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Blog Post
Positive parent communications
When I taught at the elementary level it was easy to communicate with the parents of 25 students. Now that I’m teaching science at the middle school, I’m overwhelmed by the thought of trying to communicate personally with more than 150 pa...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
In this video, columnists Ben Smith and Jared Mader share information from their Science 2.0 column, “Social Media Primer,” that appeared in a recent issue of The Science Teacher. Read the article here: http://bit.ly/1OY0772 [youtube]https://you...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
The Vernier Go Wireless Link: A Bluetooth Broadcaster for your Sensors
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By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Tweet All About It: Happening Now @NSTA
It’s been a busy week in the Twitterverse for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Our favorite shout-out came from Science Friday, promoting great science books for kids; we were delighted to see one of our readers’ favorite...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Making Science Accessible in Multilingual Classrooms
Please welcome guest blogger Karen N. Nemeth, writing about making science learning accessible in multilingual classrooms. Karen N. Nemeth, Ed.M. is an author, consultant and presenter focusing on improving early childhood education for children who...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Nurture a love of learning in your science classroom
How can we cultivate a student’s (and a teacher’s!) natural love of learning and exploration amid so many demands in today’s schools? The recent article “When Success Leads to Failure” in The Atlantic by teacher–author Jessica Lahey drew ...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
Informal professional development
I teach in a private school that does not offer much in terms of professional development (PD), especially for science teachers. My colleagues and I would like to visit some science museums and centers. Would that count as PD? Do you have any other s...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Encourage a Sense of Wonder in Your Students
New books in the NSTA Kids I Wonder Why series are available just in time for the new school year! Focused on the biological sciences, these five books introduce readers to basic science content pertaining to plants and animals. Author Lawrence F. Lo...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
What’s popular on NSTA’s website at the start of the school year
Browse the most popular books, e-books, and children’s trade books on NSTA’s website this month. Best wishes for the start of your school year!...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
Are Your Students Pretenders in a Digital World?
The Pretender was a television show many years ago just before the 21st century arrived where the main character Jarod took on new roles each and every week that required him to master any task required for that job. He was a pretender – stepping i...
By Christine Royce
Blog Post
Science vocabulary: See it, say it
How do you make vocabulary terms meaningful for students? I’m talking about really getting them to understand how the word or words are used in context. I feel students often just copy down a definition and never truly grasp how it relates to t...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
An intersection of physical science and art
I love it when a book of art activities recommends finding materials in thrift stores or using recyclables or common classroom materials to create art. It’s even better when the activities can be part of a science exploration or investigation into ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Setting up the learning space—where should the magnifiers go?
Do you have a “Science” area in your classroom or other space? Which, if any objects should be permanent residents of a science area? I usually keep a few tools there so children can find them when needed—magnifiers, trays, pipettes/droppers, a...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Connecting students and scientists
As the new school year is getting underway, are you looking for some experiences to get students focused on scientific thinking and research skills? How can we show students what scientists actually “do” and how they communicate? Many tea...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Misconceptions about the “doing” of science
Many teachers feel they are “doing” science when they teach what is in textbooks, laboratory manuals, and their lectures. Such a focus on science teaching has existed for decades. Teachers, school administrators, students, as well as parents,...
By Robert Yager
Blog Post
Argument-Driven Inquiry in Life Science
In the new NSTA Press book Argument-Driven Inquiry in Life Science: Lab Investigations for Grades 6-8, 20 lab activities present an innovative approach to lab instruction called argument-driven inquiry (A...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Chris Lehmann Talks Technology and Teaching Revolutionary Science in the Digital Age
“You stood in front of your community and said, ‘This is the scholar I have become. This is what I can do.’ And in doing so, you reminded all of us of what young people can do when given the freedom and the support to dream big....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
How Do Real Science Teachers Prepare for BTS?
Knowing science teachers like I do, I’m not surprised to see that they express a gamut of emotions and have some really innovative ideas about how to prepare for going back to school. A completely unscientific survey of the Twittersphere reveal...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
We’re a 1:1 school, and all of my students have access to iPads in class. I’m thinking of transitioning from hard-copy notebooks to electronic notebooks. My students are not thrilled with this. —R., New York...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Where are you reading Science and Children this summer?
A family trip took me to a new and breathtaking location—Glacier National Park....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
SXSWedu 2016: Vote for NSTA’s Session Idea, The Next Generation of Science Teachers
Voting opens today for SXSWedu session proposals for the conference’s 2016 program, and NSTA needs your vote! To be selected for inclusion at SXSWedu, proposals must pass an extremely competitive crowd-sourced PanelPicker process....
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Transforming Teaching at the 2015 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy
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By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Teachers often have questions about interactive science notebooks, especially at the secondary level. Mary Morgan, a high school science teacher from Belton High School in Belton, Texas, shares her experiences (These ideas refer to traditional format...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
What's the Role of Science Teachers in the New Conceptual Economy?
In the new conceptual economy, what skills will students need to acquire to walk into professional settings and tackle complex problems? A recent podcast Innovation Skills for the 21st Century Workplace (BFM 89.9) details the mindset that contributes...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
House and Senate Leaders Begin Work to Reconcile Education Bills to Replace No Child Left Behind
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By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Team building is something that any sports team undertakes; business teams participate in; as well as other professional areas focus on. The purpose of team building is to bring individuals together to develop interactions that enhance or increase ...
By Christine Royce
Blog Post
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By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
NSTA summer journals for K-12 teachers
Add these journals to your summer reading! The Science Teacher: Big Data...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
7 Science Facts #NSTA Learned on Twitter This Week
Twitter is a treasure trove for news. These tweets caught our eye at NSTA recently, and they could surely be useful conversation starters in the classroom. Read on, and share the stories that caught your eye this week! 1. Kids love chasing fireflies,...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
What are science teachers reading this summer?
Browse this month’s most popular books, e-books, children’s trade books, and journal articles on NSTA’s website. Between now and August 14, 2015, save 10% on NSTA Press and NSTA Kids books or e-books by entering promo code SUMMER at che...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
Expanding understanding, resources for discussions about gender
Young children’s imaginative play often includes creating family groups with toy animals or dolls, and role-playing with housekeeping and dress-up materials. They recreate the relationships they experience or know of from books and other media....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
A graphic organizer for writing
When I ask students to write about a topic, most try to submit a collection of copy-and-paste paragraphs. I’m looking for strategies to help students create original writing. —H., Georgia...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Senate Passes Legislation to Overhaul No Child Left Behind
Fourteen years after it was first signed into law and seven years after it expired, the U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday, July 16 to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act–commonly known as No Child Left Behind–by a vote of...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Engineering Next Generation Science Leaders in Omaha, Nebraska
“Here we go” was a tweet from a delegate attending the 2015 National Congress on Science Education (NCSE), held last week in Omaha, Nebraska, by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA); excitement was evident from start to finish! Congre...
By Guest Blogger
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By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director