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Teaching Science Safely

Teaching Science Safely. A Seminar to Encourage Exciting, Inquiry-based Science In an Environment of safety. Terry Kwan Juliana Texley John Summers. What is your area of responsibility?. Classroom teacher Science supervisor Building administrator Other/support.

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Teaching Science Safely

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  1. Teaching Science Safely A Seminar to Encourage Exciting, Inquiry-based Science In an Environment of safety Terry Kwan Juliana Texley John Summers

  2. What is your area of responsibility? • Classroom teacher • Science supervisor • Building administrator • Other/support

  3. Teaching Science Is Always Unpredictable! • Here’s what happened when a curious student decided to “experiment” by putting a battery in a microwave!

  4. Then there was the construction project…

  5. And those little “lapses in judgment”

  6. You don’t have a crystal ball but you can do much to create a safer classroom environment. Active science IS safe science BUT • Think about your students’ developmental level • Be very conscious of your facilities • Be conscious of the differences in your room • Build accountability into the safety lesson • Go for skill, not excitement.

  7. A New Approach to Safety • The most important measure of safety is good judgment • The classroom environment is key • Activities must be appropriate to the students’ developmental level. • We must keep up with the times

  8. Critical Factors! • Space • Security • Storage • Housekeeping • Facility design • Safety Training • Content Preparation

  9. Research shows: The biggest hazard in your classroom is a well-placed elbow!Translation: Space counts.

  10. Estimate the “space per student” in your classroom. <30 square feet 30-45 square feet 45-60 square feet

  11. Poll Question: You’ve been assigned 30 students in a classroom with space for only 24. (You know that NSTA’s guideline is 60 square feet per student.) What will you do?

  12. Bush v Oscoda Area Schools '81MI (250 N.W. 2nd 268, 1979) • 14 yr. old severely burned when a 1 gal. plastic jug of alcohol exploded in non-science room • Principal liable • Facility not properly designed or equipped for science teaching • Improperly scheduling a science class into a classroom not designed for that purpose

  13. Level flooring86 cm aisles70 cm of kneespacePaddle handlesAll entrances wider than 86 cmBraille and/or bilingual labels Safety for All includes:

  14. IDEA vs ADA IDEA gives every student who is not achieving to potential due to a handicap the right to the same education in the least restrictive environment—to every class, and every part of that class. ADA covers accessibility to facilities for persons who are handicapped (including parents). Both rules apply to all schools. You may have some leeway in renovations under ADA but there are no grandfathering provisions in IDEA. If a course is in a student’s plan, the student must have immediate and full access to that course.

  15. Check Your Facilities • 40% of school facilities are totally inadequate (GAO) • Hot water and soap are the highest priority in every classroom • Fire equipment must not just be there but be working. • Test eyewashes and showers regularly • Air circulation must be independent of HVAC • Storerooms must be dedicated and secure. • No clutter!

  16. Which of these do you have? • Shower • Fire extinguisher • Eyewash • Fume hood • Fire blanket • Lab aprons • Safety goggles • Safety goggle disinfector

  17. All of these are in your room. But you haven’t used them in years. What’s the risk? It’s not enough to just have them there, what else?

  18. Many activities in high school Science classes require (working) fume hoods. All science rooms need good Ventilation separate from the HVAC. When and activity Generates fumes, Consider reducing Quantities and/or Changing the activity.

  19. Which of these fires might happen in your classroom?

  20. Can you spot a safety hazard?Put the Alert icon on something you see

  21. What part of “no eating” don’t they understand?

  22. Safety shields often put the instructor in harm’s way But research indicates that although students remember the explosion, they may not remember the concept as well!

  23. Place an Alert Icon on any problem you see.

  24. Have you “inherited” or saved chemicals that you have not used in TWO YEARS or more? Yes No

  25. Poll Question: Where are your chemicals stored?

  26. A place for everything…and everything…

  27. Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) • Name of product, product ID • Composition/Ingredients • Hazards/First Aid Measures • Fire Fighting Measures/Accidental Release Measures • Handling and Storage • Exposure Controls/Personal Protection • Physical and Chemical Properties • Stability and Reactivity • Toxicological Info/Ecological Info • Disposal Considerations/Transport, Regulatory Info

  28. You’ve just been hired. Here’s your room. What do you do first?

  29. Poll Question: What is your first action?

  30. Which is the best bargain?

  31. Safety Eyewear • Splash protection • Impact protection (ANSI Z87.1 standard) • Disinfection • ANSI Z87.1-2003 is officially called the American National Standards Practice for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye Protective Devices voluntary standard for impact resistant safety eyewear. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has made the standard a requirement.

  32. Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts! -Neither a borrower nor a lender be! -In an accident, the chain of possession And the liability may return to you.

  33. Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts • The chain of possession always goes back to whoever has the deepest pockets • Liability is like head lice—sharing it doesn’t get rid of it

  34. Live Long and Prosper • Document your precautions • You are responsible for your assistants • Maintain classroom security • Watch the Internet • Be mindful of health rules. • Come back for the next seminar Bring your principal!

  35. Upcoming NSTA Web Seminars: • Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! II • February 1, 2006 • Doing Good Science II • February 8, 2006 • Watershed Dynamics II • February 16, 2006 • 6:30 PM Eastern Time

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