How beneficial and effective can inquiry-based learning be at the younger elementary school grades (K-2)? What are some ideas for incorporating this type of learning at this level?
—K., Wyoming

I would argue the only way to teach science to our youngest students is through inquiry! 

Humans were born with innate curiosity and a willingness to experiment. Why not tap into those built-in characteristics and provide students the opportunity to observe, experiment and reach conclusions on topics of their choice?

Make science hands-on and judiciously guide students with questions. Have them record data in interesting ways that include counting, measuring, representing values with icons or pictures, and use language. Don’t underestimate a child’s ability to observe: when he was kindergarten-aged, my son asked me, “Why do sunrises look like rainbows?” I was about to answer that they don’t, but then looked out the window to observe…the full spectrum of colors! Watch for misconceptions that we tend to pick up very early in life. Teach your students observation skills and how to explain things using evidence.

Teach students the safe use of magnifying glasses and have them go outside to look at grass, weeds, trees, insects, wood, metal, concrete, and so on. Create little exploration stations and give them cameras to record what they observe, organize the photos and explain. Don’t have preconceived ideas of what you want from the stations, encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Don’t be afraid that you might not have the answers for them.

Have fun.

Hope this helps!

Last week the U.S. Department of Education published three notices in the Federal Register inviting applications for the Education Innovation and Research Program’s Early-phase, Mid-phase, and Expansion competitions.  A priority for these grants is to improve student achievement or other educational outcomes in one or more of the following areas: science, technology, engineering, math, or computer science.

(As you will recall late last year the President asked the Department of Education to create a priority for STEM and Computer Science in existing discretionary federal grants.)

Also last week the Department hosted a webinar highlighting these grant programs and reviewed the priorities to support STEM and Computer Science education. You can access the recorded webinar here. Read the ED press release here.

The Department is seeking individuals interested in becoming a peer reviewer for these grants.  More information can be found here on the call for peer reviewers posted on the EIR website.

ED Office of Civil Rights Highlights STEM Advanced Course Taking Disparities

A new study released last week from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights reveals stark racial disparities when it comes to students’ access to advanced coursework in STEM subjects.

White students made up nearly half of the 14.6 million students in schools that offered Algebra I in eighth grade and more than half of the students enrolled in Algebra I in eighth grade.

By comparison, black students made up 17 percent of the students in schools that offered the course and just 11 percent of the students enrolled. Latino students made up a quarter of students in schools that offered the course and 18 percent of the students enrolled.

The data also shows that high schools with high percentages of black and Latino students are less likely to offer math and science courses like calculus, physics, chemistry and advanced math.

Read the Department of Education press release, the STEM Course Study pdf, and the Education Week article.

Supporting a Skilled Technical Workforce Focus of Legislation/NSF Grants

The House Science Committee unanimously approved a bipartisan bill that would direct the National Science Foundation to support several new grant programs focused on mentoring, training, and apprenticeships in STEM fields.

 “Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act” would direct the National Science Foundation to issue grants and support research focused on the “skilled technical workforce,” defined as “workers with high school diplomas and two-year technical training or certifications who employ significant levels of STEM knowledge in their jobs.”

The legislation would also authorize $5 million per year over four years for grants to community colleges to “develop or improve” associate degree and certificate programs in high-demand STEM fields and $2.5 million per year over four years for grants to support universities that partner with employers “that commit to offering apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, or applied learning experiences” to students pursuing four-year STEM degrees.

Read more on the bill here.

50-State Comparison of State Policies on School Leaders Now Available

Research shows that school leadership has one of the greatest impacts on student learning. States have developed policies, grounded in school leadership standards, to strengthen and increase the number of quality school leaders through traditional and alternative routes to preparation and certification. This new 50-State Comparison from the Education Commission of the States includes four data points for preparation, and three for certification and licensure. Explore how your state—and how all states—approach specific school leadership policies.

ESSA Federal Funding for Science/STEM Education in Your School or District

And finally, districts nationwide are planning right now how to use the increased federal funds available from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for FY2018. Is science and STEM education part of your district plan? Join me for this May 3 web seminar, more information and register here.

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.

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This week in education news, using cars to teach science and math principles was the original STEM; rural school districts across Mississippi and around the country call on retired teachers to return to the classroom; California county offices of education are investing in engineering labs, science camps, mobile classrooms and other initiatives to help rural students compete with their urban counterparts; Boeing held its first Washington STEM Day, celebrating students who have made commitments to pursue careers in the STEM fields; a new report from NCTM calls for major changes to high school mathematics; the U.S. Department of Education announces new STEM education grant opportunities; and programs centered around getting kids outside to explore are few and far between.

STEM Education Revs Its Engines

Mechanics can make at least $60,000 per year. That’s why schools have started fine-tuning their automotive tech programs to make them ideal vehicles for STEM instruction. Using automobiles to teach science and math principles was the original STEM, says Trish Serratore, president of the ASE Education Foundation, which works to prepare the auto service workforce. “Educators have been teaching math and science principles in auto and technology classes since the get-go.” Read the article featured in District Administration.

Flurry Of Bills Take On Teacher Housing And STEM Access

The fate of bills to fund teacher housing initiatives, universal preschool and educator preparation in STEM will be up for discussion in the California’s lower house. Among the other bills slated for debate at the Assembly Education Committee hearing, one would expand dual enrollment partnerships between community colleges and charter schools, and a separate bill would do the same for private schools. Read the article featured in K-12 Daily.

Former Educators Answer Call To Return To School

Hymethia W. Thompson was happily retired after 46 years as an educator when she saw a television news conference last summer that changed her life. The interim school superintendent of Jackson, Mississippi, where Thompson lives, issued a plea to retired teachers to come back. The Jackson Public School District was experiencing a shortage of certified teachers and there was a desperate need for qualified former instructors. Read the article featured in The Hechinger Report.

Rural Schools Find Ways To Bring Science Innovations Closer To Home

In an effort to bring the latest innovations in science education to students in some of the most remote parts of California, some county offices of education are investing in engineering labs, science camps, mobile classrooms and other initiatives to help rural students compete with their urban counterparts. Read the article featured in EdSource.

How The 5E Model Makes Science Meaningful For Bilingual Students

As a first generation Mexican-American, I know how difficult it is to be in a classroom where everyone speaks a language that’s different from yours. My family moved from Mexico to the United States the day after my Quinceañera (15th birthday party). I was shocked at the difference it made moving just 25 miles away. Read the article featured in EdSurge.

Inaugural Washington STEM Signing Day Celebrates Students Reaching For The Stars

Just like signing days for athletes, the inaugural Washington STEM Signing Day celebrated high school seniors from across the state as they made their commitments to some of the state and country’s top technical schools, colleges, and universities. During a ceremony attended by family members, elected officials, school and community leaders, 49 students signed “letters of intent” confirming their plans to pursue careers in STEM fields ranging from bioengineering, to animal science, to aeronautical engineering. Read the article by Boeing.

High Schoolers Should Take 4 Years Of Leaner, More Relevant Math, Teachers’ Group Says

High school math classes should be broadened to focus on goals beyond college and careers, including teaching the math students will need to be literate participants in civic life. Educators should ensure that all students master a core set of “essential concepts” through four years of math coursetaking. And the classes should be detracked, to prevent students of color from winding up in dead-end math pathways, says an expansive new report from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Down On The Farm, These Chicago High School Students Get A Unique Public Education

The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences is a public school that is set on a working farm. It offers its diverse population of students an education that prepares them for college as well as a career in agriculture. As its website says, this school is the only one of its kind in the Midwest and a model for others around the country. It is one of eight schools from around the country that were selected in the 2017 “Schools of Opportunity” project, which recognizes public high schools that work to close opportunity gaps by creating learning environments that reach every student. Read the article featured in The Washington Post.

U.S. Department Of Education Announces STEM, Computer Science Education Grant Opportunities

The U.S. Department of Education is now accepting applications for two fiscal year 2018 grant competitions that support the Presidential Memorandum on increasing access to high quality STEM and Computer Science (CS) education. The $75 million competition for Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program and the $120 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program include priorities for STEM/CS and are designed to further expand access to underserved communities and support educators in these fields. Read the U.S. Department of Education press release.

The Perks Of A Play-In-The-Mud Educational Philosophy

Most American kids don’t spend large chunks of their day catching salamanders and poking sticks into piles of fox poop. In a nation moving toward greater standardization of its public-education system, programs centered around getting kids outside to explore aren’t normal. Read the article featured in The Atlantic.

Oklahoma Teachers Move Science Lessons Outside And Away From Textbooks

The state’s market for engineering and technology jobs is growing, but the test scores of Oklahoma students lag behind national averages on science and math test scores. Researchers say one way to fix this gap is training science educators to do more than teach the facts — and to think beyond the textbook. Read the article by StateImpact Oklahoma.

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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