The Essential Way to Teach- EaSiE

- by Sue Kistenmacher

Sue Kistenmacher is a grade 7-8 science teacher at Wiscasset Middle School, Wiscasset ME. Sue, as a veteran teacher, found that meeting with teachers in the EaSiE project energized her. Systems and data became an integral part of her science lessons that transformed her curriculum into a cohesive “train of thought.”

I am a 7th & 8th grade science teacher at a small rural school in mid-coast Maine. I have been in education for almost 30 years, and I am always looking for new ideas, teaching methods, and collegiality. EaSiE certainly met these requirements. EaSiE changed how I thought about science and teaching and provided me with regular chances to meet with enthusiastic, energetic, and devoted teachers. This experience not only provided me with new lessons and approaches to teaching, but also energized me to excel in my profession.

For most of us, EaSiE began with the systems lesson. In fact, systems became an approach to many of my science lessons and a reoccurring theme throughout the year. I now begin every 7th grade year with the EaSiE Systems Lesson and the word “system” becomes part of our shared vocabulary.

The other big change in my teaching was the use of data. In EaSiE meetings we collected and shared data - all sorts of data from climate change numbers to NOAA buoy data. We developed lessons to teach students to use data correctly and to collate and graph numbers. We talked about how to teach young people to interpret data. Data became an integral part of my science lessons and, in fact, many of these lessons became grounded in numbers.

EaSiE also taught me to dig deeper. When lessons revolved around systems ideas and data, they become broader and stronger. I found that I taught a lot less in some ways, but also a lot more in other ways. My curriculum transformed from distinct lessons to a broad continuous train of thought.

One of the strongest lessons that evolved from my work with EaSiE was the Climate Change/Alternative Energy lesson. I have taught this topic for the last several years, but in the past it had been a short unit. Now the lesson lasts an entire quarter. Through the EaSiE project, I developed strong and very comprehensive lesson plans that involved science and social aspects of climate change and alternative energy. We began by studying carbon and the carbon cycle, and then we looked at data. We graphed Mona Loa CO2 concentrations and looked at graphs of global temperature. Then we accessed NOAA and local data on ice-out dates, snowfall, snow on the ground, temperature, etc. Students picked a set of data to build graphs and looked at and interpreted trends. We shared and posted our graphs, and “the writing was on the wall”. The data showed us that temperatures were rising. But, the lesson had just begun. Next we looked at the effect of warming on the Earth as a system. How does climate change affect different habitats? How does warming affect populations, both human and nonhuman? The systems approach was critical here. Students observed that any input or change to our Earth system had profound effects on many, many aspects of the planet. Some of these changes can be considered positive. Northern Europe has been experiencing a longer growing season. New shipping routes in the Arctic have opened up. But, by far the changes are not positive. Extreme weather and both flooding and drought are occurring worldwide. New and sometimes invasive and/or dangerous flora and fauna are invading many areas of the globe. Whole populations of island nations are loosing their homes and property. The list goes on and on and bingo – there was the systems theme again. Students saw this as we drew a big web on the board and made connections between the consequences of climate change worldwide.

The climate change lesson also involved looking specifically at the effects of climate change on oceans (systems again). Again we had to look at the chemistry of carbon and the carbon cycle – this time the ocean cycle. We studied the chemistry of ocean acidification and its effects on ocean life. The idea that everything is connected just wouldn’t go away.

The lesson continued with looking at the carbon footprint and considering what individuals can do to reduce climate change. Humans are all part of the system. This led us to a study of alternative energy and once again, the systems approach popped up. To understand many aspects of alternative energy such as wind or solar, you need to understand climate and weather trends. This lesson involved numerous guest speakers, most of them locals involved with small-scale alternative fuel technology as well as an engineering student from the University of Maine. Students then picked an alternative fuel to study in depth, and the unit culminated with an evening energy fair where students displayed their models and projects and explained their work to parents.

The simple climate change lesson had evolved into a monster lasting 12 weeks! In teaching this way, I was encouraging students to look at both the big picture and the small details. I was demonstrating the connections (systems again) between all aspects of science (carbon and acid base chemistry, physics and the engineering, ecology and biology, climate and weather, etc.) What might have been short, discrete lessons became one big connected entity linked together by systems and data.

Reflecting on this I realize how monumental EaSiE has been to my teaching. As I develop and work through the other lessons I teach, I always look to the EaSiE project and use it as a model. Often the lessons that I have taught for years seem weak and disjointed compared with the ones that I have developed with the help of my EaSiE colleagues.

Why was EaSiE so successful? Several reasons account for this. First was the length of the experience. We met threes times each year for three years. This gave participants the chance to learn, develop, field test, and revise curriculum. The length of the project also provided the opportunity for participants to develop relationships within the group. EaSiE was successful because of the strong leadership provided by Joyce Tugel of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance and the scientists and educators she brought in to teach us. It was successful because Joyce listened to our needs and feedback and designed learning experiences around this. Finally, EaSiE was successful because of the enthusiastic and hard working teachers that were part of the project. We were good teachers, but together we became even better teachers.

It has been an amazing 3½ years. I have learned much about science, teaching, and myself as an educator. I greatly appreciate the chance I have had to both learn and grow with the phenomenal teachers and leaders that I met in this project. EaSiE will be greatly missed. I wish that all teachers could have the opportunities and experience that I have had with the EaSiE project.