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Hamilton County Schools
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How can I formatively assess my students in ways that provide actionable data?
Shannon Seigle from the STEM School Named TSTA High School Teacher of the Year for 2015-2016
Shannon Seigle, teacher at the STEM School, was selected as the Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA) Science Educator of the Year, grades 9-12. Ms. Seigle was recognized at the awards ceremony at the TSTA General Session during the National Science Teachers Association 2016 Conference on Thursday, March 31, in Nashville.
Ms. Seigle has been teaching for 17 years and currently teaches junior biology and senior scientific research. Her spring 2015 biology students were the first ever to participate in a collaboration project with the University of Southern California where they designed and conducted human impact experiments, communicated and collaborated with professors at USC, and controlled the world’s only 4K-high definition microscope that is located at USC. This project was the first time that the GIG and Genie Rack was directly used in an educational collaboration. The students in her senior scientific research class participated in what is called the “Collision Project”. During their semester in scientific research, the seniors attended physics at Chattanooga State Community College where some of them took the course for physics college credits while others took the course for high school science credit. Ms. Seigle said that she really enjoys teaching genetics, human anatomy and physiology as the concepts have a multitude of real-life, real-world connections. Her favorite thing about being a teacher is building positive relationships with her students and facilitating inquiries that help to build a love and respect for science and how it relates to the real-world. Mr. Jamie Parris, Director of Secondary Math and Science said, “Ms. Seigle is a highly effective science teacher. She genuinely cares about her students and strives to spark their curiosity through genuine inquiry-based experiences. Ms. Seigle is the model of a true teacher in that she is constantly reflecting about her practice and learning new ways to improve her craft.” Click here to see the article. Aeroponic Gardens for Four Hamilton County Schools
Thanks to the HCDE Consolidated School Health Deparment and the Hamilton County Health Department, four of our schools now have Aeroponic Gardens to use in the classroom. Under the organization of Russell Cliche, over $7,000 worth of gardens were purchased. The four schools were selected based on a competitive application process. Schools will use the gardens to help teach the standards in a creative way. Furthermore, the yields of the gardents will be used within their schools and local communities. The four schools are: East Hamilton, Red Bank High, Tyner High and Tyner Middle.
TVA Purchases Watt-meters for High Schools
Charley Spencer, a senior advisor at TVA, presents at the October Science Leaders Network Meeting.
Thanks to TVA, all Hamilton County High Schools now have additional hands-on resources to use in the classroom. Under the organization of Charley Spencer, TVA purchaced almost $14,000 worth of special meters that monitor energy useage in appliances. These meters will help bring real-world issues into the classroom by allowing students to investigate electrical expenses by the day, week, month or year. The meters can check the quality of your power by monitoring Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor.
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How can differentiation help me move all students toward a core science goal?
Red Bank High School Presents at the Regional Geology ConferenceAt the Southeastern Geological Convention held recently in the Chattanoogan Convention Center, there were a few greenhorn presenters that had a few less years of education under their belts giving presentations with college students and tenured professors. Representatives of Red Bank High School’s “Intro to Geographical Information Systems (GIS)” class were there with PowerPoints and Prezi’s, showing the Post Docs how it’s done.
Students made two presentations over the real world problems they had helped to solve in the previous months of class. One presentation was over their assistance in mapping the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and their participation in the Map Lesotho project with other schools from around the world. Their map of Lesotho became the country’s official, nationally recognized map. This is the first time ever that a crowdsourced map has had this recognition. “I thought it was really cool that something we’ve done is going to help these people through the awful conditions they’re in.” This class’s efforts have garnered them quite a bit of recognition. Recently, they have been asked to submit a scientific paper on their experiences to the Journal of Geological Resource and Engineering (ISSN 2328-2193), an international, professional and peer reviewed journal published across the United States by David Publishing Company, New York. In addition to this, they have been offered the opportunity to travel to Lesotho, Africa in the year 2016 to assist with laying the ground work for the physical map they helped develop. Click Here to Read and See More! Support the Local STEM Movement and Our STEM SCHOOL!
Hamilton County Department of Education is part of a diverse group of organizations called the Southeast Tennessee STEM Initiative. This group consists of K-12 schools, higher education, business and community foundations. As a unified body, the Southeast Tennessee STEM Initiative has rallied around the mission to advance the future economic opportunities for the region by promoting STEM skills in the future workforce. It is our goal to meet the strong business demand for STEM skills with innovative approaches to accelerating student achievement and building future work force skill sets. This initiative will require the talents, expertise, insight and resources of the entire region. To learn more about this effort and how you can join the growing list of engaged community organizations, click on the picture below. To learn more about the Hamilton County STEM High School click here.
Click on the Poster Below to Read Some Interesting STEM Facts.
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Secondary Science District Norms
Keep student learning at the center of all decisions
Be respectful of other's time - Begin and end on time
Monitor air time and share your voice
Be solutions oriented - For the good of the group, look for the possible
Risk productive struggle
Actively participate and bring requested materials
Share a sense of responsibility for student learning
Be professional at all times
Be the learner you want in your class
Hamilton County Department of Education 3074 Hickory Valley Road Chattanooga, TN 37421
Phone: 423-209-8420 Fax: 423-209-8481
