Proficiency in Science

1
Proficiency in Science

• Students who are proficient in science
• Know, use, and interpret scientific explanations
  of the natural world
• Generate and evaluate scientific evidence and
  explanations
• Understand the nature and development of
  scientific knowledge
• Participate productively in scientific practices
  and discourse
• Taking Science to School Learning and Teaching
  Science in Grades K-8, Richard A. Duschl, Heidi
  A. Schweingruber, and Andrew W. Shouse, NRC, 2007

2
Our definition of inquiry

• When students are engaging with scientific ideas
  by collecting evidence to pursue questions to
  provide data-based conclusions
• Designing Questions
• Pursuing Evidence
• Constructing Conclusions Based On Evidence

3
Stages of Inquiry

• Discovery learning
• Interactive demonstrations
• Inquiry lessons
• Inquiry labs
• Teacher Directed
• Guided
• Open

4
Locating Useable NASA (and other) Datafor Earth
and Space Science Inquiry

• What and where are the best NASA (and other) data
  resources for engaging pre-service teachers in
  Earth and space science inquiry?
• How can these data resources be used for inquiry?

5
What Qualities Should Data Resources Have for
Effective Classroom Use?
Best Practice Tips Get your audience involved
using their experience build ownership.
6
What Qualities Should Data Resources Have for
Effective Classroom Use?

• Easy to find
• Easy to access (relatively) simple user
  interface
• Easy to manipulate so students can do something
  meaningful with them visual data, graphic data
  (Excel)
• Well-sampled (in space, time, etc.)
• Elicits scientific questions that can be
  addressed through further investigation
• Other qualities?

7
What NASA - or other - Data Resources Have You
Found Useful?

• Jot down a few Earth or space science data
  resources that you think lend themselves to open
  inquiry
• Earth
• Solar System
• Beyond
• Share as we go!

CD!
Best Practice Tips Get your audience involved
using their experience build ownership.
8
Heres What We FoundEarth A Work in Progress

• NASA Earth Observatory Data and Images
• Earth Impact Data Base
• IRIS Seismic Data
• TOMS Ozone Data (A little more advanced)
• USGS Real Time Water Data
• And More!
• And Links to Data-Rich Teaching Resources
• Student Observation Network
• Discovering Plate Boundaries

CD!
DISCLAIMER ALL of these data sets will require
some playing around to get what you want but
they are nearer to useable than much of whats
out there .
Other Datasets?
Best Practice Tips Poweryak at your audience
in a monotone
9
Heres What We FoundSolar System A Work in
Progress

• Mars Phoenix Lander Images
• Solar System Simulator more than Galilean
  moons!
• Solar Activity Sunspots, Tracking a Solar
  Storm, Solar Images
• Cratering databases (planets and moons)
  
• Project Spectra _at_ LASP uses planetary spectra
• SDSS SkyServer plots planets and asteroids in
  sky.

CD!
Other Datasets?
10
Heres What We FoundAnd Beyond A Work in
Progress
CD!

• Globe at Night
• SDSS SkyServer images and spectra of stars and
  galaxies ? star types, galaxy types, redshifts
  ? Hubble Law, cluster properties
• Hubble Deep Field folder on CD
• Amazing Space Hubble Deep Field Academy and
  Galaxy Hunter (also uses
  HDFs but with more statistics).
• US National Virtual Observatory -- oodles of data
  but hard to use
• Extra-Solar Planets Dataset
• Stellarium more sophisticated planetarium
  program

Other Datasets?
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Now Its Your Turn!Launch into Some Open-Ended
Inquiry!

• Browse the data CD
• Select 2 data sets that relate to what you teach
  and align with your state science standards
• Crater data base and impacts natural hazard
  
• Sunspot activity characteristics of the sun
• Compare and contrast these 2 data sets re
  desired qualities
• Identify scientific questions that the data
  set(s) can address
• What is the relationship between sunspot activity
  and Earths temperature?
  
• How does cratering size and density on the Moon
  compare to that on Mars?
  
• Dig In! Use the Electronic Poster Slides
  PowerPoint on the CD to present your results
  (recall the disclaimer!).

12
What Did You Think of the Resources?
Were they easy to find? Were they easy to access
simple user interface? Were they easy to
manipulate visually or graphically? Did they
adequately sample the parameter space? Did they
elicit fruitful scientific questions? Other
qualities?
13
Questions?
Best Practice Tips Allow time to clarify
discussion be responsive to audience.
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Heres What We FoundAnd Beyond A Sampling

• Google Sky includes DSS, infrared, and
  microwave imagery. http//www.google.com/sky/.
• World Wide Telescope most sophisticated
  viewing of sky. http//www.worldwidetelescope.org
  .
• SkyView less sophisticated but includes more
  databases. http//skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/.
• SDSS SkyServer images and spectra of stars and
  galaxies. http//cas.sdss.org/dr6/en/proj/.