In addition to the new students you’ll soon welcome, you may also be meeting new colleagues on your faculty. Here are two resources from NSTA to share:
There’s been a lot of excitement about a new column in The Science Teacher. The New Teacher’s Toolbox is designed for beginning teachers, with tips and advice from teachers who are willing to share their experiences. The column debuts in the September issue, but you can click here for a sneak peek at Michael Romano’s suggestions on Conquering the “So What Now” Moment. These one-page articles could be used as discussion starters at faculty meetings or shared with new teachers. Whether you’re brand-new to the profession or starting at a new building or grade level, I’m sure you’ll find some good suggestions. Even we old-timers can learn something new, too!
If you’re working with a new principal this year (or would like to keep your current principal up to date in science), NSTA’s Scientific Principals is a monthly e-mail newsletter designed for elementary school principals. Based on unit themes typically found in elementary science curricula (e.g., scientific inquiry, weather, sound, health, earth resources), each issue of Scientific Principals has a list of ideas, resources, and practical applications. Click here to view past issues or to sign up to receive future issues. You can suggest that your principal sign up, or you can sign up yourself and then forward the newsletter to your principal or curriculum director – the advantage is that you get to read it, too, and some of the information and resources are appropriate for the upper grades, too. The August edition features Dinosaurs.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulad/3529450101/