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Ed News: Idaho Legislature Approves New Science Standards that Omit Climate Change

By Kate Falk

Posted on 2017-03-03

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This week in education news, the Idaho Senate Education Committee approved new science standards that omit climate change; more states introduce bills that interfere with science education; 100Kin10 renews its call to support STEM teachers; and a new study suggests spending an hour learning computer basics may positively change students’ attitudes about computer science.

Idaho Legislature Signs Off on School Science Standards That Leave Out Climate Change

The Senate Education Committee voted to approve new science standards for Idaho public schools that do not address the human impact on climate change. The vote essentially kicks the question of including climate change down the road a year, because lawmakers must permanently approve the science standards in 2018. Click here to read the article featured in the Idaho Statesman.

More States Introduce Bills to Interfere with Science Education

The South Dakota bill has now died in the legislature, while the Indiana resolution has passed the senate. Resolutions are not subject to veto, so that vote is final. But in the intervening time, similar bills have appeared in three other states, and a fourth state is considering eliminating references to climate change in its teaching plan. Click here to read the article featured on the Ars Technica website.

Trump Signs Laws to Promote Women in STEM

President Donald Trump signed two laws this week that authorize NASA and the National Science Foundation to encourage women and girls to get into STEM fields. The INSPIRE (Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers) Act directs NASA to promote STEM fields to women and girls, and encourage women to pursue careers in aerospace. The second law is the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act. It authorizes the National Science Foundation to support entrepreneurial programs aimed at women. Click here to read the article featured on CNET.com.

With New Administration, 100Kin10 Renews Call to Support STEM Teachers

100Kin10 published an open letter that reiterated the importance of their mission in a new political climate. The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is one of the challenges 100Kin10 lists in its open letter, along with the underrepresentation of minorities, dwindling enrollment in teacher-preparation programs for STEM, the high rate of STEM teachers who leave the profession, and the need for more early-childhood STEM education. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

After-school Programs Foster STEM Skills

While many classrooms and internship programs are actively trying to incorporate STEM education into the lives of children and young adults, after-school programs that focus on STEM let children explore new ideas without worrying about keeping their grades up. According to the study, “Afterschool & STEM: System Building Evaluation 2016,” which will be formally released in April, more than 70 percent of students in all participating states showed positive gains in STEM subjects, careers, knowledge and 21st-century skills by participating in STEM-focused programs after school. Click here to read the article featured in U.S. News & World Report.

The Hour of Code: Impact on Attitudes Towards and Self-Efficacy with Computer Science

Spending an hour learning computer basics may positively change students’ attitudes about computer science and increase their feelings of self-efficacy where that subject is concerned—especially among girls, suggests a study. 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, the Idaho Senate Education Committee approved new science standards that omit climate change; more states introduce bills that interfere with science education; 100Kin10 renews its call to support STEM teachers; and a new study suggests spending an hour learning computer basics may positively change students’ attitudes about computer science.

Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Computer Science in the Classroom: Computational Thinking for Teachers

Computer Science in the Classroom: Computational Thinking for Teachers is a 2 credit course which examines the computing field and how it impacts the human condition. Exciting ideas and influential people are introduced. A gentle introduction to computational thinking using the Python programming language is provided. The course also introduces participants to robotic platforms. Tuition rates for MT residents: $266.50/credit. For more information visit the web site at: http://www.montana.edu/msse/
Computer Science in the Classroom: Computational Thinking for Teachers is a 2 credit course which examines the computing field and how it impacts the human condition. Exciting ideas and influential people are introduced. A gentle introduction to computational thinking using the Python programming language is provided. The course also introduces participants to robotic platforms. Tuition rates for MT residents: $266.50/credit. For more information visit the web site at: http://www.montana.edu/msse/
Computer Science in the Classroom: Computational Thinking for Teachers is a 2 credit course which examines the computing field and how it impacts the human condition. Exciting ideas and influential people are introduced. A gentle introduction to computational thinking using the Python programming language is provided. The course also introduces participants to robotic platforms. Tuition rates for MT residents: $266.50/credit. For more information visit the web site at: http://www.montana.edu/msse/
New in 2017!
Children want to explore, dig, build, play, and wonder. To do this they need to touch, feel, see, observe, listen, manipulate, plan, and create. How does a teacher build and maintain a learning environment that will help students investigate meaningful questions? How does a teacher plan and manage ongoing investigations? How does a teacher use resources to bring learning to life?
New in 2017!
Children want to explore, dig, build, play, and wonder. To do this they need to touch, feel, see, observe, listen, manipulate, plan, and create. How does a teacher build and maintain a learning environment that will help students investigate meaningful questions? How does a teacher plan and manage ongoing investigations? How does a teacher use resources to bring learning to life?
 

ESSA—What’s in YOUR State Plan?

By Jodi Peterson

Posted on 2017-03-02

 

States stakeholders are working now to develop plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). These state plans will include new guidelines for accountability and much more. Plans are due to the U.S. Department of Education in either April or September this year. 

Do you know what is in your state’s plan for ESSA? Do you know if it mentions science or STEM education?

Now is the time to help frame and define ESSA in a way that incorporates STEM teaching and learning.

What Can You Do?

It is critical that educators review and provide input to ESSA state plans because they can and will affect teaching and learning for years to come. You have the power to impact your state’s plan by promoting STEM as a critical piece of a well-rounded education.

These states have indicated they are submitting their plans by April: AZ, CO, DE, IL, LA, MA,, MI, MO, MT, NV, NJ, NM, ND, OH, OR, TN, VT, DC.

To find out more about your state plan for ESSA, visit your state’s department of education website.

To learn more about how you can reach out to state leaders about your state plan, learn more about the Student Success with STEM Campaign which contains outreach materials including alerts, mobilization challenges, overview of the law, and talk points to ensure that STEM is in state ESSA plans.

To learn more about ESSA and science/STEM visit http://www.nsta.org/about/clpa/

President Trump Calls for Voucher Program during Congressional Address

During his February 28 address to Congress, Trump called on lawmakers to “pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African American and Latino children.”

 “These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them,” Trump told lawmakers, while offering few details about how to pay for such a program or the political ramifications to public education.  

 Politico reported last month that the Administration is considering creating a tax credit scholarship program that would allow people and companies to   allocate tax money to nonprofits that administer choice scholarships and cover students’ tuition or expenses. Read a National Council on State Legislatures overview of Scholarship Tax Credits here.

Read more about the address and the President’s proposal here.

Bracing for Budget Cuts?

President Trump last week also proposed a $54 billion increase in defense spending with corresponding cuts to non-defense spending. Although there are no details as yet, key lawmakers are hinting of a possible 12 percent drop in spending for these programs in FY2018.  Education advocates are bracing for what may be massive cuts to federal education programs—including programs under ESSA– since education (and health and labor) programs make up about one-third of all non-defense discretionary spending.

The White House has said it plans to send a “final budget blueprint” to Congress by March 16, and a final budget will be public in early May.

During his address to Congress, the President called for a school voucher program to be created (see above), and while no details on how this would be funded were released, media sources are reporting that the Administration is considering the creation of a federal tax credit scholarship that would allow low income families to send children to private schools, including religious schools.

President Signs Two STEM Bills into Law

President Trump signed two bills into law that focus on bolstering women in science, technology, engineering and math. The INSPIRE Women Act (H.R. 321) directs NASA to provide a report to House and Senate committees about how current and former astronauts and other staff can promote STEM in schools. The Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act (H.R. 255) authorizes the National Science Foundation to expand its educational and professional programs for women into the commercial sector. The measures call for gender diversity in these fields but provide no new funding.

And finally

Last month the House overturned the Obama Administration’s accountability rule for the regulation governing teacher preparation programs. Ten Senate Republicans have filed a measure to get rid of the teacher prep regulations. The American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) Action Alert system is working to rescind the teacher prep regulations in the Senate. Go here.

Most in the education community are opposed to the teacher preparation rules and believe changes made by the federal government should be part of the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

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


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States stakeholders are working now to develop plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). These state plans will include new guidelines for accountability and much more. Plans are due to the U.S. Department of Education in either April or September this year. 

Problem-Based Learning in the Earth and Space Science Classroom, K–12

Implementing PBL is difficult for teachers, and few curriculum guides are available to support their efforts. This book fills that gap by providing the kinds of strategies and examples teachers need to facilitate open-ended inquiry in their science classrooms.”

Peggy A. Ertmer, Professor Emerita of Learning Design and Technology, Purdue University, and Founding Editor of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning.
Implementing PBL is difficult for teachers, and few curriculum guides are available to support their efforts. This book fills that gap by providing the kinds of strategies and examples teachers need to facilitate open-ended inquiry in their science classrooms.”

Peggy A. Ertmer, Professor Emerita of Learning Design and Technology, Purdue University, and Founding Editor of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning.
 

10 NSTA Conference Sessions that Will Turn Your World Upside Down

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2017-02-28

women reading upside down

Ready for something completely different?
Ready to love science teaching even more?

NSTA is headed to Los Angeles this month for our 2017 National Conference on Science Education, March 30-April 2. And what happens in LA won’t stay in LA. You’ll go home with a brand new perspective on your teaching.

How does this happen? It starts and ends with your fellow teachers who share what really works, in real classrooms. Whether you’re in sessions, socializing, experiencing the exhibits, or visiting local museums, you’ll be surrounded by thousands of fellow teachers who will be there to help you solve your problems and celebrate your successes. And boring won’t be on the schedule.

Below are just a few of our favorite sessions, guaranteed to give you  fresh perspective.

  • How to be a DonorsChoose Rockstar: Using Crowdfunding to Get a Killer STEM Space!
  • Science Current Events Journals: Real Science and Media Literacy
  • Identify Patient Zero of a Zombie Apocalypse
  • Using Student-Created Virtual Field Trips to Enhance Learning
  • A University Course and Middle School Teacher Professional Learning Promoting Climate and Data Literacy, plus Effective Teaching and Learning Practices
  • “Making” Three-Dimensional Learning Happen: Using Maker Space Technologies to Engage the NGSS
  • Building Scientific Literacy by Using Science News Reported in the Popular Media
  • Equity within NGSS: Strategies for Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Science Classroom
  • Putting It All Together: The Crossroads of NGSS, CCSS, and ISTE in the Elementary Classroom
  • Virtual Reality’s Emerging Future in Science Education

LA preview cover

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! Need to request funding or time off? Download this letter of support.

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

Add Professional Learning Institutes to Your Conference Experience

Professional Learning Institutes (PLIs) are focused, content-based programs that explore key topics in science/STEM education in depth. One-Day PLIs are a preconference full-day session only. Full PLIs begin with a full-day preconference session, followed by pathway sessions that offer further exploration of the topics covered. PLIs are presented by experts in science/STEM education, professional learning, standards implementation, assessment, curriculum, and resources/materials development. Institutes are offered in conjunction with the NSTA National Conference on Science Education and require conference registration.

At the Los Angeles Conference, full PLIs will begin with the preconference one-day session on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, by preregistration only. The pathway sessions will be scheduled on Thursday, March 30, 2017, and/or Friday, March 31, 2017. The PLI One Day Work Sessions will be held only on Wednesday, March 29, as preconference sessions only.

Los Angeles, California: March 29, 2017

To register online for the Los Angeles conference and to purchase PLI tickets, click here. You may also download a registration form (PDF).

Professional Learning Institute (PLI) Ticket Scholarship Opportunity

The Northrop Grumman Foundation is providing free PLI attendance (a $150 value) to Los Angeles area teachers attending the NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles, March 29–April 2, 2017.

To qualify for a PLI Ticket Scholarship you need to be:

  • A full-time teacher of science, technology, or engineering working within a 100 mile radius of Los Angeles.
  • Registered for the NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles March 29–April 2, 2017 and able to attend the PLI, which is a preconference all-day session on March 29.

Please complete a short eligibility survey via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PLI17

You will receive an email confirming your scholarship once you are accepted based on the criteria listed.

If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Binder at wbinder@nsta.org.

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 National Conference

2017 STEM Forum & Expo

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women reading upside down

Ready for something completely different?
Ready to love science teaching even more?

 

Inquiring Astronomy: Incorporating Student-Centered Pedagogical Techniques in an Introductory College Science Course

Journal of College Science Teaching—March/April 2017

By Debbie A. French and Andrea C. Burrows

Increases in student-centered pedagogy have been more prevalent in K–12 education than in collegiate undergraduate science education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using student-centered pedagogy advocated in K–12 education on introductory astronomy students’ content knowledge, interest, and recall of content taught in the semester. Forty-two students participated in the study and took the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) at the beginning and end of the semester. The students had an average initial TOAST score of 37% and a post-TOAST score of 62%. Students also participated in surveys reporting their interest in astronomy, whether their interest in astronomy changed, and what they remembered from the course. Students (79%) reported the class increased their interest in astronomy in a survey given at the end of the semester. Students reported remembering the active-learning activities more than astronomical facts. These results show encouraging results for creating and implementing student-centered pedagogical techniques in college science courses of all disciplines.

Increases in student-centered pedagogy have been more prevalent in K–12 education than in collegiate undergraduate science education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using student-centered pedagogy advocated in K–12 education on introductory astronomy students’ content knowledge, interest, and recall of content taught in the semester. Forty-two students participated in the study and took the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) at the beginning and end of the semester. The students had an average initial TOAST score of 37% and a post-TOAST score of 62%.

Increases in student-centered pedagogy have been more prevalent in K–12 education than in collegiate undergraduate science education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using student-centered pedagogy advocated in K–12 education on introductory astronomy students’ content knowledge, interest, and recall of content taught in the semester. Forty-two students participated in the study and took the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) at the beginning and end of the semester. The students had an average initial TOAST score of 37% and a post-TOAST score of 62%.

The Power of Investigating: Guiding Authentic Assessments

Children want to explore, dig, build, play, and wonder. To do this they need to touch, feel, see, observe, listen, manipulate, plan, and create. How does a teacher build and maintain a learning environment that will help students investigate meaningful questions? How does a teacher plan and manage ongoing investigations? How does a teacher use resources to bring learning to life?
Children want to explore, dig, build, play, and wonder. To do this they need to touch, feel, see, observe, listen, manipulate, plan, and create. How does a teacher build and maintain a learning environment that will help students investigate meaningful questions? How does a teacher plan and manage ongoing investigations? How does a teacher use resources to bring learning to life?

Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Biomimicry: The Technology of Biology

Biomimicry: The Technology of Biology is a 2 credit course that introduces the rapidly emerging discipline of biomimicry as a source of inspiration to create solutions to human problems. You will learn how to use nature as a source of ideas, how to conceptualize functions, mechanisms, and strategies that biological species use to thrive on earth. Industries are using forms, processes, and systems from the biological world to inspire technological innovation. This course is relevant to all disciplines and is now being taught from first grade to doctorate programs around the world.
Biomimicry: The Technology of Biology is a 2 credit course that introduces the rapidly emerging discipline of biomimicry as a source of inspiration to create solutions to human problems. You will learn how to use nature as a source of ideas, how to conceptualize functions, mechanisms, and strategies that biological species use to thrive on earth. Industries are using forms, processes, and systems from the biological world to inspire technological innovation. This course is relevant to all disciplines and is now being taught from first grade to doctorate programs around the world.
Biomimicry: The Technology of Biology is a 2 credit course that introduces the rapidly emerging discipline of biomimicry as a source of inspiration to create solutions to human problems. You will learn how to use nature as a source of ideas, how to conceptualize functions, mechanisms, and strategies that biological species use to thrive on earth. Industries are using forms, processes, and systems from the biological world to inspire technological innovation. This course is relevant to all disciplines and is now being taught from first grade to doctorate programs around the world.
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