The mystery of teaching science ... solved!

A mentor to other teachers and the recipient of a 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, Wells constantly steers students back to their own process of discovery. "My mantra is, 'What do you know, and how do you know it?' " he said recently at a symposium for educators, policymakers, and industry representatives hosted by TERC at Boston's Museum of Science.

The Internet is making it easier for teachers to give assignments that are fresh and relevant to the preteen set. Help on that front comes through the curriculum- and teacher-development work at The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, run by the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

In one project, kids imagine they've stowed away on a ship, and they track real-time online data from the ship to predict which port it's headed for. "They're using algebraic formulas for a real assignment where they have a stake in the outcome," says Beth McGrath, the center's director. "The teacher doesn't know the right answer; they have to wait and see if the ship does in fact go into that port."

About 100,000 students from 35 nations participate in these online lessons each year, some of them collaborating across borders, Ms. McGrath says (see examples at www.ciese.org/realtimeproj. html). The Newark, N.J., school system integrated real-time data projects into classrooms after putting teachers through the center's Savvy Cyber Teacher professional-development program.

They found a 10 percent increase in eighth-grade science scores, above the gains the district made overall, McGrath says.

Students also need to be shown inspiring examples of scientific entrepreneurship so they realize science isn't just about sitting in a lab, says Hal Raveché, president of Stevens. And he urges schools and businesses to do more to develop the talents of African-Americans, Latinos, and new immigrants in urban districts.

"We need to engage these people," Mr. Raveché says "the creative energy that you see in music, that you see in clothing, we've got to tap that for science and engineering."

If more American kids don't latch onto dreams of math and science careers, Raytheon is going to have a hard time hiring enough qualified people to work on its massive defense projects.

So the company is sending a few substitute teachers into classrooms - people like soccer star Mia Hamm, skateboarder Tony Hawk, and David Ellison, the guy who manages Avril Lavigne's concert tours.

Through activities posted at www.mathmovesu.com and surprise celebrity visits, the company hopes kids will see a link between math and all kinds of "cool" careers - whether it's understanding the physics of a skateboard trick or planning a budget for a rock show.

Raytheon, headquartered in Waltham, Mass., has long promoted college scholarships. But "If we don't have them by high school," says spokeswoman Pam Wickham, "there's less chance of them going into an engineering program."

Thirty-four percent of sixth- to eighth-graders say math is boring; 43 percent say it's hard to understand, a Raytheon telephone survey found.

Now they can do math problems online offered by a roller-coaster designer, a videogame creator, and an ER doctor. Recently, BMX star Dave Mirra did bike tricks for students in New York City, wowing them with calculations of speeds, distances, and angles - the work it takes to make tricks look effortless.

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