Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 15, 2008 Page: 34
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Best Practices in Junior-High and High School
Science Education
Anthony Edwards
The purpose of this article is to highlight best practices in science educa-
tion at Huckabay ISD during the 2007-2008 academic year. Notable ac-
tivities include the following: (a) a new building including a science lab
was constructed; (b) technology used in the classroom includes a com-
puter, projector, student computer workstations, and TAKS practice soft-
ware; (c) new inventory included microslides, microslide viewers, stereo-
scopes, a skeleton, a human torso model, physical science experiment
kits, chemistry experiment kits, and biological specimens; (d) instruction
methods include PowerPoint lectures, experiments, and demonstrations;
(e) assessment strategies include section reviews, bellringers, review
questions, chapter tests, quizzes, experiments, six week exams, and se-
mester exams; (f) and the junior-high/high school science teacher re-
ceived support from mentor teachers and administrators.Many factors contribute to the aca-
demic success of students in the
science classroom. Some of the
practices that have been proven to
be effective are as follows: (a)
having a laboratory that is condu-
cive for learning, (b) incorporating
technology, (c) having adequate
science inventory, (d) using stu-
dent-centered instruction methods,
(e) utilizing assessment strategies,
and (f) gathering ideas from
teacher mentors.
New Science Laboratory
During the summer of 2007, a new
building was added to the Hucka-
bay ISD campus. The new build-
ing includes a computer lab and a
science lab. The lab is designed for
one half of the class to be used for
lectures and the other half to be
used for experiments. The experi-
ment section includes six worksta-
tions equipped with gas, water, and
a sink. The teacher desk includes a
demonstration table with gas, wa-
ter, and sink. The lab also includes
a ventilation hood for experiments
with dangerous chemicals. The lab
features two whiteboards, one ofwhich is magnetic. In addition to
drawer and cabinet space in the
experiment section, the lab con-
tains a prep room for chemical and
inventory storage. Currently,
Huckabay ISD has two science
laboratories. Grades K-6 use the
pre-existing science lab and grades
7-12 use the new science lab.
Technology
The teacher desk is equipped with
a desktop computer. A projector,
which is networked to the com-
puter, can be networked to a DVD
player or VCR. The lab features a
workstation with two computers.
These computers are equipped
with TAKS preparation software
used by students in Tutorial peri-
ods. Each computer has internet
access and is networked to printers
in the computer lab in the new
building. The classroom also in-
cludes a television and an over-
head projector.
New Inventory
In addition to funding the building
of the science lab, Huckabay ISD
also funded the acquisition of in-Currently, Huckabay ISD
has two science laborato-
ries. Grades K-6 use the
pre-existing science lab
and grades 7-12 use the
new science lab.34
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 15, 2008, periodical, 2008; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201691/m1/36/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.