Week Fourteen October 19 – October 25, 2008

UTEP-UMCE News – Dr. Bill Robertson, Fulbright Scholar, UTEP Assistant Professor

Week Fourteen October 19 – October 25, 2008

The following is a summary of the activities that I have been engaged in during the week of October 19 – 25 as they relate to the work I am doing here at UMCE as part of my Fulbright Scholarship.

Physics Instruction at Liceos

On Monday, October 20, I worked at the 2 local high schools implementing the physics project from la UMCE. The first school, Liceo Juan Antonio Ríos, has approximately 15 students in the project. The second school, Liceo Capitán de Corbete Pedro Gonzáles, has 2 sections of students, the first with approximately 30 students and the second with 35 students. We worked with the student teams on the process of using Modellus and Excel to solve physics problems that have elements of distance, time, velocity and acceleration. The student teams are doing very well and a number of the students are really engaged and leading the efforts for each class. Since this is not a standard part of the curriculum, these students are in this part of the course by choice and I believe are gaining from the experience, as both Claudio Pérez and I are as well.

This is also a great way to gauge the differences in the approach and curriculum as the university level and at the secondary level, which has been invaluable for me. My goal is to be able to take this approach and integrate it in a number of ways back at UTEP. I have two practical ideas that I think could be implemented directly as a result of this experience. The first idea I have is to develop a Master’s level science education course that would focus on physics instruction and to use this as one module within the class. The second idea is to use this approach in Spanish with students and teachers in both El Paso and Juarez, as part of the workshops for collaborations, such as Ciencia de Sabados.

Physics Project Update

On Wednesday, October 22, I attended the regular physics project meeting and each group went through the progression of their classes. The main thrust at this time was the need for each team to update their field notes on the progress within each of the units and to post all evaluation and content materials in the online platform of Moodle. There was also a general discussion of the need to post student products to use for future examples in class and as references for students. This is something that I strongly believe in and use quite effectively, I believe, back at UTEP. When you are able to show other students the types of products and work you are expecting and also share with them actual products that other students have developed, the frame of reference for the students expands and the quality of the work increases.

Mechanics Class

On Thursday, October 23, I attended the class on Mechanics in order to assist with the presentations on the Newton’s Laws of Motion. At the beginning, the students were lead through a series of open ended questions to get them to think about the ways these laws are manifested in their real lives. A following brainstorm activity gave the professors a good initial indication of some of the conceptions and misconceptions the group might have. From there, the students were presented with a problem they needed to experimentally work through that consisted of using a spring scale and various weights in order to calculate the amount of distance the spring actually moved. In this way, they would use this approach to discover the relationship that is also purported in Hooke’s Law. After the experience, the groups were ready to discuss the ideas and to receive instruction on the content. This idea matches so well with the approach I take in the classroom and I also believe to the fundamentals of constructivism, which really state that you first provide an experience before you provide the content and you allow the students the time to discover it on their own. This was also done in a 3 hour block and would be useful for both university level classes and a secondary block style class.

Personal Transition to Work in Spanish

I have been working hard on my Spanish and this week I continued with my work translating a couple of articles I am working on into Spanish with the hope of getting them published in a Spanish science education or technology journal. I find this a process I have to work at with great effort, and regular time, and have taken the steps that also come from the ideas of Publish and Flourish, in that you put in a regular time each day to write, not only to read and revise, but to write. As with all writing, I find having someone read it over and give ideas on edits important, and I have a network of people both here and at UTEP to help me in this capacity.

Week Thirteen October 12 – October 18, 2008

UTEP-UMCE News – Dr. Bill Robertson, Fulbright Scholar, UTEP Assistant Professor

Week Thirteen October 12 – October 18, 2008

The following is a summary of the activities that I have been engaged in during the week of October 12 – 18 as they relate to the work I am doing here at UMCE as part of my Fulbright Scholarship.

Keynote Address at UMCE Conference on Pedagogy in the Natural Sciences

On Monday, October 13, I attended the Standards and Competencies for Technology Integration in the Preparation of Future Teachers conference and gave the morning keynote address on the topic of “Transformative Education” which had an emphasis on practical uses of technology in education, including problem-based learning, field-based research experiences and action science.

The focus of the conference was held as an extension of the project going on in Chile to better understand the standards, the TICs, like our TEKS, but specific for technology. Over 100 students attended the conference and faculty and a number of presentations were given by professors from both Chile and Brazil. A highlight of the conference was the presentations by students who used interactive white boards to demonstrate practical uses of software in the classroom in the areas of physics, math, chemistry and music. The programs used by the students included Excel, PPT, Modellus, C-Map tools, Hot Potatoes, Survey Monkey and Movie Maker.

Web site: http://www.teleduc.umce.cl

Physics Seminar

On Wednesday, October 15, I attended a seminar that was lead by Dr. Luis Barrera, who is an astronomer in the Physics department. He leads a seminar series with interested students where they share ideas and projects that relate to concepts in physics. He gave a talk on the history of the positron and the progression of ideas about particle physics. An interesting presentation was also given by a team of students, who were able to make an ordinary white board into an interactive “Smart board” using minimal items and a few freeware programs. The students used a Bluetooth download (free) to establish a Bluetooth wireless signal from their laptop, and then used a Wii game control from Playstation (about $40 US) to transmit the signal to the white board, where they used a regular Infocus projector to send the image from the computer screen. They also fashioned a mouse within a glove and were able to move items on the computer from the white board by clicking the fingers of the glove and using the glove as a mouse on the screen. This is something that could be done very practically and cost effectively in order to help transform any classroom wall into a Smart board.

Physics Project Update

On Wednesday, October 15, I attended the regular physics project meeting ad each group went through the progression of their classes. The main thrust at this time was the updates on midterm exams and the types of results they are seeing from the students. This constructivist team based approach is new in a department wide sense and each group has successes and items to revise in order to improve their parts. Each group also discussed the plans for the rest of the semester, and how the can better use the platform Moodle to share information and to interact better with students and colleagues.

Día de los Profesores

On Thursday, October 16, I attended a celebration in the Salon de Honor where the staff and students at UMCE celebrated the Día de los Profesores where teachers at UMCE were honored for their contributions and to identify professors who had made great accomplishments. The Rector also gave a talk in which he spoke about the coming year (2009) at UMCE which will be the year of technology, which bodes well for future UMCE/UTEP collaborations.

Personal Transition to Work in Spanish

I have been working hard on my Spanish and giving a keynote address at a conference was to me a huge step forward. In reality, I was very at ease and certainly felt comfortable with my content, but what surprised me was the ease at which I was able to talk about it with colleagues and students. I also had to field a number of questions from the audience, and this was also something that lead me to feel that I am progressing in the right direction academically. I have also taken on the task of translating a couple of articles I am working on into Spanish with the hope of getting them published in a Spanish science education or technology journal. In the past, I had to have great help in this area, but now I can move line by line, and translate the words and the meanings much more efficiently. As with all writing, I find having someone read it over and give ideas on edits important, and I have a network of people both here and at UTEP to help me in this capacity.

UMCE Notes

Día de los Profesores Web Story

http://www.umce.cl/enlinea/noticias/20081017_dia_del_profesor.html

Week Twelve October 5 – October 11, 2008

UTEP-UMCE News – Dr. Bill Robertson, Fulbright Scholar, UTEP Assistant Professor

 

Week Twelve October 5 – October 11, 2008

 

The following is a summary of the activities that I have been engaged in during the week of October 5 – 11 as they relate to the work I am doing here at UMCE as part of my Fulbright Scholarship.

 

Physics Instruction at Liceos

 

On Monday, October 6, I worked at the 2 local high schools implementing the physics project from la UMCE. The first school, Liceo Juan Antonio Ríos, has approximately 15 students in the project. The second school, Liceo Capitán de Corbete Pedro Gonzáles, has 2 sections of students, the first with approximately 30 students and the second with 35 students. In these classes, we worked with students on the use of Modellus in developing mathematical models for the project we have been doing concerning the velocity and acceleration of a skater.  Modellus has a free download version that is quite useful and robust for making mathematical models and is also available in both Spanish and English versions.

 

Previous to this work, we have helped the students to gather the data, and then use class time to calculate the velocity and acceleration on paper. We then showed them how to use vectors on the tangents of the curves as well. Next, we used Excel with the data in order to generate the mathematical equation that we could use in Modellus. Then, we could actually make animations from this material and insert graphics that could act in the manner of the data collected. This is a great way to integrate technology tools in a practical manner, and the students worked on this project with great energy and enthusiasm, the like of which I have not seen in all my interaction with these students to date.

 

Explora Meeting Conference on

 

On Tuesday, October 7, I attended a meeting with José Arrellano from Explora here in Santiago. Explora is a science education entity that partners with various educational institutions including university and governmental organizations in order to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.   We are currently exploring ways to collaborate and he is interested in using the ideas of action science as a bridge to work with students in the first and second years of high school, which would be equivalent to ninth and tenth graders back in the US.

 

Explora Web site: http://www.explora.cl

 

UMCE Notes

 

There have been a number of interesting people who have attended la UMCE over the years, which included the poet Pablo Nerudo, who attend la UMCE, but never graduate.  In the past, la UMCE was a part of the University of Chile system.  At some point, the pedagogical aspects were separated out and UMCE became its own entity. The school today is a primary point for the development of teachers in a number of disciplines including the College of Science, where I am currently working.

Week Eleven September 28 – October 4, 2008

UTEP-UMCE News – Dr. Bill Robertson, Fulbright Scholar, UTEP Assistant Professor

 

Week Eleven September 28 – October 4, 2008

The following is a summary of the activities that I have been engaged in during the week of September 28 – October 4 as they relate to the work I am doing here at UMCE as part of my Fulbright Scholarship.

UTEP Doctoral Program – Prospective UMCE Students

On Monday, September 29, I had a conference call with Dr. Josie Tinajero and Dr. Ana Macias about the possible future enrollment of students from UMCE into the TED Ph.D. Program. Part of my charge in being here at UMCE is to investigate the possible integration of faculty at this institution who desire to obtain their doctoral degree in our new Ph.D. Program in the Teacher Education Department.  The collaborations between UTEP and UMCE extend back to 2005, when members of the faculty attended a COE sponsored Digital Academy. 

The need for this cooperation and agreement stems from the fact that many UMCE faculty have completed an initial program of study (coursework) with a university in Madrid, Spain in order to get their doctoral degrees, but support was pulled without a large number completing their degrees. As a result of this conversation, the group agreed to bring the issues of discussing how such a model could be implemented at UTEP through both the institutional and department channels. Dr. Tinajero will discuss the university policies and Dr. Macias will work with the doctoral faculty to explore the concepts on transfer students.  Dr. Robertson will prepare materials to present to the faculty so that prospective candidates can be evaluated by the criteria of the program.

Presentations on Problem-Based Learning

On Tuesday, September 30, I attended student presentations in a class designed to increase scientific thinking in the context of Problem-Based Learning scenarios.  PBL is an inquiry-based approach that can be defined as both a curriculum and a process. The curriculum consists of carefully selected and designed problems that engage the learner in the process of acquiring critical knowledge, developing proficiency in problem solving, engaging in self-directed learning, and participating in collaborative teams.  PBL approaches give students the ability to retain facts though critical thinking by working through problems logically and making connections to the real world. PBL features open-ended and cooperative activities that deal with real world issues and scenarios.

Recently, I sat in on a class here at la UMCE where students proposed solutions (las soluciones) with a scientific emphasis to the goal of creating a new city. The scenario was modeled on a real world event of a volcano erupting near the city of Chaitén that happened in May of 2008, and caused the evacuation of town of approximately 4200 residents.  The students did a great job defining the problems and proposing their own researched and well-supported solutions to the problem of creating a new city.  The students posed questions, analyzed the issues, presented their findings and defended their positions with confidence and clarity.

Student Conference on Pedagogy in the Natural Sciences

On Wednesday, October 1, I went with Claudio Perez to attend and to give a presentation at a National Chilean Conference for students studying to be teachers in the Natural Sciences. The main thrust of this event was to uncover concepts associated with constructivism and how this methodology can be implemented in the mostly traditional teaching climate found in Chilean schools. The conference was attended by upwards of 200 students from 10 different universities across Chile.  The students are all involved in programs that will lead them to be educators, primarily science teachers in middle schools and high schools in Chile.  The students were assembled for a three-day conference in order to improve their knowledge, to increase their abilities and to enlarge their networks with other students and participating faculty members. 

I was fortunate enough to participate in the event and deliver a presentation entitled “¿Cómo set constructivista en base a una formación conductista?” with my colleague and fellow constructivist, Claudio Pérez.  We gave a talk that focused on our experiences in science education and the use of specific methods and techniques that centered on practical applications in the classroom.  In interacting with the students within the talk, at lunch and in 3 subsequent round table discussions, I was given the unique opportunity to actually participate in a practical manner as both a teacher and a learner.

UMCE Conference on Innovative Education

On Thursday, October 2, I attended the Congreso Nacional de Educación in Santiago conference, which focused on the use of pedagogical practices in the 21^st Century.  I gave a presentation entitled “Ciencia de Acción” to approximately 50 faculty and students in attendance, as well as attended the days events to hear of other approaches to the use of different teaching and learning strategies across many disciplines, including science, mathematics, technology, special education and elementary education.

In addition, my paper entitled “Ciencia de Acción de Dr. Skateboard: Educación Transformativa en Física” was accepted to be published in the peer –reviewed journal that is associated with the conference and is distributed throughout South America. This marks my second academic article accepted for publication that was written entirely in Spanish.

Faculty Meeting

On Wednesday, October 1, I attended the regular weekly staff meetings with the Physics department on the new physics project they are implementing this coming semester.  At this meeting, we discussed the issues of the physics units that are being developed in the areas of the workshop in scientific thinking that uses a problem-based learning approach, as well as the mathematical physics module.  The main focus at this time was on the evaluation methods that were being used as the students were moving into mid-terms, and the emphasis within the project in to use performance based activities that include group projects and presentations.

Personal Transition to Work in Spanish

I think this past week was quite a different experience for me, one that was both quite challenging and rewarding all at once.  I had long periods were I had to communicate with people I did not know, both students and faculty, in professional situations and presentations.  I think that my ability to communicate both in speaking and writing is improving greatly, although my skills in speaking do lag at times.  It is almost as though I can think of the right word, but can’t connect quick enough to say it. In the past, this would have been frustrating, but I am learning to take it in stride and keep on trying. This is surely an aspect of this experience that I can see as laying a foundation for my return to work at UTEP.