Category Archives: Uncategorized
Standing in the Shadow of the Moon
For two years and more, the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 consumed my life. From writing and rewriting activities designed to teach about the eclipse, delivering numerous professional development sessions and workshops to teachers around the country, planning … Continue reading
Astronomical Phenomena as a Provocación for Learner Engagement
The total solar eclipse taking place on August 21, 2017 is a natural phenomenon on a grand scale. Though only those on the narrow swath cutting across the country from Oregon to South Carolina will see totality, everyone throughout the … Continue reading
Looking Afar to See Ourselves
Assimilating and accommodating new ideas and ways to do things is not always an easy task. Sometimes we find ourselves too close to old and comfortable ideas, unable to find a perspective from which to evaluate the potential for the … Continue reading
Creating a Revolution, One Eclipse at a Time
Alex Longo is not a typical 16-year old. As an eighth grader, he submitted a proposal to the Mars Rover 2020 landing site selection committee. Now a high school junior, Alex’s proposal, and his in-person advocacy have resulted in the … Continue reading
Reflecting on Deep Time in a Young Landscape
Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature’s darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature’s … Continue reading
Learning to See
This past August, I had eye surgery, an event giving me a renewed appreciation for what our brains are capable of, and their elasticity in accommodating and assimilating sensory input as well as ideas. My recovery reminded me of the … Continue reading
It’s Elementary
Recently, The National Academies Press published Science Teachers’ Learning (NAP, 2015), a report on the current state of science teacher preparation, along with recommendations for approaching how and when teachers engage in professional development, and the necessary changes to education policy influencing … Continue reading
