The Spreadsheet Lab Manual gives every teacher and student in any school the ability construct and study any STEM spreadsheet model available. Just one SLM workshop delivers immediate and ongoing skills growth in Data Analysis and Spreadsheet Model Building for ALL students and teachers in all branches of high school STEM. Read on to learn how...
LEVEL 1:
Incorporating NGSS SEPs (Science and Engineering Practices) using The Spreadsheet Lab Manual. Suggested session time: 2 hours (1.5 hrs min-3 max) (Up to 25 Science and Math teachers per session)
Training session objective is to inform teachers of all of the resources available to them, map them into their curriculum. Practice working on completed models, solve some of the assessment question problems and gain familiarity with the layout of the spreadsheet models for the activities teachers plan to run in class. Customize the generic Powerpoint Intro file to align with each teacher's particular applications they plan to address in their curriculum. Every teacher (or small group of teachers) pursues their own subject specific objective with the goal of making as many teachers as time allows to become experts on as many separate modules possible.
Student Skills Added: Formula writing, cell referencing, programming, data analysis, variable manipulation and expression construction interacting with "living graphs" on Google Sheets and/or Excel Spreadsheets and more.
Level 1 Workshops focus on raising the ability levels of the teachers and developing performance expectations for their students (for the first year) depending on their current ability levels in grades 9-12.
Teachers should leave ready to engage students in Science and Engineering Practices with SLM defined objectives and goals. Teachers will be provided with permanent access to all materials needed for them to provide their students with all SLM modeling experiences. In subsequent school years goals should be enhanced as students (and teachers) will be gaining skills in this area from prior experiences. As time allows we will help teachers with customizing any SLM modules to their instructional preferences for meeting the NGSS requirements.
LEVEL 2:
Advanced application of SLM resources. Suggested time 2 hours (1.5 hrs min-3 max) (All Science and Math teachers).
Teachers will form subject specific groups and develop ideas offered for each activity in a way that they can use them to incorporate hand on laboratory experiences to which the theoretical spreadsheet model predictions can be compared. These experiences will involve planning student experiences that involve building a spreadsheet model and then collecting hands on data (through a variety of means) and comparing the model predictions to the actual real world physical data. This tests the assumptions of the model along with error in the measurement of the hands on data. It also demonstrates how models do occasionally deviate from observed actual behavior. Ideas include building actual rockets and using the model to optimize the design (within 10% of model predictions is readily achievable), Heating objects and submerging them in water or air cooling the object and predicting the dynamic temperature vs. time curves of the water and the object. Population models, Hardy Weinberg Theorem, Freefall or projectiles with drag force, Electric field mapping, quantitatively modeling pith balls and straws, wave superposition and resonance with tuning forks and pendulum systems, probability simulations with games, and many more examples.
SGO Workshop: 90 minutes (1hr-2hrs) (all teachers, groups of 20)
Teachers will be provided with a spreadsheet based (Google or Excel) SGO calculating form that can be used to set and score SGOs. Teachers will solve "The Monty Hall Problem" by building a spreadsheet that will show them how to use logical functions and then we will modify a few formulas and make it into a form that they can calibrate to set Preparedness Groups for their tiered SGOs basing this on measurable student data already in their grade books. Automating this process will save time and reduce errors substantially. It will also standardize and give record of student scores on SGOs which can be saved with the teacher's observation records and improve accountability for 15 percent of their total employment assessment score. The SGO Smart Form © 2015 including instructions and how to video will be assembled for them and they will have a dedicated page www.spreadsheetlabmanual.com.
LEVEL 1:
Incorporating NGSS SEPs (Science and Engineering Practices) using The Spreadsheet Lab Manual. Suggested session time: 2 hours (1.5 hrs min-3 max) (Up to 25 Science and Math teachers per session)
Training session objective is to inform teachers of all of the resources available to them, map them into their curriculum. Practice working on completed models, solve some of the assessment question problems and gain familiarity with the layout of the spreadsheet models for the activities teachers plan to run in class. Customize the generic Powerpoint Intro file to align with each teacher's particular applications they plan to address in their curriculum. Every teacher (or small group of teachers) pursues their own subject specific objective with the goal of making as many teachers as time allows to become experts on as many separate modules possible.
Student Skills Added: Formula writing, cell referencing, programming, data analysis, variable manipulation and expression construction interacting with "living graphs" on Google Sheets and/or Excel Spreadsheets and more.
Level 1 Workshops focus on raising the ability levels of the teachers and developing performance expectations for their students (for the first year) depending on their current ability levels in grades 9-12.
Teachers should leave ready to engage students in Science and Engineering Practices with SLM defined objectives and goals. Teachers will be provided with permanent access to all materials needed for them to provide their students with all SLM modeling experiences. In subsequent school years goals should be enhanced as students (and teachers) will be gaining skills in this area from prior experiences. As time allows we will help teachers with customizing any SLM modules to their instructional preferences for meeting the NGSS requirements.
LEVEL 2:
Advanced application of SLM resources. Suggested time 2 hours (1.5 hrs min-3 max) (All Science and Math teachers).
Teachers will form subject specific groups and develop ideas offered for each activity in a way that they can use them to incorporate hand on laboratory experiences to which the theoretical spreadsheet model predictions can be compared. These experiences will involve planning student experiences that involve building a spreadsheet model and then collecting hands on data (through a variety of means) and comparing the model predictions to the actual real world physical data. This tests the assumptions of the model along with error in the measurement of the hands on data. It also demonstrates how models do occasionally deviate from observed actual behavior. Ideas include building actual rockets and using the model to optimize the design (within 10% of model predictions is readily achievable), Heating objects and submerging them in water or air cooling the object and predicting the dynamic temperature vs. time curves of the water and the object. Population models, Hardy Weinberg Theorem, Freefall or projectiles with drag force, Electric field mapping, quantitatively modeling pith balls and straws, wave superposition and resonance with tuning forks and pendulum systems, probability simulations with games, and many more examples.
SGO Workshop: 90 minutes (1hr-2hrs) (all teachers, groups of 20)
Teachers will be provided with a spreadsheet based (Google or Excel) SGO calculating form that can be used to set and score SGOs. Teachers will solve "The Monty Hall Problem" by building a spreadsheet that will show them how to use logical functions and then we will modify a few formulas and make it into a form that they can calibrate to set Preparedness Groups for their tiered SGOs basing this on measurable student data already in their grade books. Automating this process will save time and reduce errors substantially. It will also standardize and give record of student scores on SGOs which can be saved with the teacher's observation records and improve accountability for 15 percent of their total employment assessment score. The SGO Smart Form © 2015 including instructions and how to video will be assembled for them and they will have a dedicated page www.spreadsheetlabmanual.com.