In early April of this year, plans of the Iowa Academy of Science to form a new section for Science Teachers within the Academy were presented to Betty Goettsch, president of the ISTA by Dr. Robert Yager, a representative of the executive council of Iowa Academy of Science. Dr. Yager suggested that the ISTA might be interested in considering the opportunity for affiliation in this new division

Goettsch, Betty C.

University of Northern Iowa

Iowa Science Teachers Journal Volume 1 Number 1 Article 3 1963 A New Look at ISTA in Iowa Betty C. Goettsch Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/istj  Part of the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits you Copyright © Copyright 1963 by the Iowa Academy of Science Recommended Citation Goettsch, Betty C. (1963) "A New Look at ISTA in Iowa," Iowa Science Teachers Journal: Vol. 1 : No. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/istj/vol1/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa Academy of Science at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Iowa Science Teachers Journal by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uni.edu. IOWA SCIENCE TEACHERS JOURNAL Letter from the Editor After much effort on the part of many, this first issue of the Iowa Science Teaching Journal is a reality. We will all be looking forward to your comments and suggestions for future issues. We have felt for some time that the science teachers of Iowa need such a means of communication within the state as have teachers already in several other states. Even though this issue represents a start for a journal for science teach-ers in Iowa, it cannot continue without the support and cooperation of many of you who will be receiving the first two issues as complimentary copies. We need your ideas for future articles. We need your assistance as active members of the Iowa Science Teachers' Association. We need your supporting and critical comments of our efforts. We need to know that we are moving in the right direction. We hope future issues will include some attractive advertising ; a news section which will provide information concerning regional and state meet-ings, science fairs, etc.; and a review section concerning books, articles, A-V materials, and equipment of interest to science teachers. As you see we are hoping that the Journal will grow in attractiveness, usefulness, and size. This Journal is made possible by full support from the Iowa Academy of Science. We as science teachers are much indebted to this organization for this expression of interest and assistance. As you know affiliation with the Iowa Science Teachers' Association carries with it an affiliation as a full member in the Iowa Academy of Science as well as the Science Section of the Iowa State Education Association. We are proud to exemplify the new feeling of unity and mutual respect among science teachers, scientists, and science educators which has been felt to such a high degree in the whole nation in recent years. You are hereby invited to submit articles, news items, or any other con-tribution for future issues of this journal directly to the editor. Two double spaced typewriter copies using the form exemplified in this issue will be required. Contributions from members of the Iowa Science Teachers' Association will be given preference in publication. A New Look at IST A in Iowa In early April of this year, plans of the Iowa Academy of Science to form a new section for Science Teach-ers within the Academy were pre-sented to Betty Goettsch, president of the ISTA by Dr. Robert Yager, a representative of the executive coun-cil of Iowa Academy of Science. Dr. Yager suggested that the ISTA might be interested in considering the op-portunity for affiliation in this ne-w division. Dr. Yager was then invited to meet Robert E. Yager Editor with the Executive Council of the ISTA in Des Moines on April 6. After a thorough discussion, the Executive Council unanimously supported a fav-orable recommendation for such af-filiation to the present membership of ISTA. On April 20, the Executive Council of the IST A plus additional members met with Dr. Yager, Dr. James Kerch-eval, the president of the Iowa Acad-emy of Science and several members of the Academy who are science teachers but not members of the IST A, for a more detailed discussion of the proposed affiliation. It was the group concensus that the pro-2 posed affiliation would not only greatly benefit the current member-ship of the ISTA, but non-members felt this would make membership in the ISTA desirable to a much larger number of science teachers. Under the direction of the ISTA Executive Council the total member-ship was contacted to determine int-erest in and support for the proposed affiliation. The return vote was large, nearly 80% return, and was unani-mous to adopting the proposed affili-ation. The Iowa Science Teachers' Associ-ation is now affiliated with both !SEA and the Iowa Academy of Sci-ence. The Association is the Science Section of ISEA and the Science Teaching Section of the Academy of Science. Membership in the Associ-ation includes membership in both of these state organizations. In the case of ISEA this includes member-ship in the sub-section only. In the case of the Academy of Science, this membership also includes full mem-bership in the Academy. The dues for the Iowa Science Teachers' As-sociation are five dollars. This covers membership as described above as well as subscription to the Iowa Science Teachers' Journal. Iowa Science Teachers' Association Betty C. Goettsch, President ISTA MEMBERSHIPS include (1) ISTA membership (2) IAS membership (3) ISTA Journal subscription ( 4) A chance for you to ex-change your ideas on sci-ence education in Iowa ONE YEAR DUES - $5.00 Send membership fees to: Mr. Lindy Solon, Central Junior High, Ames IOWA SCIENCE TEACHERS JOURNAL 28 Years Ago The following paragraphs were taken from THE IOWA SCIENCE TEACH-ER, a forerunner of this journal, which was printed twenty-eight years ago. The editorial staff observes that the same re-marks have some real implications for us in 1963. The Iowa Association of Science Teachers is not a new organization. The first constitution was formulated and approved in 1907, and for a good many years after that it functioned as a strong organization, supplying excellent talent for the annual state meeting and serving to unite the science teachers in a common pur-pose .. Th~ objective of that original orgamzat10n, as stated in the old constitution, was "- to promote the interest of science teaching in sec-ondary schools." Our more modern pr?blem d_oes not vary greatly from this, certainly. Some of the sciences are being taught in nearly every school in the state, so we need not "promote the interest of science te~ching," but_ we do need to promote science teaching to insure that the patrons are keenly aware of the ser-yice _which the ~cience teacher gives m his community. Ballyhoo is not the means that will give the perma-nent results so much desired but careful study of the problen'is of science education and application of th_e results in our day by day tasks will do_ much to impress the public of the important place which an un-derstanding of the sciences plays in the complete training of their chil-dren. In this respect all science teach-ers are united whether they are bi-ologist~, chemists, physicists, or they teach m the colleges or the elemen-tary grades. As far as the individual subjects are concerned, we must be specialists, but that problem should be solved ?Y adequate _preparation and by keep-mg closely m contact with the cur-rent developments in each particular branch of science. The new and prov-

A New Look at ISTA in Iowa

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A New Look at ISTA in Iowa

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