Looking Toward the New Framework for the Next Generation Science Standards: New Research on Promising Practices in Professional Development with a Focus on Curriculum Integration
March 31, 2012
Indianapolis, Indiana
You must be registered for the NSTA Indianapolis conference to participate in this ticketed event. To register online for the Indianapolis conference, click here. To download an Indianapolis Advance Registration Form (PDF), click here.
"Research on science teaching and learning plays an important role in improving science literacy, a goal called for in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and supported by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA 2003). NSTA promotes a research agenda that is focused on the goal of enhancing student learning through effective teaching practices and that effectively connects research and practice."—NSTA Position Statement: The Role of Research on Science Teaching and Learning
The synergistic relationship between research and practice includes teachers and researchers communicating goals, activities, and findings with the greater science education community in ways that make research accessible, understandable, meaningful, and relevant to teachers, administrators, and policy makers. Through the bridging of research and practice NSTA can promote science literacy for students in the 21st century as envisioned by The Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Cross-Cutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NAS, 2011).
In response to the need for knowledge of effective science education strategies, the National Science Teachers Association developed Research Dissemination Conferences (RDC) to highlight research topics and NSTA's expanding commitment to bring specific, meaningful, and practical professional development to science educators. By disseminating best practice and current research RDCs have provided and supported high-quality professional development opportunities for educators since 2005. The goals of RDC's are to share tools and resources that support high quality and effective science teaching; implement strategies to connect science educators with the broader science community; as well as promote the use of education research to inform policy and practice.
The overall objective of this daylong event is to
- Disseminate current research on K–12 science education to practitioners and policy makers in order to promote its wide application to improve science teaching and student learning;
- Emphasize results that address key issues and concerns such as: student achievement, STEM integration, teacher content knowledge, scalability and sustainability;
- Provide a forum for discussing issues and fostering ongoing collaboration in support of improving science teaching for learning ;
- Allow teachers, administrators at school and district levels, as well as professional development providers, to learn about the implications of researchers' work for classroom practice and professional development.
The conference format includes plenary sessions that address issues of general interest and multiple concurrent small group sessions that focus on best practice and current research for a practitioner audience. Break out session topics will include but are not limited to:
- Online and school-based professional development
- STEM Integration
- Questions, claims and evidence as part of science assessment
- Formal and informal science education integration
- Science learning through simulations and games
- Science and literacy integration
- Teaching science in a social context
When registering for the conference, participants select breakout sessions that best match their needs and interests. Each breakout session targets the interests of specific groups, such as elementary teachers, secondary teachers, principals, curriculum coordinators, and professional development providers. The RDC is designed to encourage greater dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to bring about a better understanding of science education strategies.