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Prepping for a pre-service teacher
I agreed to work with a student teacher next semester, and I’m looking forward to the experience. I teach three classes of biology and an AP class at the high school and two sections of middle school science. Should the student teacher take all...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
New from NSTA: Quick Reference Guides to the Next Generation Science Standards
In focus groups, science teachers tell NSTA staff members that time is their biggest challenge. We hear that again and again, and we listen! Many science educators are excited about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and have begun to imple...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
As humans, we are driven to explore and explain our surroundings; we wonder about the things we see and try to figure out how and why they appear the way they do and what some of the underlying mechanisms might be that drive what we see in the world....
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Patterns: a crosscutting concept
Children notice patterns in nature in small moments as they play in natural areas and find a new kind of leaf, or suddenly realize one morning that they are leaving for school before the sun comes up. Did that happen recently with any of your childre...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Hesitate to Participate? Part 2
In a previous blog, a teacher posed a question about getting her students to participate in discussions. She shared her experiences in trying the strategies suggested by our colleagues and her reflections on the results:...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
K-12 Primer on the Midterm Elections and Everybody’s Talking about Testing
There is plenty of discussion this week on what’s ahead for education and science as Americans head to the polls on November 4, and the testing/accountability issue is really moving to the front burner as major players in education—including Pres...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
The Echo Meter Touch is a hardware module (with ultrasonic microphone) and software app that work together to let you monitor, record, and analyze bat echolocation. The module plugs into the power port of an Apple iPhone or iPad. Considering that bat...
By Ken Roberts
Blog Post
#NSTA14 Orlando: Highlights From the Hall
We’re just one short week away from the Orlando NSTA 2014 Area Conference on Science Education. We’ll be making ourselves at home at the Orange County Convention Center in sunny Orlando, Florida, November 6–8, 2014....
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Why Did Mrs. Carter Ask a Science Teacher to Create a Butterfly Garden?
It’s not every day that a science-teacher-turned-author gets the call that a former first lady of the United States could use his help. When that happened to me, I was uncertain if I would have anything to offer someone of Mrs. Carter’s stature....
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
I know this is a rare problem: quiet kids. But what suggestions do you have for a ninth-grade class that is made up predominately of students who seem to be unwilling (or unable) to share thoughts or ask questions during class discussion. They’...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
We often discuss differentiated or individualized instruction being important for students and then provide “one-size-fits-all” professional development for educators – the entire range from K-12. At one point in a previous article, I wrote “...
By Christine Royce
Blog Post
A clear vision supported by specific plans is critical to the success of any organization....
By Bill Badders
Blog Post
I’ve Been Hired as a Science Teacher, but I’m Not Certified to Teach Science. Help!
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By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
The Best Way to Answer Kids' Questions, and Other Things I Learned at #NSTA14 Richmond
When you bring a bunch of science teachers together, the most amazing, surprising connections are made....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director