The melting snow piles outside NSTA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, provide daily reminders of the D.C. area’s record 2010 snowfall (locally dubbed Snowmageddon).  Like many teachers in other parts of the country, we’re watching for green shoots and planning for spring. What better way to spend the remaining days of winter than planning how to take science learning outdoors as soon as you can?  Right on time for winter-weary teachers, author and state science supervisor Steve Rich packs outdoor activities and novel teaching strategies into his new NSTA Press book Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide.  In Steve’s book, you’ll find lessons about seeds, birds, and butterflies as well as new ways to incorporate reading and writing into your science lessons.  He emphasizes educational benefits students experience from increased opportunities to connect with nature and explore the natural world. On another level, as 2008-09 NSTA President Page Keeley points out in the foreword, “In an era of standards and accountability, we need to think outside the box for new ways to make learning accessible to students. What better way to do that than to take ‘the box’ outside!” Take a look inside Steve’s engaging book by browsing the sample chapter we’ve posted in the Science Store:  “Birds, Bugs, and Butterflies: Science Lessons for Your Outdoor Classroom.”

I will be attending the NSTA national conference for the first time. And while I am really excited, I am also nervous. Can you give a newbie some advice on how to approach the conference? I want to make the most of this experience.
—Krishna, Chicago, IL
Attending this event is a wonderful professional experience. I assume you’ve registered, made arrangements for lodging and transportation, and have your lesson plans ready for the substitute.
There are a few other things you should do before you go:

• Add the NSTA Conference page to your bookmarks or favorites. Be sure to check out the Conference Newcomer’s page.
• Decide what you’d like to focus on at the conference: What content do you want to know more about? What topics do your students struggle with? Are you looking for new textbooks or equipment? Get suggestions from your colleagues, too. Ask your students what you should learn more about (related to science, of course!). Then go to the conference website and use the Session Browser to look at the session descriptions. You can even print out a personal schedule.
• Preview the Conference Transcript section on the conference site. When you turn in a session evaluation, the session will be added automatically to your transcript. You can also add events manually. This is a great way to show your administrators which sessions you attended—and it looks impressive!

Some hints on what to take:

• An empty bag—preferably one with wheels—if you know you can’t resist picking up every brochure, handout, and session material you encounter (resistance can be futile).
• Address labels are handy for sign-up sheets and marking your program and other materials.
• If you don’t have any business cards, get some or make your own. Be sure to include your e-mail address and what and where you teach. These are great to handout when you’re networking with other teachers, presenters, and even exhibitors.
• A digital camera is handy to take pictures of equipment, displays, speakers, and new friends.
• Have an envelope or other system for keeping receipts and other documents. Expenses not reimbursed by your school might be tax-deductible (check with your accountant).
• Above all, wear comfortable walking shoes!

More suggestions for while you’re at the conference
At the Conference:

• Pick up your badge holder, your copy of the program (there’s one for each day) and other conference materials ahead of time, if possible. Take some time to finalize your daily schedules. I like to put a small reminder in my badge holder with the session names, times, and locations. You can also stash a few of your business cards in your badge holder, making it easier to hand them out to new contacts.
• Attend the first-timers session on the first day.
• Turn in the session evaluations so they can be added to your transcript.
• Get to the sessions early. Sometimes the smaller rooms fill up quickly.
• Divide and conquer if you’re attending with a friend or colleague. You can only be at one place at a time, so coordinate with other teachers to share notes and materials from sessions missed.
• Consider taking some snacks and a water bottle (the concessions are often crowded at lunch time).
• It’s tempting to collect every brochure, poster, and promotional giveaway in the exhibit area. It’s like a science wonderland! But whatever you collect, you’ll have to get home somehow. I know teachers who take an empty bag (see above under things to take) they can check on the way home (this might be cheaper than shipping via a delivery service).
• Take some time for sightseeing. There will be a booth at registration staffed by local teachers. They’ll have lots of ideas and suggestions for what to see and do and where to eat. If this is your first visit to Philadelphia, be sure to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, which are not far from the convention center. If you have time, check out the Constitution Center, the Art Gallery, the Italian Market, and the Franklin Institute (my favorites). Culinary treats in Philadelphia include cheesesteaks and soft pretzels (available at the Reading Terminal Market across the street from the convention center). Also check the murals on building walls and other structures throughout the city. They are works of art!
• Keep a log or journal of the sessions you attended, people you met, and new ideas. Update your homepage, Facebook, or class Wiki/blog/twitter with a summary of what you are learning at the conference. Update your conference transcript.
• Introduce yourself to teachers at the sessions or events. You’ll meet lots of interesting people and make many new personal connections.
• Attend a session or two on a topic you know nothing about. It’s a good way to learn something new.

Back Home:

• Share your experiences with your students. Use some of the promotional items you collected as prizes or gifts.
• Organize and file your notes and handouts. Share the materials and what you learned with your colleagues.
• Send a note of appreciation to the administrator who approved your attendance at the conference. Write a brief article for the school or district newsletter, if appropriate.
• Print your transcript.
• Get ready for next year!

Does anybody else have tips for conference newbies? Please leave a comment.

What’s New, 2/22/2010
On our listservs, there are great conversations about meiosis and fruit flies on our Biology list, reaction rates on our Chemistry list, teaching seasons and stars on our Earth Science list, density on our General Science list, and toilets (yes, you read that correctly) on our Physics list.
In the NSTA online professional learning communities, there is a great discussion going on in the forums attached to the Aha Moments Group about teaching cell cycles.
On our “core site” (www.nsta.org): everyone’s gearing up for our National Conference on Science Education this March 17 – 21 in Philadelphia. Write your own declaration of independence and join your fellow educators this March in Philadelphia!
On Facebook, lots of folks have been discussing plans for the National Conference.
On Linkedin,  you can now find a jobs subgroup, that re-posts all of the listings on the NSTA Career Center.
And of course all our science educator Tweeps are tweeting and re-tweeting about all the free resources available to science educators from NSTA!

I currently teach third grade, and I’m a candidate for National Board Certification (NBC) for Generalist/Middle Childhood (7–12 year olds). I would like advice for studying for the Knowledge of Science assessment. I’d also appreciate any other tips for preparing for this certification.
—Lori, Evanston, Illinois
According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) website, the Knowledge of Science exercise for your certification area states: In this exercise, you demonstrate your ability to identify and understand fundamental concepts and principles in science. You are asked to respond to a student’s inquiry about a real-world phenomenon by identifying scientific concepts and principles that are related to the real-world phenomenon. You are also asked to describe an appropriate learning experience with a rationale that will provide student understanding of a concept/principle that relates to the real-world phenomenon.
I don’t have much first-hand experience with the certification process, so I contacted some National Board Certified Teachers for their suggestions.

There is no way to know what specific “real-world phenomena” you will be asked about, but if you have an idea of the possibilities, you will be better prepared. Amy Fowler Murphy from Alabama poses a few questions to consider:

• What are examples of the “big ideas” in science that your students need to know? Use the National Science Education Standards (NSES) to help you figure this out (click here for a preview)
• What are some real-world phenomena that relate to these big ideas? Talk to colleagues to help you figure out as many as possible.
• How would you teach your students about these phenomena in terms of the big ideas? Since inquiry-based teaching methods are encouraged in the NSES and National Board Standards, focus on lessons that allow students to explore the concepts on their own as much as possible. If you use an inquiry format (such as the 5E or 7E model), then your experience as a teacher should allow you to fill in the pieces of the puzzle regardless of the given phenomenon.

Colette Dryden from South Carolina agrees that one of the most important things you can do is to understand the NSES. She also suggests identifying big ideas and looking at how your state standards support the NSES and the big ideas. She notes teaching science is not about memorization but about concept development. Ask yourself, “What is the best way to help my students develop the concept?” Inquiry needs to be an integral part of the classroom—not just for National Boards.  She recommends resources such as FOSS (Full Option Science System) or STC (Science and Technology for Children) kits.  Science notebooking as a reflection strategy can strengthen a unit of study. Notebooks should be used for data collection and analysis with you as the facilitator.
In addition to the NSES, Judy Allard suggests you check out the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the Atlas of Science Literacy for science concepts at the pertinent grade levels.  If this exercise is a portfolio entry, you can choose the phenomenon, and there are lots of tools, such as those in NSTA resources and publications (e.g., Science & Children and the NSTA Learning Center), you could use to devise learning experiences to help students understand the concepts involved. NSTA’s elementary level resources are helpful here, both in devising learning strategies and in deepening your own content background. You might want to read Science Matters (available at the NSTA Store).
Donna Melpolder from North Carolina provides some specific ideas for a response to this exercise: A third-grade student might ask why are there puddles in the yard after it rains. To respond to this, ask the students to explain what might cause this. Record responses on chart paper. The responses would provide insight into the students’ understandings or misconceptions about how water moves through various soils. (Typically the larger the particles, like sand, the larger the pore space and the easier it is for the water to drain through.) Ask the guiding question: How does water drain through different soils? Use three different types of soil–clay, sand, silt. Cut off the tops of three identical 1-liter bottles and put a few holes (same size and location) in the bottom of each. Then fill the bottles with the same volumes of each soil and place the bottle in a container that can capture water after it has passed through each soil.  Using a timer and one cup of water, pour the water in the bottle and time how long it takes for the water to pass through the first bottle. Record the time on a chart.  Repeat it with the other two bottles.  Record other observations, too, such as the appearance of the water. Students could create a bar graph with the collected data. During the discussion ask the following questions: Which soil drained the fastest? The slowest? What does the water look like from the drained soils? Can we change the structure of the soil? Compare the total water quantity that drained with the amount added. Which soil retained the most water after drainage stopped? Why? After discussing their observations about how water drains through the different soils, connect the science lesson to which soil would cause a puddle. You can extend the lesson to investigate puddles on a cement or macadam playground, too.
June Sanders from Georgia recommends the elementary version of NSTA’s Pathways to the Science Standards. Students often ask about rainbows (investigate with a prism), shadows (connect to the movement of the Earth around the sun), and butterflies (relate metamorphosis to the growth and development processes). Jane Lee-Rhodes suggests you practice for this assessment using what your own students have asked about real-world phenomena. Depending on the level of your students, this could be as simple as “Why is the sky blue?” In the response, describe the concepts and principles at the level of adult understanding, and then describe how you would bring those concepts and principles to an appropriate level for your students and justify your choices for the learning experience based on your understanding of how students learn. Be sure to demonstrate an understanding of your students’ backgrounds and experiences as well as their special learning needs.

Lee-Rhodes also shared her experiences on preparing for the certification:

• Find a mentor. If there is a NBC cohort in the area, join them. If you can’t meet face-to-face with anyone in your area that you can meet with, seek out an electronic mentor via an email group. As well-meaning and experienced as your other educator friends may be, they probably do not understand the criteria for completing portfolio entries if they have not participated in the process themselves.
• Organize resource material for your certification area in a notebook. Include information about the specifics for each of your portfolio entries, the tested content, example responses, and a general overview of the process. Get out your highlighter and dig in. It will require a significant time investment.
• Many people begin with the fourth portfolio entry which relates to your interactions with parents and the community, your professional development, and how you support the professional development of other teachers. At first glance, this might seem to be a place to showcase your achievements and awards, but the focus in this entry is all about how what you do or what you’ve done supports, encourages, and increases student learning. The question my own mentor kept asking me about my activities was “So what?” If I presented workshops for my district, how did that affect student learning? I described how I followed up with teachers who attended the workshop by having them describe how strategies I shared with them influenced student learning in their classrooms.

Lee-Rhodes goes on to describe the NBC process as one of reflection and analysis: what did I do, why did I make the choices I made for instruction, how did those choices play out with my students, did my students reach the learning goals, how did I know they achieved understanding, how did I design follow-up instruction to meet student needs, and what (if anything) would I do differently in the future? NBC is a process, not a single event. The process of analyzing and reflecting on your work with students can result in profound changes to your professional self-image and professional practice. It requires honesty and a “no excuses” approach to evaluate what you do.
I’d like to thank our colleagues for their input. All of them join me in encouraging your efforts in this professional development milestone. If anyone else has additional suggestions, please add a comment!