Kevin Curtis

12/16/09
Teaching Resources
NPT NJ Module 2
Mr. G. Powell





















Teaching Resources at Voorhees High School
Glen Gardner, NJ

























1. Teaching Resources at Voorhees High School
a. Building
Teri Bellows (Mentor)
Richard Shevalier (Supervisor)
Department library in Science Workroom
Department library in Richs Office
Department Video Collection in Richs Office
Department Video Collection in Teris Office
Library and Video Collection in the Media Center

b. District
Curriculum Guide
Profession Development (PD Express)
TeachersNET Provides chatboards, classifieds, free lessons, live chat, and other
resources.
Education World includes a search engine for educational sites only, lesson plans,
articles, daily columns, and others.
Marco Polo Education Page Resources for K-12 teachers and students
Marcs Special Ed Page List of resources for teachers
Teachers Helping Teachers Lesson Plans, educational resources, teacher guest book,
resources for improving test scores
Verizon Literacy Network a free, online resource that leverages technology to deliver
needed and valued training and information to anyone interested in improving literacy.
Education Atlas Online resource guide for educational sites sorted by Education
index/Subject and lifestage.

c. Community
William Paterson University Faculty (Dr. L. Risley)
Mid-Atlantic Photographic Services, Inc. Stephen Gage (Photos of Succession in NJ)

2. No Child Left Behind Assessment
a. End of year Biology Exam May
b. No other live exams are given in the Science department at this time.

3. Journals and Associations
a. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
b. New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
c. CBE Life Science Education Online Journal
d. BioEd Online: Biology Teacher Resources
e. Proceeding of the National Academy of Science (PANS)
f. National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
g. New Jersey Science Teachers Association (NJSTA)
h. Biology Teachers Association of New Jersey (BTANJ)
i. North Hunterdon/Voorhees Education Association (NHVEA)
j. New Jersey Education Association (NJEA)
k. National Education Association (NEA)





4. Content/Literacy articles
a. Preszler, R.W. (2009). Replacing lecture with peer-led workshops improves student learning.
CBE - Life Sciences Education, 8, 182-192.

The author of this article demonstrates how student performance/learning improved when one
lecture a week was replaced with a peer-led workshop where students worked in small
cooperative groups to solve challenging problems, evaluated case studies, and participated in
activities designed to improve their general learning skills. Students in the workshop version of
the course scored higher on exams, and student populations who typically score lower in the
courses improved as did the retention of these special populations of students.

Making Science interactive and accessible to all students is imperative if our goals as teachers
are to help students advance beyond our own understanding of science. The old method of a
teacher centered learning environment does not make science accessible to all students. In this
profession we must strive to make science learning open to all who are interested.

b. White, H.B., Varma-Nelson, P., Platt, T., Moog, R.S., & et.al., Initials. (2008). Pedagogies of
engagement in science. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 36(4), 262-273.

This article is a review/how to guide of the various student-centered pedagogies available to
science teachers, such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL), process-oriented guided inquiry
learning (POGIL), and peer-led team learning (PLTL). The attention that these methods have
received in recent years is due to the understanding that recognizes the way that people learn.
This article attempts to describe, compare, and contrast the characteristics of these three
pedagogies with the recognition that each is evolving in practice and that hybridization among
them and with other approaches occurs frequently.

I think that this type of article is well needed. I am struggling with trying to make the classes that
I teach more student-centered. And this article has given me a few ideas as to how to further my
efforts to make a more student-centered learning environment.

c. Austin, B., Menasco, J., & Vannette, T. (2008). The nature of science in popular nonfiction:
Popular science books encourage students' literacy skills and interest in science. The Science
Teacher, 27-32.

To help make science relevant to students everyday lives, the authors required their 10
th
grade
summer school students to read selections from a popular nonfiction science book. By doing so,
they were able to promote literacy and provide an authentic portrayal of the nature of science in a
way that was fun and interesting for their students. This article describes their experience using a
nonfiction science book in the classroom and suggests literacy activities to enhance science and
reading comprehension.

I think that this is a great way to get student excited about science and reading. If the students are
interested in the topic because it is written so that it is accessible to students than they will have a
better understanding of the lesson and will retain the information better.

d. Creech, J., & Hale, G. (2006). Literacy in science: A natural fit promoting student literacy
through inquiry. The Science Teacher, 22-27.

Reading is an essential part of science literacy, but what, when, and how can we incorporate
reading in the science classroom? To address these questions and bring reading back into the
science classroom, the authors designed four inquiry-based, quarterly reading projects with
yearlong literacy routines that were successfully implemented with ninth-grade students,
including English language learners. Creating a classroom climate that supports inquiry is
essential to both science and literacy learning.

Students are not performing to their potential nor are they being held to that potential. Todays
students are being let down by the educational system. I think that if more teachers incorporated
ideas like those outlined in this article that students would be energized about science and
reading.

e. Cardullo, R.A., Bocian, K.M., Hammond, K.A., Rettig, M.F., & Miller, C.A. (2008). School
performance will fail to meet legislated benchmarks. Science, 321, 1781-1782.

This article illustrates very well that current efforts to improve student performance in
Mathematics and English Language Arts are failing. By 2014 the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001 mandates that 100% of students will be proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and
Mathematics. Data from nearly 10,000 students collected between 2003 and 2007 of California
elementary schools the proficiency of students is increasing in both Mathematics and ELA but
only modestly. These modest gains are not enough to meet the goals for 2014.

I feel that not enough is being done to increase student learning to meet proficiency goals. There
are many tools out there to achieve student success that are not being utilized. Teacher attitudes
must change from one of apathy to one of interest in student success.