NSTA conferences not only benefit the educators who attend them, but also provide an opportunity for attendees to share their experiences and the knowledge they gained from the conference with their colleagues and community. Dr. Alicia Conerly, 2024–2025 NSTA President, says she encourages educators “to approach sharing their conference learnings as both a responsibility and an opportunity to ignite meaningful change in their communities.” 

Conerly continues, “Here are some ways that I and my teachers spread the wealth of knowledge that we learn. Start by identifying the key insights or strategies that resonated most with you during the conference, especially those that align with the challenges or goals of your local schools and educators. Tailor your message to their specific needs, whether it’s through hosting a professional development workshop, sharing resources in a faculty meeting, or starting a collaborative discussion during a departmental meeting. By connecting your conference learnings to real-world applications, you can inspire others to explore innovative teaching practices and enhance their science instruction.”

Equally important, contends Conerly, “is creating an ongoing dialogue. Consider forming a study group or an informal network [in which] educators can dive deeper into the topics you discovered at the conference. Social media platforms and professional learning communities (PLCs) are excellent avenues for reaching a broader audience and sharing resources. Remember, the goal is not only to inform, but also to empower others to take actionable steps in their classrooms. By sharing your enthusiasm and fostering collaboration, you not only extend the reach of the conference’s impact, but also cultivate a vibrant, supportive community dedicated to advancing science education.”

Many Ways to Share
“As a campus administrator, financially supporting a teacher to attend a conference means that the teacher understands they must share and implement what they learned at the conference with their community and/or the campus as a whole,” maintains Dr. Sharon Delesbore, grades 6–12 administrator at Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston, Texas. “If the information is content-specific, PLCs are a good audience to provide information, [plan lessons] together, implement, reflect, and review data. I also believe that teachers learn best from each other, so high-yield strategies that are learned are presented during campus-wide professional development days.”  

Dr. Beverly DeVore-Wedding, 2024–2025 NSTA President-Elect, says she is “sharing conference highlights, resources, and NSTA updates through Colorado Association of Science Teachers social media, e-blasts, my social media, and the Colorado Science Educators Network (CSEN) listservs. This gives me a statewide reach.” DeVore-Wedding adds that she is “also contacting specific science educators who have asked me for assistance, material, and curriculum resources individually. I have been promoting the eCYBERMISSION and ExploraVision [student competitions] to individual teachers, and via social media. Last, but certainly not least, I advocated with testimony to the Colorado Board of Education the importance of Colorado's Academic Standards in Science in their current state, promoting science education in Colorado, particularly in the early childhood and elementary grades, and in rural schools, while also promoting NSTA's resources for teachers of science.” 

“Doing a photo dump on social media, with key insights and takeaways, are my immediate go-to moves. I can do it while the ideas are fresh, and the action helps me remember details,” explains Dr. Omah Williams-Duncan, NSTA District 13 Director (New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, 2023–2026). “I also like sharing swag, resources, and digital media with my preservice teacher students. In the past, I have created a station activity that simulated a mini share-a-thon. I have grouped similarly themed artifacts (think handouts, swag, digital media/websites) and encouraged students to visit each station and respond to a quick survey. The survey questionnaire included reflection questions about how the information could be immediately used in a classroom or how the artifact/product/swag aligned with our course experiences. Inevitably, I give the swag away as door prizes at a variety of university events, and students seem to enjoy the simulated ‘conference-going experience’.”

Supporting Other Teachers
“We will teach a mini session of what we learned at our TET (Teachers Empowering Teachers) meeting. TET is a professional development day [in which] all the teachers of the same group and subject come together,” explains Angela Lee, eighth-grade teacher at Bayou View Middle School in Gulfport, Mississippi. “For example, all the 6–8 grade science teachers in the entire district come together in one place. We share teaching strategies, lesson plans or ideas; create exams, vertical alignment; and support [one another] in whatever way we can that will benefit our students.”

Lee continues, “Then we will do a presentation class for teachers to sign up at our Essential Pieces. Essential Pieces is our district version of a conference. We sign up and pick what classes we want to attend to improve our teaching. It’s very much like [an] NSTA [conference], but for all subjects, and of course, minus the expo [hall]. It’s a full day of professional learning on things you pick. [We will m]ost likely [have] several different sessions for each idea, topic, or standard.”

“Attending the NSTA conference really opened my eyes to how we can rethink teaching and learning,” reports Matthew Mawn, assistant principal of Roxbury High School in Succasunna, New Jersey. “One takeaway that stuck with me is how learning improves when multiple senses are engaged. As an assistant principal, sharing this with my staff has sparked conversations about creating more hands-on, engaging lessons that truly connect with students.”

Dr. Julie A. Luft, NSTA Retiring President 2024–2025, has witnessed the benefits of shared conference knowledge. “I learn about the science teachers who work with our students each and every day. The teachers who attend NSTA [conferences] are passionate about creating instruction that supports all students. There is nothing more meaningful to me than the moment a teacher makes a connection between something shared at an NSTA conference and the improved learning of their students,” Luft observes. “They can see how to adapt the lessons to best support their students, and the importance of continually enhancing their knowledge. I love seeing the brilliance of our science teachers.”

This blog post is part of the blog series Educator Perspectives. Periodically, we’ll share educators’ thoughts about timely, relevant topics, including those related to NSTA, and their perspectives on education issues.