Training Students in Scientific Presentations

Ryan FedewaMaine East High School

RET 2009 Teaching Modules University of Illinois at Chicago

12/12/2009

RET 2009 Program NSF EEC 0743068(A. Linninger, PI)

Overview

During Summer 2009, RETs were required to:– Complete a course on Scientific Writing and

Scientific Presentations– Create a video of our experiment and research

experience to share with our fellows– Sum our research experience up with a

PowerPoint presentation and poster session

Unit Preliminaries

I teach an AP Physics C class– Problems:

• After the AP test, students are usually quite restless, and feel as though they are now “done” with the course

• A Final Exam is superfluous after the rigorous national AP exam

• Many students go to college without any experience with research or how to present research to fellow scientists

Aims

Create a unit that addresses these concerns in a relevant way.– Must engage students in some sort of

individual, inquiry-based activity– Must increase student skill set in writing

and presentation skills, as well as possibly software skills

– Must result in a final product the students can carry with them to “show off”

Unit Overview

Topics to Cover:– Scientific Writing

• Jigsaw Format, much like the summer RET experience

• Emphasize the difference between scientific and literary/creative writing styles

• Address the concerns of the large ESL and ELL population at Maine East

Unit Overview

Topics to cover:– Scientific Presentation

• Specifically address student skill sets with Windows Movie Maker

• Student will create a movie that must involve voice-overs, a non-interfering soundtrack, and visualizations that convey a scientific message

Unit Overview

Content to cover:– Students will form groups of 3 and will be given

free access to Maine East’s stockrooms– These groups will choose a demonstration or lab

that we had not performed previously in the year– The group will then perform the experiment,

recording when needed, and will write up a lab report with standard requirements

Unit Final ProductStudents will combine the Scientific Writing, Scientific Presentation, and Group Research Topic into a Final Video– Format will be similar to the requirements RETs met

in Summer 2009:• ~5-10 minutes• Includes Intro, Overview, Background, Apparatus,

Procedure, Data, Analysis, Conclusions, and recommendations for Future Work

• “Professional” quality expected: Smooth transitions, background music, and expository voice-overs

Benefits

Students:– Develop independent experiment skills– Develop scientific communication skills– Develop scientific presentation skills– Have concrete example of ability to prove oneself

to college professors/internships

Teacher:– 5 different videos to use for next year’s AP class if

time doesn’t allow for certain labs/demos– Keep students engaged at the end of the year

Acknowledgments

Dr. Thomas Royston

Zoujun (PhD Candidate, AVL)

UIC

Maine East High School

Ruth Osbrink (REU, UIUC), Matt McDermott (IMSA Fellow)

NSF RET EEC 0743068 (A. Linninger, PI)