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"Flipped" meetings

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2016-01-31

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other options:

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

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

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

 

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

Solar Science: Exploring Sunspots, Seasons, Eclipses, and More

Solar Science offers more than three dozen hands-on, inquiry-based activities on many fascinating aspects of solar astronomy. The activities cover the Sun’s motions, space weather caused by the Sun, the measurement of time and seasons in our daily lives, and much more.
Solar Science offers more than three dozen hands-on, inquiry-based activities on many fascinating aspects of solar astronomy. The activities cover the Sun’s motions, space weather caused by the Sun, the measurement of time and seasons in our daily lives, and much more.
 

Zika, @neiltyson, and flick picks from POTUS: Twitter tales for science teachers

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2016-01-30

You can’t believe everything you see in social media, but when something’s popular on Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat, it’s sure to be something you can use to catch students’ attention. The stories that caught our eye this week run the gamut from truly frightening to beautifully inspirational. Spoiler alert… Neil deGrasse Tyson is NOT the astrophysicist with the biggest Twitter following!

Why is a 50-year old disease just gaining notoriety in the U.S.?

 

Richard Feynman was the best teacher Bill Gates never had.

Among the secrets only Science Friday could reveal: Bathroom reading of Antarctic explorers!

Free AI info from Science… for a limited time only…

Yup, POTUS loves our favorite movie line, too.

Why did Scott Kelly join tumblr from space?

How do you become an NGSS superhero? NSTA member Kathy Renfrew has the answer.

The astrophysicist with the biggest Twitter following is…

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. Follow @NSTA on Twitter to see more stories like these and get the science education resources you need.

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You can’t believe everything you see in social media, but when something’s popular on Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat, it’s sure to be something you can use to catch students’ attention. The stories that caught our eye this week run the gamut from truly frightening to beautifully inspirational. Spoiler alert… Neil deGrasse Tyson is NOT the astrophysicist with the biggest Twitter following!

 

Ideas and information from NSTA's January K-12 journals

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2016-01-26

All three journals this month include the article Addressing Three Common Myths About the Next Generation Science Standards – another must-read article that applies to all grade levels and science subjects.

Science and Children – Physical Science in Early Childhood

Our youngest students are inquisitive about the physical world – gravity, matter, weather, motion, the solar system, sound, light… Here are suggestions for building on their natural curiosity and their questions about the world around them.

For more on the content that provides a context for these projects and strategies see the SciLinks websites for Colors, Forces and Motions, Light, Matter, Pinhole Images, Properties of Matter, Reflection, Reptiles, Sound, States of Matter, UV Index, Vibration.

Continue for Science Scope and The Science Teacher.

Science Scope – Ecology and Biology

For more on the content that provides a context for these projects and strategies see the SciLinks websites for Bacteria, Biomedical Engineer, Cell Features, Cell Growth, Disease, Ecosystems, Food Webs, Habitats and Niches, Marine Ecosystems, Microbes, Modern Epidemics, Pathogens, Watersheds.

The Career of the Month: Agricultural Engineer in The Science Teacher could also fit with this month’s theme.

 

The Science Teacher – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

“Science is all about asking questions and constructing explanations, while engineering focuses on defining problems and designing solutions. I think of science as the quest for timeless truths and engineering as the search for design solutions rooted in a particular time and situation… Science and engineering work hand in hand to understand and address major challenges confronting our world…” TST Field Editor Steve Metz

For more on the content that provides a context for these projects and strategies see the SciLinks websites for Chromatography, Distillation, Dominant and Recessive Traits, Eclipses, El Niño, Electric Circuits, Genetics, Hurricanes, Lakes and Ponds, Pinhole Images, Proteins, Protein/ Enzymes, Robots, Salamanders.

Check out the Teach Engineering site for more lessons that integrate science and engineering in real-life scenarios.

All three journals this month include the article Addressing Three Common Myths About the Next Generation Science Standards – another must-read article that applies to all grade levels and science subjects.

 

Teacher Professional Learning: Transforming Teacher Practice

By Guest Blogger

Posted on 2016-01-25

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I encourage STEM educators (and administrators) across the U.S. to read and understand Science Teachers’ Learning: Enhancing Opportunities, Creating Supportive Contexts, a terrific report just released by the National Academies of Science (NAS), Engineering and Medicine.

The National Academy report illuminates practical recommendations and lays out the supportive environment and professional learning experiences teachers need and which are critical to the enactment and application of the three-dimensional teaching and learning espoused in A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

With laser-like focus, this report hits the mark, targeting its conclusions and recommendations at the level where education change is most critical, and placing the emphasis on enhancing teacher practice through professional learning situated within the context of their schools and districts.

School leaders will greatly benefit from the 13 conclusions and 7 recommendations outlined in this report (more below). Another must read is NSTA’s statement on the NGSS which can help science teachers to secure much-needed funding for the professional learning activities called for in the NAS report.

Moving to a New Vision of Science Teaching and Learning—Content and Pedagogy are Critical

A seismic shift is occurring in how science should be taught, moving away from the recall, recognition, and regurgitation of science facts, and shifting toward actively engaging students in exploring and making sense of science phenomenon and engineering solutions in the world in which they live. The NAS report first and foremost recommends a focus on facilitating the principles espoused in A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the NGSS, which succinctly suggests: Deeper and more flexible student learning of the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) of science occurs through three-dimensional teaching and learning that engages students in authentic Science and Engineering Practices as they solve and investigate real world, locally relevant/interesting problems and science phenomenon, recognizing Crosscutting Concepts such as patterns, cause and effect, systems and system models, etc., which ultimately facilitate coherence and connections across concepts, solutions, and science disciplines.

As outlined in the NAS report, here are a few of the key areas where it is critically important that teachers receive support, and suggestions on how NSTA can help:

  • Teachers must understand specific science content areas they are charged to teach (especially at the elementary level)

    NSTA Connection: We have 25 self-directed teacher web modules, called SciPacks, focused on the disciplinary core ideas of science. They provide subject matter support for educators in science concepts such Force and Motion, Cell Structure and Function, and the Earth’s Changing Surface. Each module also contains a pedagogical-implications component that culls the science education research and provides a context for how to facilitate teaching the science phenomenon, identifying promising pedagogical strategies, known student preconceptions, and what is cognitively appropriate to teach by grade band. A 5E inquiry model embeds quizzes, simulations, animations, and hands-on activities that let teachers engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate their understanding of the DCIs through an optional final assessment. These SciPacks are also available as enhanced e-books, accessible via our NSTA e-reader application, making them available offline via tablets on iPad and Android operating systems.

  • Teachers must see examples and gain practice in modeling new instructional strategies

    NSTA Connection: NSTA hosts NGSS web seminars and virtual conferences on the NGSS and STEM, focusing on the science and engineering practices and district-based case studies on integrated STEM, with archives accessible after each live event. Lead by leading experts, administrators, and practitioners in the field, these are excellent resources to scaffold professional learning discourse and learning at local school and district levels. Examples and strategies applicable for specific content and grade bands are shared, and asynchronous discourse is also available online via the NSTA Learning Center–moderated NGSS and STEM community forums. NSTA also maintains a robust presence on all major social media platforms (e.g., twitter, Facebook, etc.), including our blogs and discussion forums, accessible via our social media dashboard.

Administrators charged with helping educators achieve the vision of the new science standards will want to check out NSTA’s Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. This book provides classroom case studies of instructional approaches for students challenged by traditional science teaching, and covers curricular decisions involving course mapping, designing essential questions and performance assessments, and using the NGSS to plan units of instruction.

NSTA also has enlisted 55 expert curators who are searching for and vetting lessons, activities, simulations, models, and other type of materials that might be used for instruction and meeting the new standards. For a list of curated NGSS resources, you may review over 200 resources at our NGSS@NSTA Hub. The Hub has become a central source for science educators to locate professional learning, materials and resources to work towards the vision of the NGSS and Framework.

NSTA also formally collaborates with more than 180 districts and universities across the country, helping them implement their strategic goals and course offerings in support of the NGSS and STEM, both at the in-service and pre-service levels. Our NSTA Learning Center platform may be configured to enhance local onsite efforts with private cohorts and administrator dashboards to help document teacher growth as users create and complete long-term professional growth plans catering to their unique needs and district and school strategic plans.

Watch for my next blog where I will discuss more of the NAS report and outline additional methods teachers and administrators can consider for professional growth.

If you’d like to learn more about the partnerships or products listed above, please feel free to contact me at abyers@nsta.org or 703-312-9294, or Flavio Mendez, Senior Director of the NSTA Learning Center at fmendez@nsta.org or 703-312-9250.

Al ByersAl Byers, Ph.D., is the Associate Executive Director, Services for the National Science Teachers Association

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

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2016 National Conference

NGSS Workshops

2016 STEM Forum & Expo

2016 Area Conferences

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Student Lab Manual for Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry: Lab Investigations for Grades 9-12 (e-book)

Are you interested in using argument-driven inquiry for high school lab instruction but aren’t sure how to do it? You aren’t alone. Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry is a one-stop source of expertise, advice, and investigations, with the information and materials you need to start using this method right away. The book includes 30 field-tested labs that cover a broad range of topics related to chemical reactions and matter’s structure and properties. The investigations are designed to be more authentic scientific experiences than traditional laboratory activities.
Are you interested in using argument-driven inquiry for high school lab instruction but aren’t sure how to do it? You aren’t alone. Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry is a one-stop source of expertise, advice, and investigations, with the information and materials you need to start using this method right away. The book includes 30 field-tested labs that cover a broad range of topics related to chemical reactions and matter’s structure and properties. The investigations are designed to be more authentic scientific experiences than traditional laboratory activities.
 

Positive classroom environments support teaching science

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2016-01-23

Children observing at the fish tank.Science teaching is only a part of the work of early childhood science educators. Supporting children’s development of social-emotional skills and executive function are foremost in every activity we engage children in.

When children feel safe in the class is when they can exercise their curiosity and ask questions that lead to looking for answers and thinking about what they find out. To learn more about making all children welcome in my classroom I read several books, the notes from one book club and participate in another. Colleagues also sent links to articles that guide early childhood educators in creating positive classroom climates.

Here are some resources about supporting all children. I hope you will continue to expand my understanding by posting additional resources and links to articles.

Book discussions:

Cover of book, What if Everybody Understood Child Development?An online blog book study group discussing What if Everybody Understood Child Development? by Rae Pica took place on Beyond the Pages, beginning on August 5, 2015, part of the Early Childhood and Youth Development blog from Dakota County Technical College, A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. Read the book and see the archived blog posts here.

Cover of book, Anti-Bias EducationThe Diversity & Equity Education for Adults NAEYC Interest Forum began a virtual book club as an informal, 13-week exploration of the question raised by the classic book, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, by Louise Derman-Sparks & Julie Olsen Edwards: What can we do to raise the next generation of young people who know and are proud of who they are, are able to be in equitable relationship with others, can recognize and name unfairness in the world around them, and are ready to take action to address it?

The discussion continues into February–read and join in the open discussion on the Facebook page. (You can read a Q & A session with the authors on the NAEYC website.)

Cover of book, Powerful InteractionsAnother book I’ve found helpful:

Powerful Interactions: How to connect with children to extend their learning by Amy Laura Dombro, Judy Jablon, & Charlotte Stetson. There is a free, archived webinar by one of the authors, Judy Jablon at the Early Childhood Investigations. The Boston -AEYC Old Colony Chapter and Bridgewater State University host a webpage discussion with insightful comments about using powerful interactions. Is there an open online book discussion group for this book? 

 

Articles that I learned from:

Logo of organization, Children TogetherChildren Together, a community based, non-profit organization committed to increasing opportunities for the inclusion of children with disabilities and their families in quality early childhood programs in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, shares a page of links and resources.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a robust list of resources about children’s play; the importance and value for learning. (See Walter Drew’s insights about how play strengthens the essential developing capacities of young children on the Beyond the Pages blog.)

The January 6, 2016 nprEd post by Megan Anderson, “How To Help Kids In Poverty Adjust To The Stability Of School After Break,” helps us consider children’s economic situation, quoting teacher Sonya Romero Smith: “If school is the place where you’re supposed to get knowledge and realize what the world has to offer,” she says, “it should be the safest place, where you have the ability to show your greatness.”

Washington Post article on July 28, 2015, “Are you holding your own daughter back? Here are 5 ways to raise girls to be leaders,” by Amy Joyce. (See Diane Levin’s insights about “How & Why Media & Marketers Promote “Pretty Faces” to Young Girls and What We Can Do about It” on the Beyond the Pages blog.)

Powerful Interactions Begin with You by Amy Dombro, Judy Jablon, and Charlotte Stetson. TYC 4(1): 12-14. This article is a helpful introduction to the book, Powerful Interactions.

This short list is just a few of the resources that are useful to early childhood educators for learning about how to support all children.  Post your additional resources and links to articles!

Children observing at the fish tank.Science teaching is only a part of the work of early childhood science educators. Supporting children’s development of social-emotional skills and executive function are foremost in every activity we engage children in.

 

More Than 200 Vetted Classroom Resources on the NGSS@NSTA Hub

By Guest Blogger

Posted on 2016-01-22

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With the creation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) came the question of “What does NGSS-based instruction look like in my classroom, and where will I find the instructional resources for teaching the new standards?” So NSTA put out a call and pulled together a group of 55 educators, myself included, called NGSS@NSTA Curators. The job of the Curators is to search for and vet lessons, activities, simulations, models, and other type of materials that might be used for instruction and meeting these new standards. I’m excited to note that we recently surpassed more than 200 resources now posted on the NGSS@NSTA Hub, and there are many more to come.

We began our work shortly after the standards were finalized in 2013 and have spent many hours searching and evaluating materials related to the different standards. At the NGSS@NSTA Hub, you can simply click on a standard and get a list of resources related to that standard. You can also see a full list of the resources by science subject. For each resource, we explain how it meets the performance expectations, practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. If there are areas that are weak, we give tips and suggestions for strengthening the three-dimensional relationships. We also provide additional information on how well the overall resource meets the three-dimensional aspect of the performance expectation, the instructional nature of the resource, how well it provides a way to monitor student learning, and if it involves technology, how well the interaction is.

While no resource is perfect, these resources give educators a starting point for lessons, so they can begin to see how the new standards can be taught in the classroom. As more people use the standards in their teaching, more NGSS-aligned resources will begin to appear and be added to our growing collection. My fellow Curators and I hope these resources provide the assistance and insight needed to begin teaching the new standards in classes now. Go take a look today!

author photoLynda Sanders is an NGSS@NSTA curator and leads the Earth and Space Systems team. She has taught eighth-grade science for 27 years and currently teaches eighth-grade and Earth/space science at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon. She served as President of the Oregon Science Teachers Association (OSTA) in 2009–2010 and again in 2011–2012.

 

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STEM's Good Samaritans

By Debra Shapiro

Posted on 2016-01-21

Physics and engineering undergraduates and graduate physical therapy students participating in the GoBabyGo program at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, modify electric–powered toy cars for children with disabilities. (photo by Jen Wewers)

Physics and engineering undergraduates and graduate physical therapy students participating in the GoBabyGo program at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, modify electric–powered toy cars for children with disabilities. (photo by Jen Wewers)

To help children with disabilities become more mobile, educators and students participating in a worldwide outreach program called GoBabyGo use their science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to modify electric–powered toy cars the children can operate. “GoBabyGo projects combine science, math, social studies, and embodied learning [an educational approach in which learning occurs both intellectually and through whole-body interactions],” says GoBabyGo’s creator Cole Galloway, professor of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. Building the cars involves “brains, bodies, physics, and materials…math and science and doing good,” he observes.

“The dominant way we learn is through physical interactions with the world. The kids who [need the cars] have little to no mobility, so their interactions [are limited]. With the cars, their brains and bodies change; they can get smarter and stronger and more social,” he maintains. In addition, the cars cost less than most pediatric wheelchairs, and only readily available materials are required for the modifications. About 4,000 cars have been refurbished during the past two to three years, he reports.

While modifying the cars, students “learn patience and teamwork…They know they have to get this right for a person in the community, so the child will be able to use the car safely and comfortably,” he points out. The project also involves “creative engineering. It’s a great starter engineering, science, and math lab,” he contends, “and a way schools can address community problems.”  

GoBabyGo is funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Galloway and the GoBabyGo staff hold training workshops for building the cars; they provide an instruction manual and resources for starting GoBabyGo programs at www.udel.edu/gobabygo. “We can advise [schools] on how [participating schools] have done it safely,” he notes.

Skye Donovan, department chair and associate professor of physical therapy at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, attended a GoBabyGo workshop and obtained a $2,000 grant from Marymount to launch a GoBabyGo initiative there. “I’m passionate about solving community problems [as a way] to learn science,” she declares. 

“It’s fantastic to get [physical therapy graduate students] involved in service learning, and [the project gives them] more buy-in to the assessment of patients. They’re making something with their hands, so they [pay] more attention to detail. And they look at patients in a different way,” she contends.

Donovan taught sixth-grade science teacher Luzdary Chamorro of Gunston Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, and sixth graders in an after-school science club to adapt the cars. Students learned how to wire electrical circuits, measure and cut PVC pipe, and use power tools, along with “basic safety principles,” she explains. “They can see how [science is] applied, instead of just learning for learning’s sake. They develop passion for something with real-life relevancy.”

GoBabyGo was “perfect with the STEM focus we have this year,” says Chamorro. “We did engineering, technology, science, and reaching out to the community,” she relates. “We’re donating cars to kids at the [Walter] Reed School” in Arlington, which offers special education programs for students ages 2–5 with disabilities.

Chamorro has taken the project to a deeper level. “We’re working on how to design the big red button [an accelerator that replaces a small button on the car’s steering wheel that is difficult for many special-needs children to use] using a 3D printer.” Eighth-grade math teacher Charles Fix, a retired electrical engineer, had the students disassemble the button, which costs $70, to learn about it, Chamorro notes. To save money, “now we’ll design the plastic components of the button and print them with the 3D printer,” she explains. 

In Ajax, Ontario, last year, science teacher Anna Farquhar and 14 eighth graders in an after-school club at Roméo Dallaire Public School built a car for a local elementary student. “We weren’t deterred when we were requested by our board of education to contact different levels of government to ensure that all safety standards were in place before releasing the car [to the child]. We learned not to give up,” she maintains. “We also had an engineer test the car to make sure it was structurally sound.”

Farquhar obtained funding from the Pollination Project of Berkeley, California, which provides $1,000 startup grants to social change projects. She and her students used half of the funds to build the car. “The students volunteered; they were self-directed and very eager,” she recalls.

“We looked at the structure of the car [and how to change it] to fit the child’s [needs],” she relates. “We had to determine how much weight the car could hold…We had to find an easy-to-use seat belt; we tested materials to ensure the seat belt wouldn’t fray. We used a very large dog collar as a seat belt.” 

Farquhar’s students “earned community service hours for their diploma,” she notes. Now teaching at Michaëlle Jean Public School in Ajax, Farquhar says students there will build two cars using her remaining grant funds.

Interdisciplinary Teams

A child operates a car retrofitted by students from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.

A child operates a car retrofitted by students from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.

At Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in New Britain, Connecticut, some of Michele Dischino’s technology and engineering education students build GoBabyGo cars. Dischino, associate professor of technology and engineering education and faculty advisor for CCSU’s Collaboration for Assistive Resources, Equipment, and Services (CCSU CARES) student club, launched GoBabyGo there. One of her students, CCSU CARES Lead Student Advisor Megan Hislop, obtained $5,000 from CCSU’s Student Government Association to fund the first GoBabyGo workshop, says Dischino. 

Since then, students in other disciplines, such as engineering and social work, have participated. “Other students bring other skills, including ‘people skills’ for working with speci
al-needs children,” Dischino observes. 

Middle and high school teachers contact her to get their students involved, and some of their schools have provided funding. “Bringing in middle schools and high schools has made it more valuable, given that my students are going to be teachers…It makes the experience even better because we can show [younger] students how they can use their [STEM] skills.” 

At Rockhurst University (RU) in Kansas City, Missouri, GoBabyGo “is student-led and student-run. We have graduate physical therapy students and physics and engineering undergraduates bringing their unique perspectives in science,” says Kendra Gagnon, associate professor of physical therapy education at RU. “And now the physical therapy students are starting to understand wiring and mechanics, and the engineering students are learning about posture and movement, all while solving real-world problems.”

“Interdisciplinary team building is becoming part of our health care system,” observes Karen Patterson, faculty associate for University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, which works with UW-Health’s outpatient pediatric rehabilitation program on GoBabyGo. Physical and occupational therapy graduate students team with biomedical engineering undergraduates to build the cars. “We have a rough manual, but [students] have to figure it out for themselves according to the needs of each child,” she explains.

For example, one child was on a ventilator, and the students “had to build a platform for [it]…The students came up with it, all on their own,” she reports.

This article originally appeared in the January 2016 issue of NSTA Reports, the member newspaper of the National Science Teachers Association. Each month, NSTA members receive NSTA Reports featuring news on science education, the association, and more. Not a member? Learn how NSTA can help you become the best science teacher you can be.

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

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Did You Vote for NSTA's New Leaders? Here's Why You Should

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2016-01-19

2015 NSTA Board of Directors

The 2016 presidential election has drawn a lot of attention in the press but there is another important election that is also occurring in 2016 – the NSTA Elections. Candidates have been selected from a rigorous nomination process for the next NSTA President-Elect, Division Directors, and District Directors. Just as it is important for U.S. citizens to exercise their opportunity to vote in the federal, state, and city elections, it is also important for NSTA members to exercise their opportunity to vote for their leaders. I challenge all of the 55,000 members of NSTA to vote.

So why is your vote important?   The new president-elect will become the face of NSTA when president as well as the leader of the NSTA’s Board and Council. New division directors will determine NSTA policy and the direction NSTA pursues in promoting science education. The new district directors will join other district directors in connecting state chapters and associated groups with NSTA and promoting the work of NSTA.

You can read the biographies and position statements for each of the candidates at www.nsta.org/nominations. When you login to the NSTA webpage you can go to “My Account” to cast your vote.

So what are you waiting for? I challenge all of the 55,000 members of NSTA to vote. The deadline is February 15, 2016 at 11:59pm eastern time. Exercise your right to vote and determine the next leaders of NSTA. These educators will represent you as NSTA moves forward to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. 

So I challenge all of the 55,000 members of NSTA to vote. Since I have voted we only need 54,999 to go!

NSTA President, Carolyn HayesCarolyn Hayes is the NSTA President, 2015-2016; follow her on Twitter at caahayes.

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

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2015 NSTA Board of Directors

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