College of Education News

What happens when you mix lasers and Jell-O? The seven undergraduate Secondary Education students who attended the National Science Teacher’s Association (NSTA) Conference in New Orleans would tell you that the strange combination produces excellent curriculum to teach the properties of reflection and refraction.

While shining a laser through squares of Jell-O cut into different shapes, teachers can easily explain how light refracts through different medium. This experiment was one of many the students were able to witness at the conference in March.

According to the attendees, the most surprising part of their professional development experience, was the presentation by Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and Dr. Neil Tyson.

“For me, this talk gave purpose to being a science teacher,” said Paul Karnstedt, Biology and Secondary Education major. “If I can bring half of that energy to my students, I believe I will have a very engaged classroom.”

Other session topics included Teaching AP Chemistry with Molecular-Level Visualization and Stimulation Tools and The Origin After 150 Years: Teaching the Science of Darwin’s Great Idea in the Climate of Controversy.

Mike Klikuszewski, Biology and Secondary Education student, commented on Dr. Ken Miller’s lecture on teaching evolution in today’s classroom.

“Because evolution is a touchy issue, I was not expecting to learn effective ways to teach it,” Klikuszewsi said. “I was wrong… The take-home message in this approach is to provide the students with the facts and let them decide.”

The University of Illinois was also represented by hosting a session titled Ready-to-Go Problems and Activities for Group Problem Solving in Chemistry, Biology and Math.

Thanks in part to funding provided by the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, these students were introduced to real examples of teaching methods they can bring to their own classrooms after graduation.

“Attending sessions with current teachers opened our eyes to the world of science teaching, and I feel that this experience has made us more aware of what we should expect as teachers,” said Jerry Brady, President of NSTA - student chapter at the University of Illinois, and Chemistry and Secondary Education major. “We learned how to engage students in many ways.”

Article Erin Kirby, photos contributed by Jerry Brady