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Were you unable to attend our September 2011 webinar for educators? No problem! You can watch a video recording of the entire webinar (about an hour) when it's convenient for you.
Our Science Buddies channel at YouTube contains other great videos you and your students may enjoy. Did you miss the project demonstration videos created by our Summer Science Fellows? Be sure and check those out, too!
Professional Development Webinar for Teachers
Join us for a free webinar on September 14
Space is limited!
Reserve your webinar seat now!
Science Buddies is offering a free online webinar on September 14, 2011, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. PDT (6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT). We will provide a comprehensive, guided tour of the Science Buddies website and will highlight ways in which you can use Science Buddies resources and Project Ideas with your students. We will also introduce a new set of video and computer game design resources, developed with support from the AMD Foundation, for classroom instruction and student exploration at home.
All attendees who answer a brief survey at the end of the webinar will be entered into a drawing to win one of three external hard-drives (Mac or PC) donated by Western Digital.
The video and computer games guided portion of the webinar is sponsored by AMD Changing the Game, an initiative of the AMD Foundation, which is designed to spark students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning by creating video games. We would also like to acknowledge Citrix Sytems, Inc. for providing the GoToWebinar software.
Title: Professional Development Webinar for Teachers
Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Time: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. PDT
System Requirements:
- PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
- Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
The video from the September 22, 2010 Science Buddies Teacher Development Webinar is now available for online viewing. If you were unable to attend the webinar—or had to leave before the webinar ended, you can now watch the entire virtual tour of the Science Buddies website. The webinar, conducted by Science Buddies Vice President, Courtney Corda, will walk you through our resources, helping teachers (and parents) better understand what Science Buddies offers and how to best get started using our full range of free K-12 science education resources.
(Note: The video is approximately 55 minutes long.)
To browse our Teacher Resources, visit: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/teacher_resources.shtml
Middle school teachers, grades 6-8, interested in investigating ocean sciences or climate change are invited to apply for the 2011 Earthwatch Educator Program sponsored by Earthwatch and Northrop Grumman. The program provides a fellowship for an innovative hands-on expedition, an inspiring experience that teachers can then share with classrooms.
Last year, Erin Moore, a teacher in Illinois, was selected to participate in Northrop Grumman Foundation's Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. As Erin reported on the Science Buddies' blog, the experience of the Zero-G flight was exhilarating and life-changing, from start to finish.
The following Earthwatch expeditions are planned for 2011:
6/27 - 7/8, 2011
Be a part of a team supervised by Dr Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey as you explore the Bahamian archipelago, a unique ecosystem in the northeast Caribbean Sea.
Middle School teachers (grades 6-8) from Northrop Grumman communities are eligible to apply for the program (except for educators who participated in the 2009 or 2010 Weightless Flights of Discovery program or the 2009 or 2010 Space Academy for Educators). The deadline for application is February 4, 2011.
For more information, or to fill out an application, visit the Northrop Grumman Earthwatch information page.
Just a reminder, our free Professional Development Webinar for teachers is today, Wednesday, September 22 at:
If you are not registered yet and would like to join us, it's not too late! Please register now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/389772962
To find out more about today's virtual tour of the Science Buddies website, see our previous blog entry.
Due to technical difficulties, the Webinar last week was interrupted and has been rescheduled.
The new date and time is: Wednesday, September 22 at 4 p.m. PDT.
Even if you had registered to attend the August 29 webinar, we need for you to re-register using the link below.
During the one-hour guided tour of Science Buddies, you'll find our how to use Science Buddies resources in your classroom. In this comprehensive online guided walk-through of the Science Buddies website, we'll show you how our:
Please register to join us for this free event:
Date:
- September 22
Time:
- 4 p.m. Pacific
- 5 p.m. Mountain
- 6 p.m. Central
- 7 p.m. Eastern
Where:
- Online
System Requirements:
- PC-based attendees
Required: Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
- Macintosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Space is limited, so please register ASAP to reserve your slot. The first 5 people to sign in, attend the whole webinar, and complete a post-webinar survey will receive a copy of Norton 360, courtesy of Symantec. At the end of the webinar, we will randomly select attendees to receive a variety of great door prizes. One lucky attendee will win a $100 Best Buy gift card! If you have any questions, please contact Meghan O'Hare at meghan@sciencebuddies.org.
Reserve your seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/389772962
Find out how to use Science Buddies resources in your classroom by joining us on Sunday, August 29th for an hour-long, free guided tour of the Science Buddies website (start times below). In this comprehensive online guided tour of the Science Buddies website, we'll show you how our:
Date:
- August 29
Time:
- 1 p.m. Pacific
- 2 p.m. Mountain
- 3 p.m. Central
- 4 p.m. Eastern
Where:
- Online
System Requirements:
- PC-based attendees
Required: Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
- Macintosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer
If you would like to join us, click on the link below to register.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Space is limited, so please register ASAP to reserve your slot. The first 5 people to sign in, attend the whole webinar, and complete a post-webinar survey will receive a copy of Norton 360, courtesy of Symantec. At the end of the webinar, we will randomly select attendees to receive a variety of great door prizes. One lucky attendee will win a $100 Best Buy gift card! If you have any questions, please contact Meghan O'Hare at meghan@sciencebuddies.org.
Reserve your seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/389772962
What to Do When a Project Goes Wrong
Science fair season may be winding down at most schools, but scientific exploration at home and in the classroom continues year-round. And where there is science, there are variables and materials and controls and reactions and things that change and bond and grow ... and things that don't.
Lots of things can go wrong with a project, even with a well-designed, well-scheduled, and conscientiously-run project.
Learning to handle a project that doesn't turn out exactly as expected and either regroup and get it back on track if there is time or deal with the unexpected results if the due date is too close for a repeat set of trials is important for students who are running scientific experiments of all sizes. It can be very frustrating when things go wrong. It can also be confusing, especially when you thought that you had done everything "right."
So what went wrong?
And what can you do about it?
What to Do Next
Our Staff Scientists have pooled their thoughts on troubleshooting a science project that doesn't work to help you step back, evaluate what happened, and figure out what you should do next.
"Maybe the problem is obvious," says Sandra, "like when you're putting together a circuit, and the light bulb at the other end fails to turn on. Or maybe you're re-creating a classic experiment like Gallileo's fabled Leaning Tower of Pisa Experiment, and you know what the proven hypothesis is," so you know it should have worked.
It gets trickier when you are working on an experiment of your own design. The question you have to ask yourself, says Sandra, is "did my project 'fail,' or was my hypothesis just incorrect?"
While student scientists can be disheartened if their initial educated guess turns out wrong, "proving a hypothesis wrong isn't bad science," reminds Sandra. For a student continuing research on the same topic, a failed hypothesis provides the groundwork for conducting further experiments to figure out why the initial guess was wrong.
It can be tempting to jump right back in, change things, add something here, remove something there. But the best approach is to step back and take some time to think through what happened before you begin troubleshooting—and before you repeat your experiment.
Our team all agrees it is important to take a deep breath and think about the project and the problem before you do anything hasty:
Kristin: "Ask yourself what you expected to see happen (what was the output that you anticipated) and what you saw happen."
Dave: "Be calm. Many procedures do not work flawlessly (or at all) the first time."Michelle: "If a project doesn't work right away, don't start changing things willy nilly. Leave the project alone for a few hours and let your mind work things out."
Doing some additional research, and re-reading any background materials that accompanied the project or procedures, can be an important step in troubleshooting. As Kristin explains, you want "to make sure that you understand the 'science' behind the experiment and what you expected to happen" so that you can effectively evaluate your results and analyze the procedures you used before trying again.
Re-read the full set of directions or the steps of the Experimental Procedure. Why? You may have overlooked a step that made all the difference between success and failure.
"As you read each step," says Sandra, "go back through your lab notebook and your memory and ask yourself: 'Did I do it exactly this way, or did I change this step in some way?'"
Any changes you made, or steps you forgot, are good bets for where things went wrong!
As you read through the project again, you'll want to pay special attention to the following:
One of the first things to doublecheck is the list of materials and supplies to ensure you used exactly what the project specified. Why? The wrong material could dramatically alter the outcome of an experiment. Similarly, if you knowingly made a substitution, even if you thought it would work, the changed material may have caused an unexpected result.
Kristin suggests that you not only look again at the materials list yourself, but enlist a friend, parent, or teacher to carefully go through the materials list (and procedure) with you. "There may be times when you misinterpret how to do something or miss a detail about a brand, size, or setup," she says.
Having an extra set of eyes look over the documentation with you can be really helpful.
You want to ask yourself two important questions, says Kristin: "What are my inputs (what am I changing)?" and "Did I change them as directed?"
As you review your experimental procedure, you want to identify both the positive and the negative controls, if they exist.
A positive control is a condition that should work regardless of your hypothesis. Positive controls are included to make sure that the experimental procedure is capable of giving you a positive result.
A negative control is a condition where the experiment will not work regardless of your hypothesis. Negative controls are included to make sure that the experiment is capable of giving a negative result.
How do they fit together?
An example of the way positive and negative controls might operate or appear in a project can help you identify the controls in your own project.
Sample project: If you were doing an experiment where you used glucose strips to measure the amount of glucose (sugar) in different solutions, your positive control (the one you know should give you a clear positive signal) would be a solution of sugar water that you made yourself. The negative control (the one you know should not give you a signal) would be plain tap water because water doesn't contain glucose.
A problem uncovered: If the glucose strips failed to show a clear reading for the sugar water, or showed a reading for the plain water, you would know that the glucose strips were not working properly and that none of your experimental results were trustworthy—because your controls had failed.
A project that has built-in "controls" or "checkpoints" gives you clear points throughout the project where you can stop and evaluate your work or progress to make sure everything is right "at that point." Going back and looking at your results and progress at each control or checkpoint is an important step in figuring out what went wrong.
If the experimental procedure identifies the controls, you want to ask yourself: "Did a control fail?" It is possible you can you use the controls to pinpoint which step went wrong.
Not all projects use controls. Sandra suggests that if you are working on a project that doesn't use controls, you may want to determine places where they can be added before you run your test again.
"Remember that it could be either a procedural step which is wrong, or some piece of equipment or material which is malfunctioning," says Sandra. "So you'll want controls which test as many of those things as possible."
Projects that involve building something may not yield traditional controls, so it's helpful to think about inserting "checkpoints" or steps where you could do or observe something that will indicate if everything is working "so far." For example, if you are working on building a complicated circuit, taking a reading with a multimeter at a certain point can indicate whether or not you are on the right track.
Carefully re-reading the procedure, step by step and line by line, is a critical aspect in troubleshooting a project. These tips from our scientists can help as you review:
Talking over a "failed" project with a teacher or other adult can often be a good idea either before or after you work through the troubleshooting steps above. Sometimes, when you put things into words out loud, you'll hear the problem differently than when you are thinking it through on your own or on paper.
"Science doesn't happen in a vacuum," reminds Sandra. "Scientists talk to each other, and their collective experiences (or sometimes just the act of saying it all out loud) can spark the critical 'ah-ha' moment of understanding what went wrong or what needs to happen."
Moving Forward
In the end, not all experiments will "work." If you're following someone else's Experimental Procedure (like a Science Buddies Project Idea), then you can probably feel confident that the project should work. Hopefully, careful troubleshooting using the guidelines and suggestions above will help you find the weak spot in the experiment you performed so that you can correct any problems and try again. But if your experiment was of your own design, it's possible it simply won't work as you've envisioned it this time around.
Troubleshooting can help you find what may be flaws in your design, and a review of the science behind the project and your ultimate goal for the project can help you shape and refine the procedure for subsequent trials and testing.
Don't lose heart.
Our scientists are quick to point out that not all science experiments "work" the first time.
"If your experiment 'failed,' consider yourself in good company," says Sandra. "The idea for many Nobel Prize-worthy science explorations started with someone scratching his or her head over a 'failed' experiment."
"Remember that negative results are real and important science, too," adds Kristin.
It's a good perspective to keep in mind. In fact, a "failed" experiment can be a stepping stone, says Sandra. "Understanding why an experiment failed can often lead you to a much more interesting, and unexpected, discovery."
Michelle agrees. "It is okay to fail. Remember what Thomas Edison said: 'Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.' It took Edison many, many tries to find the right filament for the light bulb. Just keep working, and you will be able to figure things out."
Related Blog Posts:
Hi. This is Brian again... a science teacher in Chicago and guest blogger at Science Buddies this fall as I work to help organize our school's first science fair.
What I'm discovering is that when you decide to run a science fair, you have to have some clear goals and objectives.
According to Science Buddies' "Guide to Planning a Science Fair," the first two steps in planning a science fair are to set the date and set the goals.
The goals for my school's first science fair are pretty simple:
Getting Teacher Buy-In
Now, I love the idea of a science fair, which you probably guessed because I'm writing this blog, and I have this belief that all science teachers should be super excited about the idea of a school science fair as well.
That is not always the case.
Tuesday was my first opportunity to talk with the other teachers at the school about our science fair. In preparation for meeting with them, on Monday I sent copies of two Science Buddies' resources, "Teachers guide to Science Projects" and the "Your Question Handout" for students.
In the meeting on Tuesday, I got some typical resistance:
I was ready with some answers.
How much class time is this going to take up?Help them choose the topic in class, but otherwise it is up to you how much time you use in class to work on science fair projects. If you have available class time or need to fill a few days, let them do research in class. Science fair projects are supposed to add to education in the classroom not displace it. It's a good idea to have check-in assignments for the students to complete. This shows they are working on their projects and allows you to ensure no one gets left behind. They can complete those worksheets or check-in logs on their own.
How are we going to get the students, especially our low income students, the resources they need?
Where there is a will, there is a way. And many projects don't cost that much. Here in Chicago, the district actually has micro grants that students can apply for to get their projects funded. Using DonorsChoose is another option, if you plan ahead. All communities have resources you can access for your students to enable top notch projects without breaking the bank, but you often have to start the projects to qualify for resources.
When are they going to get into the lab?
At my school, it is my job as a department chair to be in the lab after school. I think lab time is the best time to build relationships with students that will pay off in the classroom. Pick a day and stay until 4:30 to help your students in the lab each week. It will pay off more than grading papers or making Powerpoint presentations.
What if the projects are not high quality enough?
Who cares? Right now they are not doing any projects. This is a time for them to build the skills of life-long learners. Even if they do a super basic project, they stand to learn something. Eventually, I believe, the projects will get better.
So, I think right now everyone feels pretty good. We came to a few decisions, as well. We decided to allow group projects especially for our ELL and SPED population. We also decided to allow students to build Rube Goldberg Machines as science fair projects. Such projects are not completely science-based, but they involve applied Physics and Chemistry.
Next week, I'm going to try to get into each teacher's classroom for one period to help him or her use the Topic Selection Wizard to find projects with students. Teachers can then use the Topic Selection Wizard with the rest of their classes.
I'll be back in a few weeks to let you know how it goes!
~ Brian
This week, we'll be looking skyward as we await the impact of the LCROSS satellite and hope for sight of the plume on the morning of October 9. But next week, our attentions will spiral back to Earth for "Earth Science Week 2009," October 11-17. Organized by the American Geological Institute and sponsored by a range of geoscience organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, the National Park Service, and the AAPG Foundation, the annual "Earth Science Week" aims to promote geosciences and to educate students, teachers, and families about the importance of being stewards of the Earth.
The theme for "Earth Science Week 2009" is "Understanding Climate." From daily NASA videos to a webcast in which oceanographers talk about their careers, "Earth Science Week 2009" promises a diverse array of Earth-centered activities and information.
The following Science Buddies' short-term science fair project ideas may prove useful as cornerstones for climate-related discussions and in-class projects with your students that tie in with Earth Science Week:
There are three contests students can enter as part of Earth Science Week 2009: a photography contest, a visual arts contest for K-5, and an essay contest for grades 6-9. For more information and specific contest rules and deadlines, please visit the Earth Science Week website.
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Meet Marc Church, Mechanical Engineer at Lockheed Martin. Read about his work on the Orion spacecraft and ask your questions about life as an engineer!
