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Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! |
The NSTA Symposium: Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! took place at the Navy Pier's
Festival Hall in Chicago, IL, on Thursday, November 10, 2005. Seventy-one educators
were in attendance, representing the states of Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC,
Wisconsin, Wyoming, and from Monterrey, Mexico.
The presenter was Dr. Bill Robertson, author of the NSTA Press publication Force
and Motion: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach
It. The symposium focused on the topics of constructivism, the learning cycle, and
Newton's Laws of Motion. NSTA would like to thank all the participants and the presenter
for a job well done!
The morning started with a delicious continental breakfast and an introductory administrative
session during which Flavio Mendez, Symposia and Web Seminars Program Manager at
NSTA, familiarized participants with the contents of their folders, including the
agenda, college credit forms, talent release form, the pre-assessment form, and
the session's learning goals. From there, Robertson launched into a series of thought-provoking
questions to discern participants' level of understanding of constructivism and
the learning cycle. Robertson supplemented his questions with an engaging magic
trick to encourage the educators' interest and participation.
This discussion was followed by hands-on activities and discussions that worked
through Newton's Laws of Motion. Participants made observations of different phenomena
using marbles, plastic cups, and HotWheels tracks, rolled golf and Ping Pong balls
across the floor, and confronted their common conceptions about force and motion.
It was a dynamic group, and Robertson kept the energy level high, having participants
create and test their action/reaction rocket balloon contraptions.
After the hands-on activities, Robertson presented simulations from the Force and
Motion Science Object and asked educators to make predictions and explanations as
he changed variables or played back animations on the screen. Participants were
very engaged throughout the entire program, asked many questions, and enjoyed Bill's
enthusiasm and wealth of practical knowledge.
The core content of the symposium was drawn from the NSTA Press Book Stop Faking
It! Force and Motion and the soon-to-be-released Force and Motion NSTA Science Object,
both of which Robertson authored. All participants received a copy of the NSTA Press
book Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! and gained access to an advance
preview of the NSTA Force and Motion Science Object.
Want to see more photos taken during the program? Check out the photo gallery below
and feel free to browse the program's agenda and read the presenter's information.
For more information contact symposia@nsta.org
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Underwritten in part by NSTA Press
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