JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Senate Confirmation Vote for DeVos Scheduled for Jan 31
Following a contentious confirmation hearing for Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos that evoked images of guns and grizzlies and showcased a lack of understanding of key education issues, the Senate HELP Committee postponed its planned confirmat...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Weather watching and phenology support using evidence to state a claim
Noticing changes in the growth and habit of plants is part of the science of phenology. We do this casually when we comment on the buds swelling on the maple tree (yay! not as many branches are dead as I feared) or the daffodil leaves sprouting above...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Career of the Month: Television Writer
“I aspire to translate complicated ideas in science into consumable stories,” says Katherine Lingenfelter, who writes for TV shows with science or science fiction themes, such as House and Westworld, respectively. “Television is a writer’s me...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
A Three-Step Method for Safer Labs
The lab can be an unsafe place. Under NSTA’s Duty of Care, however, the teacher is required to make labs safer (see Resources). One way of doing so is to follow the analysis, assessment, and action (AAA) method. The method requires teache...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
What’s So Special about Disciplinary Core Ideas (Part 2)
DCIs provide explanations for a variety of phenomena ...
By Joe Krajcik
Blog Post
A love note to education conferences
In my suitcase I have a collapsible jug, tube, funnel, glitter, pebbles, foam hearts, sea shells, and empty plastic bottles—all part of the materials I need for a presentation at the 2017 ECSTEM conference (February 3-4), organized by The Children&...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I’m looking for ideas to incorporate writing into my general biology classes. I’ve tried term papers but many of my students struggled and it took a lot of class time. Any ideas for other relevant writing assignments? —V., Ohio...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Science 2.0: Help Students Become Innovative Designers
Our past three columns described how teachers can implement the first three Empowered Learner Standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). This month, we focus on classroom strategies to support the fourth ...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s K-12 journals–January 2017
Science Scope – Systems Thinking...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
What Are the National Academies and How Can You Use Them to Transform Your Teaching?
During Recognition Week for the 2006 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, awardees gathered in a Washington, DC, hotel for a federal agencies breakfast. While all 10 agencies present that morning provided award...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Here's Why Space Nerds Need to Be at #NSTA17 LA
We didn’t invent the term space nerds; we just invited the two most interesting people on the planet who are proud to own it to speak at NSTA’s 2017 National Conference in Los Angeles: March 30–April 2....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
I am a new elementary librarian, and I want to prioritize science nonfiction. I’m looking for suggestions to help teachers who often do not have time to collect books from the library. I also need ideas for books to purchase. — J., New York...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Health Wise: Why Teens Need the HPV Vaccine
About 79 million Americans have human papillomavirus (HPV), the nation’s top sexually transmitted disease. “Nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pr...
By sstuckey