Profile | NSTA Learning Center

Mary Bigelow

I was a secondary science teacher for 27 years and then moved to a curriculum/PD position at a regional service agency, where I worked with several math/science partnerships. I currently blog for NSTA (including doing Ms Mentor for several years) and am a webwatcher for the SciLinks project. I am the coauthor of "Rise and Shine: A Practical Guide for the Beginning Science Teacher." I am an avid birdwatcher, too.

Location

Affiliation

Retooled (not retired) science teacher and administrator

Social Media

Twitter: @tramaire
Skype Name: tramaire

Recent Posts by Mary

Sun Nov 11, 2018 11:09 AM in Classroom Management During Activites

HI Cami -- I like your idea about staying away from negative directions. "Don't run" is a different message than "Stay at your table." If students moving around is an issue, one of the group roles could be "Go-fer." This is the student who can go to the equipment table, find the teacher, etc. while the others stay at the table. It is also essential, as you noted, for the teacher to mingle and mon...

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Sun Nov 04, 2018 1:35 PM in Experiments

Hi Samantha! -- I'm curious as to what you mean by "experiments?" Some teachers and publications refer to any hands-on activity in science as an "experiment," but the word has a specific meaning in science. For example, if children follow directions to plant bean seeds and observe and describe their growth, it's an interesting learning experience, but it's not really an experiment per se. An expe...

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Sun Nov 04, 2018 1:20 PM in Teaching Science to Kindergarten in a Short Time Frame

Hi Brianna -- For ideas on age-appropriate lessons, take a look at the "Early Years" column in NSTA's Science and Children journal. Each month there is a ready-to-use investigation for younger students. You can search the back issues for more ideas. Peggy Ashbrook, the author, also has an NSTA blog (also called The Early Years ) in which she posts ideas. Perhaps you and a colleague could wo...

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