I am looking for some opinions how handle situations where there are misconceptions on the material. I was wondering how to know the amount of time that is needed to clear up a misconception and when to move on to other material?
— R., New Jersey

My answer is, “It depends!”

As you progress in your career you will likely amass a library of common and not-so-common misconceptions. My biggest advice is to always address them or they may spread among your students. There are many ways to handle misconceptions as you teach science. I caution against scoffing or ridiculing some outlandish claims. It might be better to say, “I haven’t heard of that. Shall we find out more?”

Addressing misconceptions can and should become an integral part of teaching and offers excellent learning opportunities! One way is to pre-empt them by discussing the more common ones in your general instruction. A better way is to gauge your class’s prior knowledge when you introduce a topic or ask them to supply you with three questions on an exit slip. In your follow-up discussions you can directly address common misconceptions that arise or turn them back to the students as small research activities.

The most powerful way to handle misconceptions, particularly egregious ones, is to build entire lessons as “Fact or Fiction” or in the Mythbusters style. Have the students research, explain, demonstrate, and set the record straight for themselves. Students also learn about the nature of science and how we handle discrepancies in our knowledge.

Hope this helps!

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

What do wildfires, drought, and extreme weather have in common? All these events in the news can be doorways to exploring weather, climate, and more with your students. NSTA’s Book Beat issue this month features lessons by NSTA Press authors that will help you teach timely topics your students may have on their minds at the start of this new year.

Wildfires and drought

News coverage of the bushfires in Australia raises questions about why and how wildfires spread and what might be done to combat them. Download the lesson “Wildfires” from Big Data, Small Devices: Investigating the Natural World Using Real-Time Data to help grade 3-12 students determine whether there is a correlation between drought and wildfires using data from online databases. Along the way, students explore the role of water in Earth’s surface processes and natural hazards while analyzing and interpreting data. For additional lessons related to climate change and data analysis, check out Understanding Climate Change, Grades 7–12.

Climate and location

Elementary students can learn about weather patterns and climate as well as how latitude affects climate during the lesson “Climate and Location: How Does the Climate Change as One Moves From the Equator Toward the Poles?” from Argument-Driven Inquiry in Third-Grade Science: Three-Dimensional Investigations.This lesson gives students the opportunity to describe and predict the patterns in the seasons of the year and then use their developing understanding of patterns to help them figure out how latitude affects climate. For more lessons like this related to Earth science, biology, and physical science, visit the Argument-Driven Inquiry series page to download sample lessons.

Understanding environmental impacts on species

Climate change threatens the survival of many species, especially those that overheat in higher temperatures. Help your students explore this current issue through “Triumph of the Pika: Understanding Environmental Impacts on Species,”  a lesson about pikas (an animal related to rabbits) from the newly released book Discovery Engineering in Biology: Case Studies for Grades 6–12. This case-study lesson begins with a surprise discovery by scientists that a pika population survived a wildfire that destroyed an entire forest. Through examining this case, students will learn how we obtained valuable information about the pika’s survival, information that may help us protect wildlife in the face of climate change. Be sure to also check out the other book in this series, Discovery Engineering in Physical Science: Case Studies for Grades 6–12.

Celebrate the new year with 20 percent off these 20 new NSTA Press books

NSTA Press is offering 20% off our 20 newest books and e-books through January 31, 2020. Use promotion code NEW20 when ordering and visit our page that lists the eligible books you can choose from. Offer is valid on purchases made through the online Science Store and shipped to U.S. addresses and may not be combined with other offers. Find your next science-teaching resource and save.

This new, interactive video platform will enable researchers, educators, and parents to access federally funded innovative programs aimed at improving STEM teaching and learning.

TERC is pleased to announce the launch of the STEM for All Multiplex, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSTA is a partner with The Multiplex).

This online, interactive platform features over 850 videos that showcase federally funded research and development projects aimed at transforming science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science education. These videos, first presented by researchers and developers at annual week-long STEM for All Video Showcase events, have now been aggregated in the Multiplex so that visitors can view, discuss, and share with colleagues year-round.

The Multiplex is an innovative, multimodal platform which shares cutting-edge research and development projects aimed at enhancing STEM education with multiple audiences around the globe. It disseminates NSF and other federally funded research, publicizes promising findings, stimulates discussion, and broadens participation in STEM. Researchers, educators, policy makers and parents can learn about cutting-edge efforts to improve STEM education. Videos span multiple disciplines and reflect efforts in pre-k through graduate education. They explore community initiatives, games and apps, and learning in formal and informal environments.

Through short 3-minute videos and related online discussions, the Multiplex will provide researchers, educators, policy makers, and the public with access to current curricula development efforts, innovative programs, and technical innovations aimed at improving STEM education. It provides a virtual meeting place for researchers and practitioners to share their perspectives.

While using this tool educators can become aware of federally funded STEM education research, programs, and resources which they can adapt, while also have the opportunity to provide feedback, and input, to researchers across the country.

The free membership to the Multiplex provides access to all videos as well as the ability to post a query, comment, or to offer feedback to the presenters. Each video presentation has its own interactive discussion and presenters are notified of new comments when they are posted. The discussions provide a way for researchers, educators, and the public at large to interact with each other.

Each member of the site can also create playlists. These can be playlists of favorites, videos pertaining to a particular theme, or those produced by an organization or University. Video playlists can be saved, edited, and shared with colleagues and friend through email, Twitter, or Facebook.  

The site will host “Theme of the Month” events that will explore a topic in depth, and show multiple approaches taken by different research projects to address a common challenge. Each theme will include an introductory blog, an expert panel webinar, a curated video playlist, a month-long online asynchronous discussion, and a synthesis document summarizing lessons learned.

The first “Theme of the Month” will address “Broadening Participation through Community Engagement.”

All teachers are invited to join the site to learn more about the program, and to register for the expert panel webinar that will be held online on January 13 at 1:30 pm. Dr. Megan Bang, Vice President of the Spencer Foundation will moderate the first expert panel. Panelists will include well known researchers and community organizers who are engaged in creative projects that involve students in authentic problems of the community, create intergenerational learning experiences, and enable students to connect to their roots and community.

Joni Falk co-directs the Center for School Reform at TERC, a nonprofit research and development institution aimed at improving mathematics and science teaching and learning.  She is the Principal Investigator of the STEM For All Video project.

Prior to adjourning for the holidays Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the spending bill that funds the government for the remainder of fiscal 2020.

The bill largely rejects the Trump administration’s proposal to cut approximately $7 billion in education spending and eliminate 29 programs, including Title IVA and 21^st Century Community Learning Centers. Instead it includes $72.8 billion in funding for the Department of Education, an increase of $1.3 billion compared to previous fiscal years.

Some good news for science and STEM education programs funded through ESSA; the bill provides:

• $2.1 billion for Title II Supporting Effective Instruction State grants, an increase of $76 million; this program provides much-needed funding for teacher professional learning.
• $1.2 billion for Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, a $40 million increase, which supports a wide range of activities including STEM programs and school safety activities.
• $1.3 billion for Career and Technical Education Grants, level with FY2019.
• 25 billion for 21stCentury Community Learning Centers to support academic enrichment activities for students before school, after school, and during the summer, an increase of $28 million.
• $65 million in dedicated STEM education funding within the Education Innovation and Research program, a $5 million increase, including a specific prioritization on computer science education.

In addition, the bill provides funding increases across the board for these programs:

• $16.3 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, an increase of $450 million.
• $13.6 billion for IDEA/Special Education grants to states, an increase of $410 million, including preschool grants and grants for infants and families.
• $1.5 billion for Impact Aid, an increase of $40 million.
• $$440 million for the Charter Schools Program, the same as the FY2019 enacted level, including a $5 million increase for grants to replicate and expand high-quality charter school models and a $5 million increase for charter school facility grants.
• $105 million for Safe Schools National Activities, an increase of $10 million, which supports evidence-based activities to improve school safety, prevent violence, and improve school climates.

The maximum Pell Grant award under the bill would be increased by $150, an increase of more than 2 percent from $6,195 to $6,345 for the 2020-21 school year.

More details on the bill can be found here.

STEM Bills at the State Level

Interested in what your state legislature is doing with science and STEM education? Check out this list from our colleagues at the STEM Education Coalition which contains every state-level STEM education bill that has been introduced, considered, or adopted in state legislatures over the past 4 years.

Education Freedom Scholarships in 2020?

Also before the holiday break, the White House convened a roundtable discussion to highlight state-based school choice programs and promote the administration’s Education Freedom Scholarships initiative.

This year the Administration hopes to jump start its proposal for a $5 billion federal tax credit for donations to scholarship-granting organizations to pay for students to attend private schools or expand their public education options. The bills in the House ( H.R. 1434 (116) and the Senate  S. 634 (116) have seen no action and have little support from Democrats. Conservative groups, such as the Heritage Foundation, while praising the theory of school choice believe this type of bill “undermines conservative efforts to streamline the federal tax code.”

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is the 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.