By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2017-03-29
NSTA recently launched e-Books+ Student Editions. In Part 1, we provided information on what the student editions include and the full range of topics available. In this post, we’ll share what teachers have to say about the new student editions and how they can help you in your school and classroom.
If you are looking for something that is more than just a digital textbook, consider these student editions as a visual and intellectual experience for your students.
“I implemented this e-book in my classroom, for the first time, this year. My students honestly love it. This book covers all of the content standards with life biology, your units are right there ready to go. The students are engaged and actually want to read! It has had a tremendous impact on test scores, and retention. My students are still able to recall what they learned, they recall images and video clips. It is a kinesthetic learning experience. I was so impressed with the first one that I purchased a second about cells, which is equally stunning. I can’t wait to get the complete set and neither can my students!”
Alicia H.
These are great to use in a station environment. The outstanding graphics as well as the interactive modules and videos add an additional depth that really captures your students’ attention.
“The students love them and are extremely motivated to complete assignments using the e-book.”
Jennifer M.
If you have students who are struggling with a particular topic or who have missed a lot of class time, these student editions can be a great resource.
“I am so happy I decided to purchase this e-book…it has turned out to be a great help for those that were struggling and allowing them to dig deeper into the subject matter and work independently.”
Sara G.
All purchases of eBooks+ Student Editions must be completed through NSTA’s Customer Service Department. Order by phone (1-800-277-5300) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET) or fax (1-703-243-7177). Or email us at orders@nsta.org. Download an eBooks+ Student Edition order form.
Pricing information is available per e-book/student/year. For any other questions regarding NSTA’s eBooks+ Student Editions, please contact ebooks@nsta.org.
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NSTA recently launched e-Books+ Student Editions. In Part 1, we provided information on what the student editions include and the full range of topics available. In this post, we’ll share what teachers have to say about the new student editions and how they can help you in your school and classroom.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2017-03-28
I’m preparing to be a chemistry teacher. In addition to chemistry and teacher prep classes, what else should I study to become an effective teacher? More math or physics? —T., Colorado
While math and physics are important (especially if you’re pursuing other certifications), you also could become familiar with another language and the special education requirements in your state. You could pursue a personal interest in history and geography, literature, or the arts to better connect science with other subjects.
As a teacher, you’ll be “on stage” every day. Many teacher prep classes don’t address how to communicate with students and share your enthusiasm and passion for chemistry. That’s where acting experience or a class may help. This doesn’t mean putting on a contrived show but rather using your voice and body language effectively.
After several teachers in my school were recruited into a community theatre group, our confidence and communications in the classroom improved in several areas:
Who knows what topics you could change from dull to interesting for students?
Online Resources:
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/spcummings/361167519/
By Cindy Workosky
Posted on 2017-03-28
Seeing Students Learn Science
It is a truly exciting time in science education. Science educators across the country are adapting to a new vision of how students learn science guided by the Framework for K–12 Science Education. As a result, science instruction is changing to better tap into students’ natural curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world around them. As instruction is changing, assessments need to change as well. Many science educators recognize that traditional assessments are not appropriate for capturing three-dimensional science learning. But, they may not know what assessments of three-dimensional learning should look like nor how they can be used effectively in science classrooms.
On March 30 at the NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles, I will introduce science educators to a new book from the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Seeing Students Learn Science: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom. The book draws on research-based recommendations for assessment to explore how classroom teachers can use assessments as part of instruction to advance students’ three-dimensional learning.
Traditional science assessments do not allow teachers to fully understand students’ mastery of science and engineering practices, nor do they provide insight into students’ learning trajectories. In contrast, effective classroom assessments in science can help teachers collect information about students’ understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts as well as students’ ability to engage in the scientific and engineering practices. Good assessments of 3–D science learning can help teachers make decisions about next steps for learning and identify the supports that individual students or groups of students may need. They can also help students take control of their own learning by helping them see what they have mastered and where they may need more practice. A major goal is for assessment to become an integral part of science teaching practice, rather than an interruption.
The book is organized around key questions related to classroom assessment.
The new book is designed to help teachers create and implement classroom assessments that capture three-dimensional learning. It helps teachers think about how to embed assessments within engaging classroom tasks and how to interpret and use novel kinds of assessment information. It also offers ideas and questions teachers can use to reflect on what they can adapt right away and what they may need to work on developing over time. My talk will highlight some of the key ideas from the book, illustrated with examples, and explore how the book can be used to help teachers’ reflect on and improve their classroom instruction. I would love to see you there! If you will not be at the conference, read the book online here.
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Editor’s Note: Featured speaker session will take place on Thursday, March 30 from 12:30-1:30 pm at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Petree Hall C.
Heidi Schweingruber
Heidi Schweingruber is the director of the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council (NRC). She co-directed the study that resulted in the report A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2011). She served as study director for a review of NASA’s pre-college education programs completed in 2008 and co-directed the study that produced the 2007 report Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8. Prior to joining the NRC, Heidi worked as a senior research associate at the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. Heidi holds a Ph.D. in psychology and anthropology, and a certificate in culture and cognition from the University of Michigan.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Future NSTA Conferences
STEM Forum & Expo
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Seeing Students Learn Science
By Guest Blogger
Posted on 2017-03-27
This week I’m headed to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in LA, where I’ll be blogging and tweeting about all things engineering and STEM! As an engineering educator, I am keenly interested in helping to prepare our future workforce and citizenry through meaningful, robust, and integrated instruction that includes engineering. In my career, I have worked as an engineer at IBM, owned a science/engineering education business, directed National Science Foundation grants focused on high-quality STEM instruction, taught first-year engineering, worked intensively with schools (especially high poverty; high needs and also gifted) to use engineering as a way to change the culture, and done research and lots of practice with the Engineering is Elementary team from the Museum of Science Boston.
As a consultant, my goal for the schools I work with are simple: That students will go on to the next level as (1) confident learners who can work productively with other people (2) problem solvers who can use data and evidence to make decisions and (3) people who can fail, and then recover from it, because that’s what humans do.
Engineering brings to the STEM table a myriad of things, not the least of which is a set of habits of mind that help develop good citizens. As reported in a 2009 National Academies of Engineering publication, the habits of mind of engineers are (1) communication (2) collaboration (3) creativity (4) optimism (5) ethical considerations and (6) systems thinking. Of course, many professions across the academic spectrum certainly develop and utilize similar skills sets. But let me tell you about them from the engineering point of view:
I am most excited about this opportunity to blog from NSTA because every single time I’m around people who are doing really great work and are excited enough to share it, it’s contagious! I love to learn, and I’ve never left an NSTA gathering without learning. I’m also really excited to have the opportunity to interact with those in the science community who are experts in engineering, those who are just learning, and those who have no idea but want to learn. Please look for me in sessions about engineering or follow this blog, and please use hashtags #NSTA17 and #STEMninjaneer on any reposts—thanks so much!
Author Liz Parry is a guest blogger for NSTA for the 2017 National Conference; follow Liz on Twitter @STEMninjaneer.
More About the 2017 National Conference on Science Education
Browse the program preview, or check out more sessions and other events with the LA Session Browser/Personal Scheduler. Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA17, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it!
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Future NSTA Conferences
2017 STEM Forum & Expo
Kissimmee/Orlando, July 12–14
2017 Area Conferences
Baltimore, October 5–7
Milwaukee, November 9–11
New Orleans, Nov. 30–Dec. 2
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This week I’m headed to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in LA, where I’ll be blogging and tweeting about all things engineering and STEM! As an engineering educator, I am keenly interested in helping to prepare our future workforce and citizenry through meaningful, robust, and integrated instruction that includes engineering.
By David Evans, NSTA Executive Director
Posted on 2017-03-26
Since the founding of our country, indeed since the beginning of western democracy, being well-informed includes being well-informed about science. “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government,” said Thomas Jefferson, 228 years ago, not long before he established the first science agency in the U.S. government, the Survey of the Coast, and commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Today there is a growing rift between science as a way to understand the natural world and the formulation of public policy. We “debate” the causes of climate change; we think that evolution is “only” a theory; and many believe that vaccination causes autism. “Alternative facts” can be proclaimed with a straight face.
Years ago, Isaac Asimov noted, “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
Now, more than ever, the need for science education is staggering and public support for science is undermined by deliberate misinformation and simple ignorance.
The March for Science is an effort to remind the public of the benefits of science and science education. These benefits range from meaningful careers for our children to improving our health to living sustainably on our planet to being well-informed in the voting booth. As educators—and as scientists—we have stayed in the shadows too long and I believe we must move into the spotlight of public attention. A bright light will sometimes expose weaknesses but we know that the only way to repair a weakness is to first see it.
In agreeing to partner with the March for Science, NSTA subscribed to a set of core principles and goals that I want to share with you:
Core Principles – We Support:
Goals for the March:
I expect that each of these will receive some exposure at the March. None of these is political in a partisan way. And all of them are what we hope for in a science literate society.
Please join me on April 22 as we Stand up for Students and Stand up for Science.
Dr. David L. Evans is the Executive Director of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Reach him via e-mail at devans@nsta.org or via Twitter @devans_NSTA.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
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By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2017-03-26
Nature play and exploration varies in early childhood (broadly: infant to grade 3) programs and are subject to the local and state licensing regulations, a program’s choice of curriculum, the local environment and weather, and the support of the administration. A conference is an effective way to get a lot of science content knowledge about that local environment and the living organisms that reside there, and to learn developmentally appropriate ways to share that information with young children as you give them experiences that will invite them to continue to explore nature over their lifetimes.
The “Getting Kids Outdoors in Nature” conference, organized by the early childhood committee of NoVA Outside, brought together educators in varied roles from the usual mix of early childhood programs, all interested in learning more about nature education.
In her keynote address, Outdoor Education and Nature Connection Specialist Amy Beam encouraged us to let children take risks that help develop their gross motor skills and their confidence in their own problem-solving abilities. She spoke about those “tender conversations” when children are confronted with a robin eating a ‘friend’ worm and begin to understand the needs of living organisms. The examples she brought of the many different materials she and the children take with them on their long walks through natural areas helped us
plan for our own programs. Beam works as an outdoor educator with Montessori schools in the Washington, D.C. area, and she appeared in the film Mother Nature’s Child.
Nature play and exploration varies in early childhood (broadly: infant to grade 3) programs and are subject to the local and state licensing regulations, a program’s choice of curriculum, the local environment and weather, and the support of the administration.
By Kate Falk
Posted on 2017-03-24
This week in education news, education programs could still be vulnerable in President Trump’s budget; most U.S. public school students are taught by qualified teachers; and utility-value intervention with parents increases students’ STEM preparation and career pursuit.
One Reason Young People Don’t Go Into Science? We Don’t Fail Well
Learning resilience is fundamental to a successful career as a scientist. The experiments we try will fail many times before they work, whether as an undergraduate, a PhD student, or a postdoc gunning for a faculty position. I’m dealing with this right now in my third laboratory rotation: In trying to study a protein in zebrafish, I made a mistake and all my embryos died. So, I’m troubleshooting and doing the experiment again. Click here to read the article featured in STAT magazine.
What Education Programs Could Still Be Vulnerable in Trump’s Budget?
President Trump’s budget plan for education has singled out several programs to be slimmed down or eliminated. But all we know right know is based on a mere “skinny” federal budget the administration released last week. It doesn’t detail all of the cuts and additions Trump’s team wants to make. In the interim, we talked with Tom Corwin and Michele McLaughlin and they discussed which programs might be particularly vulnerable to proposed cuts, elimination, or some kind of lack of love from Trump. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.
How Many U.S. Students Are Taught By Qualified Teachers?
It turns out, most U.S. public school students are taught by certified and experienced teachers, according to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics. Still, the numbers vary as you look across states, school districts, and by different school and student characteristics. The report uses data from the Schools and Staffing Survey and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.
Getting Girls Into STEM: The Power Of Blended (And All-Female) Instruction
Jackie, the team captain of St. Mary’s all-girls robotics team, knows a thing or two about breaking the mold. During a panel on the importance of STEM education for women, she explained what it’s like to be a female student competing in a male-dominated program: “Not only were we the only all-girls robotics team,” she explained of a recent competition, “we were the only team that actually allowed girls to touch the robots.” Click here to read the article featured on EdSurge.com.
Utility-Value Intervention With Parents Increases Students’ STEM Preparation and Career Pursuit
When parents of high school students are given guidance on how to talk about the importance of science and math, their children are more likely to score well on a STEM standardized test and, years later, pursue a STEM career, finds a study from the University of Virginia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.
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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This week in education news, education programs could still be vulnerable in President Trump’s budget; most U.S. public school students are taught by qualified teachers; and utility-value intervention with parents increases students’ STEM preparation and career pursuit.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2017-03-23
I have several students in my biology classes who are very disruptive. I know I should contact their parents, but as a new teacher I’ve never done this. How I should handle this? —C., California
I found at the secondary level, it was more effective to work with the students first, then contact parents (or guardians) about misbehavior after exhausting in-house strategies. Even if you typically e-mail or text, having a real-time voice conversation with parents or guardians may be the most effective way to express your concern.
Determine an appropriate time to speak (it may not be possible for all parents to talk while at work) through a text or e-mail. Or ask them to call you and suggesting times, such as early morning or late afternoon. (It’s a good idea in your welcome letter at the beginning of the year to ask parents the best way and time to communicate.)
Prepare notes to help stay focused on the problem and what you want to discuss.
Start with some positive comments about the student and emphasize you want what’s best for their child to be a successful learner. Provide examples of the behavior in question and how you tried to correct the situation. Ask for other ideas on how you can work together to resolve the issues. If the disruptive behavior occurs during a lab activity, remind the parents of the safety acknowledgement form they signed.
Give the parents time to respond and listen to them without interruption, using wait-time before you respond).
You can ask your mentor or administrator to be present (be sure to mention that he/she is there).
At the end, summarize what you and the parents will do and expectations for the student. Thank them for their time and input. Follow up on the conversation with any results.
Annotate your notes and keep a log of your communications.
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eclectic-echoes/6681499071/
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2017-03-22
NSTA recently launched e-Books+ Student Editions. In addition to the impressive array of topics, the student editions come with the tools that allow teachers to manage their students’ learning in useful ways.
Created for students in grades 6-12, these interactive e-books include animations, videos, simulations, embedded assessment, slide shows, and high-resolution images. These interactive e-books are between 100 pages and 200 pages long and are intended to supplement your classroom curriculum. Note that English language arts e-books focused on STEM concepts for students in grades K-5 are in development and will be available in the not too distant future.
The topics currently available are for middle and high school students. The student editions are housed on a Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) compliant site. Students go to the NSTA Reader or use the NSTA Reader app. They log in using the username and password that was assigned to them by their teachers.
This new video highlights many of the features of the student editions.
In the NSTA Reader, using the student editions, teachers can:
NSTA has created step-by-step instructions for teachers to use the NSTA Reader.
These tools are not available with the professional learning editions. The student editions currently are licensed for a period of one year with multiyear options coming soon.
In the student editions, students can take advantage of these features:
Additionally, administrators can:
NSTA provides step-by-step instructions for administrators to use the NSTA Reader.
The student editions support the disciplinary core ideas of the Next Generation Science Standards. The table below features all 23 topics currently available. Visit the Enhanced E-books Student Edition page and scroll through to learn more about each topic.
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Visit the Science Store or Booth 534, and try out the Enhanced e-Books for yourself.
All purchases of eBooks+ Student Editions must be completed through NSTA’s Customer Service Department. Order by phone (1-800-277-5300) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET) or fax (1-703-243-7177). Or email us at orders@nsta.org. Download an eBooks+ Student Edition order form.
Pricing information is available per e-book/student/year. For any other questions regarding NSTA’s eBooks+ Student Editions, please contact ebooks@nsta.org.
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NSTA recently launched e-Books+ Student Editions. In addition to the impressive array of topics, the student editions come with the tools that allow teachers to manage their students’ learning in useful ways.