WKU News & Events

June 12, 2002

Teachers Learn Creative Ways
To Make Science Fun

Bowling Green, Ky. - Toy rockets and cars, tennis balls, dollar bills and popcorn were among the simple equipment being used to illustrate complex concepts at a Western Kentucky University science workshop.

Nineteen teachers from 10 counties participated in the four-day Mid-Summer Science Challenge at WKU's Bowling Green Community College. In the four-day workshop, teachers are learning new ways to make science fun and interesting for students in grades 5-8.

"The best thing about these workshops is they give you hands-on activities to take back to the classroom," Cynthia West, a seventh-grade science teacher at Bowling Green Junior High, said after Wednesday's toy rocket launch.

"Book science is boring science," she said. "We try to do as much hands-on science as we can. The kids absolutely love it. They're excited to come to science class every single day."

Teresa Holton, a seventh-grade science teacher at Ohio County Middle School, agreed. "The students learn more if they can put their hands on it," she said. "If you can keep them excited, they want to learn."

That's important as Kentucky strives to increase student achievement, boost its college-bound rate and build the new economy, said Dr. Karen Powell, director of the Regional Science Resource Center at WKU's South Campus.

"The Mid-Summer Science Challenge represents WKU's commitment to University involvement in the professional development of our practicing teachers," Dr. Powell said.

The rocket launch was part of a session on momentum and projectile motion. Other concepts covered in the workshop include forces, circular/rotational motion, mechanical energy, light and sound, and heat energy.

A dollar bill was used in an experiment to calculate reaction time and acceleration. Popcorn was used to determine how much energy is needed to pop a kernel. Toy cars were used to test principles of mechanical energy.

"We're not using a lot of complicated equipment," instructor Rico Tyler said.

The Mid-Summer Science Challenge was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Funds for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE), the Regional Science Resource Center, WKU, the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education's Action Agenda for Teacher Education.

Workshop participants were: Angela Kerce, Irvington Elementary School; Jena Symonds, Warren East Middle School; Teresa Horton, Ohio County Middle School; Ronica Shuffitt, Moss Middle School; Judy Myers, Monroe County Middle School; Pam Fazel, Butler County Middle School; Janice Roberts, Daviess County Middle School; Donna Howell and Jane Crumbaker, McLean County Middle School; Donna Shartzer, Breckinridge County Middle School; Cynthia West, Deb Wisley and Melissa Harris, Bowling Green Junior High School; Rita Seward, Lebanon Junction Elementary School; Ann Koshy, Daviess County High School; Pam McCaslin and Tori Schneider, Hancock County Middle School; Shiryl McAdams, Fordsville Elementary School; and Sherry Wheeler, Austin Tracy Elementary School.

Others involved in the workshop included presenters Melissa Rudloff and Debby Atherton and teaching assistant Ashley Atkerson.

For more information, contact Karen Powell at (270) 780-2565. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.