TEA: Teainfo- -- Tea_nstanotes1999

1998 TEA / NSTA Convention Notes 1999 TEA / NSTA Convention Notes
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm - 25 March 1999

Attendees
Peter Amati, Holliston High School, Holliston, Massachusetts
Elke Bergholz, United Nations International School, New York, New York
Sue Bowman, Lebanon High School, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Myrtle Brijbasi, Suitland High School, Forestville, Maryland
Margaret Brumsted, Chelsea High School, Chelsea, Massachusetts
Arlene Cain, Sam Houston High School, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Caroline Chute, Woodstock Academy, Woodstock, Connecticut
Timothy Conner, Chenango Forks Central School, Binghamton, New York
Renee Crain, Arctic Research Consortium of the U. S., Fairbanks, Alaska
Besse Dawson, Pearland High School, Pearland, Texas
Paul Jones, Montezuma Community Schools, Montezuma, Iowa
Sandra Kolb, Fairview Junior High, Bremerton, Washington
Terry Lashley, Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative, Knoxville, Tennessee
Emily Olanoff, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Debra Meese, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire
John Nevins, Crandon High School, Crandon, Wisconsin
George Palo, Gig Harbor High School, Gig Harbor, Washington
Marjorie Porter, Woodstock Academy Woodstock, Connecticut
Stephanie Shipp, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Valerie Sloane, Orcas Island Elementary School, Orcas, Washington
John Squier, Governor's School of Math & Science, Hartsville, South Carolina
Steven Stevenoski, Lincoln High School, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
Wayne Sukow, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia
Rolf Tremblay, Goodman Middle, Gig Harbor, Washington
Betty Trummel, Husmann Elementary School, Crystal Lake, Illinois
Hillary Tulley, Niles North High School, Skokie, Illinois
Sally Wall, Seabrook Intermediate School, Seabrook, Texas
Linda Wygoda, Sam Houston High School, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Clarice Yentsch, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York

Booth
A booth, hosted by parcticipants, was open on the convention floor from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. The purpose of the booth was to share the opportunity to infuse the TEA research experience into the classroom through TEA Web pages, resources, activities, on-line dialog, parcticipation in the TEA Associates Program, and application for the TEA program. Approximately 1000 NSTA attendees visited the booth; an estimated 200 requested TEA program applications and/or information about applying to the TEA Associates program.

Presentations
Six workshops were presented with the objectives of sharing of the TEA experience to expand the impact of the TEA program. The workshops reflected the possibilities for incorporating Arctic and Antarctic research experiences into classrooms. Each presenter was assisted by "attending" associates who worked with the audience in the hands-on components of the workshops. An average of 26 non-TEA parcticipants attended each presentation.

Classroom Antarctica!
Peter Amati, Carole Bennett (in absentia), Linda Wygoda, Arlene Cain, and Stephanie Shipp
Attending: Sandi Kolb, Rolf Tremblay, Sue Bowman

TEA (Teachers Experiencing the Arctic and Antarctic)
Elke Bergholz and Hillary Tulley
Attending: Sandi Kolb, Tim Conner, John Nevins

Cool, Cool Antarctica!
Besse Dawson and Tim Conner
Attending: Hillary Tulley, Linda Wygoda, Arlene Cain, Sally Wall, John Squier

Of Polar Bears and Penguins ... and More!
Terry Lashley and Betty Trummel
Attending: Tim Conner, Hillary Tulley, Sandi Kolb, Steve Stevenoski

On the Ice and Into the Classroom
Steve Stevenoski, Peter Amati, Besse Dawson, and John Nevins
Attending: Tim Conner, Betty Trummel, John Squier

Chemistry and Physics at the South Pole
Linda Wygoda and Arlene Cain
Attending: Elke Bergholz, Sue Bowman

TEA Program Meeting
The TEA Program meeting was held Friday 26 March from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at the Holiday Inn, Government Center. Discussion focused on the future of TEA, specifically, on increasing the impact of the TEA program.

The TEA Program should focus on:

special aspects of the TEA program - bringing research into the classroom, infusing the polar experience, professional development, etc.

being consistent and consistent in our focus and message

how TEA and other research experiences can change science practice

how TEA and other research experiences can change science curricula

real aspects of research

demystifying science for the public

societal relevance of science in the Arctic and Antarctic

how polar science integrates disciplines

coordinating all teachers who are in the field to establish a permanent "educational" presence on the ice

incorporation of state and national science education standards in activities

To achieve these goals, TEA parcticipants should:

increasingly emphasize public relations, for example having TEA featured in Dragonfly, on PBS, etc. - with message of goals

continue professional development (see "Professional Development" section below)

document TEA experiences; have parcticipants write arcticles for teacher journals and/or document through video

document how TEA and other research experiences can change science and teaching practices and science content; have parcticipants write arcticles for teacher journals and/or document through video

increase interaction with under-utilized resources, such as Polar Ice Coring Office (PICO), Antarctic Support Services (ASA), National Ice and Snow Data Center(NISDC), Science and Technology Centers (e.g., CARA) etc.

invite parcticipation by NSF, ASA, PICO, researchers, and others through presentations on-site at the stations and research vessels

host workshops "showcasing" activities (this necessitates having TEA parcticipants receiving training on the activities of other TEAs)

host a greater number of in-service professional development sessions

explore other partnerships, such as those with industry for funding (for equipment, travel, etc.) and to increase applicant pool

present the TEA program to researchers at research meetings; invite parcticipation by researchers

increase the number of teachers involved in the program (see "Application Process" and "Associates" below)

retool components of the Web site to increase appeal (see "Web Site" below)

provide possible avenues for increasing local impacts (e.g., parent and family nights at schools)

develop activities before the TEAs go into the field; these can be performed by classrooms while the TEA is in the field and will increase investment by teachers and students following the field expedition.

establish an international presence (see "New Generation" below)

Suggestions for the application process:

TEAs should become part of the review process

more teachers should be recruited

self-nomination should "sound" more favorable

the application should be available on the Web

TEAs should be held accountable for their program responsibilities (e.g., signed contracts, letters to principals)

The Web site should focus on expanding audience appeal:

have a "questions from the field" section

include teacher, researcher, or other "special guest columns"

increase the success of and number of video teleconference sessions

provide on-line guidelines or suggestions for mentoring, accessing researchers, ideas for classrooms, paths to incorporate the Web site, etc.

provide an on-line list of responsive researchers

provide a photo archive (and video archive if space/bandwidth permits)

return a "thank-you" when the application is received

develop a CD-Rom for the static components; provide ordering information on the Web site (at-cost reproduction)

The relationship with the Office of Polar Programs should encompass:

ensuring that video-teleconferencing hardware and software is available and working at all sites.

supporting presentations by TEAs to the station and research staff; encouraging staff to attend

acting as the contact for second-year TEAs who are "station" representatives

Professional Development of TEAs should be on-going (e.g., Project Atmosphere):

mentoring workshops are needed

mentoring and technology should be included in orientation

researchers should be part of all workshops so that TEAs can remain current in polar science

researchers should review activities and share their suggestions with the TEAs

TEAs should collaborate more with colleagues; focus on sharing and changing classroom practices, not just field experiences

TEAs should present at science meetings

Activity development should:

focus on development of more materials offered at each level and across disciplines

increase student access to, and use of, real data

further integrate the Web site

incorporate state and national science standards

The Associates Program should be expanded:

develop local and regional networks of Associates

TEA parcticipants should host workshops and presentations for the local Associates' networks and should visit Associates' classrooms

researchers should attend the local/regional workshops

host a TEA Associate conference at the 2000 NSTA

associates should review (and help create) activities

An electronic TEA Newspaper should be established with sections covering:

stories and images from the field

arcticles by teachers, researchers, and others

activities

letters and suggested experiments by students in TEA classrooms

dates and project descriptions for TEA field expeditions

dates and themes of upcoming conferences and workshops

TEA - New Generation should:

focus on bringing pre-service teachers into the TEA and TEA Associates programs

connect the classrooms together through the Web

host educational "events" in Arctic and Antarctic (e.g., video teleconferencing, experiments, etc.)

focus on international component; work with classrooms and teachers across the globe; begin with New Zealand and Alaska connections

TEA - The "Mature" Generation should:

establish a program for second year at field stations in which TEAs post experiences on the Web site, conduct student and teacher experiments, host video teleconferences with researchers and staff on-site, develop activities, increase visibility of program with station personnel, etc.

act as mentors to other teachers for bringing polar research into the classroom and for changing teaching practices in science

Ongoing Questions:

how do we increase the pool of applicants; how do we select applicants?

how do we maintain commitment by TEAs?

do we want to develop a curriculum?

how do we get researchers involved and encourage continued involvement?

TEA Associates Lunch

Attendees
Elke Bergholz, United Nations International School, New York, New York
Sue Bowman, Lebanon High School, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Arlene Cain, Sam Houston High School, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Caroline Chute, Woodstock Academy, Woodstock, Connecticut
Timothy Conner, Chenango Forks Central School, Binghamton, New York
Renee Crain, Arctic Research Consortium of the U. S., Fairbanks, Alaska
Besse Dawson, Pearland High School, Pearland, Texas
Sandra Kolb, Fairview Junior High, Bremerton, Washington
Emily Olanoff, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Debra Meese, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire
George Palo, Gig Harbor High School, Gig Harbor, Washington
Marjorie Porter, Woodstock Academy Woodstock, Connecticut
Stephanie Shipp, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Valerie Sloane, Orcas Island, Washington
John Squier, Governor's School of Math & Science, Hartsville, South Carolina
Wayne Sukow, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia
Rolf Tremblay, Goodman Middle, Gig Harbor, Washington
Sally Wall, Seabrook Intermediate School, Seabrook, Texas
Linda Wygoda, Sam Houston High School, Lake Charles, Louisiana

As this is the first year of the Associates Program, this lunch was planned as an informal check-in. Formal evaluations will be sent in late spring/early summer.

Comments and Suggestions:

provide classroom ideas that tie into upcoming expeditions

send notes to Associates when TEAs go to field on a case by case basis

provide mentoring guidelines and / or "case studies" for the Associates and mentors

increase networking opportunities for Associates (e.g., local and regional working groups with TEAs and other Associates)

develop more activities for more levels and more disciplines

provide more resources on resource list

Associates can review activities

provide training sessions on video teleconferencing

provide more information on hardware and software available

be aware of needs of classrooms

provide recommended reading lists to follow expeditions

Recommendations for Upcoming Year

Plans for the 2000 NSTA Annual Convention in Orlando include hosting a booth, presenting workshops, and organizing an "Associates Conference."

The TEA Associates Conference will be open for all Associates and TEAs who attend NSTA with the express purpose of increasing opportunities for networking. The conference will be a partial "ice breaker" but will have content in the form of informal presentations, activities, suggested resources, etc.