JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s October 2017 K-12 journals
Having just completed an online course on climate change, I was interested in the Commentary: Why the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change Matters for Science Education, from The Science Teacher, and the important role science teachers play in help...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Student Talk: The Use of Dialogue and Discussion
This summer a group of Oregon teachers prepared to launch the Oregon Science Project, which focuses on professional development for rural teachers around NGSS. During our 3-day facilitator’s training we focused on dialogue not discussion. As a gr...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
I’m a new teacher and I can’t believe how ragged I feel—I seem to be just barely ahead of the class. I have lessons that are not going to plan and I feel like I’m just running around non-stop. Please help! —W., Virginia...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Preparing for Medical Emergencies
Science teachers need to know the necessary actions to take in the event of a medical emergency. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provide insight on this issue by means of workp...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Ed News: Educators Gain Valuable Tech Experience Through Industry Certifications
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By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Creating a STEM Culture for Teaching and Learning
Creating a STEM Culture for Teaching and Learning by Jeff Weld offers insight for educators, policy makers, and business leaders about why STEM education matters and where it’s headed next. This new NSTA Press book includes case studies and real li...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Figuring out what seeds need to sprout
Do seeds need soil to sprout? Many people would say yes. Preschool children may know, or at least are able to recite, that plants need “dirt,” water, and sunshine to grow....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Science Teaching Stories: 140 Characters at a Time
In the world of Twitter we use 140 characters to tell wonderful and informative stories. And, in the world of NSTA, stories about excellence and innovations in science teaching are abounding. When joining the two worlds we make #NSTAchat�...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Students prepare to launch a high-altitude balloon with science payload....
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Building race cars made of food and powered by potential energy stored in a rubber band is one of the hands-on, inquiry-based activities in the Roads, Rails, and Race Cars after-school program, held in schools around Nebraska. Photo credit: Mid-Ameri...
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Photo Credit By dotmatchbox at flickr I’m starting to plan some formal assessments but, because it’s my first time, I’m not exactly sure if I’m creating a test correctly. Do you have any advice? —L., Nebraska...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Wow, do I have big shoes to fill! Mary Bigelow is stepping down as NSTA’s original Ms. Mentor after years of advising teachers across the globe. She has demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to helping the science teaching community with thoughtful,...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Challenging Our Brightest Thinkers
Although I encourage all of my students to consider a career in the sciences, I know it is probable that only the most persistent, passionate, and brightest will chose such a career path. I’ve been fortunate to teach many such students. This past M...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
I did not have a formal mentor when I was a new teacher. As I struggled, several colleagues and an administrator must have seen some potential and offered me advice and support. I was glad to return the favor during my career as a classroom teacher a...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
President Trump Calls for $200 Million Boost for STEM Education
Last week President Trump issued a presidential memorandum calling for a $200 million boost to STEM education and computer science in K–12 schools. The memorandum, signed during an Oval Office ceremony attended by Ivanka Trump and U.S. Ed...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Intersection and integration of play and science learning
I was at a conference proudly wearing my tee shirt that says “Play” when I was given a chance to reflect on what I meant by an esteemed colleague and mentor who asked, “Ah yes, but what kind of play?” My reflection continues as I continue to ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Toward High School Biology: A New Curriculum for Your Middle School Students
Would you like to challenge your middle school students to explain a range of phenomena—from how nylon thread can form from two clear, colorless liquids to how a snake that eats only eggs can make body structures that don’t look anything like an ...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
I am K-6 science specialist in Australia. I am keen to make contact with others in this unique employment situation. I’m interested in issues such as timetabling (scheduling), support from the school, and any issues with the teachers’ union. – ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Documenting science investigations in preschool: Solar eclipse and butterfly metamorphosis
Thank you to the director, Sandra Redmore, and the teachers of Clarendon Child Care Center, Andria Shelton, Barbara Foster, and Sarah Abu-El-Hawa, for sharing their teaching practices and science explorations!...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
When students miss a lab activity, what are some meaningful ways they can make up the work? — R., Oregon Most students don’t want to miss lab investigations, but when they do, it can affect their learning in the rest of the unit. Finding time...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Seeking a New Way to Assess Science at All Levels
The word assessment can prompt feelings of dread, mistrust, or outright hate in many teachers. That’s distressing, as quality instruction includes quality assessment. Unfortunately, we have allowed assessment to become the “tail that wags the dog...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Kentucky’s Systems Approach to Assessing Three-Dimensional Standards
One thing is clear about our multi-dimensional standards: They require a complex and thoughtful approach to assessment. No single, conventional, summative test can be expected to provide reliable data sufficient enough to satisfy the demands of all p...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Focusing on Instruction to Improve My School
How do you envision science education in your classroom? Your school? Your district? In hectic life of a modern educator, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the initiatives, expectations, and pressures of our profession. As a first-year high sc...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s September 2017 K-12 journals
Commentary: Reasoning Versus Post-Truth in The Science Teacher is an important read in a time when dependence on unverified information from social media seems to be more prevalent than using trusted sources that value reasoning....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Ed News: Critics Say Proposed NM Science Standards Omit Evolution, Climate Change
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By Kate Falk
Blog Post
The Vernier Three-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor: A Magic Wand for Magnets
What could be better than one anisotropic magnetoresistance magnetic field sensor? How about three anisotropic magnetoresistance magnetic field sensors and a Hall effect sensor as well! Pack them all into a lightweight watertight housing with a rech...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Protecting Students From Fires
In 2015, the National Fire Protection Association released a revised version of NFPA 45 that included a new chapter titled “Educational and Instructional Laboratory Operations,” which applies to K–12 school laboratories. The new chapter provide...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Enhancing Google Sheets for the Classroom
Among the most commonly used tools in the science classroom are those that allow students to collect and manipulate data, including Microsoft Excel, Graphical Analysis, and Google Sheets. This month, we focus on one of the benefits of Google Sheets ...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Health Wise: Be Prepared for Opioid Overdoses
In light of the national opioid epidemic, schools need to be prepared in case a student overdoses. Consider:...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Is Quality PD the Goal of STEM Certification? Here's What the AACT Has to Say
For anyone who isn’t yet familiar with The American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT), here’s a bit about who we are. We’re 4,500 members strong, though we’ve only been around for three years. Most of us are teachers, and some are othe...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
My fourth-grade students like doing hands-on science activities. How can I get them to focus on the activity rather than socializing? —C., West Virginia You want students to enjoy the activity and talk with each other, but students need to understa...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Off the Deep End: Reflections on my time as a NOAA Teacher at Sea
Sunset/Sunrise over a fjord in Kodiak, Alaska...
By Korei Martin