Metroplex Mini-CAST 2014

A look into the digital classroom: how to meet students in their world of technology. See an effective way of using the language of today’s student that has been shown to effectively work in the classroom. We look at the various paradigms of education and show you how this hybrid methodology works to increase students participation, engagement and a better, overall understanding of the content. See how the use of a Learning Management System, combined with how students of the digital era process information, can provide maximum gains in classroom instruction.

The Science Teacher Access to Resources at Southwestern (STARS) Program is the outreach office of UT Southwestern Medical Center. We offer activities and resources at no charge for teachers and students, which will be described and demonstrated in this session. They include new summer workshops in Biology, Chemistry and Physics (focusing on laboratory exercises) as well as a monthly Basic Science Symposium series, small teacher in-services, summer research opportunities for middle- and high-school teachers and HS rising seniors, tours, a Career Exploring Post, and much more. We have Science Suitcases for the biology classroom and tons of on-line resources. Come hear what we can offer you, all at no charge!

Using CBD (Conclusion Based on Data) or CER (Claim Evidence Reasoning) is one way to help students explain what happens after conducting a LAB investigation. Writing a CBD is a skill that students need to learn because it involves critical thinking and helps them organize their thoughts. For the teacher, CBDs can be one way to identify some misconceptions of students regarding a particular concept or scientific phenomenon. A CBD may be used as a formative or summative assessment and should be evaluated based on a rubric.

For teachers new to the profession or teachers struggling with how to construct productive group work. Learn effective ways to group students, how to keep all members on-task and productive ways to assess learning within a collaborative environment.