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Ed News: We Must Restore Respect to the Teaching Profession

By Kate Falk

Posted on 2019-03-01

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This week in education news, new legislation introduced in ban animal dissection in California schools; House passes the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act; teachers need to have a voice; professional development is a term that many educators have come to hate; first independent review to weigh whether new science curriculum series are truly aligned to a set of national standards was released; Education Secretary Betsy DeVos trying to redefine public education; basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is auctioning off four of his NBA championship rings for STEM education; and virtual and augmented reality educational applications can help students build computer science skills.

Building Bots and Confidence

On a blustery winter afternoon in a school gym that had seen better days, Shemar Watkins, 11, and three friends huddled over a pile of Legos, learning how to fail. The lesson wasn’t going well. Shemar and about two dozen children at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School, a struggling, mostly African-American school in Charm City, had formed small teams to build “battlebots” — simple, battery-powered devices made from Lego bricks. The goal: Win a king-of-the-hill competition to prove which team had the best bot. Read the article featured in The New York Times.

Groundbreaking Bill Introduced to Ban Animal Dissection in CA Schools

California could become the first state in the nation to ban the dissection of animals in K-12 schools if a bill just introduced in the state Legislature were to pass. Assembly Bill 1586, called the Replacing Animals in Science Education (or RAISE) Act would encourage schools to adopt newer teaching methods such as 3-D computer modeling programs to teach biology. Read the article by the Public News Service.

House Passes ‘Supporting Veterans In STEM Careers Act’

The House passed the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act (H.R. 425), a bipartisan bill authored by Representative Neal Dunn (R-FL) and co-sponsored by Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA-17). The bill encourages veterans to study and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a comprehensive outreach plan to increase veteran participation in its STEM education and research programs. Read the press release.

We Must Restore Respect to the Teaching Profession, Nation’s Top Teachers Say

When it comes to national debates over education policy and school funding, teachers need to have a seat at the table, say the four finalists for the 2019 National Teacher of the Year award. These nationally recognized educators offered their perspectives on the recent wave of teacher activism, attracting new talent to the profession, and the importance of civics education. Read the article featured in Education Week.

NCTQ Report Finds Elementary Teachers Not Getting the Preparation Needed for the Classroom

New analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) reveals both astonishingly high numbers of elementary teacher candidates failing their professional licensing tests each year, as well as widespread evidence that teacher preparation programs give scant attention to the content knowledge candidates need. Read the report, A Fair Chance: Simple steps to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce

A Teacher-Centric Approach to PD

The term professional development is one that many educators have come to hate—it’s automatically equated with a lot of “sit and get” and a waste of precious time. Read the article featured in edutopia.

Science Curriculum Reviews Are Out, and Results Aren’t Great

The first independent review to weigh whether new science curriculum series are truly aligned to a set of national standards was issued last week—and mostly, the materials fell well short of expectations. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Betsy DeVos and Her Allies Are Trying to Redefine ‘Public Education.’ Critics Call it ‘Absurd.’

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her allies are pushing their own definition of public education, as new Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) did this month, to the secretary’s delight. On Feb. 15, DeSantis gave a news conference about his plan for a school voucher-like program that would use public money for private and religious school tuition, an expansion of the “school choice” options already available in the state. Read the article featured in the Washington Post.

Emilio Pack: On a Quest to Move Children of Poverty Into the STEM Pipeline

When running a charter school network feels like a huge pileup of paperwork and policy, and Emilio Pack loses his way a little, he glances at a picture of himself in elementary school. He’s a chubby kid in homemade plaid overalls, still learning English, a true outsider at a school full of rich white kids in designer clothes. Seeing that photo zaps him full of renewed energy and purpose. Pack, 50, is running three science and technology charter schools, in a neighborhood of working-class immigrants, to give these children something he didn’t have: good choices right in their own neighborhood; schools with the power to lift them out of poverty. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Auctioning Off Four NBA Championship Rings for His Nonprofit

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is auctioning off four of his six NBA championship rings to raise money for his nonprofit focused on STEM education. Read the article featured in The Hill.

K-12 Teachers Use Virtual and Augmented Reality Platforms to Teach Coding

Immersive AR and VR educational applications can help students build computer science skills they can use later in life. Read the article featured in Ed Tech.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

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


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What if you could challenge your fifth graders to design rainwater recycling systems to provide water for a fictional community garden? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!

Rainwater Analysis outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while grounding them in integrated STEM disciplines. As are the other volumes in this series, this book is designed to meet the growing need to infuse real-world learning into K–12 classrooms.
What if you could challenge your fifth graders to design rainwater recycling systems to provide water for a fictional community garden? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!

Rainwater Analysis outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while grounding them in integrated STEM disciplines. As are the other volumes in this series, this book is designed to meet the growing need to infuse real-world learning into K–12 classrooms.
Get rave reviews for science by putting this book’s step-by-step plans to work. Staging Family Science Nights is your playbook for creating an informal learning environment that will generate enthusiasm and enjoyment of science among the entire family. The book’s first section—“Producing the Event”—devotes eight chapters to planning, recruiting volunteers (including students), setting up, last-minute troubleshooting, and injecting pizazz. The four chapters in the second section—“On the Stage”—offer guidance and templates for activities at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Get rave reviews for science by putting this book’s step-by-step plans to work. Staging Family Science Nights is your playbook for creating an informal learning environment that will generate enthusiasm and enjoyment of science among the entire family. The book’s first section—“Producing the Event”—devotes eight chapters to planning, recruiting volunteers (including students), setting up, last-minute troubleshooting, and injecting pizazz. The four chapters in the second section—“On the Stage”—offer guidance and templates for activities at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science, Volume 3: 32 New Matter and Energy Formative Assessment Probes

Have you been wanting to learn more about what your students know (or think they know) about major concepts in matter and energy? Have you been wishing for formative assessment tools in both English and Spanish? Then this is the book you’ve been waiting for.

Like the other 10 books in the bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science, Volume 3 does the following:
Have you been wanting to learn more about what your students know (or think they know) about major concepts in matter and energy? Have you been wishing for formative assessment tools in both English and Spanish? Then this is the book you’ve been waiting for.

Like the other 10 books in the bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science, Volume 3 does the following:

Rainwater Analysis, Grade 5: STEM Road Map for Elementary School

What if you could challenge your fifth graders to design rainwater recycling systems to provide water for a fictional community garden? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!
What if you could challenge your fifth graders to design rainwater recycling systems to provide water for a fictional community garden? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!
The kid-friendly topic of Motion and Stability allows students to make predictions, carry out investigations, and make claims supported by evidence. So, let’s get the marbles rolling and bring on the pushing and pulling in the classroom as we learn about forces and interactions in this month’s issue of Science and Children.
The kid-friendly topic of Motion and Stability allows students to make predictions, carry out investigations, and make claims supported by evidence. So, let’s get the marbles rolling and bring on the pushing and pulling in the classroom as we learn about forces and interactions in this month’s issue of Science and Children.
The kid-friendly topic of Motion and Stability allows students to make predictions, carry out investigations, and make claims supported by evidence. So, let’s get the marbles rolling and bring on the pushing and pulling in the classroom as we learn about forces and interactions in this month’s issue of Science and Children.
A performance task is an excellent assessment vehicle because it allows students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, and proficiency through a product or performance. Learn how to create your own performance tasks, and other assessment vehicles, with the articles found in in this issue of Science Scope.
A performance task is an excellent assessment vehicle because it allows students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, and proficiency through a product or performance. Learn how to create your own performance tasks, and other assessment vehicles, with the articles found in in this issue of Science Scope.
A performance task is an excellent assessment vehicle because it allows students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, and proficiency through a product or performance. Learn how to create your own performance tasks, and other assessment vehicles, with the articles found in in this issue of Science Scope.
 

Research and Teaching

What Does Course Design Mean to College Science and Mathematics Teachers?

What Does Course Design Mean to College Science and Mathematics Teachers?

By Gary A. Smith, Audriana Stark, and Julie Sanchez

The study shows that instructors, administrators, and faculty developers should view course design not only as a variety of individual approaches, but also as opportunities to stimulate networks to enhance the design process and its impact.

The study shows that instructors, administrators, and faculty developers should view course design not only as a variety of individual approaches, but also as opportunities to stimulate networks to enhance the design process and its impact.

The study shows that instructors, administrators, and faculty developers should view course design not only as a variety of individual approaches, but also as opportunities to stimulate networks to enhance the design process and its impact.

 

Research and Teaching

Construction Ahead: Evaluating Deployment Methods for Categorization Tasks as Precursors to Lecture

Construction Ahead: Evaluating Deployment Methods for Categorization Tasks as Precursors to Lecture

By Anne Marie A. Casper, Jacob M. Woodbury, William B. Davis, and Erika G. Offerdahl

The authors of this article briefly review the literature rationalizing sorting tasks as a preclass activity for fostering deep initial learning and transfer.

The authors of this article briefly review the literature rationalizing sorting tasks as a preclass activity for fostering deep initial learning and transfer.

The authors of this article briefly review the literature rationalizing sorting tasks as a preclass activity for fostering deep initial learning and transfer.

 

Research and Teaching

Two-Stage (Collaborative) Testing in Science Teaching: Does It Improve Grades on Short-Answer Questions and Retention of Material?

Two-Stage (Collaborative) Testing in Science Teaching: Does It Improve Grades on Short-Answer Questions and Retention of Material?

By Genevieve Newton, Rebecca Rajakaruna, Verena Kulak, William Albabish, Brett H. Gilley, and Kerry Ritchie

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) if two-stage testing improves performance on both multiple-choice and long-answer questions, (b) if two-stage testing improves short- and long-term knowledge retention, and (c) whether there are differences in knowledge retention based on question type.

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) if two-stage testing improves performance on both multiple-choice and long-answer questions, (b) if two-stage testing improves short- and long-term knowledge retention, and (c) whether there are differences in knowledge retention based on question type.

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) if two-stage testing improves performance on both multiple-choice and long-answer questions, (b) if two-stage testing improves short- and long-term knowledge retention, and (c) whether there are differences in knowledge retention based on question type.

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