AJ and Anna check out the geiger counter
Anna spent the past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the National Science Teachers’ Association conference in Phoenix, which was attended by science teachers from elementary grades through college. She concentrated on attending physics, biology, and chemistry related workshops, though every conceivable science was represented. The presenters had lots of suggestions for hands-on activities that encourage creative thinking.
Anna reported a common experience that all Kino teachers seem to have at such conferences: she was able to say, “That’s what I already do.”
While sanding paint off of a soda pop can during her lunch hour, preparing it for a chemistry experiment, Anna told me about some of the good ideas she got from the convention. For example, after Christmas break she’s going to have kids make cloud chambers where they can actually see the emissions of alpha and beta particles.
Plus, she won a door prize — a geiger counter! Anna’s immediate plan for the geiger counter is to have students measure the amount of radioactivity in common household items, such as smoke detectors and computers. She also has some orange Fiesta ware, so they’ll be able to check out the urban myth about its radioactivity.
