Turtle's South Pole e-pals: From Al Baker: "Here's a pic of this year's Research Associate crew. Left to right: Nick Strehl (incoming Cryo Tech and Aurora Tech), Al Baker (Science Support Coordinator) Ethan Good (outgoing Cusp Tech), Flint Hamblin (outgoing Cryo Tech), Marco Tortonese (incoming Cusp Tech)."
When I asked our director Karen Kinsman who I should interview for our blog, she immediately recommended Turtle Haste – “She’s awesome! You will love her!”
Turtle is a science teacher at James Monroe Middle School where, among other things, she’s made it possible for her students to communicate and share data with scientists working in Antarctica. Also, this year she’s one of a select group of teachers to receive a NASA Endeavor Fellowship – From the Endeavor website: “Endeavor Fellows receive award-winning STEM Professional Development, taking graduate courses in an innovative, LIVE (online) format from the comfort of their home or school. They learn to apply research-based pedagogical strategies and cutting-edge STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) content to their classroom contexts while becoming a part of a special network of like-minded educators across the Nation.”
Recently, I interviewed Turtle via email. I’m sure you will be as inspired as I am by her commitment to learning and seemingly endless curiosity.
Q: Can you give me a sense of your background, what made you want to become a teacher, how you got your start, and what has motivated you to go above and beyond in your teaching?
A: “Made me want to be a teacher?” I fought that tooth and nail. I started out studying and working to be a national park ranger. I really wanted to work in Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon as one of the rangers who gave talks and tours. Unfortunately , that was in the Regan years and James Watt really changed the Department of the Interior so I ended up doing a bunch of other things in tourism to make ends meet. I did all sorts of things, a cruise director in Alaska, worked seasonally at state parks and at various camps. When I moved to Oregon, I worked at OMSI and Portland’s Outdoor School program, a residential science camp that most of the public schools attended either in spring or fall for a week. I think that’s where I realized that “traditional” education might be what I wanted to do. With the help of a dear friend and mentor, I applied and was accepted to Oregon State University’s Science and Math Education Program. Through my degree program, I was mentored by a few really strong people, all of whom I remain in contact with. I also teach for Johns Hopkins Center for talented Youth summer programs. I love working in that setting as I am truly free to try new and interesting things to do and have the support of the administration and by in by students. Yes, it’s a far ways from Oregon, but jobs were really scarce when I graduated. Above and beyond? You think the kids need motivation? I cannot imagine doing the same thing in the same way year after year. Honestly, I do it because I’m selfish, I want to be interested and do exciting things. I think students get the by-product of my interests and enthusiasm.
Q: In what ways have your personal interests inspired your teaching?
A: Infectiously. My own interest in readers’ theater has helped me with my presentation skills (not to mention I went to a FAME-style high school in the Bay Area), my desire to learn content has really helped with my understanding and ability to facilitate student mastery. For example, I recently took a class at the National Atomic Museum on atoms specifically to learn how to use my Geiger counter. The class presented me with a few other great activities and strengthened my ability to convey the abstract topic of atom parts and atomic theory to students. I used several of the techniques I learned with students this year with success.
Q: What inspired you to become an “armchair Antarctica buff”?
A: Here’s a classic line, “It all started with a book.” I found this book at our local used book store by Davis Campbell, The Crystal Desert, Summers in Antarctica. I was hooked. Not only have I read most of the accounts of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, but I have enjoyed many accounts by researchers of their life and work on the Ice. Blogs are a great thing too. That’s how I found my longest running Ice pal, through his blog. His accounts of winterovers were so entertaining that I searched for others. There is a great Antarctic digital newspaper, The Antarctic Sun. I frequently use articles in class so that students are aware not only of the life of personnel, but of the science and culture of science on the continent. Although I’m not limited to Antarctica as I read and investigate both Polar Regions, my favorite still is the southern continent due to the fact that it is a continent that is not owned by any one nation and is dedicated to the pursuit of science. I just finished the book Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places by Bill Streever and will start on Innocents in the Dry Valleys next.
Q: Tell me about the sun shadows project.
A: That first blog author, Phil, posted an entry about seeing his shadow for the first time all winter. Sort of an Antarctic Punxsutawney Phil account. At that time, I had a pair of students who needed a more detailed science fair project, one that would require a bit more work and challenge. I asked the two students if they would measure the sun’s shadow between vernal equinox and winter solstice in order to test the idea that a shadow gets shorter in the winter and longer in the summer. I also asked the public relations person at the Antarctic Sun if they might know of a polar staffer who would take the same measurements as my students for comparison. Since it was summer in the southern hemisphere, a fact that 8th-graders should know, but often have trouble actually “seeing” I thought that comparing shadow measurements should show this easily. Students may know that this is supposed to happen, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the earth’s revolution out there. I didn’t have any contacts in South Africa, Australia or southern South America, so I wrangled in Antarctic help. To my wonder, we were assisted by a staffer at the South Pole and Palmer Station as well as one of my mentors who works with the USGS. We called both the USGS offices and the Pole to chat about the data and collection problems. I recruited other students in the following years to round out our data set and added more measuring tools such as astrolabe, thermocrons (given by NASA)a.k.a. a button temperature logger, and uv beads. The third year of the project I involved an entire class of students. This group maintained the project blog hosted by ANDRILL’s Project Circle and used the shadow study to make deeper connections with their study of the Age of Explorers (Jamestown, Magellan, etc.) through use of tools of navigation and math (Pythagoras theorem for the calculation of the shadow length). Connecting what they were measuring into historical perspective, we used homemade astrolabes and then were given a brass mariner’s model by Sandia National Labs last year. We participated in various International Polar Year (IPY) Polar Day activities over the past two years and were selected to present a poster at the IPY final meeting in Norway in June 2010. Students authored the poster and we included one of the second year students who had presented the project’s poster at the 2009 American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting as a co-author. Over the three years of the project, we were able to capture singular event data on various equinoxes and solstices to use to compare our predictions to the actual measurements. It was interesting to learn about the earth’s curvature and how latitude can make such a difference in shadow length. We even created a Google map of all our data partners that is hosted on the project blog. Although this year we are not measuring, we have “Adopted Polar Professionals” in an effort to raise student awareness of Polar Regions and the science that is going on.
Q: I like the idea that a teacher can be a “liaison” as you put it, between studying science as a subject in school and those who are making a living via Science as a profession. What is it like “acting as the e-liaison between students and scientists”?
A: AMAZING. They want to talk to each other and I get to be a part of it. I really enjoy facilitating the discussions about climate and ocean sciences. There are some great activities from ANDRILL that we do in class and then students talk to scientists about what they learned. They like asking questions where they feel that they have some understanding of what scientists actually do, which leads to higher level discussions. For example, when the kids learned that our South Pole was working on an antenna to investigate the atmosphere which required bouncing signals from the South Pole to Palmer Station, they asked to do activities that not only helped them learn about the atmosphere, but understood how the various em spectrum waves behaved in order to better understand what their scientist was doing. I Now that’s facilitating learning!
Q: What is your philosophy as a teacher?
A: Ummmmmm….. Really? Gosh, I so dislike writing philosophical statements that aren’t really philosophies in the sense of true philosophies….. I’d much rather debate the differences in philosophical schools. I think the last time I wrote one I was in a teaching program. Oh, wait, here’s a quote from one of my Endeavor Methods assignments:
“I believe that educators are facilitators of knowledge and experience. Our purpose, our charge, is to prepare students not only for the next class they take, but to help them in formulating skills through experiences to become contributing members of our global society. Involving students in their own learning is a key component of creating a situation where students are active in their learning process so that they understand and value what they are learning. Stakeholders are an excellent resource for educators. Professionals in various fields, parents, community members, and older students can not only exchange knowledge with students but indirectly serve as role models and mentors. As schools are communities of learners representing all members of society and ages, students need to interact with a variety of people in order to understand the world outside of the classroom. Combining student achievement and accountability with the involvement of stakeholders creates a community of learning at a variety of levels and thereby truly demonstrates a community of learning.
Everyone is a learner. Learning is bigger than just in the classroom, it goes on for a lifetime. Everyone learns differently and may not be aware of what they need in order to be a successful learner. Teaching is a cooperative activity and works best when everyone is involved. Everyone is a teacher in some way, although they may not realize it. The best teaching and/or learning opportunities are experienced by sharing a passion and doing so with patience.”
Q: What do you ultimately hope the students will take away from a science class or fair, even if they don’t want to become scientists?
A: That they can make smart choices regarding their lives and their impact on the world. Whether it be choosing the correct doctor, reading the label on an over the counter medicine, interpreting their energy bill, understanding proper food storage and handling, or are able to use household cleaners and make smart purchasing decisions. Being members of a global community and such a tech-dependent society, it is important to me that students are able to sift through the vast sources of information, identify trusted sources and use the information appropriately.
Q: Tell me about winning the NASA Endeavor Fellowship:
A: I received a phone call one Sunday morning…… Actually, I filled out this application a while back and then I had a phone call. I am excited that I have the opportunity to interact with a cohort of teachers who are working to strengthen their understanding of STEM. Learning together with my cohort members, even virtually has already created opportunities for me to examine my teaching practices and rethink how I can use inquiry and the Nature of Science more directly in my practice. I am very excited to work toward a certification specifically in STEM.
Q: Have you begun any of the coursework? If yes, how do you like it so far?
A: I am in the first semester of coursework, taking a STEM Methods course. I like the ability to discuss the materials with my cohort and the content has already yielded some interesting ideas.
Q: Any advice for students participating in the various Academic Competitions?
A: Don’t stop! I know my life changed because of academic competitions. I learned so much with academic challenges both in scientific content and socially as I made some of the best friends I have.
Q: Any advice for the teachers helping the students prepare their projects?
A: One of the best things I have done is to volunteer as a judge even when I do not have students competing. Working on the evaluative aspect has given me an opportunity to not only learn about the “inner workings” of competitions, but to learn from other judges what they are looking for. I have been better able to help students because I know how things are scored.
Q: You do so much…how do you keep energized?
A: I nap – a lot! I take classes, or attend lectures and screenings, whether or not I can use it with students. There is so much out there!If I only think about “students” I am not bettering myself. If I’m excited about learning something new, I hope that my modeling will energize the kids too by osmosis. I also make a point to do things for me. Balance is important.
