This week in education news, as personalized learning spreads rapidly among U.S. schools, critics contend the term often is a misnomer; Americans think that U.S. teachers are underpaid by an average of $7,500 a year; it’s still difficult to teach evolution in many public school classrooms; Hawaii has teacher recruitment and retention challenges; incorporating arts education through STEAM engages the right side of the brain; and the panel that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress approved small but significant changes to the test’s description of what constitutes “advanced,” “proficient,” and “basic” performance.

STEM and Blacks

More Blacks are attending colleges and universities than ever before. Over the last 60 years, the percentage of Blacks attending and graduating from colleges and Universities has nearly quadrupled from less than 5 percent in 1960 to nearly 15 percent in 1998 and 22 percent in 2015. For the last 50+ years Blacks have enjoyed access to opportunities available in every occupation and profession, however Blacks still gravitate toward the same types of professions. Read the article featured in DIVERSE.

Why Does Personalized Learning Sometimes Feel Impersonal?

Fourth graders aren’t great at keeping secrets, but in Jeremy Crowe’s class, they stand shoulder to shoulder and try to stay poker-faced as they pass a small beanbag behind their backs. A girl in the middle of their circle scrutinizes each face, trying to guess who has the toy. The game is part of the class’ morning meeting—based on the theme “How do we reveal ourselves to others?”—and the students’ conversation wraps in role-playing for handling distracting friends as well as ways to create a new character for a class writing assignment on the Lexia reading program. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Are Teachers Underpaid? Around the World, People Say Yes

Americans think that U.S. teachers are underpaid by an average of $7,500 a year, according to a new global survey. The Global Teacher Status Index, conducted by the Varkey Foundation, a global charity that supports teachers, surveyed more than 1,000 people from each of 35 countries. Overall, in 28 of the 35 countries surveyed, teachers are being paid less than the amount the general public considers to be a fair wage for the job. Read the article featured in Education Week.

In a Shift, More Education Reformers Say They’re Worried about Schools’ Focus on Testing

It was not the place you’d expect to hear sharp critiques of standardized testing. But they just kept coming at an event put on by the Center on Reinventing Public Education, an organization that has spent 25 years studying and supporting key tenets of education reform. Read the article featured in Chalkbeat.

It’s Still Hard to Teach Evolution in Too Many Public School Classrooms

Supreme Court cases involving the role of religious beliefs in civic life have repeatedly made headlines in recent years. Such conflicts, of course, are not new. Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Epperson vs. Arkansas, which struck down the state’s ban on teaching evolution in public schools. The Epperson ruling did not, however, end interference with the teaching of evolution. Read the article featured in the Los Angeles Times.

Hawaii Faces Major Teacher Recruitment, Retention Challenges

The Hawaii Department of Education has released a new strategic plan for recruiting and retaining more teachers after recent reports showing that its five-year retention rate is only 51% and that there still more than 500 vacancies for the current school year, Hawaii News Now reports. Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.

Don’t Forget about the A in STEAM!

Over the years, an increasing amount of schools nationwide have incorporated the STEM framework into their curriculum, engaging students around the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math. The framework has proved to be a critical component to elementary education that better prepares students’ for future careers, especially since the United States is expecting to see more than three million job openings in the STEM-related fields in 2018. Recently, however, educators have recognized the benefits of integrating arts education into STEM subjects, which has led to a new framework. Read the article featured in eSchool News.

Alaska Native Students Pursue STEM, with Great Success

Sam Larson was looking for loopholes. Crouched on the floor of a sunny student building at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Sam was surrounded by cardboard, scissors, rulers and about a dozen other high school students. All of them were attending a residential summer “Acceleration Academy” hosted at the university by the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, or ANSEP. On this July day, with pop music playing in the background, Sam and his classmates were trying to build cardboard canoes capable of transporting at least one paddling student to a target and back. Read the article featured in The Hechinger Report.

Is ‘Proficient’ Insufficient? A New Wrinkle in the Debate Over NAEP Achievement Levels

Members of the panel that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress—better known as the Nation’s Report Card—approved small but significant changes to the test’s description of what constitutes “advanced,” “proficient,” and “basic” performance. From now on, they’ll be preceded by the word NAEP, as in “NAEP advanced”, “NAEP proficient,” and “NAEP basic,” and references to performance in a grade will be stricken and replaced with performance on the NAEP assessment. 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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Do the twist! With the Dynamic DNA kit from 3D Molecular Designs, that is. Or if you’re really brave, face off against the Zombie Apocalypse with Texas Instruments. The Exhibit Hall at NSTA conferences has been called “The Science Teachers’ Playground” with good reason. There is so much to do, and win, and bring back to colleagues. Seasoned conference attendees recommend you leave room in your suitcase for all the swag you can take home.

Sign Up for the 2018 Area Conference on Science Education in Charlotte, NC
November 29–December 1

If you’re looking for hands-on experiences, don’t miss the Carolina Booth, where you can make a butterfly necklace (among many other activities). Unleash your inner superhero at the Legends of Learning booth (cape included) and try some games for the classroom. Makers won’t want to miss the LEGO Education booth, where you can ask them how to make marble runs, security devices, and so much more. Does your classroom need a Wiggle Bot? The answer will be yes once you visit the TeacherGeek booth.

Looking to plan a field trip (either live or virtually)? Talk to the folks at the Museum of Science, Boston; the NASCAR Hall of Fame; Small World Journeys; the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI); the Catawba Science Center; and the North Carolina Zoo.

Meet the people who bring you some of your favorite informal science learning. A stop by the Science Friday and National Geographic booths gives you even more insight into these world-famous groups and can get you connected with resources and opportunities you may not even know exist.

How about cool contests you can do with your students? There are quite a few to be found, with the highlights being the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), the Shell Science Lab Challenge, and Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision. Visit their booths and find out how you can bring exciting challenges to your students outside the ordinary curriculum. And don’t miss the NSTA Hub, where you can find out about dozens of teacher awards and student competitions—all are free to enter, and all have great prizes like classroom makeovers, lab equipment, cash, and trips to the NSTA National Conference. While you’re at the NSTA Hub, also ask how to enter to win Southwest Airlines tickets + FREE registration to next year’s National Conference in St. Louis or the 8^th Annual STEM Forum & Expo, hosted by NSTA, in San Francisco.

Want to work with government programs that will give your students real data, hands-on opportunities to solve real-world problems, and connections with prestigious institutions and other classrooms? Stop by the booths of the FDA Food Safety & Nutrition Education, N.C. Air Awareness Program, and NOAA Office of Education.

There are so many ways to learn new skills and resources to pick up for the classroom. But what if you’re looking to extend past the school year? There are great opportunities for your own professional development and for students over the summer. Don’t miss these booths for PD, camps, and other opportunities: AstroCamp Virginia; the Center of Excellence for Research, Teaching and Learning at Wake Forest School of Medicine; East Carolina University; HHMI BioInteractive; the National Institute for STEM Education; the National Inventors Hall of Fame/Camp Invention; the University of Notre Dame Center for STEM Education; and Virginia Tech College of Science.

Don’t let what happens at this conference stay at the conference. Take home loads of free materials, ask the booth professionals if there are contests you can enter, or visit the websites of the exhibitors. Many have free or substantially discounted resources for conference attendees. Browse all the exhibitors here, and learn more about the conference here.

Pro Tips

Check out more sessions and other events with the Charlotte Session Browser/Personal Scheduler. Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA18, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it!

Need help requesting funding or time off from your principal or supervisor? Download a letter of support and bring it with you! Charlotte support letter

And don’t forget, NSTA members save up to $90 off the price of registration. Not a member? Join here.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2019 National Conference
St. Louis, April 11–14

2019 STEM Forum & Expo
San Francisco, July 24–26

 

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What are some hands-on ideas of how to integrate science into music and art classes?  – A., Iowa

I believe that teachers should try to integrate subjects! Here are just a few ideas; search the NSTA Learning Center and NGSS@NSTA for more.

Science in Music
You can stretch large metal springs or plastic dryer vent tubes across your room to demonstrate waves or investigate many sound-related properties.

Record stringed and percussion instruments in slow motion to observe the wave patterns. Change the note and see the difference in the instrument.

Wind instruments create sound by “bouncing” waves repeatedly inside them. If the wavelength and the tube “match” (resonate) then you get a nice loud sound. Investigate this relationship by making pan flutes out of differing lengths of straws, PVC pipe, or use plastic bottles with varying amounts of water.

Science in Visual Arts
Try some chromatography—the reverse of color mixing. Cut coffee filters or blotter paper into long strips. Dab a saturated dot of ink from pens or markers near one end. Dip the tip of that paper in a small amount of water in a tall glass. Over time and you will see the colors in the ink separate as they are carried as the water wicks upward.

Differentiate between additive and subtractive color mixing using light filters. Just overlapping different colored LED Christmas lights will show that blue and green light make yellow!

A chemical reaction occurs between damp plaster and paint which makes frescos brighter and much more durable than paint on wood or canvas. This could lead to a discussion of Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.

Hope this helps!

The release of the consensus study report Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine provides teachers of science with a structure to engage students in science and engineering performances. The report concludes that engaging students in learning about natural phenomena and engineering challenges via science investigation and engineering design increases their understanding of how the world works. Investigation and design are more effective for supporting learning than traditional teaching methods.  For most teachers, this is a dramatic shift from current practice. The report advocates a transformation from classroom activities emphasizing vocabulary and memorizing science ideas and concepts to instruction that engages students in three dimensional science performances. Central to the report is shifting instructional approaches from learning about science to engaging in science investigations to make sense of phenomena.

The teacher’s role in the classroom becomes transformed into one of facilitator of reasoning as students plan and carry out investigations. Teachers foster student curiosity by presenting phenomena which spark student questions and drive teaching and learning. The report encourages teachers to use culturally and locally relevant phenomena to engender student interest.  Constructing developmentally appropriate explanations that relate to students’ background knowledge and social perspectives is also addressed in the report. A key role of the teacher therefore, is to create coherence in learning where students build upon prior knowledge and develop evidence based explanations for the causes of phenomena.

Of the seven recommendations in the report, it is recommendation two which accentuates the idea that instruction should engage students in three dimensional science performances. When students plan and carry out an investigation to determine causes of phenomena, data is collected, analyzed, and used as evidence to support scientific explanations or arguments. This manipulation of data creates a need to focus on student conceptual reasoning.  It is here as teachers of science, we realize we cannot just teach about the what. We must also teach about how we came to know. 

Duschl and Bybee (2014) assert that teachers must problematize evidence. This means when students carry out an investigation, measurement and observation become problematized. In essence, there needs to be a struggle in doing science. In traditional labs, all students are often provided the same materials, and the activity always works. As teachers, we know this is inconsistent with how science works in the real world. Instead, during investigation and design teachers facilitate reasoning as students gather data, enter it into a spreadsheet program, analyze the data, and then reflect on questions the data prompts. This approach creates teaching moments for conversations with students that promote productive discourse about the meaning of the data. 

For example, questions may include how a pattern can be explained, are cause and effect relationships apparent, and are there outliers in the data and if so how should they be addressed. This in depth reasoning helps students see that science is a social enterprise as they engage in discourse and communicate and critique in dialogue with others.

Performances where students generate artifacts help learners organize and share their thinking. The artifacts students make reveal their thinking; early artifacts show initial understanding and later artifacts demonstrate a more sophisticated level of reasoning as students reflect on new evidence. Investigations create opportunities for teachers to engage students in learning about the nature of science. As students engage in a series of coherent science performances, they come to realize scientific knowledge is based upon empirical evidence and why scientific explanations are revised in light of new evidence. (See appendix H in NGSS).

As a current teacher of science, the structure of gathering information and data, reasoning about the meaning of the data, and communicating reasoning through artifacts has yielded increased conceptual understanding in my students. Engaging students in a series of coherent science performances is more than simply having students do hands on activities. Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center provides a research based rationale for how student science performances create situations where students’ interest and motivation is cultivated as they develop explanations for the causes of phenomena. This report provides strategies for how teachers of science can thoughtfully reflect on their instruction to ensure student investigation remains at the center of the classroom experience.

References:

Duschl R.A. and Bybee R.W. (2014). Planning and carrying out investigations: an entry to learning and to teacher professional development around NGSS science and engineering practices. International Journal of STEM Education, 1:12. https://stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40594-014-0012-6

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center. Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press www.nap.edu/25216

Kenneth L. Huff is a teacher of science at Mill Middle School in Williamsville, New York and a member of the Committee on Science Investigations and Engineering Design Experiences in Grades 6-12.

I am writing to ask for suggestions to teach visually-impaired students science. How do you suggest to teach such students? — M., Iowa

 

First, you need to get to know the student as an individual learner. Start by asking the student how you can support them in your class. Then, discover and contact the supports for that child—teaching assistants, case workers, parents, resource teachers—and get information on what works and what doesn’t; which vision and reading technologies are in place and what will you need in your classroom; what services can assist you; and if you can access textbooks in braille or large print versions.

Only a fraction of legally blind people have 100% impairment, so you need to understand what level or kind of impairment each child has. For instance, a person with retinitis pigmentosa may have lost peripheral vision but retain a small central area of vision. To get an idea of what that would be like, you could spread petroleum jelly on a pair of goggles, leaving a small central area clear (or visa versa) and then try out your activities, handouts, and visuals. You should quickly realize this student would need additional time to scan across readings, visuals, and work areas.

Scan your room for mobility hazards. Pair the student with a buddy who can perform tasks that might be dangerous like using Bunsen burners. Physical objects may be an excellent tactile experience and observational exercise for the student. For dissections, allow them to perform cuts (scissors or scalpels) to their degree of ability and have them handle and touch specimens as the dissection progresses.

Hope this helps!

High school students love to talk. Covering topics from music to memes, the hallway conversations are always lively. But when students enter the classroom, they suddenly have nothing to say. I believe it’s because students don’t know how to talk science. Recently, I have analyzed productive discourse among students, and what I have found confirms what I have read and heard from multiple sources:

The person doing the talking is the person doing the learning.

When planning lessons and units, I focus on ways I can create the conditions in which students have a basic knowledge and are motivated to learn more about a topic. Thinking in terms of NGSS-style planning, the time is perfect to bring in phenomena. Consider equity, and how students will react to the phenomenon. Does it connect to the history, readiness, and interests of all students? Are students interested enough to inspire the curiosity of the entire room?

Sometimes student discussions seem like unplanned, natural conversations. Sometimes they are, but usually these conversations result from more intentional planning then serendipity. I take these basic steps when planning a lesson designed to coach students to develop their own understanding or deepen their knowledge of science concepts.

1.Plan conversations in advance by anticipating questions and methods that can be used to guide student discussions while empowering them to maintain control of the conversation. It is essential to consider multiple entry points. For example, knowing students’ history and interests can help you interest them in a topic: This has been critical to the success of my lessons. It’s not surprising that students quickly become disinterested and disengaged when the topic is too unfamiliar or mundane. I also try to consider the varied levels of experience students have with the phenomenon and am prepared to provide clarifying or alternate examples. 

When engaging students with a phenomenon, I have found if I provide as little information as possible, it nudges students to ask their own questions. My response to student questions is usually as follows:

“Why do you think that is?”

“What do the other students think?”

“How does this compare to what you know or experience you have had?”

2. Decide which scientific practices will support rigorous student discussions and determine how students will encounter appropriate vocabulary. If the reason for students’ lack of engagement in science conversations is their lack of experience with the particular lexicon, give them opportunities to interact with the material physically as a way to provide another means of understanding and increase their comfort level.

3. Consider how students’ ideas will change based on their interactions with the planned activities and discussions. Determine the type of support they will need to deepen their understanding. I have a driving question board and encourage students to contribute new questions they have during the unit. This makes their thinking visible to me and their peer collaborators and encourages students to respond to one another without my intervention.

4. Lastly, it will take more time than you think! Allow time for students to reflect and connect with their peers. Consider offering sharing opportunities such as learning walks, gallery walks, debate, and show-what-you-know activities that facilitate opportunities to consolidate ideas among groups of students, and encourage them to meet the goal of eliciting additional information.

Recently, my freshman biology students began a typical unit, What Does it Mean to Be Alive. The unit started with petri dishes of mystery substances, and their task was to determine which of the samples were living. The first step was for students to brainstorm what living things do. Their initial results are pictured. I supplied an article to help them clarify their misunderstandings, and after reading it, they updated the board and decided how to test their samples. Students decided on the following:

1. Test for cells using microscopes.
2. Place in water to observe growth or bubbles.
3. Place in soil to observe growth.

Students also decided that if each group performed all three tests on one sample, they would be able to work more effectively. Groups posted their observations and images to a shared digital journal. During collaboration, they correctly identified yeast, brine shrimp cysts, beans, and corn as living, and salt as non-living.

This process took six full class periods, a considerable time investment for teaching a concept that could have been accomplished with a single class session of taking notes. However, these students were given an opportunity to brainstorm, determine testable questions, and perform their own tests, which gave them a deeper understanding of the processes and the ability to apply their knowledge in future units.

Their experience and discourse will be used during the next unit on cell theory and spontaneous generation. Students will begin by setting up a hay infusion and predicting what they will see. Their explanations will be supported by what they learned about characteristics of living things, and I will coach them toward conducting a controlled experiment much like that of Francesco Redi. I will introduce them to Leeuwenhoek’s animalcules and anticipate that they will instantly connect this to their observations. This unit will end with a presentation of various organisms found in a drop of water.

These units will ensure that my students have a solid understanding of cells. We can take a few different pathways after these lessons, such as mitosis, populations and succession, and clean water. I will consider my students’ conversations before I finally decide.

What would your students choose? Perhaps you have an idea to merge all three! If you do, please share: I’d love to hear about it.

These units review/reinforce the following DCIs:
MS-LS1-1	All living things are made up of cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said to be alive. An organism may consist of one single cell (unicellular) or many different numbers and types of cells (multicellular).   Organisms reproduce, either sexually or asexually, and transfer their genetic information to their offspring.
MS-LS2-2	Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.
These units build students’ experience with the following SEPs:
Asking Questions and Defining Problems	Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.   Ask questions that arise from examining models or a theory, to clarify and/or seek additional information and relationships. Evaluate a question to determine if it is testable and relevant. Ask questions that can be investigated within the scope of the school laboratory, research facilities, or field (e.g., outdoor environment) with available resources, and when appropriate, frame a hypothesis based on a model or theory.
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations	Plan an investigation or test a design individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence as part of building and revising models, supporting explanations for phenomena, or testing solutions to problems. Consider possible variables or effects and evaluate the confounding investigation’s design to ensure variables are controlled.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions	Construct and revise an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.   Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to provide an explanation of phenomena and solve design problems, taking into account possible unanticipated effects. Apply scientific reasoning, theory, and/or models to link evidence to the claims to assess the extent to which the reasoning and data support the explanation or conclusion.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information	Critically read scientific literature adapted for classroom use to determine the central ideas or conclusions and/or to obtain scientific and/or technical information to summarize complex evidence, concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.   Communicate scientific and/or technical information or ideas (e.g. about phenomena and/or the process of development and the design and performance of a proposed process or system) in multiple formats (including orally, graphically, textually, and mathematically).

 

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Bonnie Nieves teaches high school science in Massachusetts. Her professional passions include engaging students in authentic activities, incorporating restorative practices, and leveraging technology to empower students to make an impact on their community. She enjoys connecting with educators through social media, professional organizations, conferences, Twitter chats, and edcamps. Nieves is a member of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES), NSTA, and Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE); serves as an Elementary and Secondary Education Science and Technology Ambassador in Massachusetts; and has presented at NABT, New Hampshire Science Teachers Association (HSTA), and MassCUE. Connect with her on Twitter @biologygoddess, on Voxer @bonnienieves, and via her WordPress blog,

Note: This article was featured in the November issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

Visit NSTA’s NGSS@NSTA Hub for hundreds of vetted classroom resources, professional learning opportunities, publications, ebooks and more; connect with your teacher colleagues on the NGSS listservs (members can sign up here); and join us for discussions around NGSS at an upcoming conference.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2018 Area Conferences

• National Harbor (MD), November 15–17
• Charlotte, Nov. 29-Dec. 1

2019 National Conference

• St. Louis, April 11-14, 2019

Follow NSTA

If you’ve spent any time exploring the shifts in NGSS instructional practices you will understand the call for “less sage on the stage and more guide on the side.” While such a metaphor can be applied to a variety of science classroom settings, one that first comes to mind is the role of students and educators in scientific discourse. The publication Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K–8 by the National Academies identified four strands of proficiency that must be interwoven into successful science classrooms and learning. One of these strands is “participating productively in scientific practices and discourse.”

Discourse is at the forefront of several scientific and engineering practices, most notably Constructing Explanations and Design Solutions and Engaging in Argument from Evidence. Educators shifting their classroom and instructional practices may find themselves in uncomfortable spaces and roles at first, but so too will students! Norms and the capacity for constructing scientific explanations and critiquing or defending a claim do not happen overnight. Students of all ages often require scaffolds when being asked to share with peers for the first time. This includes students who are rehearsed in sharing strategies, but may be coming into contact with new peers and settings for the first time in a new academic year.

In Burlington, Massachusetts, where I teach, the need for improved student discourse across all the fields of study is a priority. Our district’s instructional coaches are committed to focusing their work on lifting classroom discourse and are using an adapted version of the table developed by Hufford-Ackles, Fuson, and Sherin (2014) to support educators’ exploration of student discourse in its many forms and levels.

To introduce this instructional priority to our teachers, curriculum teams or “councils” met with coaches at the beginning of the year and participated in a protocol designed to highlight the practices that facilitate student discourse and engage teachers in peer-to-peer conversations much like the ones we aspire to achieve with our students. Educators independently reflected before sharing with one another on sticky notes how the science curriculum and instructional practices support each of the five facets of classroom discourse.

Teachers then organized their sticky notes on five posters (one for each facet of the discourse rubric) before working collaboratively to organize them into groups or patterns. This strategy was taken from John Antonetti who used a similar format to engage administrators during their own professional learning around the concept of Learning Walks. Teachers were then given the task of reflecting on how they and their colleagues support the particular facet in their classroom and school. Their groupings and strategies were ultimately shared with the entire council.

To further empower our teachers, we  provide them with resources available online at no cost that have proven to advance student discourse . These include

• A copy of Burlington’s “Academic Levels of Classroom Discourse” table.
• Links to TERC’s Talk Science Primer and a copy of the Nine Talk Moves for “Productive Discussion” as shared on page 11.
• A copy of the “Talk Activities Flowchart” and links to the accompanying student talk protocol descriptions and teacher moves put together by Phillip Bell and his amazing team at STEMTeachingTools.org.

Over the course of the year, teams of teachers in grade bands will meet to revisit and hone our units and lessons. The teachers will be asked to identify the level of classroom discourse being asked of the teacher and students, and  consider and tweak lessons and units that are lower on the spectrum, preferably to levels 3 or 4 on our table (see discourse chart linked above). Additionally, the district’s improvement committee is  exploring the use of tools, like learning walks, to get teachers into classrooms to observe peers in action to push student discourse to new levels. The work won’t be worthy of click-baiting, head-turning headlines in our news outlets, but it will heighten the faculty’s focus on student discourse as a linchpin experience in every science classroom and lesson.

 

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Sean Musselman is a K–8 science specialist for the Burlington, Massachusetts, Public Schools and a former middle school Earth and space science teacher. Musselman regularly supports Burlington classroom teachers with professional development and co-teaching investigations and engineering challenges. He is also a professional development facilitator for NSTA and a member of the Cambridge College science education faculty.

Note: This article was featured in the November issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

Visit NSTA’s NGSS@NSTA Hub for hundreds of vetted classroom resources, professional learning opportunities, publications, ebooks and more; connect with your teacher colleagues on the NGSS listservs (members can sign up here); and join us for discussions around NGSS at an upcoming conference.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2018 Area Conferences

• National Harbor (MD), November 15–17
• Charlotte, Nov. 29-Dec. 1

2019 National Conference

• St. Louis, April 11-14, 2019

Follow NSTA

 

I recently observed a lesson about how shadows change throughout the day, and I was fascinated by the amount of time the teacher and the class took to listen to and watch one another as they discussed the data. The careful structuring of time for analyzing data in small- and whole-group discussions gave students confidence as they shared. Ms. Hall asked her class to examine the data they collected about the length of a pencil’s shadow in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. The teacher also measured the shadow later in the afternoon after class so students could see how it continued to change.

Each small group recorded their data on a foam board so it was easy to see the pattern. The class was asked to develop a claim to answer this question: How do shadows change throughout the day?  In table groups, the students examined the data they recorded and discussed their observations. As the students talked, they observed the slant of the shadows. Ms. Hall asked groups to consider the shadows’ length: “What can you say about the length? Did it change, and why?”

Listening to and watching the students allowed Ms. Hall to direct their ideas and encourage them to explicate their ideas by considering how and why the length changed. The students discussed how the length of the shadow changed because of the position of the Sun. Sophia used her hands to make quotes around “coming up” when she referred to the Sun. By watching Sophia’s hand movements, Ms. Hall was able to determine that Sophia understood that the Sun only appears to move in the sky.

After the groups’ discussions, Ms. Hall asked Sophia to share her observations. Sophia began, “When the Sun was first ‘coming up,’ I guess you could say it made a long shadow in the opposite direction.”

Alex added, “Earlier in the day, the Sun’s over here (uses hand to indicate the Sun on the right), and the shadows are long and casting that way…(uses hands to show the shadow slanting to the left).”

Ms. Hall asked her students to apply the data they had collected to predict where and how long the shadow would be at 8 a.m., before they came to school. As she circulated around the classroom, she could observe students watching and listening to one another as they used their fingers to indicate their predictions of the length and direction of the shadow. Students also calculated the shadow’s length based on the 4:45 afternoon measurement, and it was clear that they saw a pattern: Shadows became longer, long, shorter, long, and then longer again.

As small-group discussions ended, Ms. Hall asked Michael to share his thoughts. He observed, “Since the Sun’s still low, it’s just rising over the horizon, so the shadow will be pretty long.”

Ms. Hall asked, “Can you share more about why you think that?”

“At 10:45 [a.m.], it was over here (points left), and probably at 8 a.m. it would be kind of like the 4:45 [p.m.] one, but on the other side.”

“Do other groups agree with Michael’s prediction?” she asked. Many students nodded their agreement or signaled a “thumbs up.”

Listening to and watching their ideas helped Ms. Hall know that the students understood the pattern and were ready to make a claim to answer the question. She asked the students: “How do shadows change throughout the day?”

Lila responded with this claim: “The shadows were longer, short, then longer than long.”

Ms. Hall prompted, “Why did they get longer?”

Lila replied, “They got longer as the Sun appeared to be lower in the sky, like when we held flashlights low on the pipe cleaner to made a long shadow.”

 

Summary 

In classrooms where students are both seen and heard, the teacher

1. provides sufficient time for analyzing data before constructing claims;
2. uses small-group discussions to access student understanding and encourage deeper thinking;
3. listens carefully to ideas, finding ways to use student language in constructing explanations; and
4. watches the way students use their hands to explain their thinking, which helps to further access their level of comprehension.

In classrooms where students are both seen and heard, students

1. keep science journals in which they record the data they collect so it’s accessible for analyzing the phenomena;
2. talk in small groups so they express themselves in a more comfortable setting before sharing with the whole group;
3. practice both listening and watching as a person speaks so all contributions are valued; and

4. gain confidence as they increase their skills in the science practices of analyzing data and constructing explanations based on evidence.

Dialogue: What Do You Think?

What do you think of how talk is being used to examine the shadow data?

Have you noticed the importance of watching what your students are “saying” with their hands as they share?

How do you use talk moves in your classroom?

Have you found a way to structure science talks that encourage more students to contribute?

 

NGSS Standards: Earth’s Place in the Universe

Disciplinary Core Idea

The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year. (5-ESS1-2)

5-ESS1-2: Performance Expectation

Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky

3–5 NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

• Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

• Use evidence to construct or support an explanation

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Kimber Hershberger recently retired from 31 years of full-time elementary teaching but she continues to share her passion for teaching science through leading professional development workshops and traveling to South Africa and Rwanda to teach science lessons and storytelling in elementary schools. She taught 3rd grade for 23 years in the State College Area School District (SCASD) in Pennsylvania where she served as a co-instructor for the methods science methods course and as a mentor teacher for the Penn State- SCASD Professional Development School Partnership. She co-authored the book What’s Your Evidence? Engaging K-5 Students in Constructing Explanations in Science with Carla Zembal-Saul and Kate McNeill. She has written articles for Science and Children about using the KLEWS chart: “KWL gets a KLEW” and “Methods and Strategies: KLEWS to Explanation Building in Science.” Kimber continues to be a frequent workshop presenter at the NSTA National Conference. She holds a M.Ed. in science education from Penn State University.

Note: This article was featured in the November issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

Visit NSTA’s NGSS@NSTA Hub for hundreds of vetted classroom resources, professional learning opportunities, publications, ebooks and more; connect with your teacher colleagues on the NGSS listservs (members can sign up here); and join us for discussions around NGSS at an upcoming conference.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2018 Area Conferences

• National Harbor (MD), November 15–17
• Charlotte, Nov. 29-Dec. 1

2019 National Conference

• St. Louis, April 11-14, 2019

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Jennifer Thompson, early elementary teacher and former chair of the NSTA Preschool and Elementary Committee, is the ideal person to introduce the updated NSTA Elementary Science Position Statement.

Welcome Jennifer!

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The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has recently revised and adopted a position statement in support of science for the elementary years, The Elementary Science Position Statement. The intention for this statement is to build on and connect the Early Childhood Science Position Statement (for ages 3 – 5) with a natural flow into the elementary years and then on to the Middle School Science Statement (for grades 6 – 8). In this way all children are supported to have science education from their earliest learning, into the more formal elementary years, and entering middle school with a background of experiences of being immersed in the practices of science and engineering.

This research based document was developed over time by a committee, many whom were serving on the NSTA Pre-school Elementary Science Education Committee, a group of elementary and early childhood teachers, researchers, professors and advocates of science education. I am hugely appreciative of the Committee’s time, energy and powerful discussions from multiple perspectives that led to the final document. Research for the position statement came from the National Research Council’s Framework for K – 12 Science Education as well as other documents and peer-reviewed articles that emphasize the importance of time, preparation and thoughtful investigations as part of the daily instruction in all years of elementary school. 

This position statement highlights and supports how children learn about their world through quality hands on investigations with appropriate materials. The Elementary Statement is worded to include the Early Childhood Science Position Statement’s emphasis that as young children use innate curiosity to explore their world, teachers and families in the elementary years will then continue these experiences with further development of science and engineering practices to construct understanding through real-world applications.  Pre-service programs, ongoing professional development for practicing teachers, and family support programs provide yet more consistent opportunities so that all students in the elementary years experience quality science as part of their education. 

This position statement calls for supports for elementary teachers to plan for science education as part of everyday instruction so that students have an authentic environment with time to use science materials, read, write and explain their thinking as they develop more scientific reasoning and communication skills. It is also a document that recommends and expects teachers and administrators to build science experiences throughout the local community so that all students engage with practicing scientists and engineers. When teachers are provided with training for the development of their own science knowledge background, students are empowered to apply the skills and strategies of scientists and engineers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Policy makers, administrators, community members and others can also gain direction and information from this statement to guide their  decisions that impact science in the elementary years. The statement holds policy and decision makers accountable through best practices of advocacy and funding so that the recommendations can be applied in support of all students and teachers. 

The Elementary Position Statement emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive plan for science education from the earliest years and all throughout elementary school. From the introduction to principles, declarations to recommendations, this statement provides a far-reaching argument for science education in the elementary school years. I will be sharing this worldwide with the many teachers, pre-service candidates, administrators and policy makers that I know will appreciate it as a tool for guidance and support. I will also use it in my daily practices as a teacher so that I can inform parents, guide colleagues and build an even better environment for teaching and learning of science education in my own classroom. I encourage you to share this with your colleagues and continue to support elementary students and their families as they make connections to the world around them.