H i g h S c h o o l E d i t i o n
S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 5
SAFE SCIENCESafety in the science classroom has become an increasingly complex issue in recent years. While teachers have advocated more hands-on experiments to make science attractive to students, they have had to contend with state budget cuts, overcrowded classrooms, and the threat of parental lawsuits resulting from lab mishaps—all of which preclude hands-on activities in the classroom. According to the NSTA's position paper on Safety and School Science Instruction (http://www.nsta.org/pssafety), "Inherent in many instructional settings including science is the potential for injury and possible litigation. These issues can be avoided or reduced by the proper application of a safety plan." In this issue of Science Class, you will find various resources—news and journal articles, books, and websites—to help you turn your science classroom into a safe learning environment. Read on to discover how these resources can help you teach science safely! Safe Science in the News Article summaries provided by the NSTA WebNews Digest (visit http://www.nsta.org/mainnews for national news for science educators). Although safety lapses can occur in science labs, this month’s news stories provide a wealth of tips for preventing accidents. Visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/news_stories_high.htm to learn more. Safe Science on the Net In this month's high school journal, The Science Teacher, NSTA members can read "Habits of Mind for the Science Laboratory." The link to that article is http://www.nsta.org/main/news/stories/science_teacher.php?news_story_ID=50892. SciLinks® is a web-based service from NSTA that provides online content chosen to augment printed articles and books. It does so through keywords; the keywords for this issue are Safety in the Classroom: http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=92635699109910551011 NSTA Journal Articles on Safe Science Click here to read more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/high_school.htm Books, Books, Books The NSTA Science Store and catalogs offer NSTA Press books and other outstanding titles for science educators. The selection for this issue is grade appropriate and was chosen for its relevance to this month's theme: Safe Science. Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers Just as science is more complex in high school than it is at lower grade levels, so are the safety issues you face in your classes and labs. Reduce the risks with Investigating Safely, the third and most advanced and detailed volume in NSTA’s unique series of safety guidebooks for science teachers. Click here to read more or to buy: http://store.nsta.org/showItem.asp?product=PB166X3 Click here for the newest titles from NSTA Press: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/newbookshigh.htm To receive the latest NSTA catalog for your specific grade level, visit http://ecommerce.nsta.org/catalog_signup Professional Development The U.S. Department of Education recently launched "Teachers Ask the Secretary," a new feature of its website (http://www.ed.gov). According to U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, "This easy-to-use page will help teachers learn answers on a wide range of subjects: teacher quality, professional development, state academic standards, and more. We will share best practices and success stories under the No Child Left Behind Act. And we will listen to your concerns." To ask a question or to view what other teachers are asking, go directly to http://www.ed.gov/teachersask. NSTA Web Seminars: Investigating Safely For more information, visit http://institute.nsta.org/web_seminars.asp. An additional opportunity to work face-to-face with the authors of Investigating Safely will take place at the Nashville Convention. For more information, visit http://institute.nsta.org/fall05/is/symposium.asp. Global Science Teaching Americans and Chinese Differ in Their World View—Literally "Richard E. Nisbett of the University of Michigan and his colleagues conducted a series of experiments in which Chinese and American students were shown a number of images, each depicting a single subject against a realistic and complex background. The participants—who wore an eye-movement tracker during the tests—were then shown pictures containing the same subjects on either old or new backgrounds and asked to judge whether they had seen the subjects before." This article from the August 23 issue of Scientific American examines the results of these experiments and their bearing on differences in socialization and teaching. To read the rest of the article, visit http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00087E7F-7EC8-130A-AB283414B7F4945 NSTA Opportunities Call for Papers The Science Teacher (grades 9–12) has issued a Call for Papers on specific topics. Click here to find out more: The Early Years
Next Month's Theme Inquiry in the Laboratory
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