Looking to take advantage of the creative approaches that STEAM offers students? Want to explain to your students how traits are passed down from one generation to another? Are your students fascinated with nanoscience? The February K–12 journals from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have the answers you need. Written by science teachers for science teachers, these peer-reviewed journals are targeted to your teaching level and are packed with lesson plans, expert advice, and ideas for using whatever time/space you have available. Browse the February issues; they are online (see below), in members’ mailboxes, and ready to inspire teachers!

Science and Children

The addition of the arts to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) adds a new dimension to lessons. As you’ll find in this issue of S&C, STEAM brings forth creative approaches to STEM that will enhance student learning, from brainstorming to communication skills.

Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• Amazing Muses of Science
• Free – Editor’s Note: STEAM: Beyond the Acronym
• Luminous Lighting
• Ornithologists By Design
• Free – Planning NGSS-Based Instruction: Where Do You Start?
• Start With a Story
• Table of Contents

Science Scope

When looking for information on genetics and heredity, X or Y can mark the spot to start your search. Dig into the activities in this issue to learn more about how traits are passed from one generation to the next. We are sure you will uncover a valuable lesson or two among the trees, peas, and telephone chatter.

Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• Controversial Environmental Issues Explored Through Interdisciplinary Perspectives: The Case of the Bald Eagle, the Botanical Garden, and the Airport
• Free – Editor’s Roundtable: Teaching Heredity and Evolution in the Next Generation
• From Mendel to Me: Constructing Genetics Knowledge Through Historical Problem-Based Learning
• Pass the DNA, Please
• Free – Planning NGSS-Based Instruction: Where Do You Start?
• Using Local Street Trees to Teach the Concept of Common Ancestry
• Table of Contents

The Science Teacher

Nanoscience development affects almost every discipline of science, engineering, and technology. Not surprisingly, “the science of small” is also finding its way into science classrooms. In general, nano refers to a billionth of a meter—about 1/50,000 the width of a hair follicle. The term nanoparticle usually refers to small materials with a size of between 1 and 100 nanometers (nm). Because nanoparticles are so small, they have a greater surface-area-to-volume ratio, causing them to be more reactive than larger particles and useful for various applications. Nanoscience is just one of many activities and investigations covered in this issue, which also looks at wildlife cover boards, using socio-scientific issues to teach argumentation, and finding patterns in chemical compounds.

Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• A Virtuous Cycle
• Free – Editor’s Corner: Write for The Science Teacher
• Making Critical Friends
• Free – Planning NGSS-Based Instruction: Where Do You Start?
• Shedding Light on the “Science of Small”
• Uncovering Wildlife
• Table of Contents

Get these journals in your mailbox as well as your inbox—become an NSTA member!

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Follow NSTA

Writing about my science teaching for early childhood educators means thinking about a potential community that spans geographic distance and different biomes, seasons, cultures, educational backgrounds, ethnicities, and teaching careers, among other differences. How we are the same is in our desire to be a teacher of science who helps all children build their understandings of the natural and human-made world in a developmentally appropriate way.

I strive to think about who and where my words might be read, and be as inclusive as my life experience and education allow me to be, while still reflecting and speaking from my experience. When I write about recording the weather, I try to think about places where typical weather is different from weather in my area, but some times I may neglect to think outside of my experience. Thinking outside our experience is what educators do as we consider how children will connect with new experiences and new vocabulary. Understanding children’s experiences will guide us as we ask children to consider alternative explanations instead of holding onto early misconceptions. 

It is interesting to see the many ideas children have about what is, and what is not, matter as reported in Page Keeley’s column on Formative Assessment Probes, “Uncovering Students’ Concepts of Matter” in the January 2016 issue of Science and Children. Children have many reasons for not including some objects or certain materials in the group “matter,” perhaps because they rarely hear the word used in that context. Keeley encourages primary-grade teachers to “try the probe with their students and make note of the ideas students have, which teachers can re-visit through instruction designed to build a bridge between existing ideas about matter and a scientific concept of matter.” Early childhood educators can ask our children, “What does this kind of matter feel like to you?” when handling all kinds of matter–scooping water or rice in the sensory table, touching the bark of a tree or our own skin, and feeling the wind. (The March 2015 Early Years column, “Getting Messy with Matter,” describes an exploration of how paints of various consistencies–thin water colors to thick tempera–act when painted onto various surfaces such as, paper, foil, felt, and natural materials such as tree branches. Try it with your students and use the word “matter” frequently!)

Almost every article in the January 2016 issue is focused on early childhood!

How can early childhood programs teach physics at a developmentally appropriate level? Read the Early Childhood Resources Review column, “Tools for Physical Science Inquiry,” for an overview of the many common early childhood program materials that engage children in learning physical science concepts. (You can recommend favorite resources you use to be reviewed in this column–contact column editor Rosemary Geiken.)

In “How We Know What We Know: Cultivating scientific reasoning among preschool students with cars and ramps,” Joseph B. Robinson says, “Discussing why these scientists revised their stance can teach children about uncertainty, evidence, disagreement, and other topics of vital importance to the world of science.” (Pg 42). “My objective has been to present students with a series of investigations that they can perform with minimal support, while making their own choices about what specific items or conditions they want to study. With this arrangement, my students have found new truths through their memorable endeavors. And, perhaps most importantly, they have begun to understand how scientific methods of investigation help us learn about the world.” (Pgs 42-43). I admire the way he was able to challenge the children’s common misconception that bigger cars are heavier than small cars by including small heavy cars and light big cars.

If you teach in kindergarten or other elementary grades, read about the shift from teaching about science to engaging students in science and engineering practices in “Addressing Three Common Myths About the Next Generation Science Standards” by Kenneth L. Huff.  Is this what is happening in your program? Learn more about this shift by reading the article, free to non-members as well as members.

January snowfall and icy conditions in my region kept us out of school for more than a week while snow plow crews tried to find places to put it all so buses could get through residential streets, teachers could find parking spots, and residents could clear their sidewalks. I had to shift a lot of snow but the snow days gave me time to consider how I will shift my teaching.

As the science chairperson, I’d like to change the format of our monthly afterschool meetings. Do you have any ideas what we can do in terms of professional development or other projects? It seems like we don’t get much accomplished with our current format. —C., Virginia

Let’s face it—at the end of the day most teachers are tired and concerned with evaluating student work, getting home to their families, heading off to another job or a graduate class, and/or preparing for the next lesson. The after-school time is precious and not something to spend on mundane informational issues or idle chatter.

My experience also included meetings in which we read over information items (deadlines, changes in policy, upcoming events). We complained about situations without coming to any decisions. Some colleagues graded papers or watched the clock. We often left these hour-long contractual meetings with a list of tasks to accomplish individually on our own time (e.g., strategic planning, supply orders, professional development plans). So I’m glad to hear that you want to facilitate something more productive.

For your monthly meetings, send out an agenda via e-mail in advance. The agenda should include an issue to discuss, resolve, or plan for that is important to science teachers or to the district (e.g., lab safety, grading policies, instructional strategies, Next Generation Science Standards topics, technology, inventories, parent communications, assessments). Include information items here so the actual meeting time can be spent on more important issues. Rather than a bulleted list of agenda items for you to address, phrase them in the form of a question for your colleagues to discuss. For example, instead of “Safety,” ask, “What do you do to ensure that students work safely in your lab?” Set aside a few minutes before adjourning to recognize new issues and celebrate any successes or accomplishments.

I’ve also participated in meetings modeled on the “flipped classroom” strategy*…

The meeting participants were given readings to do or video segments to watch prior to the meeting. (The NSTA journals and web resources would be good sources for these.) The real-time meeting then focused on active discussion, decision-making, hands-on experiences, or teacher reflection. Teachers can use the time to work collaboratively on tasks that they would otherwise have to do on their own, rather than taking them home for later.

For example, in the December issue of The Science Teacher, the Science 2.0 column “Did They Really Read It?” addresses how to assess student understanding of a reading assignment or video.  The authors also posted a 5-minute video blog entry that demonstrates how the two tools described in the article work. In a flipped meeting or workshop, the participants can read and watch the materials in under 10 minutes beforehand and use the meeting time to explore the options and consider how this would apply to their classes.

Other options:

• Use the meeting time to model strategies that would also apply to the classroom, such as gallery walks, cooperative learning, and technology tools for brainstorming, sharing, and visualizing. For example, I was at a meeting where the chair gave us each an article on a relevant topic. We had a few minutes to read it, and we were directed to highlight three statements that resonated with us or about which we had a question. We shared them via an online tool and then discussed the highlighted issues. The presenter noted that the strategies for critical reading, technology, and think-pair-share could be applied in the classroom.
• Vary the location of the meetings, asking a different teacher each month to “host” the meeting in his/her lab. The host would describe some of the activities that the students do, and the other teachers have a chance to learn more about what happens in other classes.
• Have a combined meeting with another department to discuss common interests or questions or conduct a virtual meeting with Skype to interact with a scientist, museum curator, or other resource person.

You may run into some resistance from teachers who are used to the status quo. Being expected to participate in discussions or group activities may take some getting used to on their part, and you might have to prepare some discussion-starters at first. If meetings in previous years were seen as a waste of time, you’ll have to be persistent to show people that things are going to be different.

*I’ve created an NSTA resource collection with several articles on flipped meetings.