#would love for glen to play booster | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writer59january13 · 2 years

Text

November 13th, 2021 - Happy eighty sixth birthday

to my long deceased mom...

Harriet Harris née Kuritsky

My mother succumbed to a terminal illness

two score minus three orbitz passed away

no matter she fought tooth and nail

to keep ovarian/uterine cancer at bay

disease metastasized throughout major organs,

hence demise found grim reaper to carry

her Bag of Bones into The Dead Zone -

where Misery loves company

Four Past Midnight

well nigh seventeen

and a half years ago to the day

thus a flash in a bedpan idea flit

thru me mind setting task at hand

to forego bidding on eBay

and ruminate how she felt

knowing her end to be near, -

where her psyche did flay

with anger writhing at the injustice

to snatch thee lover of life

her deadened flesh became ashen gray

yet, a recurring memory

replays in my mind,

whereby this ordinarily

sole sunny trooper

blackened hole within her sons' psych

doth feebly booster morale

with a lame duck uttered hay

huzzah, but flashback to last moment

I saw mother, yet merely stood mute in close proximity

within the kitchen of thee predominant

century old mansion stone

built home donned with English ivy

once glorious complex edifice

sans domicile razed

no stone left unturned

remains longer only in me noggin

twittering memories flutter

and tweet like a blue jay

keeping visage intact

the house (formerly known as Glen Elm)

at 324 level road,

Collegeville, Pennsylvania -

amazed at my ability to recall an okay

dough key mixed meadow

for with many emotions arising

from where siblings

and me did blessedly play

our oasis, a rural route number 2 -

or rd2 for short a constituent key

per our residence, which like a quay

Tsar seemed light years

removed from civilization,

a remnant tract of idyllic ray

dee hance, upon with open space slated

to become outfitted

and transformed into an urban stay

shin for mobile Americans hopscotching

as short term owners of a new home they

never knew what fractious

mother-son trials and tribulation,

now invisibly harbored and enshrined

forever pristine sanctuary

denominated secular way

down deep in thy conscious, which access

to retrieve nada so

excellent circumstances of youth

(oftimes meditating while dwelling

upon expansive roof

many an outlook raised)

on par with hop, jump,

or skipping to Uruguay

but nothing can recreate

and make real one again

deconstructed house where dwelt pangs

of pre and post adolescence

no matter I mouth

and soundlessly mutter oy vey

till the cows come home,

cuz the days of boyhood,

teenage and emerging adulthood

(matter of fact, this heir -

overstayed his welcome)

accentuated courtesy corrosive

contumely contretemps

thus ambivalent feelings

doth owe way

kin this day of the month

every year the aura, charisma,

and persona delighting like galena zany

persona, thine late mother of pearl

and milk of human kindness

yes, this cingular male offspring doth miss

when he gives pause (all faux),

thus aye scrawl this poetic mini opus

knowing full well,

ye will never be cognizant,

but cathartic to press

any black key (on this laptop)

and expunge thru

Times New Roman font size 12

discombobulated words

buffeted bitta bing bitta bang

in situ jewel flowing emotions

akin to Rapunzel unfurling long tress

buffeted by the war wren inside mine being

for love unspoken, I confess

and tis thru fatherhood

(which beautiful granddaughters

ye would marvel) despite obloquy

when ye and papa de address

me in harsh terms, but objectionable traits

wove within mein kampf DNA less

or more, and angst riddled

body, mind and spirit

rent asunder with emotional duress

essentially encoded within

the twisted sisterly chromosome strands

that wrought Matthew Scott Harris,

now the boss and master

of his own psychological domain,

whereat he closes with mum --

I feel terrible ye got angry and cross!

0 notes

mitchbeck · 5 years

Text

CANTLON'S CORNER: WAYNE BABYCH RETURNS TO HARTFORD

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Every July over the last three years, the Babych brothers, Dave and Wayne, make a pilgrimage from Canada to Hartford, CT to share and enjoy the Whalers alumni weekend with the Hartford Yard Goats. The two played briefly together in Hartford, an experience that Wayne treasures greatly. “It was short, but such a pleasure for us,“ Wayne, with his trademark big smile, said. “We hadn’t played together since we were eight-years-old together and there is a two-year difference. It was clearly one of the highlights of my career. To play again with Emile Francis, who I was with in St. Louis, he put together a real good crew and made it a lot of fun a very special place as far I was concerned." For Babych, his connection with the fans was so important. “I always love to play for the fans. You really feed off them as a player. My time in Hartford I saw both ends of it. When I was traded from Quebec, the Nordiques were in first place, and the Whalers were in last place the year before. So, it was a tough adjustment, but the following season was one of my best as a pro. That’s why I come back. I really love to talk to people, hear their stories of what the Whalers meant to them. The folks here (the Yard Goats) are doing everything first class. I can’t thank them enough. We'll be back next year.” The 1985-86 season was the high watermark in the NHL portion of the Whalers life. Babych would gain a measure of revenge against Quebec when they swept the first place Nordiques in three straight - a team many felt that year would be a Stanley Cup Finalist. Babych enjoyed his time in the majestic Quebec City and playing at the now-closed Le Colisee for an all too brief 15 games. “I was on a line with the Dale Hunter, and Michel Goulet. We really worked well together and were a solid second scoring line behind the Stastny’s (Anton, and Peter) and Peter was simply among the best players in that generation. It was great to have played with a guy like that. Then to go to the Whalers, I admit I was a little skeptical at first, I didn’t like the trade.” He was dealt to Hartford for Greg Malone. He posted 28 points in 37 games for the Whalers. The Whalers played the behemoth Montreal Canadiens, the royalty of the NHL who featured Larry Robinson, Patrick Roy, and Bob Gainey in the second round. The Whalers won Game Six in dramatic fashion when Kevin Dineen (who was just hired to be the head coach for the AHL San Diego Gulls) got around Robinson off the left-wing and slipped the game’s only goal past Roy to force a Game 7. “We weren’t the biggest, fastest or strongest team, but we jelled over the last twenty games of the regular season and we battled right to the end of the series. Those two series are clearly among the highlights of my career. The reception we got back in Hartford was amazing (the parade). It was like we had won the Stanley Cup. There was so much pride in the team that spring, in Hartford. It was pretty special.” In Game 7, Roy was his usual stingy self in goal and then-rookie, Claude Lemieux, tallied a goal at 6:65 of overtime to end the Whalers' dream. “That was such a great series and easily the toughest loss you can suffer…Game 7 and Hartford was electric. Then everybody was talking Whalers hockey and game night you felt the real energy. "I always wonder had we won that series, I really believe we would have gone to the Finals. Beating that Canadiens would have been a rocket booster for us. We had really jelled as a team, and we had a lot of the right pieces that year,” Babych said. He had suffered an injury that altered his career in training camp in a game in Quebec City. A strong, two-handed but clean hit from behind to his right knee that he received from one of the Nordiques ruffians, Ken McRae, leveled him. To this day it still isn’t the same. “I played physical. It was part of my game, but he took exception to it then nailed me with a two-hander. I never saw it coming.” Babych lost all feeling to his knee and underwent a mid-1980’s style reconstructive knee surgery. “The techniques were nothing like they are today if I had the surgery today I could’ve come back for a few more years. They were using different body parts and everything to put it back together,” Babych joked. “When I went to a disability exam in California when they looked at my knee on MRI’s and x-rays, they laughed at me and said, 'Holy cow,' and asked, 'How are you still even walking?' It came at a really bad time because we were talking to Mr. Francis on a longer-term deal. I wanted to stay here. Of course, my brother was here and I really liked that group. It's one of the reasons we come back. I had so many fond memories.” Babych eventually sued McRae. The case was settled out of court, but as the saying goes, the damage was done. The end of his Whaler and NHL career was neither smooth or graceful. After returning from surgery he played four games, a three-in-three at home, then Pittsburgh, and Babych knew there was a problem. “I skated up to my brother during the game and said, 'Dave, I don’t think I can do this anymore.' The pain, I knew my skating was way off. When you have no feeling in your knee and parts of your leg makes it very difficult to play hockey. “ He was assigned to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton, but he refused the assignment and was suspended by the team. “A lot of people at the time thought I quit or was angling for a trade, that wasn’t the case. Even after the surgery, nothing felt right. I did go to Binghamton, put up some points (seven in six games), but I was nowhere near 100%. I tried to come back in the next training camp, but it was still very difficult. Several ice bags after a game, the pain was still there, and the loss of feeling around the knee was still there and still is.” At that point, Babych, like ex-Wolf Pack’s Stefan Cherneski, fulfilled the insurance requirements and retired with his disability claim The Babychs are a part of a rare fraternity of brothers to have played in Hartford. Just seven pairs have done so with the WHA or NHL editions of the team. The others included, among the first Europeans to come over to play hockey in North America, in goalie Christer and defenseman Thommy Abrahamsson (Thommy played half-a-season with the NHL Whalers in 1980-81), Jack “Killer” Carlson and Steve Carson (WHA only) who were the inspiration for the Hanson brother characters in Slapshot. Doug Roberts played just two seasons, both with his brothers, Gordie who played four WHA Whalers seasons. Gordie Roberts would skate just a season and a half years with the NHL squad before being traded. Mark and Marty Howe, of course, played in NHL and WHA along with their late great father Gordie. Tim and Neil Sheehy with Tim playing with the WHA team from 1972-1975 and in 1977-78 ) and 15 games with the Whalers in their first season. Brother Neil who famously wore 0 as a uniform number (the only player in NHL history to do so) for his 26 games with the 1985-‘86 Whalers. There were also the Wesley brothers, Blake Wesley (1981-82) and Glen (1994-1997) skated for the Whalers and Glen’s son, Josh, skated for the Wolf Pack last spring appearing in 15 games. The last of the brothers' crew was the Brownschidle’s. Jack played just 39 games over a three-season span claimed off waivers from St. Louis in March 1984 and Jeff played just seven games with the Whalers (1981-1983). Babych, now 61, resides in the Winnipeg area. He has a 12-year-old son, Cole, who's playing hockey with the St. James Canadiens (MBAAA). He wasn’t sure if his father’s tales of the NHL were real until a special lunch. Babych was taking him to Vancouver to see Uncle Dave and his cousins and wound up having lunch with Wayne Gretzky. “He never saw me or Dave play, so he wasn’t really sure about us whether we were putting him on or not, but last year we took him to lunch with Wayne. He and I go back to when we were kids and played in the World Junior championship (1977) in Montreal and I think the stories and Wayne’s presence made it click for him; like you really played with him,” said Babych with a good laugh at the irony. In fact, Babych playing with the young version of Gretzky in his coming out debut at the WJC at the fabled Montreal Forum, and two years he played in Pittsburgh with Mario Lemieux, so he got see greatness up close and personal. “Some guys would say they would pass you the puck and you never got it back,“ Babych said with a chuckle. “Wayne’s skill level was simply incredible, and his ability to pass was unbelievable, but not just where and when was his gift. He passed it and he not only got it on your stick but at the moment you were in the best position to shoot on a goalie. Mario’s size and agility were so difficult for a defenseman to play against. He could be tied up and yet still send a pass from twelve feet the other way in the other direction with a flick of his wrists. He was a scary big man to play against.” Babych also scored 54 goals in St. Louis in 1980-81 who had selected him in the first round (third overall) in the 1978 NHL Draft after back-to-back 50 goal seasons with the Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) with another great center, Bernie Federko. “l played a lot of time with Bernie and Brian (Sutter), but I really did even better when our coach (the great Red Berenson) switched me to the left-wing on the second line with Larry Patey and Blake Dunlop and getting a pass from a person’s backhand on the off-wing was so good and it really worked for me. The previous two years, I was on pace for 40 goals but had some shoulder issues, but that year everything clicked." He is a Tim Horton hockey Dad now and that brings Babych a lot of joy and new dreams. “I told him, 'You keep getting better and get that NHL bonus so I get that condo in Tampa and enjoy life on the beach. He is a forward and going through a growth spurt, but he wanted to play goalie at one point. He was doing well until one game he faced like 50 shots. He comes home and says, 'I don’t want to be a goalie anymore.' Seriously, whatever he does I’ll be proud of, and it's a lot of fun right watching him grow and develop." Hartford is certainly a hockey home for Wayne Babych. (Brother Dave was in attendance, but wasn’t available for the night session) Read the full article

0 notes

growthvue · 6 years

Text

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Glen Westbroek on episode 271 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Thirty-three-year Presidential Award Winning science teacher Glen Westbroek believes in creating active learning experiences in his science classroom. Today we kick off science week on the 10-Minute Teacher talking about active learning, Next Generation Science Standards, and what an engaging science classroom looks like.

Legends of Learning has amazing game based science experiences for students in 3-8 aligning with Next Generation Science and select state standards. Go to coolcatteacher.com/science and sign up for your free account now.

Whether it is earth science, life science, or physical science you can reinforce, reteach, and take kids further as they play the science games at legendsoflearning.com. And thanks to Legends of Learning for sponsoring science week this week on the 10-Minute Teacher.

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2FCjsMZ Date: March 12, 2018

Vicki: Happy Motivation Monday!

We’re kicking off Science Week with 33-year veteran science teacher, Glen Westbroek @gardenglen. He’s won the Utah Governor’s Award for Science and Technology, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and many other awards.

Now, Glen, you are passionate about motivating active learning in the science classroom.

Why is active learning so important?

Glen: You know, Vicki, that’s a great question. I think that it boils down to, “Students who are actively doing science are the ones who love the subject. Those who are doing it passively — either watching a teacher do something or reading a book or watching a video — tend not to be as motivated to enjoy the subject.”

Vicki: OK. How would you define active learning? When they’re hands-on? When they’re into things? Or what?

How would you define active learning?

Glen: I think part of it involves the hands-on aspect. Doing science in any way that doesn’t involve hands-on can’t be as motivational for a child. They just don’t get that same enthusiasm as when their hands are actively helping their brain learn the concepts.

On the other hand, it doesn’t all just have to be hands-on. There are times that it’s more appropriate to use technology in the pedagogy so that you can reinforce concept that the child is learning.

Vicki: OK, Glen, if I came to your classroom, and you wanted to show me one of your best lessons that promote active learning, describe what I would see.

Do you have an example of active learning?

Glen: Oh my goodness.

Alright, I’m going to take you to the first day of seventh grade this year.

Are you ready to go back in time?

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I’m ready!

Glen: OK, so literally this was the first day. The students came into the classroom.

I got to know them just briefly.

And then I said, “We’re going to do something today that I hope works. But I’m not positive. You’re going to help me figure this out.”

Their eyes got really big, and it’s kind of like, “Wait. You’re going to try something that you don’t know if it works?”

And I said, “I don’t know for sure!”

And so we got out some MacBooks, and we opened up LoggerPro which is a program for Vernier Software. We connected up some motion detectors to those computers.

The motion detector works a little bit like a radar detector. So as motion happens, it’s able to collect the data and bring it on to the computer screen.

So they played with those just for a few minutes to see what motion would bring up the graph of any type.

At that point, I said, “Alright, here’s a graph. I want you to try to match it on your computer. I’m going to throw all your screens up on the board here. Using this LanSchool teacher program, you’re going to see each other. We’re going to see who comes up with the way to do this correctly.”

Pretty soon, one group figured it out, and everybody else said, “Wait! How’d you do that?”

So they started asking each other questions. And once they had figured out how everybody could do it correctly, I said, “Alright. Here’s a new graph. Try to make this one. And they went through and were finding out ways to create about four or five different graphs. In one class period, they understood the relationship of time with motion, and they thought they were just having fun.

Vicki: Wow! And that was the first day? I mean, where do you go from there?

Glen: Yes.

Vicki: Now, you know, some people will plan an awesome first day, and the second day is like “womp”… So where’d you go?

How do you top that?

Glen: From there, we went into trying to understand how motion is related to the launching of rockets.

We made paper rockets, and we launched them by pushing on a bicycle pump. We had a launcher that we would release the pressure from, and their rockets would fly out.

And I said, “Alright, now your challenge is to make your rocket go farther tomorrow. What are you going to do different?”

And they had to figure out what they wanted to do on their own, now, without me telling them what’s going to make things go on.

From there, we went into, “What is it like in the space program as they try to make things move, and how is it that there’s a relationship between the force that’s involved and the motion that the rocket actually has?”

Vicki: Incredible.

So Glen, if you could go back in time, and talk to Glen Westbroek on the first day of your 33-year science career, and help you not make certain mistakes, what would you say to yourself?

What would you tell your younger self as a beginning teacher?

Glen: Number one, I’d say, “Put the book on the shelf.”

Vicki: Ohhhhh. OK! (laughs)

Glen: I know that sounds crazy, but… I use the books now as a reference tool.

I tell the students, “When we need that, we’re going to go over, and we’re going to grab it. We’re going to learn from that book, but then we’re going to put it back.”

Whereas, my training in teaching was, “Have the students read the chapter. Have them answer all the questions at the end of the chapter. I thought that was the way to teach. The more I did it, the more I disliked it.

And I wanted to see, “How can I do things differently?” And that was my motivation to change.

Vicki: When did the lightbulb go on? When did you realize, “OK, there’s more…”

It’s obvious that you love your students. It’s obvious that you love teaching, and you love science.

When did the light flip on, and you go, “Aha!”

Glen: I’d say it flipped on about two or three years into it. It didn’t take very long at all.

And then it was a matter of condensing the principles. I wanted to try something different.

Why are some people uncomfortable with your method of teaching?

I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been with six different principals now, and only one has been a little hesitant about trying different things.

The other ones have all been very good about allowing me to have autonomy, as long as I am following through with the scope and sequence that our PLC has developed and making sure that I prepare my students for the common assessments that we create.

Vicki: OK. So why does it make people uncomfortable? Is it because you’re so active, and you’re so creative. Is that what makes people uncomfortable?

Or is it the fact that you don’t bring that book out very much?

Glen: I think part of it is not bringing the book out so much. That’s very different than the way every professor that I had trained me.

Vicki: Yeah.

But is this a whole lot of work, to not use your book?

Isn’t your method an awful lot of work?

Glen: Well, I explain this to new teachers as I work with them.

You’ve got classroom management, and you’ve got classroom discipline.

Classroom management is everything I do before students walk through the doorway.

Discipline is what I do once students are in the classroom.

The more effort I put into my classroom management, the less effort I have to do with my classroom discipline.

Vicki: Ohhhhh.

Glen: So in the long run, it pays off.

Vicki: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.

So you’re spending your time organizing your classroom, organizing the flow, organizing stations, organizing experiences… so they’re busy the moment they walk in?

Glen: That’s my goal. Within a minute of the bell ringing, I’d like to have them actively doing something. It may take a little bit of introduction from me, or I may show a video clip. For example, before we did the rockets, I showed a video clip of a launch. Next year, I think we’ll be showing Elon Musks’s little launch that happened this year because that was so impressive.

Vicki: Ohhhh. It was! And when they landed the boosters again, that was incredible, wasn’t it?

Glen: It really was. That took a lot of good technology and a lot of engineering. We’re working a lot with STEM. Throughout the United States, every state that has adopted or has modified Next Generation Science Standards, is looking at how to involve students in doing more of the technology and engineering aspects of science.

Vicki: So how have the Next Generation Science Standards transformed your classroom? Or have they?

Have the Next Generation Science Standards changed your classroom?

Glen: I don’t know that they have changed them a lot. In terms of the experiences that I try to provide students, I don’t think it has been a huge difference.

What I have found different, though, is trying to infuse the engineering aspect so that students have multi days to try and accomplish something, as opposed to, “Here. Try this for 5 minutes and let’s talk about it. Now let’s go on to something else.”

Vicki: Are the multi days exciting for you?

Glen: Oh my goodness!

The last one we did? We were learning about how structures are designed to survive earthquakes.

I showed a short video clip from some Japanese station that I had no idea what they were saying. But we could see the buildings wavering in the background as they talked about it.

I had a teacher friend who was helping me that said, “They said something about ‘earthquake.’ I recognize that word.”

And I said, “OK. We’ll go with that video clip.” So we showed this little video clip, and then I pulled out some spaghetti pasta…

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: … and some of the mini marshmallows.

Vicki: Ohhh.

Glen: And I said, “Your goal is to make a building that will survive an earthquake. And what we’re going to use — “

We had these trays that we had put sand into. They had to build within those trays. And I showed them how I was going to shake the trays to model the earthquake.

And they got so excited to see who could design a structure that would survive an earthquake that had a strength of 6 or a strength or 7.

I said, “Somebody’s is going to crash big, because I’m going to do a 10 on theirs.”

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: They got all excited because, you know, “I’ve got to make mine survive.”

That was their goal. They loved it!

And the second day, as they came in, “OK, we’ve got ideas. Can we change it now?”

And I said, “Go for it. Soon as you’re ready, let me know.”

Vicki: (laughs) And then you destroyed their buildings!

Glen: Yes, Ma’am! Multiple times.

Vicki: Don’t they love it?

Glen: They did! And they wanted to build another one.

Failure is a critical piece in learning.

Vicki: You know, if you listen to Jane Mcgonigal, who talks about gaming, you know, somewhere around 50% is kind of the failure rate for engagement and excitement.

I know that it sounds kind of harsh to take something they’ve created and put it to the test, but it’s really an authentic experience, isn’t it?

Glen: It really is. And the other thing I remind them of is that, FAIL means it’s your First Attempt In Learning.

Vicki: Hmmmm.

Glen: That gives you an opportunity to SAIL, which is your Second Attempt In Learning.

And if it’s really hard, you’re going to go to MAIL, which is Multiple Attempts in Learning.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I love that! I wish we could just talk forever!

So this is Science Week. What a great motivation Monday for active learning in the science classroom.

And actually, we can apply the FAIL-SAIL-MAIL to all classrooms.

I love that, Glen. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and getting us excited about science and about learning!

Glen: You’re very welcome. It’s been a pleasure. I think science and learning is an opportunity for students to grow and be prepared for their future.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted – Glen Westbroek

Glen Westbroek and his wife have three children. Glen has taught science for 33 years and received these awards: Utah Governor’s Award for Science and Technology, Alpine District Teacher of the Year, Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and Utah Science Teachers Association Dick Peterson Lifetime Achievement award.

Twitter: @gardenglen

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Active Learning in the Science Classroom appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Active Learning in the Science Classroom published first on https://getnewdlbusiness.tumblr.com/

0 notes

succeedly · 6 years

Text

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Glen Westbroek on episode 271 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2FCjsMZ Date: March 12, 2018

Vicki: Happy Motivation Monday!

Now, Glen, you are passionate about motivating active learning in the science classroom.

Why is active learning so important?

Vicki: OK. How would you define active learning? When they’re hands-on? When they’re into things? Or what?

How would you define active learning?

Vicki: OK, Glen, if I came to your classroom, and you wanted to show me one of your best lessons that promote active learning, describe what I would see.

Do you have an example of active learning?

Glen: Oh my goodness.

Alright, I’m going to take you to the first day of seventh grade this year.

Are you ready to go back in time?

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I’m ready!

Glen: OK, so literally this was the first day. The students came into the classroom.

I got to know them just briefly.

And then I said, “We’re going to do something today that I hope works. But I’m not positive. You’re going to help me figure this out.”

Their eyes got really big, and it’s kind of like, “Wait. You’re going to try something that you don’t know if it works?”

And I said, “I don’t know for sure!”

And so we got out some MacBooks, and we opened up LoggerPro which is a program for Vernier Software. We connected up some motion detectors to those computers.

The motion detector works a little bit like a radar detector. So as motion happens, it’s able to collect the data and bring it on to the computer screen.

So they played with those just for a few minutes to see what motion would bring up the graph of any type.

Pretty soon, one group figured it out, and everybody else said, “Wait! How’d you do that?”

Vicki: Wow! And that was the first day? I mean, where do you go from there?

Glen: Yes.

Vicki: Now, you know, some people will plan an awesome first day, and the second day is like “womp”… So where’d you go?

How do you top that?

Glen: From there, we went into trying to understand how motion is related to the launching of rockets.

We made paper rockets, and we launched them by pushing on a bicycle pump. We had a launcher that we would release the pressure from, and their rockets would fly out.

And I said, “Alright, now your challenge is to make your rocket go farther tomorrow. What are you going to do different?”

And they had to figure out what they wanted to do on their own, now, without me telling them what’s going to make things go on.

Vicki: Incredible.

So Glen, if you could go back in time, and talk to Glen Westbroek on the first day of your 33-year science career, and help you not make certain mistakes, what would you say to yourself?

What would you tell your younger self as a beginning teacher?

Glen: Number one, I’d say, “Put the book on the shelf.”

Vicki: Ohhhhh. OK! (laughs)

Glen: I know that sounds crazy, but… I use the books now as a reference tool.

I tell the students, “When we need that, we’re going to go over, and we’re going to grab it. We’re going to learn from that book, but then we’re going to put it back.”

And I wanted to see, “How can I do things differently?” And that was my motivation to change.

Vicki: When did the lightbulb go on? When did you realize, “OK, there’s more…”

It’s obvious that you love your students. It’s obvious that you love teaching, and you love science.

When did the light flip on, and you go, “Aha!”

Glen: I’d say it flipped on about two or three years into it. It didn’t take very long at all.

And then it was a matter of condensing the principles. I wanted to try something different.

Why are some people uncomfortable with your method of teaching?

I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been with six different principals now, and only one has been a little hesitant about trying different things.

Vicki: OK. So why does it make people uncomfortable? Is it because you’re so active, and you’re so creative. Is that what makes people uncomfortable?

Or is it the fact that you don’t bring that book out very much?

Glen: I think part of it is not bringing the book out so much. That’s very different than the way every professor that I had trained me.

Vicki: Yeah.

But is this a whole lot of work, to not use your book?

Isn’t your method an awful lot of work?

Glen: Well, I explain this to new teachers as I work with them.

You’ve got classroom management, and you’ve got classroom discipline.

Classroom management is everything I do before students walk through the doorway.

Discipline is what I do once students are in the classroom.

The more effort I put into my classroom management, the less effort I have to do with my classroom discipline.

Vicki: Ohhhhh.

Glen: So in the long run, it pays off.

Vicki: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.

So you’re spending your time organizing your classroom, organizing the flow, organizing stations, organizing experiences… so they’re busy the moment they walk in?

Vicki: Ohhhh. It was! And when they landed the boosters again, that was incredible, wasn’t it?

Vicki: So how have the Next Generation Science Standards transformed your classroom? Or have they?

Have the Next Generation Science Standards changed your classroom?

Glen: I don’t know that they have changed them a lot. In terms of the experiences that I try to provide students, I don’t think it has been a huge difference.

Vicki: Are the multi days exciting for you?

Glen: Oh my goodness!

The last one we did? We were learning about how structures are designed to survive earthquakes.

I showed a short video clip from some Japanese station that I had no idea what they were saying. But we could see the buildings wavering in the background as they talked about it.

I had a teacher friend who was helping me that said, “They said something about ‘earthquake.’ I recognize that word.”

And I said, “OK. We’ll go with that video clip.” So we showed this little video clip, and then I pulled out some spaghetti pasta…

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: … and some of the mini marshmallows.

Vicki: Ohhh.

Glen: And I said, “Your goal is to make a building that will survive an earthquake. And what we’re going to use — “

We had these trays that we had put sand into. They had to build within those trays. And I showed them how I was going to shake the trays to model the earthquake.

And they got so excited to see who could design a structure that would survive an earthquake that had a strength of 6 or a strength or 7.

I said, “Somebody’s is going to crash big, because I’m going to do a 10 on theirs.”

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: They got all excited because, you know, “I’ve got to make mine survive.”

That was their goal. They loved it!

And the second day, as they came in, “OK, we’ve got ideas. Can we change it now?”

And I said, “Go for it. Soon as you’re ready, let me know.”

Vicki: (laughs) And then you destroyed their buildings!

Glen: Yes, Ma’am! Multiple times.

Vicki: Don’t they love it?

Glen: They did! And they wanted to build another one.

Failure is a critical piece in learning.

Vicki: You know, if you listen to Jane Mcgonigal, who talks about gaming, you know, somewhere around 50% is kind of the failure rate for engagement and excitement.

I know that it sounds kind of harsh to take something they’ve created and put it to the test, but it’s really an authentic experience, isn’t it?

Glen: It really is. And the other thing I remind them of is that, FAIL means it’s your First Attempt In Learning.

Vicki: Hmmmm.

Glen: That gives you an opportunity to SAIL, which is your Second Attempt In Learning.

And if it’s really hard, you’re going to go to MAIL, which is Multiple Attempts in Learning.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I love that! I wish we could just talk forever!

So this is Science Week. What a great motivation Monday for active learning in the science classroom.

And actually, we can apply the FAIL-SAIL-MAIL to all classrooms.

I love that, Glen. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and getting us excited about science and about learning!

Glen: You’re very welcome. It’s been a pleasure. I think science and learning is an opportunity for students to grow and be prepared for their future.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted – Glen Westbroek

Twitter: @gardenglen

The post Active Learning in the Science Classroom appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Active Learning in the Science Classroom published first on https://getnewcourse.tumblr.com/

0 notes

strivesy · 6 years

Text

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Glen Westbroek on episode 271 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2FCjsMZ Date: March 12, 2018

Vicki: Happy Motivation Monday!

Now, Glen, you are passionate about motivating active learning in the science classroom.

Why is active learning so important?

Vicki: OK. How would you define active learning? When they’re hands-on? When they’re into things? Or what?

How would you define active learning?

Vicki: OK, Glen, if I came to your classroom, and you wanted to show me one of your best lessons that promote active learning, describe what I would see.

Do you have an example of active learning?

Glen: Oh my goodness.

Alright, I’m going to take you to the first day of seventh grade this year.

Are you ready to go back in time?

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I’m ready!

Glen: OK, so literally this was the first day. The students came into the classroom.

I got to know them just briefly.

And then I said, “We’re going to do something today that I hope works. But I’m not positive. You’re going to help me figure this out.”

Their eyes got really big, and it’s kind of like, “Wait. You’re going to try something that you don��t know if it works?”

And I said, “I don’t know for sure!”

And so we got out some MacBooks, and we opened up LoggerPro which is a program for Vernier Software. We connected up some motion detectors to those computers.

The motion detector works a little bit like a radar detector. So as motion happens, it’s able to collect the data and bring it on to the computer screen.

So they played with those just for a few minutes to see what motion would bring up the graph of any type.

Pretty soon, one group figured it out, and everybody else said, “Wait! How’d you do that?”

Vicki: Wow! And that was the first day? I mean, where do you go from there?

Glen: Yes.

Vicki: Now, you know, some people will plan an awesome first day, and the second day is like “womp”… So where’d you go?

How do you top that?

Glen: From there, we went into trying to understand how motion is related to the launching of rockets.

We made paper rockets, and we launched them by pushing on a bicycle pump. We had a launcher that we would release the pressure from, and their rockets would fly out.

And I said, “Alright, now your challenge is to make your rocket go farther tomorrow. What are you going to do different?”

And they had to figure out what they wanted to do on their own, now, without me telling them what’s going to make things go on.

Vicki: Incredible.

So Glen, if you could go back in time, and talk to Glen Westbroek on the first day of your 33-year science career, and help you not make certain mistakes, what would you say to yourself?

What would you tell your younger self as a beginning teacher?

Glen: Number one, I’d say, “Put the book on the shelf.”

Vicki: Ohhhhh. OK! (laughs)

Glen: I know that sounds crazy, but… I use the books now as a reference tool.

I tell the students, “When we need that, we’re going to go over, and we’re going to grab it. We’re going to learn from that book, but then we’re going to put it back.”

And I wanted to see, “How can I do things differently?” And that was my motivation to change.

Vicki: When did the lightbulb go on? When did you realize, “OK, there’s more…”

It’s obvious that you love your students. It’s obvious that you love teaching, and you love science.

When did the light flip on, and you go, “Aha!”

Glen: I’d say it flipped on about two or three years into it. It didn’t take very long at all.

And then it was a matter of condensing the principles. I wanted to try something different.

Why are some people uncomfortable with your method of teaching?

I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been with six different principals now, and only one has been a little hesitant about trying different things.

Vicki: OK. So why does it make people uncomfortable? Is it because you’re so active, and you’re so creative. Is that what makes people uncomfortable?

Or is it the fact that you don’t bring that book out very much?

Glen: I think part of it is not bringing the book out so much. That’s very different than the way every professor that I had trained me.

Vicki: Yeah.

But is this a whole lot of work, to not use your book?

Isn’t your method an awful lot of work?

Glen: Well, I explain this to new teachers as I work with them.

You’ve got classroom management, and you’ve got classroom discipline.

Classroom management is everything I do before students walk through the doorway.

Discipline is what I do once students are in the classroom.

The more effort I put into my classroom management, the less effort I have to do with my classroom discipline.

Vicki: Ohhhhh.

Glen: So in the long run, it pays off.

Vicki: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.

So you’re spending your time organizing your classroom, organizing the flow, organizing stations, organizing experiences… so they’re busy the moment they walk in?

Vicki: Ohhhh. It was! And when they landed the boosters again, that was incredible, wasn’t it?

Vicki: So how have the Next Generation Science Standards transformed your classroom? Or have they?

Have the Next Generation Science Standards changed your classroom?

Glen: I don’t know that they have changed them a lot. In terms of the experiences that I try to provide students, I don’t think it has been a huge difference.

Vicki: Are the multi days exciting for you?

Glen: Oh my goodness!

The last one we did? We were learning about how structures are designed to survive earthquakes.

I showed a short video clip from some Japanese station that I had no idea what they were saying. But we could see the buildings wavering in the background as they talked about it.

I had a teacher friend who was helping me that said, “They said something about ‘earthquake.’ I recognize that word.”

And I said, “OK. We’ll go with that video clip.” So we showed this little video clip, and then I pulled out some spaghetti pasta…

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: … and some of the mini marshmallows.

Vicki: Ohhh.

Glen: And I said, “Your goal is to make a building that will survive an earthquake. And what we’re going to use — “

We had these trays that we had put sand into. They had to build within those trays. And I showed them how I was going to shake the trays to model the earthquake.

And they got so excited to see who could design a structure that would survive an earthquake that had a strength of 6 or a strength or 7.

I said, “Somebody’s is going to crash big, because I’m going to do a 10 on theirs.”

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: They got all excited because, you know, “I’ve got to make mine survive.”

That was their goal. They loved it!

And the second day, as they came in, “OK, we’ve got ideas. Can we change it now?”

And I said, “Go for it. Soon as you’re ready, let me know.”

Vicki: (laughs) And then you destroyed their buildings!

Glen: Yes, Ma’am! Multiple times.

Vicki: Don’t they love it?

Glen: They did! And they wanted to build another one.

Failure is a critical piece in learning.

Vicki: You know, if you listen to Jane Mcgonigal, who talks about gaming, you know, somewhere around 50% is kind of the failure rate for engagement and excitement.

I know that it sounds kind of harsh to take something they’ve created and put it to the test, but it’s really an authentic experience, isn’t it?

Glen: It really is. And the other thing I remind them of is that, FAIL means it’s your First Attempt In Learning.

Vicki: Hmmmm.

Glen: That gives you an opportunity to SAIL, which is your Second Attempt In Learning.

And if it’s really hard, you’re going to go to MAIL, which is Multiple Attempts in Learning.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I love that! I wish we could just talk forever!

So this is Science Week. What a great motivation Monday for active learning in the science classroom.

And actually, we can apply the FAIL-SAIL-MAIL to all classrooms.

I love that, Glen. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and getting us excited about science and about learning!

Glen: You’re very welcome. It’s been a pleasure. I think science and learning is an opportunity for students to grow and be prepared for their future.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted – Glen Westbroek

Twitter: @gardenglen

The post Active Learning in the Science Classroom appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Active Learning in the Science Classroom published first on https://medium.com/@seminarsacademy

0 notes

ralph31ortiz · 6 years

Text

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Glen Westbroek on episode 271 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e271 Date: March 12, 2018

Vicki: Happy Motivation Monday!

Now, Glen, you are passionate about motivating active learning in the science classroom.

Why is active learning so important?

Vicki: OK. How would you define active learning? When they’re hands-on? When they’re into things? Or what?

How would you define active learning?

Vicki: OK, Glen, if I came to your classroom, and you wanted to show me one of your best lessons that promote active learning, describe what I would see.

Do you have an example of active learning?

Glen: Oh my goodness.

Alright, I’m going to take you to the first day of seventh grade this year.

Are you ready to go back in time?

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I’m ready!

Glen: OK, so literally this was the first day. The students came into the classroom.

I got to know them just briefly.

And then I said, “We’re going to do something today that I hope works. But I’m not positive. You’re going to help me figure this out.”

Their eyes got really big, and it’s kind of like, “Wait. You’re going to try something that you don’t know if it works?”

And I said, “I don’t know for sure!”

And so we got out some MacBooks, and we opened up LoggerPro which is a program for Vernier Software. We connected up some motion detectors to those computers.

The motion detector works a little bit like a radar detector. So as motion happens, it’s able to collect the data and bring it on to the computer screen.

So they played with those just for a few minutes to see what motion would bring up the graph of any type.

Pretty soon, one group figured it out, and everybody else said, “Wait! How’d you do that?”

Vicki: Wow! And that was the first day? I mean, where do you go from there?

Glen: Yes.

Vicki: Now, you know, some people will plan an awesome first day, and the second day is like “womp”… So where’d you go?

How do you top that?

Glen: From there, we went into trying to understand how motion is related to the launching of rockets.

We made paper rockets, and we launched them by pushing on a bicycle pump. We had a launcher that we would release the pressure from, and their rockets would fly out.

And I said, “Alright, now your challenge is to make your rocket go farther tomorrow. What are you going to do different?”

And they had to figure out what they wanted to do on their own, now, without me telling them what’s going to make things go on.

Vicki: Incredible.

So Glen, if you could go back in time, and talk to Glen Westbroek on the first day of your 33-year science career, and help you not make certain mistakes, what would you say to yourself?

What would you tell your younger self as a beginning teacher?

Glen: Number one, I’d say, “Put the book on the shelf.”

Vicki: Ohhhhh. OK! (laughs)

Glen: I know that sounds crazy, but… I use the books now as a reference tool.

I tell the students, “When we need that, we’re going to go over, and we’re going to grab it. We’re going to learn from that book, but then we’re going to put it back.”

And I wanted to see, “How can I do things differently?” And that was my motivation to change.

Vicki: When did the lightbulb go on? When did you realize, “OK, there’s more…”

It’s obvious that you love your students. It’s obvious that you love teaching, and you love science.

When did the light flip on, and you go, “Aha!”

Glen: I’d say it flipped on about two or three years into it. It didn’t take very long at all.

And then it was a matter of condensing the principles. I wanted to try something different.

Why are some people uncomfortable with your method of teaching?

I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been with six different principals now, and only one has been a little hesitant about trying different things.

Vicki: OK. So why does it make people uncomfortable? Is it because you’re so active, and you’re so creative. Is that what makes people uncomfortable?

Or is it the fact that you don’t bring that book out very much?

Glen: I think part of it is not bringing the book out so much. That’s very different than the way every professor that I had trained me.

Vicki: Yeah.

But is this a whole lot of work, to not use your book?

Isn’t your method an awful lot of work?

Glen: Well, I explain this to new teachers as I work with them.

You’ve got classroom management, and you’ve got classroom discipline.

Classroom management is everything I do before students walk through the doorway.

Discipline is what I do once students are in the classroom.

The more effort I put into my classroom management, the less effort I have to do with my classroom discipline.

Vicki: Ohhhhh.

Glen: So in the long run, it pays off.

Vicki: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.

So you’re spending your time organizing your classroom, organizing the flow, organizing stations, organizing experiences… so they’re busy the moment they walk in?

Vicki: Ohhhh. It was! And when they landed the boosters again, that was incredible, wasn’t it?

Vicki: So how have the Next Generation Science Standards transformed your classroom? Or have they?

Have the Next Generation Science Standards changed your classroom?

Glen: I don’t know that they have changed them a lot. In terms of the experiences that I try to provide students, I don’t think it has been a huge difference.

Vicki: Are the multi days exciting for you?

Glen: Oh my goodness!

The last one we did? We were learning about how structures are designed to survive earthquakes.

I showed a short video clip from some Japanese station that I had no idea what they were saying. But we could see the buildings wavering in the background as they talked about it.

I had a teacher friend who was helping me that said, “They said something about ‘earthquake.’ I recognize that word.”

And I said, “OK. We’ll go with that video clip.” So we showed this little video clip, and then I pulled out some spaghetti pasta…

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: … and some of the mini marshmallows.

Vicki: Ohhh.

Glen: And I said, “Your goal is to make a building that will survive an earthquake. And what we’re going to use — “

We had these trays that we had put sand into. They had to build within those trays. And I showed them how I was going to shake the trays to model the earthquake.

And they got so excited to see who could design a structure that would survive an earthquake that had a strength of 6 or a strength or 7.

I said, “Somebody’s is going to crash big, because I’m going to do a 10 on theirs.”

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: They got all excited because, you know, “I’ve got to make mine survive.”

That was their goal. They loved it!

And the second day, as they came in, “OK, we’ve got ideas. Can we change it now?”

And I said, “Go for it. Soon as you’re ready, let me know.”

Vicki: (laughs) And then you destroyed their buildings!

Glen: Yes, Ma’am! Multiple times.

Vicki: Don’t they love it?

Glen: They did! And they wanted to build another one.

Failure is a critical piece in learning.

Vicki: You know, if you listen to Jane Mcgonigal, who talks about gaming, you know, somewhere around 50% is kind of the failure rate for engagement and excitement.

I know that it sounds kind of harsh to take something they’ve created and put it to the test, but it’s really an authentic experience, isn’t it?

Glen: It really is. And the other thing I remind them of is that, FAIL means it’s your First Attempt In Learning.

Vicki: Hmmmm.

Glen: That gives you an opportunity to SAIL, which is your Second Attempt In Learning.

And if it’s really hard, you’re going to go to MAIL, which is Multiple Attempts in Learning.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I love that! I wish we could just talk forever!

So this is Science Week. What a great motivation Monday for active learning in the science classroom.

And actually, we can apply the FAIL-SAIL-MAIL to all classrooms.

I love that, Glen. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and getting us excited about science and about learning!

Glen: You’re very welcome. It’s been a pleasure. I think science and learning is an opportunity for students to grow and be prepared for their future.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted – Glen Westbroek

Twitter: @gardenglen

The post Active Learning in the Science Classroom appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e271/

0 notes

aira26soonas · 6 years

Text

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Glen Westbroek on episode 271 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e271 Date: March 12, 2018

Vicki: Happy Motivation Monday!

Now, Glen, you are passionate about motivating active learning in the science classroom.

Why is active learning so important?

Vicki: OK. How would you define active learning? When they’re hands-on? When they’re into things? Or what?

How would you define active learning?

Vicki: OK, Glen, if I came to your classroom, and you wanted to show me one of your best lessons that promote active learning, describe what I would see.

Do you have an example of active learning?

Glen: Oh my goodness.

Alright, I’m going to take you to the first day of seventh grade this year.

Are you ready to go back in time?

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I’m ready!

Glen: OK, so literally this was the first day. The students came into the classroom.

I got to know them just briefly.

And then I said, “We’re going to do something today that I hope works. But I’m not positive. You’re going to help me figure this out.”

Their eyes got really big, and it’s kind of like, “Wait. You’re going to try something that you don’t know if it works?”

And I said, “I don’t know for sure!”

And so we got out some MacBooks, and we opened up LoggerPro which is a program for Vernier Software. We connected up some motion detectors to those computers.

The motion detector works a little bit like a radar detector. So as motion happens, it’s able to collect the data and bring it on to the computer screen.

So they played with those just for a few minutes to see what motion would bring up the graph of any type.

Pretty soon, one group figured it out, and everybody else said, “Wait! How’d you do that?”

Vicki: Wow! And that was the first day? I mean, where do you go from there?

Glen: Yes.

Vicki: Now, you know, some people will plan an awesome first day, and the second day is like “womp”… So where’d you go?

How do you top that?

Glen: From there, we went into trying to understand how motion is related to the launching of rockets.

We made paper rockets, and we launched them by pushing on a bicycle pump. We had a launcher that we would release the pressure from, and their rockets would fly out.

And I said, “Alright, now your challenge is to make your rocket go farther tomorrow. What are you going to do different?”

And they had to figure out what they wanted to do on their own, now, without me telling them what’s going to make things go on.

Vicki: Incredible.

So Glen, if you could go back in time, and talk to Glen Westbroek on the first day of your 33-year science career, and help you not make certain mistakes, what would you say to yourself?

What would you tell your younger self as a beginning teacher?

Glen: Number one, I’d say, “Put the book on the shelf.”

Vicki: Ohhhhh. OK! (laughs)

Glen: I know that sounds crazy, but… I use the books now as a reference tool.

I tell the students, “When we need that, we’re going to go over, and we’re going to grab it. We’re going to learn from that book, but then we’re going to put it back.”

And I wanted to see, “How can I do things differently?” And that was my motivation to change.

Vicki: When did the lightbulb go on? When did you realize, “OK, there’s more…”

It’s obvious that you love your students. It’s obvious that you love teaching, and you love science.

When did the light flip on, and you go, “Aha!”

Glen: I’d say it flipped on about two or three years into it. It didn’t take very long at all.

And then it was a matter of condensing the principles. I wanted to try something different.

Why are some people uncomfortable with your method of teaching?

I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been with six different principals now, and only one has been a little hesitant about trying different things.

Vicki: OK. So why does it make people uncomfortable? Is it because you’re so active, and you’re so creative. Is that what makes people uncomfortable?

Or is it the fact that you don’t bring that book out very much?

Glen: I think part of it is not bringing the book out so much. That’s very different than the way every professor that I had trained me.

Vicki: Yeah.

But is this a whole lot of work, to not use your book?

Isn’t your method an awful lot of work?

Glen: Well, I explain this to new teachers as I work with them.

You’ve got classroom management, and you’ve got classroom discipline.

Classroom management is everything I do before students walk through the doorway.

Discipline is what I do once students are in the classroom.

The more effort I put into my classroom management, the less effort I have to do with my classroom discipline.

Vicki: Ohhhhh.

Glen: So in the long run, it pays off.

Vicki: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.

So you’re spending your time organizing your classroom, organizing the flow, organizing stations, organizing experiences… so they’re busy the moment they walk in?

Vicki: Ohhhh. It was! And when they landed the boosters again, that was incredible, wasn’t it?

Vicki: So how have the Next Generation Science Standards transformed your classroom? Or have they?

Have the Next Generation Science Standards changed your classroom?

Glen: I don’t know that they have changed them a lot. In terms of the experiences that I try to provide students, I don’t think it has been a huge difference.

Vicki: Are the multi days exciting for you?

Glen: Oh my goodness!

The last one we did? We were learning about how structures are designed to survive earthquakes.

I showed a short video clip from some Japanese station that I had no idea what they were saying. But we could see the buildings wavering in the background as they talked about it.

I had a teacher friend who was helping me that said, “They said something about ‘earthquake.’ I recognize that word.”

And I said, “OK. We’ll go with that video clip.” So we showed this little video clip, and then I pulled out some spaghetti pasta…

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: … and some of the mini marshmallows.

Vicki: Ohhh.

Glen: And I said, “Your goal is to make a building that will survive an earthquake. And what we’re going to use — “

We had these trays that we had put sand into. They had to build within those trays. And I showed them how I was going to shake the trays to model the earthquake.

And they got so excited to see who could design a structure that would survive an earthquake that had a strength of 6 or a strength or 7.

I said, “Somebody’s is going to crash big, because I’m going to do a 10 on theirs.”

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: They got all excited because, you know, “I’ve got to make mine survive.”

That was their goal. They loved it!

And the second day, as they came in, “OK, we’ve got ideas. Can we change it now?”

And I said, “Go for it. Soon as you’re ready, let me know.”

Vicki: (laughs) And then you destroyed their buildings!

Glen: Yes, Ma’am! Multiple times.

Vicki: Don’t they love it?

Glen: They did! And they wanted to build another one.

Failure is a critical piece in learning.

Vicki: You know, if you listen to Jane Mcgonigal, who talks about gaming, you know, somewhere around 50% is kind of the failure rate for engagement and excitement.

I know that it sounds kind of harsh to take something they’ve created and put it to the test, but it’s really an authentic experience, isn’t it?

Glen: It really is. And the other thing I remind them of is that, FAIL means it’s your First Attempt In Learning.

Vicki: Hmmmm.

Glen: That gives you an opportunity to SAIL, which is your Second Attempt In Learning.

And if it’s really hard, you’re going to go to MAIL, which is Multiple Attempts in Learning.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I love that! I wish we could just talk forever!

So this is Science Week. What a great motivation Monday for active learning in the science classroom.

And actually, we can apply the FAIL-SAIL-MAIL to all classrooms.

I love that, Glen. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and getting us excited about science and about learning!

Glen: You’re very welcome. It’s been a pleasure. I think science and learning is an opportunity for students to grow and be prepared for their future.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted – Glen Westbroek

Twitter: @gardenglen

The post Active Learning in the Science Classroom appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e271/

0 notes

athena29stone · 6 years

Text

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Glen Westbroek on episode 271 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e271 Date: March 12, 2018

Vicki: Happy Motivation Monday!

Now, Glen, you are passionate about motivating active learning in the science classroom.

Why is active learning so important?

Vicki: OK. How would you define active learning? When they’re hands-on? When they’re into things? Or what?

How would you define active learning?

Vicki: OK, Glen, if I came to your classroom, and you wanted to show me one of your best lessons that promote active learning, describe what I would see.

Do you have an example of active learning?

Glen: Oh my goodness.

Alright, I’m going to take you to the first day of seventh grade this year.

Are you ready to go back in time?

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I’m ready!

Glen: OK, so literally this was the first day. The students came into the classroom.

I got to know them just briefly.

And then I said, “We’re going to do something today that I hope works. But I’m not positive. You’re going to help me figure this out.”

Their eyes got really big, and it’s kind of like, “Wait. You’re going to try something that you don’t know if it works?”

And I said, “I don’t know for sure!”

And so we got out some MacBooks, and we opened up LoggerPro which is a program for Vernier Software. We connected up some motion detectors to those computers.

The motion detector works a little bit like a radar detector. So as motion happens, it’s able to collect the data and bring it on to the computer screen.

So they played with those just for a few minutes to see what motion would bring up the graph of any type.

Pretty soon, one group figured it out, and everybody else said, “Wait! How’d you do that?”

Vicki: Wow! And that was the first day? I mean, where do you go from there?

Glen: Yes.

Vicki: Now, you know, some people will plan an awesome first day, and the second day is like “womp”… So where’d you go?

How do you top that?

Glen: From there, we went into trying to understand how motion is related to the launching of rockets.

We made paper rockets, and we launched them by pushing on a bicycle pump. We had a launcher that we would release the pressure from, and their rockets would fly out.

And I said, “Alright, now your challenge is to make your rocket go farther tomorrow. What are you going to do different?”

And they had to figure out what they wanted to do on their own, now, without me telling them what’s going to make things go on.

Vicki: Incredible.

So Glen, if you could go back in time, and talk to Glen Westbroek on the first day of your 33-year science career, and help you not make certain mistakes, what would you say to yourself?

What would you tell your younger self as a beginning teacher?

Glen: Number one, I’d say, “Put the book on the shelf.”

Vicki: Ohhhhh. OK! (laughs)

Glen: I know that sounds crazy, but… I use the books now as a reference tool.

I tell the students, “When we need that, we’re going to go over, and we’re going to grab it. We’re going to learn from that book, but then we’re going to put it back.”

And I wanted to see, “How can I do things differently?” And that was my motivation to change.

Vicki: When did the lightbulb go on? When did you realize, “OK, there’s more…”

It’s obvious that you love your students. It’s obvious that you love teaching, and you love science.

When did the light flip on, and you go, “Aha!”

Glen: I’d say it flipped on about two or three years into it. It didn’t take very long at all.

And then it was a matter of condensing the principles. I wanted to try something different.

Why are some people uncomfortable with your method of teaching?

I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been with six different principals now, and only one has been a little hesitant about trying different things.

Vicki: OK. So why does it make people uncomfortable? Is it because you’re so active, and you’re so creative. Is that what makes people uncomfortable?

Or is it the fact that you don’t bring that book out very much?

Glen: I think part of it is not bringing the book out so much. That’s very different than the way every professor that I had trained me.

Vicki: Yeah.

But is this a whole lot of work, to not use your book?

Isn’t your method an awful lot of work?

Glen: Well, I explain this to new teachers as I work with them.

You’ve got classroom management, and you’ve got classroom discipline.

Classroom management is everything I do before students walk through the doorway.

Discipline is what I do once students are in the classroom.

The more effort I put into my classroom management, the less effort I have to do with my classroom discipline.

Vicki: Ohhhhh.

Glen: So in the long run, it pays off.

Vicki: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.

So you’re spending your time organizing your classroom, organizing the flow, organizing stations, organizing experiences… so they’re busy the moment they walk in?

Vicki: Ohhhh. It was! And when they landed the boosters again, that was incredible, wasn’t it?

Vicki: So how have the Next Generation Science Standards transformed your classroom? Or have they?

Have the Next Generation Science Standards changed your classroom?

Glen: I don’t know that they have changed them a lot. In terms of the experiences that I try to provide students, I don’t think it has been a huge difference.

Vicki: Are the multi days exciting for you?

Glen: Oh my goodness!

The last one we did? We were learning about how structures are designed to survive earthquakes.

I showed a short video clip from some Japanese station that I had no idea what they were saying. But we could see the buildings wavering in the background as they talked about it.

I had a teacher friend who was helping me that said, “They said something about ‘earthquake.’ I recognize that word.”

And I said, “OK. We’ll go with that video clip.” So we showed this little video clip, and then I pulled out some spaghetti pasta…

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: … and some of the mini marshmallows.

Vicki: Ohhh.

Glen: And I said, “Your goal is to make a building that will survive an earthquake. And what we’re going to use — “

We had these trays that we had put sand into. They had to build within those trays. And I showed them how I was going to shake the trays to model the earthquake.

And they got so excited to see who could design a structure that would survive an earthquake that had a strength of 6 or a strength or 7.

I said, “Somebody’s is going to crash big, because I’m going to do a 10 on theirs.”

Vicki: (laughs)

Glen: They got all excited because, you know, “I’ve got to make mine survive.”

That was their goal. They loved it!

And the second day, as they came in, “OK, we’ve got ideas. Can we change it now?”

And I said, “Go for it. Soon as you’re ready, let me know.”

Vicki: (laughs) And then you destroyed their buildings!

Glen: Yes, Ma’am! Multiple times.

Vicki: Don’t they love it?

Glen: They did! And they wanted to build another one.

Failure is a critical piece in learning.

Vicki: You know, if you listen to Jane Mcgonigal, who talks about gaming, you know, somewhere around 50% is kind of the failure rate for engagement and excitement.

I know that it sounds kind of harsh to take something they’ve created and put it to the test, but it’s really an authentic experience, isn’t it?

Glen: It really is. And the other thing I remind them of is that, FAIL means it’s your First Attempt In Learning.

Vicki: Hmmmm.

Glen: That gives you an opportunity to SAIL, which is your Second Attempt In Learning.

And if it’s really hard, you’re going to go to MAIL, which is Multiple Attempts in Learning.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh, I love that! I wish we could just talk forever!

So this is Science Week. What a great motivation Monday for active learning in the science classroom.

And actually, we can apply the FAIL-SAIL-MAIL to all classrooms.

I love that, Glen. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and getting us excited about science and about learning!

Glen: You’re very welcome. It’s been a pleasure. I think science and learning is an opportunity for students to grow and be prepared for their future.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted – Glen Westbroek

Twitter: @gardenglen

The post Active Learning in the Science Classroom appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e271/

0 notes

junker-town · 7 years

Text

Kirk Ferentz might be the dean of major CFB, but is Iowa up or down in 2017?

2017 should tell us whether the next few years are on the high side or low side of eight wins a season.

This preview originally published July 7 and has since been updated.

There are two 20th century guys left in FBS. And they’re both Hawkeyes.

Bill Snyder took three years off in the 2000s but is entering his 26th year at Kansas State. A decade after Snyder’s hire, Ferentz replaced mentor Hayden Fry at Iowa. They are the last two FBS head coaches hired by their current schools before 2000. Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer retired a year ago. Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops called it quits in June.

In the mid-1980s, three of those four lived in Iowa City. Snyder spent 1979-88 as Fry’s offensive coordinator until a desperate KSU called. Ferentz, a UConn grad and former linebacker, served as offensive line coach from 1981-89. After playing there until 1982, Stoops was a graduate assistant in 1983.

When Fry retired following a 3-8 1998, Iowa tried to bring in Stoops, but the thought of coaching a blue blood overruled alma mater loyalty. Or something like that.

Stoops still has numerous friends in Iowa City who were shocked when he accepted the head football coaching position at Oklahoma Monday.

Shock turned to outrage when reports indicated that Stoops never was offered the Iowa job by [athletic director Bob] Bowlsby, who has been the UI men’s athletic director since 1991.

Bowlsby said no official offer was made to Stoops because the screening committee still had to interview candidate No. 5 — Kirk Ferentz — the next day. [...]

Those close to Stoops say that he appreciated Oklahoma’s aggressive approach, and he resented Iowa’s bureaucratic approach.

Ferentz, Stoops, and Snyder have spent a combined 61 seasons at their institutions. Apparently Iowa City teaches you how to lay down roots.

Ferentz has spent so much time at Iowa that I forgot he wasn’t an Iowa grad. It just felt like he’d played for Fry in the 1970s. Regardless, the Hawkeyes have had unprecedented continuity — since athletic director Bump Elliott honed in on Fry in December 1978, the school’s had one coaching search. And if the school has its way, it will be another decade before another one.

We’ve had fun at SB Nation with the length of Ferentz’s contract extension(s), but there’s no questioning the steadiness on the field. Fry and Ferentz have led Iowa to 30 bowls and 16 ranked finishes in 38 years. The program had undergone a nearly two-decade spiral since the fiery Forest Evashevski had moved from head coach to athletic director, and now it is the stablest entity in college football. Fry and Ferentz are proof that you don’t have to fire a coach after a bad season or recruiting cycle, that coaches can find their way back to the path.

That “path” for Ferentz is an eight-win season. He drifts from them — three seasons of 10-plus wins from 2002-04, two six-win seasons in 2006-07, 11-2 in 2009, 4-8 in 2012, 12-2 in 2015 — but finds his way back. He has won either seven or eight games in five of the last seven years. At a different school, that could lead to Glen Mason Territory, in which you’re doing too well to fire but aren’t raising the bar enough to satisfy boosters. Iowa doesn’t do Glen Mason Territory.

If Ferentz does end up staying another 10 or so years, we’re going to have at least one more up cycle and one more down cycle. One way or the other, it appears a new cycle will begin this fall.

The Hawkeyes must replace their starting quarterback, a 200-carry running back, three of their top four receiving targets, an all-conference left tackle, both starting defensive tackles, and both starting cornerbacks.

There is a load of talent on the offensive line, at defensive end, and at safety, and running back Akrum Wadley might give them a skill star to lean on; the cupboard is not bare, and the Hawkeyes should be able to get back to a bowl. But we’re still going to get a look at Iowa’s future, and we’re going to get an idea for whether there’s another 10-win (or more) season on the horizon.

2016 in review

2016 Iowa statistical profile.

Believe it or not, on paper, Iowa may have been better last year than during its 12-win 2015. The Hawkeyes won five one-possession games during their 12-0 start that year and graded out more like a top-50 team than a top-10 squad. Last year, the offense regressed more than I would have expected, but the defense surged.

Imbalance (and regression to the mean) cost them at times, and they lost tight games to North Dakota State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. An upset of Michigan scored some brownie points, but this was a strange team that flashed dramatic upside at the beginning and end and became unreliable in between.

First 2 games (2-0): Avg. percentile performance: 89% (92% offense, 69% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Iowa 7.2, Opp 5.1 (plus-2.1) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-17.8 PPG

Next 4 games (2-2): Avg. percentile performance: 50% (22% offense, 54% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 4.9, Iowa 4.8 (minus-0.1) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: minus-11.4 PPG

Next 3 games (1-2): Avg. percentile performance: 52% (57% offense, 40% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.8, Iowa 5.4 (minus-1.4) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: minus-5.1 PPG

Next 3 games (3-0): Avg. percentile performance: 90% (63% offense, 93% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Iowa 5.0, Opp 3.2 (plus-1.8) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-24.2 PPG

Up, down, down, up.

Like seemingly every other team in the Big Ten, Iowa dealt with a string of injuries and had to shuffle offensive linemen constantly — not a single one started all 13 games. That is a recipe for inconsistency, especially when your quarterback is also hurt.

The defense had to shuffle quite a bit in the secondary and got torched by Penn State (understandable) and Purdue (much, much less so), but when things gelled late in the year, they gelled.

The bowl was disappointing, but it was a bowl; it doesn’t count for much. If Iowa can replicate the defensive upside, a retooling offense won’t need to produce a ton for Iowa to play a role in the Big Ten West.

It’ll have to produce something, though.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

In two seasons as starting quarterback, Beathard was just tantalizing enough to be frustrating. His upside was higher than that of your normal Iowa quarterback, but in the middle of a lovely stretch in 2015, he went 24-for-52 against Wisconsin and Illinois. He went 9-for-16 against a bad Nebraska defense, then 18-for-26 against a good Michigan State.

The highs and lows were even more extreme in 2016. He produced a steady passer rating of 149.2 through the first five games, but here are his ratings for the last eight games of his career: 80.4, 166.8, 90.5, 152.8, 78.1, 80.7, 213.3, 24.4. That averages into the 110s, but he was never close to the 110s. Beathard’s senior season played out like a sophomore year, with dramatic inconsistency and hints of upside.

And now, Iowa might start an actual sophomore. Nathan Stanley surprised many by overtaking Tyler Wiegers in the pecking order as a true freshman. It appears the battle will continue, and Wiegers still has a chance, but the two have combined to throw 13 collegiate passes. Whoever wins will be quite green.

So is the coordinator. Tasked with replacing an aging veteran, Ferentz did what the university did back in late-1998: promote a line coach named Ferentz. Kirk’s son Brian, a former Hawkeye center and Patriots assistant, spent the last five seasons leading the OL and now takes play-calling duties from the retired Greg Davis.

The Ferentz-Davis offense was known for playing the same type of bend-don’t-break-plus style that the Iowa defense patented under Norm Parker. Iowa ran and ran and ran on standard downs (70 percent SD run rate, 12th in the country and higher than almost any non-option team), played at the slowest possible tempo, and threw as many screens as it could get away with on passing downs.

We’ll see what the younger Ferentz has, but it seems safe to assume the Ferentz-Ferentz offense will be similar to its predecessor. The younger Ferentz has Wadley and a seasoned line (seven players combining for 100 career starts, including all-conference guard Sean Welsh and all-conference center James Daniels), and the Hawkeyes recently added Nevada workhorse back James Butler.

Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

James Butler

Butler is a durable, efficient back who not only carried the ball 262 times last year but also caught an incredible 37 of 39 balls out of the backfield. Depending on Matt VandeBerg’s health, Butler might be Iowa’s most proven receiver heading into the fall.

Even if Ferentz wanted to pass more, it would be hard without McCarron, Smith (who left the team in May), and tight end George Kittle. VandeBerg, 2015’s leading receiver, is the only returning wideout who caught a single ball last year, and he broke his foot last year, then re-injured it this spring. It isn’t a coincidence that Beathard’s production got bumpy after VandeBerg went down. He should be healthy, but the re-injury is scary.

And even if he stays healthy, Iowa will likely have no choice but to lean on JUCO transfer Nick Easley, who caught 72 balls for Iowa Western last year but didn’t receive any major offers, presumably because of his 5’11, 200-pound stature.

A breakout from junior Adrian Falconer (two targets, zero catches last year) or sophomore Devonte Young (ditto) would be welcome. [Update: Iowa also added grad transfer Matt Quarells, who appeared in 21 games for New Mexico.]

Expect Wadley and Butler to carry as much of a load as they can handle. Wadley outgained LeShun Daniels Jr. by 19 yards last year despite 46 fewer carries, and he caught only one fewer ball than Butler. He’s a nice mix of efficiency (44 percent of his carries gained at least five yards) and explosiveness, and he and Butler are both uniquely versatile.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Vandeberg

Defense

There are two ways to look at it.

The optimistic way: Few teams return as much depth as the Hawkeyes do at end, linebacker, and safety. Junior ends Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse and sophomore Anthony Nelson combined for 22.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, four breakups, and three forced fumbles in 2016. Nelson and Nelson are lanky (6’8 and 6’7) pass-rush specialists, and the 6’3 Hesse is excellent in run support. And I haven’t mentioned incoming blue-chipper/legacy A.J. Epenesa, a 6’5, 270-pound specimen.

These ends can take chances, too, knowing that the linebackers can clean up messes. Iowa basically only played three LBs last year, but Josey Jewell, Bo Bower, and Ben Niemann — two two-star recruits and a walk-on — were excellent, combining for 211.5 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, and 18 passes defensed. If any get hurt, veterans like Kevin Ward and Jack Hockaday are waiting their turn.

Almost no one in the Big Ten has more known quantities.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Parker Hesse (40) and Josey Jewell (43)

The ... less optimistic way: Turnover in the secondary has an especially dramatic impact on whether your defense improves or regresses, and while Snyder and Taylor are back, corners Desmond King and Greg Mabin and safety Anthony Gair are not, and star safety Brandon Snyder tore his ACL in April. King was a fifth-round draft pick who defensed 47 passes over four seasons; he was one of the most proven on-ball defenders in the sport, and Snyder was equally important.

Manny Rugamba’s exciting, though. The sophomore saw the field quite a bit in Mabin’s absence last year, as did junior-to-be Joshua Jackson. The two combined for 26 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, two interceptions, and eight breakups. Sophomore Michael Ojemudia saw some action, too. The cupboard isn’t bare, but any excitement is based on potential more than proven production.

Meanwhile, the linebackers will have a lot more messes to clean up if a newish batch of tackles can’t hold things down up front. Jaleel Johnson (a fourth-round draft pick) and Faith Ekakitie were stalwarts over the last two years. Senior Nathan Bazata has seen plenty of rotation time and had more TFLs than Ekakitie last year, but after him, the only other tackle who saw the field last year was sophomore Garret Jansen (2.5 tackles).

With such depth at end, it wouldn’t be a surprise if someone like Matt Nelson were to move inside. Mid-three-star sophomore Cedrick Lattimore already made that shift.

Special Teams

Iowa’s starting over in special teams. As much as the Hawkeyes might miss King at cornerback, he was also a stud in the return game. And when he wasn’t returning punts, Riley McCarron was doing an even better job of it. McCarron’s also gone. So is Ron Coluzzi, a solid punter and excellent kickoffs guy.

Basically the only returnee is last year’s least consistent contributor: place kicker Keith Duncan, who was decent but did miss a couple of shorter field goals and a PAT. He’ll probably improve as a sophomore, but you figure it’s going to be difficult for Iowa to stay in the Special Teams S&P+ top 60.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Wyoming 80 10.8 73% 9-Sep at Iowa State 57 -1.6 46% 16-Sep North Texas 106 17.9 85% 23-Sep Penn State 8 -14.5 20% 30-Sep at Michigan State 44 -3.3 43% 7-Oct Illinois 85 12.8 77% 21-Oct at Northwestern 37 -4.7 39% 28-Oct Minnesota 47 2.5 56% 4-Nov Ohio State 2 -19.1 13% 11-Nov at Wisconsin 11 -16.7 17% 18-Nov Purdue 87 13.5 78% 24-Nov at Nebraska 42 -3.7 41%

Projected S&P+ Rk 48 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 112 / 13 Projected wins 5.9 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 5.5 (44) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 41 / 50 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 6 / 6.7 2016 TO Luck/Game -0.3 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 47% (27%, 68%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 8.0 (0.0)

It’s easy to understand why S&P+ doesn’t think too highly of Iowa’s chances — No. 48 projected ranking, 5.9 projected wins — in 2017. The Hawkeyes are dealing with major turnover in the three position areas that carry the most weight in the returning production formulas (QB, WR, DB) and have only turned a 20-win two-year span into top-45 recruiting.

(Plus, if you ask a lot of Iowa fans, S&P+ is programmed to hate the Hawkeyes.)

Ferentz has won a lot through the years, however, with the combination of a strong running back, a good offensive line, excellent defensive ends and linebackers, and a stud safety. Iowa fits the Iowa profile, if nothing else.

Close games will again tell the tale. Even with a pessimistic S&P+, the Hawkeyes are given between a 39 and 56 percent chance of winning in five games, with four likely wins and three likely losses. If the passing game doesn’t crater and the new cornerbacks are as stable as I assume, they’ll probably overachieve and reach their seven- to eight-win comfort zone.

The addition of Butler makes the Hawkeyes a little more intriguing, but regardless of this year’s win total, the main goal for 2017 is to find the pieces that will lead to another run in 2018 and/or 2019. There are quite a few exciting sophomores and juniors on this squad, and we’ll find out a lot about their ceiling.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.