JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Wow, do I have big shoes to fill! Mary Bigelow is stepping down as NSTA’s original Ms. Mentor after years of advising teachers across the globe. She has demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to helping the science teaching community with thoughtful,...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Challenging Our Brightest Thinkers
Although I encourage all of my students to consider a career in the sciences, I know it is probable that only the most persistent, passionate, and brightest will chose such a career path. I’ve been fortunate to teach many such students. This past M...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
I did not have a formal mentor when I was a new teacher. As I struggled, several colleagues and an administrator must have seen some potential and offered me advice and support. I was glad to return the favor during my career as a classroom teacher a...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
President Trump Calls for $200 Million Boost for STEM Education
Last week President Trump issued a presidential memorandum calling for a $200 million boost to STEM education and computer science in K–12 schools. The memorandum, signed during an Oval Office ceremony attended by Ivanka Trump and U.S. Ed...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Intersection and integration of play and science learning
I was at a conference proudly wearing my tee shirt that says “Play” when I was given a chance to reflect on what I meant by an esteemed colleague and mentor who asked, “Ah yes, but what kind of play?” My reflection continues as I continue to ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Toward High School Biology: A New Curriculum for Your Middle School Students
Would you like to challenge your middle school students to explain a range of phenomena—from how nylon thread can form from two clear, colorless liquids to how a snake that eats only eggs can make body structures that don’t look anything like an ...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
I am K-6 science specialist in Australia. I am keen to make contact with others in this unique employment situation. I’m interested in issues such as timetabling (scheduling), support from the school, and any issues with the teachers’ union. – ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Documenting science investigations in preschool: Solar eclipse and butterfly metamorphosis
Thank you to the director, Sandra Redmore, and the teachers of Clarendon Child Care Center, Andria Shelton, Barbara Foster, and Sarah Abu-El-Hawa, for sharing their teaching practices and science explorations!...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
When students miss a lab activity, what are some meaningful ways they can make up the work? — R., Oregon Most students don’t want to miss lab investigations, but when they do, it can affect their learning in the rest of the unit. Finding time...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Seeking a New Way to Assess Science at All Levels
The word assessment can prompt feelings of dread, mistrust, or outright hate in many teachers. That’s distressing, as quality instruction includes quality assessment. Unfortunately, we have allowed assessment to become the “tail that wags the dog...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Kentucky’s Systems Approach to Assessing Three-Dimensional Standards
One thing is clear about our multi-dimensional standards: They require a complex and thoughtful approach to assessment. No single, conventional, summative test can be expected to provide reliable data sufficient enough to satisfy the demands of all p...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Focusing on Instruction to Improve My School
How do you envision science education in your classroom? Your school? Your district? In hectic life of a modern educator, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the initiatives, expectations, and pressures of our profession. As a first-year high sc...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s September 2017 K-12 journals
Commentary: Reasoning Versus Post-Truth in The Science Teacher is an important read in a time when dependence on unverified information from social media seems to be more prevalent than using trusted sources that value reasoning....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Ed News: Critics Say Proposed NM Science Standards Omit Evolution, Climate Change
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By Kate Falk
Blog Post
The Vernier Three-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor: A Magic Wand for Magnets
What could be better than one anisotropic magnetoresistance magnetic field sensor? How about three anisotropic magnetoresistance magnetic field sensors and a Hall effect sensor as well! Pack them all into a lightweight watertight housing with a rech...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Protecting Students From Fires
In 2015, the National Fire Protection Association released a revised version of NFPA 45 that included a new chapter titled “Educational and Instructional Laboratory Operations,” which applies to K–12 school laboratories. The new chapter provide...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Enhancing Google Sheets for the Classroom
Among the most commonly used tools in the science classroom are those that allow students to collect and manipulate data, including Microsoft Excel, Graphical Analysis, and Google Sheets. This month, we focus on one of the benefits of Google Sheets ...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Health Wise: Be Prepared for Opioid Overdoses
In light of the national opioid epidemic, schools need to be prepared in case a student overdoses. Consider:...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Is Quality PD the Goal of STEM Certification? Here's What the AACT Has to Say
For anyone who isn’t yet familiar with The American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT), here’s a bit about who we are. We’re 4,500 members strong, though we’ve only been around for three years. Most of us are teachers, and some are othe...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
My fourth-grade students like doing hands-on science activities. How can I get them to focus on the activity rather than socializing? —C., West Virginia You want students to enjoy the activity and talk with each other, but students need to understa...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Off the Deep End: Reflections on my time as a NOAA Teacher at Sea
Sunset/Sunrise over a fjord in Kodiak, Alaska...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Commentary: Reasoning Versus Post-truth
Nicolaus Copernicus’s heliocentric model of the universe was reasoned from evidence but conflicted with popular beliefs of the day....
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Natural phenomena: awe inspiring and trauma inducing
Guest blogger Carrie Lynne Draper joins me in writing this post about supporting children affected by natural disasters....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Focus on Physics: Eight Tips for New (and not so new) Teachers
Being a teacher can be a wonderful experience. Making it so is greatly aided by qualities that you can acquire. Needless to say, you must know your subject and be able to explain it well. Beyond that are traits and practices that make the difference ...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Senate Restores $2 Billion Teacher Training Fund
Congress returned to D.C. after Labor Day and immediately started work to fund the government, raise the federal borrowing limit and supply relief funds to disaster victims....
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Answers to Your Questions About NSTA's District Professional Learning Packages
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By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
I’m looking for ideas to get to know my students better and interact with them. My head spins with six different groups of students each day. –M., Maryland You may have heard the idea that students don’t care what you know until they ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
A Vanderbilt University Scientist in the Classroom Partnership fellow helps middle school students in the Nashville, Tennessee, area test their car design for speed....
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Ed News: Teacher Shortages Affecting Every State As 2017-18 School Year Begins
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By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Early-in-the-school-year science experiences to support later explorations
When children and teachers are just getting used to being at school and with each other, open-ended experiences can help bring joy to what may be a stressful time. Simple science experiences involve open exploration and build foundations for later sc...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
What Goes Into STEM Certification? STEM Orgs Weigh In
What if you are an experienced science teacher but you have limited knowledge of engineering? Or you are an administrator looking for the most qualified person to fill a vacancy in your STEM lab? What if you are a preservice teacher and are intereste...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I see many good activities for middle school involving plants, but what if students already did something similar at the elementary level? I don’t want to spend time on duplicate activities or get the eye-roll “we already did this.” —M., Ariz...
By Mary Bigelow