By Juliana Texley
Posted on 2014-07-25
If you were with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in Washington, D.C. last week, you would have been part of the most exciting and productive Congress of the year! In Georgetown, about 145 representatives of chapters, state organizations, affiliates and NSTA governance met to spend “quality time” breaking down walls at the National Congress on Science Education (NCSE). What walls? Those that might exist among educators, those that define where and when we teach science, the ones that create barriers to a literate citizenry, and especially those mental barriers that might keep us from imagining great accomplishments in the near future.
In every hall, over endless great snack breaks, on the streets and in the parks the group smashed preconceptions. State to state sharing ruled! How do you create a new style of conference? How can social media support membership retention? What are the legal and ethical guidelines for association management? NCSE had sessions for every need. There were also updates on NSTA’s Strategic Planning process and building program, as well as updates on the state of publishing and STEM in the “age of NGSS.”
This year was the first Congress at which the Robert E. Yager awards were presented. Five outstanding teachers gave short presentations on their educational philosophies, highlighting both creativity and diversity in STEM education. They were supported so that they could mingle with other attendees and contribute to the rich mix of ideas that would come out of the meetings.
A Congress is also a voting body; in each Congress there are forums focusing on the issues that are most important to the NSTA membership. The initial topics are first proposed by an elected team (four from Congress, and four from the NSTA Council). Any delegate can propose issue forums as well. This year, the forums concentrated on STEM implementation partnerships between formal and informal educators, and assessment in the light of NGSS.
The latter two topics generated recommendations for action by the NSTA Board of Directors. At a Congress, these resolutions go through several voting stages: by Congress, Council, and then Board. In the process, it is common for a resolution to take a different form as it goes “up the chain.” Resolutions urging the Board to develop both contacts and tools for partnerships with informal educators resulted in long discussions at both the Council and Board levels. With whom do we “talk” as an organization? What new opportunities for interactions exist?
Here’s an example: An existing network of Earth science/STEM educational groups was researched, and at the urging of Congress, NSTA delegates will take a more active role in this group. Both Council and Board discussed what resources NSTA had to make partnerships more productive. Turns out we have a lot, but they may not be as easy to find as we’d like because the NSTA Learning Center is getting truly massive. Because of the activism of Congressional delegates, new links and bundles will be available to members in more accessible formats.
The topic of assessment also turned out to be as hot as the DC weather last week. We asked first if there are good resources already available to assess the practices and crosscutting concepts of NGSS? How do educators in adopting and non-adopting states influence the development and use of assessments, to make sure that the three-dimensional learning in NGSS is reflected? Is it time for a “timely” policy statement by NSTA? The Congress said “yes,” but the council and Board said: “Let’s find out.” They assigned a research project to the appropriate NSTA Standing Committee, and asked for an answer soon.
What do science teachers do after long days of learning and legislating? Explore science, of course. The group was hosted by Smithsonian Institution at Q?rius—an interactive collection of (mostly) hands-on artifacts and learning objects with wonderful potential for inquiry. “What does a cockroach smell like?” (Vanilla) “Can you fold an origami passenger pigeon?” (I failed, but many others succeeded.)
The “meta” discussion that this series of Congress actions stimulated was about where and when NSTA Position Statements are used. NSTA currently has a list of perhaps a dozen potential position statements needing development or revision. Each requires months of work: research, development, and a series of reviews by committees, membership, council, and board. The ultimate product is the result of the cooperation of many professionals.
There are various levels and perspectives on position statements. Some are specifically designed as tools that science teachers can use. A document on safety, the importance of science at the elementary level, or what kinds of assessment are appropriate for a given purpose might be used at the local or Board level to argue for best practices. Other topics for position statements, like “poverty” or “diversity” might represent the best thoughts of talented science education leaders but might have less potential for impacting a specific local or state debate.
Check out our current list of position statements on the NSTA website and let me know your thoughts. How can these position statements be useful to you? How have they been useful to you in the past? Send your response to juliana_texley@nsta.org and watch for a major survey on this topic later this summer.
And finally, check your calendar. NSTA’s next Congress is scheduled for Omaha, Nebraska the second week of July, 2015. Can you be there?
—Author Juliana Texley is the 2014–2015 President of the National Science Teachers Association and Chairperson of the 2014 Congress Planning Committee
If you were with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in Washington, D.C. last week, you would have been part of the most exciting and productive Congress of the year!
By Judy Elgin Jensen
Posted on 2014-07-24
I have a love-hate relationship with golf. Growing up on a midwestern farm, “green” was spring and summer. Today, “green” has very different meanings. Do I want to land my approach shot onto a perfect one? Sure I do (not that it happens all that often). But I think twice when I play on one of Florida’s winter courses (no afternoon downpours) or on a desert course any time (by definition, less than 10 inches of rainfall per year). I see fresh water as the sought-after commodity of the future.
One of the things about the USGA that I’m most enamored with is their commitment to environmental stewardship because slightly more than half of the world’s golf courses are in the United States. While Science of Golf: Course Setup focuses on the tee-to-green setup of Pinehurst No. 2 so that both the men and the women could play the U.S. Open there, the backstory was “what is the course going to look like” to both the player and the viewer AND what is its impact on the environment. Course architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw paid attention to all that when they returned Pinehurst No. 2 to Donald Ross’s original design. That backstory sparked the NSTA-developed lesson plan, which addresses just one aspect of the USGA’s Do’s and Don’ts of Affordable Golf.
The 20 videos in the Science of Golf series, developed by the partnership of NBC Learn, USGA, and Chevron, are available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com. The lesson plan linked below each of the videos provides an editable document, so you can make them your own to fit your ever-changing class list at the beginning of the year. Please leave comments below each posting about how well the information worked in your classrooms. And if you had to make significant changes to a lesson, we’d love to see what you did differently, as well as why you made the changes. Leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch with you with submission information.
Video
SOG: Course Setup discusses how Pinehurst No. 2 will be set up “firm and fast” to make it a complete examination of both men and women golfers’ abilities.
STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 4–12
SOG: Course Setup describes how students might design a solution to a problem about how golf courses are set up. It also provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers.
Image of Native grasses surround the 18th fairway at Pinehrst No. 2. courtesy of ncsuweb.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]
I have a love-hate relationship with golf. Growing up on a midwestern farm, “green” was spring and summer. Today, “green” has very different meanings. Do I want to land my approach shot onto a perfect one? Sure I do (not that it happens all that often). But I think twice when I play on one of Florida’s winter courses (no afternoon downpours) or on a desert course any time (by definition, less than 10 inches of rainfall per year).
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Posted on 2014-07-23
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) offers a growing collection of resources around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). While many of our products and services to date more generically target the whole K–12 spectrum, we do have resources designed specifically for elementary school educators.
NSTA’s upcoming full-day virtual conference (August 6 from 10 am to 6 pm EDT) on literacy and NGSS—Connecting Literacy and Science With NGSS and Common Core—will be particularly helpful to elementary teachers, who may be under the greatest stress to incorporate both the Common Core and NGSS in their classrooms, and includes an elementary-focused breakout session.
This fall, NSTA will continue the NGSS web seminar series with sessions dedicated to the new standards by grade level. The first, on September 17, will discuss kindergarten standards. Succeeding web seminars will tackle 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Additional details will soon be available on our website.
In addition, NSTA Press has produced a number of books on the NGSS. The most elementary-specific of the collection is Science for the Next Generation: Preparing for the New Standards. Other key resources are Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide, Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction, The NSTA Reader’s Guide to the Next Generation Science Standards, and The NSTA Reader’s Guide to A Framework for K–12 Science Education.
The NSTA Learning Center, which offers just-in-time, just-for-me professional learning models, also includes materials that support the NGSS. These can be by grade band and include e-chapters, e-articles, archived NGSS web seminars, and more. Plus, NLC-moderated community forums include both elementary science and Next Generation Science Standards, as well as STEM, general science and teaching, and more.
Finally, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is a unique learning experience designed for elementary teachers in grades 3–5 that focuses heavily on the NGSS scientific and engineering practices. The Academy helps teachers improve student learning experiences by enhancing grade appropriate mathematics and science content knowledge; demonstrating the interrelationships between scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving; using the math tools to build understanding and connections to science concepts; and modeling “best practices” in teaching and learning. Registration is now open for the 2015 Academy.
A comprehensive list of NSTA resources on the Next Generation Science Standards—which include videos from our National Conference in Boston, a full archive of our NGSS web seminars, books, journal articles, handouts, and more—is most easily accessed via the NGSS@NSTA Hub.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2014-07-22
I was recently appointed K-12 science department chairperson. Our professional development budget is slim, but I’d like to do something other than the generic “sit-and-git” presentations we’ve had in the past. I’ve heard about using social media and other online resources for professional development. I’m open to any other ideas, too. Where should we start?
—Lauren, Lowell, Massachusetts
This is a chance to tailor professional development (PD) to the needs of your science teachers, rather than trying to fit your colleagues into one-size-fits-all events (especially since elementary and secondary science teachers may have different needs). First, ask your administrator for state or local PD requirements and the district views on independent study and teacher-directed activities. Find out what types of pre-approval and documentation might be required for nontraditional or off-site activities.
Then ask the science teachers to examine the curriculum to identify science topics in which they need background knowledge or cutting-edge topics and instructional strategies for which they would like more information. Examine areas in which your students are struggling. You have a chance to identify specific areas of need, such as inquiry, lesson design, notebooks, formative assessments, laboratory procedures, safety, reading/writing in science, inclusion, technology integration, or classroom management. The Next Generation Science Standards could certainly be a focus area. NSTA has a variety of resources to help teachers learn about and use them. (See the NGSS@NSTA hub.)
The result of your survey should be individual or group goals reflecting your teachers’ needs. You and the teachers can then find or develop PD activities to meet those goals and describe how you will chart the progress toward meeting them, including teacher logs of their learning. Giving teachers ownership of the content and structure of their PD will improve their buy-in to the process, although those who have had negative experiences in the past may still be skeptical.
This kind of personalized PD will require as much (if not more) work than traditional workshops and presentations. Rather than putting together an extensive list of unrelated events, be sure your activities are connected to your identified needs and goals:
There may be times when everyone will need the same training. For example,if the school is implementing new software for attendance, grading, or communications, then all teachers and staff need the training and subsequent updates. Other science-related topics—such as safety or updates on regulations and policies are important enough to require periodic training events for all.
Work with your administrators to design a format for reporting not just the PD topics and the hours but also a discussion of how these activities have improved teachers’ content knowledge and instructional skills. Invite administrators to your events and into the classrooms to see the results.
I was recently appointed K-12 science department chairperson. Our professional development budget is slim, but I’d like to do something other than the generic “sit-and-git” presentations we’ve had in the past. I’ve heard about using social media and other online resources for professional development. I’m open to any other ideas, too.
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2014-07-22
Kenneth King has been an NSTA member for 20 years. King started his career as a high school science teacher and used his NSTA membership for science lesson plans and activities in his classroom. When he became an education professor, however, he found that he relied on his NSTA membership even more for “good, contemporary ideas for activities and lab experiences.” King says that the NSTA journals help prepare his preservice students to teach science. He respects the role of the journals so much that he writes and reviews articles for them and recently served as chair of Science Scope’s Advisory Board.
King: I teach science methods courses, so I cover a lot of content, and I cover a lot of different grade levels. The NSTA journals are really valuable to me, because it helps to have somebody do the heavy lifting of finding materials that are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In addition, the articles connect with what my students will need to know and what they will be required to do as science teachers, so I find the journals to be a great resource to prepare teachers.
As an example, I once did a project with my preservice students where they supported science fairs in local elementary schools. There isn’t much in a science methods textbook on science fairs. Those textbooks tend to be more theoretical, focusing on topics such as inquiry skills. I turned to the NSTA journals and found quality practitioner articles on how to manage science fairs and how to elevate fairs from just show-board experiences. The journals fill a niche that really isn’t filled by any other set of resources. They are grounded in effective pedagogy and research, but provide practitioner-oriented activities and ideas that have been vetted through a review process.
I still make use of a Science Scope article from a number of years ago called “Popcorn Possibilities.” I’ve been able to make use of that in my methods classes as a model of how to do performance-based assessment. I don’t copy the journal articles for my students, but I adapt them into lesson plans. I always share with my students that I got the resource from NSTA. I want to pique their interest and leave them hungry for more so that they’re more likely to become professionally involved with NSTA once they graduate. Students in my classes have to construct a unit of study. I encourage them to access the NSTA resources, which they can get through our university. Students learn that NSTA is a good resource for carrying out their activities and finding excellent teaching materials.
I look at NSTA materials differently than when I was a classroom teacher. As a classroom teacher, I would read the journals and say, “This is something I could do in the classroom or this is something that would help me.” Now, when I read the journals, I’m constantly finding ways to connect my preservice students to those materials. I want to stress to my students that even though they’ll be done with my class at the end of the semester, if they have a good resource like NSTA, then they will always have a friend to help them teach science.
Note from NSTA: What NSTA resources do you find helpful for preparing preservice science teachers? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. Not a member of NSTA? Learn more about how to join.
Jennifer Henderson is our guest blogger for this series. Before launching her freelance career as a writer/editor, Jennifer was Managing Editor of The Science Teacher, NSTA’s peer-reviewed journal for high school science teachers.
By Judy Elgin Jensen
Posted on 2014-07-22
This golfer is waiting for the green to clear.
This golfer is waiting for the green to clear.
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2014-07-21
The 27 lab investigations in the new NSTA Press book Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology: Lab Investigations for Grades 9-12 follow the argument-driven inquiry (ADI) instruction model, which consists of eight stages. These stages are designed to ensure that students have an opportunity to engage in the practices of science during a laboratory investigation and receive the feedback and explicit guidance that they need to improve on each aspect of science proficiency over the course of a school year.
Authors Victor Sampson, Patrick Enderle, Leeanne Gleim, Jonathon Grooms, Melanie Hester, Sherry Southerland, and Kristin Wilson outline the eight ADI stages as follows:
Stage 1: Identification of the Task and the Guiding Question; “Tool Talk”
The goal of the teacher at this stage of the model is to capture the students’ interest and provide them with a reason to design and carry out an investigation.
Stage 2: Designing a Method and Collecting Data
The overall intent of this stage is to provide students with an opportunity to interact directly with the natural world using appropriate tools and data collection techniques and to learn how to deal with the ambiguities of empirical work.
Stage 3: Data Analysis and Development of a Tentative Argument
This stage calls for students to develop a tentative argument in response to the guiding question. Each group needs to be encouraged to first “makes sense” of the measurements they collected and the observations they made during stage 2.
Stage 4: Argumentation Session
Each group is given an opportunity to share, evaluate, and revise their tentative arguments with the other groups; scientific argumentation is an important practice in science and critique leads to better outcomes.
Stage 5: Explicit and Reflective Discussion
This stage of the model provides a context for teachers to explain the nature of scientific knowledge and how this knowledge develops over time. Students develop an appropriate understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry when teachers discuss these concepts in an explicit fashion.
Stage 6: Writing the Investigation Report
Each student is required to write an investigation report using his or her group’s argument that was developed and then evaluated by his or her classmates during the argumentation session.
Stage 7: Double-Blind Peer Review
Each student is required to submit to the teacher three typed copies of his or her investigation report. Reviewing each report as a group is an important component of the peer-review process because it provides students with a forum to discuss “what counts” as high quality or acceptable and in doing so forces them to reach a consensus during the process.
Stage 8: Revision and Submission of the Investigation Report
Once the peer-review process is complete, the final stage is to revise the report based on the suggestions given during the peer review. Once the report is revised, it is turned in to the teacher for evaluation with the original rough draft and the peer-review guide attached.
The 27 lab investigations included in the book are divided into these life science core ideas:
Each lab investigation includes notes for the teacher, student handouts, additional information for students, and checkout questions. Explore this free lab: Explanations for Animal Behavior: Why Do Great White Sharks Travel Over Long Distances?
The ADI instructional model was designed as a way to make lab activities more authentic and educative for students and thus help teachers promote and support the development of science proficiency inside the classroom. This model reflects research about how people learn science and is also based on what is known about how to engage students in argumentation and other important scientific practices.
This book is also available as an e-book.
The 27 lab investigations in the new NSTA Press book Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology: Lab Investigations for Grades 9-12 follow the argument-driven inquiry (ADI) instruction model, w
By Judy Elgin Jensen
Posted on 2014-07-21
Male, female, young, old … physical workouts can be as important to low scores as club and ball design—just ask Rickie Fowler, Belen Mozo, 78-year-old Gary Player, or my college-golfer (and budding engineer) daughter who works out with an ex-NFL player twice each week. The NSTA-developed lesson plan for Science of Golf: Newton’s Third Law of Motion and Momentum gets students thinking along either line as they explore problems sparked by the NBC Learn-developed video. One of those is the increased action/reaction result of stronger core muscles. That, like other ideas in the jam-packed lesson plans might seem a bit tangential, but leading students in some less-than-obvious directions is one way to keep everyone engaged.
The 20-video Science of Golf series that NBC Learn developed in partnership with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron, brings a sport into the classroom that relatively few students and teachers participate in or observe, say, compared to baseball or even track. Yet, as a vehicle for conveying science, math, engineering, and technology, you could place it at the top of the list. Each one of the accompanying lesson plans gives you myriad ideas for highlighting STEM subjects or facilitating engineering design investigations. Afraid you won’t have the right answer for students? That’s one of the beauties of engineering design investigations—you don’t have to because there is no “right answer.” The best design is the one that performs optimally given the criteria and constraints. Chances are more than one group will end up with optimal design solutions. If so, give students a chance to critique all of the solutions and make claims based on evidence about which one they think is “best.”
Here in this lull before the back-to-school storm, stroll through these videos and others in NBC Learn’s acclaimed “Science Of…” collections. They are available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com. And don’t forget the lesson plans!
Video
SOG: Newton’s Third Law explains what happens when a golfer swings a golf club and applies a big force to the small golf ball.
STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 4–12
SOG: Newton’s Third Law describes how students explore the effect of club weight or a golfer’s muscle strength on hitting a ball further. It also provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers.
Image of our daughter during the NJCAA tournament, courtesy of her dad.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]
By Judy Elgin Jensen
Posted on 2014-07-18
Self-taught, long-ball hitter Bubba Watson gets a greater payoff from the collision between the driver and the ball than most anyone on tour. Find out what happens during those 500 microseconds in Science of Golf: Energy in Collisions and Compressions developed by the partnership of NBC Learn, Chevron, and the United States Golf Association (USGA). It’s one of twenty that bring you the science, technology, engineering, and math behind the sport.
Download the companion NSTA-developed lesson plans—jam-packed with ideas—that use the videos as a springboard. You might be a bit overwhelmed when you first open up the 20-or-so-page document, but there is a method to the madness!
Take a look for yourself! The Science of Golf video series is available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com. Download the lesson plan at the link below for Word doc you can modify at will.
BTW, the USGA says that during impact the clubhead exerts an average force in excess of 2,000 pounds on the ball, compressing it about one-fourth of its diameter. That’s smashing it!
Video
SOG: Energy in Collisions and Compressions highlights what happens during the 500 microseconds that the driver is in contact with the ball.
STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12
SOG: Energy in Collisions and Compressions guides students in exploring the coefficient of restitution through an engineering design process. It also provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers.
Image of Bubba Watson courtesy of jpellgen.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]
Self-taught, long-ball hitter Bubba Watson gets a greater payoff from the collision between the driver and the ball than most anyone on tour. Find out what happens during those 500 microseconds in Science of Golf: Energy in Collisions and Compressions developed by the partnership of NBC Learn, Chevron, and the United States Golf Association (USGA).
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2014-07-18
Many educators use summer break to reevaluate career goals. Volunteering is often considered a valuable asset on a resume or CV for almost any profession, including educators. Professionals of any age can develop new skills, expand professional networks, and open doors to opportunities for career growth through volunteering.
Get involved in shaping the future of NSTA by participating in one of the following three options: standing committees, advisory boards, or award review panels. With more than 30 different topics, you are sure to find an opportunity to spark your interest. Take some time to review your options before online applications go live on September 1.
Standing Committee volunteers review NSTA policies, programs, and activities on an annual basis. Although there are 14 different committee topics, these committees are further broken into three subsets:
Committee members work directly with members of the Board of Directors and can have a positive impact on science education at the national level.
Have you ever wanted to submit an idea for improvement to an NSTA journal, conference, or program? Do you have a great inkling for innovation in urban science or special education? Advisory Board members have the opportunity to give direct input, guidance, and advice to members of the NSTA staff and the Board of Directors.
More than 15 different Advisory Boards cover the breadth of the organization:
Publication Advisory Boards
NSTA Reports Advisory Board
Aerospace Programs Advisory Board
Conference Advisory Board
Development Advisory Board
International Advisory Board
Investment Advisory Board
John Glenn Center for Science Education Advisory Board
Retired Members Advisory Board
Science Matters Advisory Board
Science Safety Advisory Board
Special Education Advisory Board
Technology Advisory Board
Urban Science Education Advisory Board
Members who volunteer on Review Panels are charged with joint selection for specific NSTA programs, including the following:
Volunteers bring outside perspectives and professional experience to NSTA programs, products, and activities, so consider taking your membership beyond reading your journal or attending a conference. Volunteers are essential to the success of NSTA. Join our team of volunteers by applying this fall!
The best volunteers love to be part of a team—and they are always looking for passionate new volunteers. Learn more about the current Board of Directors and the newest leaders selected for Standing Committees, Advisory Boards, and Review Panels. Reach out to learn more about these opportunities!
Laura Berry of Cogberry Creative is our guest blogger for this series. Laura is a communications professional for the education community.