What Teachers Had to Say

Jeremiah Russell

Jerry felt that the majority of his chemistry students accomplished good levels of understanding of the main and specific understanding goals outlined in the unit. He thought that the students were actively involved in learning and doing science in this unit and developed understandings of water quality that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Jerry also felt that the unit made good use of Internet resources to bring the real-world issues of water quality into the classroom and extensively used a variety of instructional technologies (CBL's, data collection probes, TI-83 graphing calculators, MWRA water test kits and other testing materials) to allow students to learn how to conduct water quality tests.

He felt that one of the biggest difficulties with implementing this unit was the availability of lab space. The two chemistry laboratories at Boston Latin Academy are used by 14 different chemistry classes at the college preparatory, honors and AP level. The implementation of the unit was lab intensive and required Jerry to reserve lab space that normally would not have been available to him given the intensive science laboratory use schedule at Boston Latin Academy. He also noted that additional money needs to be available for ordering some specialized supplies that are used in this unit and for field trip transportation expenses.

Jerry plans to implement this unit again next year with one or more of his college preparatory chemistry classes and will encourage his fellow chemistry teachers, who were excited by the unit, to implement the water quality unit with one or more of their chemistry classes. He will also make more extensive use of the water quality test kits that are available from the MWRA and possibly expand the list of water quality test parameters. He feels that all the major elements of this unit are already in place, and that the unit can be implemented again without major difficulty.

Jerry believes that teachers who are thinking about implementing a unit like this need to be familiar with the TfU framework and committed to using it as an instructional approach. He thinks that they should identify units like this one that have already been successfully implemented in their own schools or in other schools that can be used as is or modified for use in their own classrooms. He also wishes to extend his sincere thanks to Vasilii Petrenko for his creativity, constant good humor and tireless dedication to this project.

Vasilii Petrenko

Vasilii felt that this was one of the most effective units he's ever taught. He thought that, on the whole, the students enjoyed the unit and were very engaged in the learning, excited about and absorbed in their independent projects, and acquired a real interest in water quality. Vasilii also felt that the students understood the material well and became competent at field water quality testing, as the group posters and presentations revealed. He also interviewed several students before and after the unit and found that they gained a great deal of appreciation for water quality issues as well as a real understanding of the six water quality parameters.

He also thought that this unit's greatest strength was in how completely it was grounded in real-life science and issues. From the very first day, students were discussing their own drinking and recreational water supplies and learning about the actual water quality work that is being carried out in the Boston area. The unit also provided the students with a field research experience in water quality that was as close to real life as the school setting permitted. Vasilii also found that this unit challenged the students to think analytically about things that were very tangible and hands-on. In this way, the unit allowed the students who are not abstract learners to become truly engaged in scientific thinking. Vasilii felt that the final projects completed the unit well and provided ample opportunity for the students to expand, improve and demonstrate their understandings and skills as they engaged in their work. The poster and presentation guidelines and assessment rubrics for the final project held the students accountable for the final product, focused their efforts in effectively collaborating with other students and allowed them to clearly demonstrate what they have learned and accomplished.

Overall, Vasilii was very happy with the implementation of the unit. If there was one thing he could change, it would be to allow more time for investigating the chemistry behind the six water quality parameters in detail, as well as for student project work. These changes are reflected in the Timeline for this Picture of Practice.

Vasilii also felt that although virtually all the students were interested and engaged in the lab work and field testing, many did not put as much effort into acquiring a solid conceptual understanding of the six water quality parameters and their interaction with the water body environment. If he were to teach the unit again he would put more emphasis on this aspect of the water quality tests. Vasilii feels that although this unit is complete as is, it can easily be expanded and modified to change its focus. For instance, instead of focusing on freshwater, the unit could explore the marine environment of Boston Bay. If time allows, several other water quality tests could be added, such as the tests for Nitrates, Total Dissolved Solids, and Biochemical Oxygen Demand. The unit could also spend more time exploring the Boston water supply System as well as investigating the waste water treatment systems.

In working on this unit, Vasilii received his first experience implementing a TfU unit in a real school setting. He saw how powerful this approach to curriculum and instruction can be, and that it is feasible to use in a regular classroom setting, though it requires more thinking and preparation. He realized that one of the greatest advantages of TfU is the generativity of its topics, which immediately increases the level of student engagement. At the same time Vasilii saw that this approach demands a considerable amount of self-discipline and motivation from the students. He found that one of the best things about teaching this unit was the opportunity to work side-by-side with Jerry Russell, an extremely talented, committed, and masterful educator, who served as a great role model for Vasilii.

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• Acknowledgments