Resources that support early childhood science learning may be ideas or lesson plans for specific investigations by children, or be information for educators about children’s learning progressions, research into how children learn, science content information for adults, or an extensive analysis of the state of early science education. 

Where do you get the support you need to grow your science teaching skills and knowledge?

An investigation

Have you used the tops of carrots or the bottoms of celery to grow new leaves? A turnip with stubs of green leaves still present will also continue growing if it is set into a cup of water, just touching the water. Children observe the parts of plants and, through experience, learn that plants need water if (when) the water is used up and the leaves wilt. The turnip “greens” can be harvested with a pair of scissors and fed to worms in the classroom vermicomposting bin or to other “compost critters” in a terrarium. The February 2013 issue of Science and Children has several articles about worms and composting (free to members of NSTA and a small fee for others). I like to keep a turnip on the windowsilll as a winter garden, adding to children’s experience with plants and promoting thoughts of spring gardening. 

Learning progressions in science education

If you haven’t yet been introduced to the Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 (NGSS), or just want a refresher, I recommend starting with the NGSS “Appendix E – Progressions Within the Next Generation Science Standards” where you can read about the approach that is “intended to increase coherence in K-12 science education” and learn how less complex ideas explored in early childhood (K-2) build to more sophisticated and difficult concepts appropriate for upper grades.  For example, if you wonder what kindergarteners should know about the planets in our solar system, see Earth Science Standards ESS1.A and ESS1.B K-2 progression: “Patterns of movement of the sun, moon, and stars as seen from Earth can be observed, described, and predicted” and begin with having children make observations and drawings of the Moon in daytime for a few minutes each time you can be outside when it is visible. Over several months the drawings will reveal a pattern of the phases of the Moon, a phenomenon to think about as children explore making shadows. 

Research

Research into how children (people) learn grounds the 3 dimensional structure of the NGSS—science or engineering practices, a core disciplinary idea, and a crosscutting concept. These two books are part of the research behind the NGSS. They are available at no cost online and can be easily searched online or downloaded. 

National Research Council. 2000. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853 

National Research Council. 2007. Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11625 

Science content information for adults

When talking about science phenomenon with children I may find myself wondering about it longer than the children are interested. Other times they ask questions I don’t have answers to. On these occasions I turn to resources meant for people older than 8 years old. Sometimes a non-fiction book in the children’s section of the library provides the additional information in language that is easy to understand. See the books listed in the NSTA Recommends pages to find books with accurate, engaging science content. See also the lists of just the Outstanding Science Trade Books, chosen by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)  and assembled in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council. The gorgeous book covers and informative descriptions will help you choose the books you need. 

Other NSTA resources for adult learning include the “SciPacks” in the Do-it-yourself Learning section of the Learning Center or the “Science 101” columns from Science and Children. Some resources are free but many require membership or a small fee. See other resources listed in on the page Books & Resources: NSTA Initiative for Learners 0–5. 

Analysis of the state of early science education

Transforming the Early Education Workforce: A Multimedia Guidebook is an online resource from New America about the National Research Council’s 2015 report, Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 which explores the “science of child development, looks at implications for the professionals who work with children through examining the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems.” The report makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals, creating “a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning.”

New America’s guide opens through portals for policymakers, for the workforce, and for higher ed, but has a place to “start from the beginning” to get an overview of this transformation. You can follow a guided path through the multimedia guidebook or jump around, going to the Child Development and Early Learning section, checking the glossary, or viewing videos where they are embedded in the guidebook or out of context. 

As early childhood educators we need a wide range of resources! I hope you found something here that is helpful and that you will share other resources you use in a comment below.

This week in education news, state officials want to keep more candidates in Nebraska’s teacher-preparation pipeline by easing testing requirements; Maine considering relaxing certification standards to get more teachers into the classrooms; new study finds that merit-based bonuses help raise student test scores; vocational education classes play a role in math and science education in California schools; preparing today’s students for the future workforce is a society-wide effort; and different data needed to track the quality of STEM undergrad education.

Nebraska Aims To Ease Path For Future Teachers

State officials want to keep more candidates in Nebraska’s teacher-preparation pipeline by easing testing requirements. What’s clogging things up, they say, is a test Nebraska adopted three years ago to screen applicants for teacher-education programs. Read the article featured in the Omaha World-Herald.

Pa. Can Do More To Upgrade STEM Education

As a practicing Pennsylvania classroom science teacher for more than 30 years and a National STEM Teacher Ambassador, I appreciate the good work Gov. Tom Wolf has done for education and his advocacy to increase resources for education. His recent Op-Ed “Why it’s essential for Pennsylvania to invest in education” points out how far the state has come in regard to education. I agree we have come a long way, but there are two significant impediments that state lawmakers and leadership could be addressing in regard to the state of STEM education in Pennsylvania. Read the opinion piece featured in The Delaware County Daily Times.

Should Maine Relax Certification Standards To Get More Teachers In Classrooms?

Like a lot of states, Maine has a shortage of teachers. According to the U.S. Department of Education, schools are struggling to find people to fill positions ranging from librarians to Spanish teachers. Proposed rules from the Maine Department of Education could make it easier to certify some teachers and bring them into the system. But at a hearing on the proposal, some educators worried that the new rules could lower the bar, and bring unqualified teachers into the classroom. Read the article featured on Mainepublic.org.

Big New Study Finds That Performance Bonuses For Teachers Boost Test Scores (A Bit)

A new study, released by the federal government, suggests that merit-based bonuses are the way to go, as they help raise student test scores without making a significant dent in teacher morale. It offers the latest evidence that programs of this sort can help schools and students, despite the common perception that they are ineffective. Read the article featured in Chalkbeat.

Despite Cutbacks, Auto Shops Play A Role In Math And Science Education In California Schools

Thirty years ago, auto shop was as much a part of California high schools as frog dissection, typing classes and Friday night football. But due to budget cuts, teacher shortages and a push for more academic course offerings, fewer than half those auto shops remain in California — even though they have the potential to complement hands-on math and science curriculum, education experts say. Vocational education classes, such as auto shop, can provide training and career options for students less likely to go to college, but also can be useful for students who are on academic tracks, educators said. Read the article featured in EdSource.

Newsflash: Preparing Students For The Future Workforce Is A Society-wide Effort

Today’s jobs are changing, and they are changing at such a rapid pace that many of the jobs our students will hold in the future do not even exist today. But just because we don’t know what those jobs are doesn’t mean we can’t do our best to prepare today’s students, and tomorrow’s workforce, for the opportunities awaiting them. A large part of that preparation will rely on equal technology access to all students. Read the article featured in eSchool News.

More And Different Data Needed To Track Quality Of STEM Undergrad Education

Improving STEM undergraduate education will require tracking student demographics, instructor use of evidence-based teaching practices, student transfer patterns and other yet-unmeasured dimensions of science, technology, engineering and math education. That’s the main conclusion from a new report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Read the article featured in Campus Technology.

Marshawn Lynch’s ‘Scientist’ Talks Future Of Research And Importance Of Strengthening The Pipeline

Michael Pravica and Marshawn Lynch are at first glance (and second glance, third, fourth and fifth glances) an unlikely pair. But what the professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the star running back of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders have in common — besides their joint appearances on the Bleacher Report’s new Facebook show, “No Script with Marshawn Lynch” — centers around explosions. For Lynch, it’s his explosive runs on the field, and for Pravica, it is the study of “things that go boom.” Read the article featured in Education DIVE.

Feds Set Stage for ESSA ‘Innovative’ Testing Pilots. But States, Vendors May Move More Slowly

The U.S. Department of Education has given states an official heads-up to get ready to apply to pilot “innovative assessments” under the Every Student Succeeds Act. But it seems likely that states will approach the feds’ offer cautiously—rather than in a headlong rush. Read the article featured in Education Week’s Market Brief.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

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As part of a NASA CP4SMPVC grant to Fairchild Tropical
Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida, middle and high
school students have identified 91 varieties of edible plants
suitable for zero-gravity growth. Photo courtesy of Andrew Kearns, Jose Marti MAST 6–12 Academy

Grants from NASA’s Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers (CP4SMPVC) enable the agency to partner with informal education venues to enhance their space science related–programs and engage teachers and students in NASA’s mission. But the CP4SMPVC hasn’t awarded new grants since early 2017. Why should science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers care about this?

Teachers and students partnering with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida, on the Growing Beyond Earth (GBE) STEM education program care because in the first two years of Fairchild’s $1.25 million, four-year CP4SMPVC grant for the program, middle and high school students identified 91 varieties of edible plants suitable for zero-gravity growth in the International Space Station’s plant growth facility. GBE students have tested 106 varieties of plants so far as part of the Fairchild Challenge, a Miami-based environmental science competition, according to Amy Padolf, Fairchild’s director of education. Padolf and Carl Lewis, Fairchild’s director, designed GBE with researchers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

According to Padolf, 136 classrooms in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties participate, and GBE will expand to “another 15 in Palm Beach County” and be tested at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio.

With the grant funding, which began in 2016 and will last until 2020, “we give schools all the equipment necessary to conduct the research, along with rigid research protocols from NASA scientists, and provide training for the teachers,” Padolf explains. The schools grow the plants, collect data, and “input it into spreadsheets that are shared with NASA researchers… It’s one of the few NASA grant projects that is feeding their research,” she points out.

Students are getting real-world experience “working with plant research, statistics, and data collection; writing proposals; and presenting research posters that NASA will review,” Padolf relates, “and NASA scientists are communicating with students regularly via Twitter [@GrowBeyondEarth].”

Teachers report that “students have a greater interest in plant science and STEM careers…Kids who have never grown anything are [feeling] empowered,” she contends.

Teaching Students About Flight

Teachers and students who visit the Flight aerospace exhibit at EdVenture, an educational museum in Columbia, South Carolina, would care if EdVenture hadn’t received its three-year, $893,224 CP4SMPVC grant. The grant provided funds to design and build the exhibit—including a real Boeing 757 cockpit attached to the museum—and create programs that draw on students’ interest in flight, space, engineering, and physics. “The exhibit [conveys] the excitement of flight to children to get them interested in science,” says EdVenture President and CEO Karen Coltrane.

The funding also enables teachers to bring students to the museum as part of a field study experience in which students do an activity chosen by their teachers and hear about aerospace careers and opportunities in South Carolina. “More and more this has to be funded because schools don’t have a budget for field trips, which are memorable for students,” Coltrane maintains.
EdVenture is leveraging the grant to gain funds from other sources to provide professional development (PD) for K–8 teachers in using NASA and STEM content and resources. “We recognize that teachers may not be familiar with airplane manufacturing. We knew we could be helpful” in educating teachers about it so they can help students understand why advanced degrees are needed to work in 21st-century factories, Coltrane observes.

“We’re starting with the youngest students to give them real-life experiences to prepare them for the workforce,” remarks Nikki Williams, EdVenture’s executive vice president. “There aren’t a lot of varied opportunities for [PD] for teachers of grades 4–8 [in our area]… We want to make sure teachers have opportunities to feel confident in their delivery [of the content].”

Infusing NASA Content

Teachers and students in Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) district would care if the Howard B. Owens Science Center in Lanham, Maryland—which is owned and operated by the district—wasn’t awarded a CP4SMPVC grant in 2014. The center’s NASA Earth, Solar, and Planetary Science Infusion Project received the five-year grant of $409,047 to hold programs for grades 3–8 featuring NASA Sun-Earth connections, comparative planetology, and NASA Space Weather Action Center data.

“We do a lot of PD with teachers [to give them] tools to use NASA resources,” says Russell Waugh, an Owens outreach teacher. The grant funding is used to purchase supplies and materials for these workshops. In one workshop, “teachers learn about telescopes and build a small telescope to use in their classrooms…[In another,] we show third-grade teachers how to use NASA data.”

“We try to help teachers meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) [because] a lot of teachers aren’t familiar with them yet. Our curriculum is based on [the NGSS],” says Patricia Seaton, the center’s planetarium specialist. “Our county curriculum aligns with this grant,” she adds.

“The funds mainly go to teachers for their time here,” Waugh points out. “We give teachers time out of class to gain additional experiences with science content and related fields, and tools to use with students in hands-on activities.”

“Teachers get a stipend for participating [in our activities] and free materials,” notes Seaton.

“We [also] use the PD to introduce teachers to our programs for students, to generate enthusiasm for teachers to bring their students here,” Waugh explains.

“We have a Challenger Center spacecraft simulator mission called Earth Odyssey [that shows students] the advantages of remote sensing…It’s as if they’re flying in space. The kids are impressed,” Waugh relates. Student Challenger missions are regularly enhanced with new NASA content, and the grant funds “have enabled us to keep [the Challenger simulator] updated so we can keep running it,” he reports.

“Our aim is to develop a pipeline of students who would get experience with NASA data and missions and have different experiences in each grade [that would inspire them] to pursue STEM studies and careers,” Waugh contends.

Without the grant, “we’d be losing the possibility of developing opportunities for students and the public to learn what NASA is doing,” Seaton and Waugh maintain.

This article originally appeared in the January 2018 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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