description of a middle grades youth social action project. Incorporating student perspectives, I then critically examine the extent to which the project was successful in its goal of promoting student voice and present themes in the lessons students reported learning as a result of their engagement with the social action project. The findings indicate that although middle school students faced significant challenges, the social action project was nonetheless largely successful in incorporating student voice. The majority of middle school participants reported feeling that they had a voice in their school through the social action project. Middle school students also reported learning valuable lessons connected to three themes: 1) hard work and determination, 2) teamwork and leadership skills, and 3) empowerment. In closing, I offer implications for key stakeholders in middle level education concerning the path forward for democratic education in neoliberal times