Abstract In 1903 Dr. Joel Stebbins joined the University of Illinois faculty as an astronomy ins... more Abstract In 1903 Dr. Joel Stebbins joined the University of Illinois faculty as an astronomy instructor and Director of the University of Illinois Observatory. In 1905 he and F. C. Brown began experimenting with selenium sell photometry and developed the equipment and many of the photometric practices used then. Those practices formed the foundation on which present day photometry processes are based. This paper will trace the history of Stebbins’ career and his development of photoelectric photometry from 1903 to 1922. This story explains how Stebbins’ wife, May, caused a change in astronomical observing that continues today.
Characteristics of objective measurement and how to develop an objective instrument are discussed... more Characteristics of objective measurement and how to develop an objective instrument are discussed. Objective measurement can be thought of as that type of measurement in the social sciences that parallels the measurement that takes place in science. The following are aspects of scientific measurement that should be transferred to the measurement of individuals: (1) evaluating only one variable; (2) building the instrument around a theory; (3) continuous calibration of the measurement; (4) reporting of measurement errors; and (5) the ability to work equally well in a number of situations. All of these points must be considered in designing a measurement instrument. It is expected that everyone will use the instrument in the same manner. Unexpected responses must be used to improve measures, and for this reason, errors must be accurately reported. Other results from objective measurement using a stochastic model are discussed, including the implications of non-linearity. (SLD)
Reflections on Czech Science Teaching: A Teacher Learns about Science Education in the Czech Republic
The Science Teacher, 2007
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] International comparisons help us explore the assumptions made about U.S. ... more [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] International comparisons help us explore the assumptions made about U.S. schools, students, and pedagogy. That is why I decided to spend five months in the Czech Republic teaching science education courses at Palacky and Ostrava Universities and learning about the Czech education system. The new context challenged some of my notions about science education in the United States. The intent of this article is to raise questions to encourage discussion and analysis, not to advocate the superiority of any nation's education system or methods. Why the Czech Republic? The Czech science education system attracted my professional attention as a university science educator when the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) were announced in 1995. (Editor's note: Later TIMMS assessments were renamed "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.") Despite the political changes after the 1989 Velvet Revolution, the Czech Republic outperformed the United States and most other European countries on the TIMSS tests. In addition to TIMSS, the Czechs also performed well on the 1999 TIMSS-Repeat (TIMSS-R) and the 2000 and 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments administered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Figure 1 (p. 66) summarizes some of the results from these studies. The Czechs have a history of performing well on various international science tests at several grade levels. Pedagogy When I first entered a Czech science classroom, I immediately noticed the strict discipline and orientation of the entire class toward the teacher. Students faced the teacher, quietly paid attention, and answered questions when called upon. Every classroom I visited in a variety of Czech schools was uniform in orientation and tone. Czechs describe their pedagogy as predominately teacher-centered and lacking in variety, but there are efforts to change this approach as evidenced by the following excerpt from Czech education researchers Jana Svecova and Jana Strakova: Currently there is a greater focus on the integration of topics from different science subjects. Independent and creative work is stressed more. The laboratories in science are more investigative in nature, moving away from a 'follow the cookbook' style. More emphasis is placed on written and oral communication. Reasoning, as opposed to mechanical memorization of facts, is stressed. There is an effort to balance deductive and inductive approaches in the curriculum (Svecova and Strakova 1997, p. 107). Despite such efforts to change, my personal conversations with Czech educators and visits to schools indicate that the country's schools are still dominated by teacher-centered pedagogies with modest progress toward student-centered approaches. All lessons are 45 minutes in length and are very structured with a clear introduction at the beginning of the lesson. Czech teachers do a consistent job of summarizing the content at the end of the lesson, which marks a clear end to one lesson and transition to the next lesson. I have struggled with convincing U.S. preservice teachers of the value of strong lesson introductions and summaries. Czech teachers incorporate a variety of memorization strategies in their lectures and devote a lot of class time to review. I observed one example of fourth-grade Czech students working together to complete matching puzzles that reviewed types of plants and animals while another group completed a worksheet identifying different types of trees using their textbook. An upper-secondary physics class spent approximately 10 minutes reviewing one type of problem for a future test. Students worked independently for several minutes before one student shared her solution on the blackboard. The teacher then summarized the solution using the student's work. …
Improving Graphing Interpretation Skills and Understanding of Motion Using Microcomputer Based Laboratories
The Electronic Journal of Science Education, 1999
The purpose of this study is to examine the relative effectiveness of the traditional lab method ... more The purpose of this study is to examine the relative effectiveness of the traditional lab method and the microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) for improving student understanding. Three areas of achievement were examined: graphing interpretation skills, interpreting motion graphs and understanding of motion The nonequivalent control-group design was selected with the treatment group conducting using MBL activities and the control group employing traditional laboratories. All the students were enrolled in introductory college physics classes. Item analysis revealed both control and treatment groups confused position, velocity, acceleration, and distance, velocity, and acceleration-time graphs on the pre-test. On the post-test, the control group scores improved only slightly. The treatment group demonstrated a less thorough understanding than the control on the pre-test, but the treatment group outperformed the control group on the post-test. Effect sizes were 0.78, 1.71 and 0.88 for g...
The many transformations of the University of Illinois Observatory Annex
The University of Illinois Observatory acquired a second-hand 30-inch Brashear reflector in 1912 ... more The University of Illinois Observatory acquired a second-hand 30-inch Brashear reflector in 1912 with the intent of dedicating it to photoelectric photometry. A small observatory annex was built adjacent to the main observatory. This smaller observatory and its telescope underwent multiple transitions and instrument changes over the next 70 years, reflecting the research interests of Joel Stebbins and Robert H. Baker. The story of this observatory telescope illustrates changes in astronomical instrumentation and research over the course of the
PBS Mathline Middle School Math Project" is a national program offered by the Public Broadca... more PBS Mathline Middle School Math Project" is a national program offered by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) to local affiliates to increase middle school teachers' understanding of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, encourage discourse among teachers, and develop classroom applications based on video models of teaching. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mathline Professional Development Program in a midwestern metropolitan region. This paper presents some of the initial findings and describes some of the issues involved in the evaluation, development, and implementation of such a program. The evaluation sought to detail the impact of the program on participating teachers. In addition, the elements of the program were evaluated to determine their effectiveness. Teachers responded favorably to the lessons they had tried and believed that the video lessons lend themselves to integration in the teacher's classroom....
International Perspectives on Inquiry in Secondary Science
Inquiry, as both an instructional method and as a curriculum goal, is a common theme in science e... more Inquiry, as both an instructional method and as a curriculum goal, is a common theme in science education reforms in both North America and Europe. This paper will initiate a discussion on the definitions and practice of inquiry in three countries; United Kingdom, Czech Republic and United States. Each national context will describe how inquiry is defined in both the relevant curriculums and in the academic publications. The assumptions will be identified that influenced the understanding of inquiry and the relationship to the science process skills, science literacy and the nature of science. The practiced curriculum will then be presented demonstrating how inquiry as both instruction and curriculum is practiced. National conditions and factors that encourage or impede inquiry will be discussed. A summary will examine common themes across the different national contexts.
Graphs of objects in motion are frequently used in introductory high school or college physics co... more Graphs of objects in motion are frequently used in introductory high school or college physics courses since they offer a valuable alternative to verbal and algebraic descriptions by offering students another way of manipulating the developing concepts. If graphs are to be a valuable tool for students, then the level of the students' graphing ability must be known. Microcomputer-based labs (MB;.) and its use of graphs have been shown to improve content knowledge specific to graphing problems and graphing skills. The purpose of the study is to examine the relative effectiveness of the traditional lab method and MBL for engendering conceptual change in students and to investigate students' ability to interpret and use graphs to help them better learn the kinematic concepts and to apply this understanding of those concepts to new non-graphic problems. Sample populations of students enrolled in two general-level undergraduate physics course were tested. Results indicate that the...
International comparisons help us explore the assumptions made about our schools, children, and p... more International comparisons help us explore the assumptions made about our schools, children, and pedagogy. It was in this spirit that I spent five months in the Czech Republic teaching science education courses at Palacky and Ostrava Universities and learning about the Czech school system. The new context challenged some of my assumptions about science education in the United States. The goal of this article is to raise questions with the intent of encouraging discussion and analysis, not to advocate the superiority of any one system or the implementation of any one nation’s methods.
Graphs of objects in motion are frequently used in introductory high school or college physics co... more Graphs of objects in motion are frequently used in introductory high school or college physics courses since they offer a valuable alternative to verbal and algebraic descriptions by offering students another way of manipulating the developing concepts. If graphs are to be a valuable tool for students, then the level of the students' graphing ability must be known. Microcomputer-based labs (MB;.) and its use of graphs have been shown to improve content knowledge specific to graphing problems and graphing skills. The purpose of the study is to examine the relative effectiveness of the traditional lab method and MBL for engendering conceptual change in students and to investigate students' ability to interpret and use graphs to help them better learn the kinematic concepts and to apply this understanding of those concepts to new non-graphic problems. Sample populations of students enrolled in two general-level undergraduate physics course were tested. Results indicate that the MBL was more effective in engendering conceptual change in students than a traditional laboratory. Student graph
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