JoinAll Blog Posts
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Commentary: Reasoning Versus Post-truth
Nicolaus Copernicus’s heliocentric model of the universe was reasoned from evidence but conflicted with popular beliefs of the day....
By sstuckey
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Natural phenomena: awe inspiring and trauma inducing
Guest blogger Carrie Lynne Draper joins me in writing this post about supporting children affected by natural disasters....
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Focus on Physics: Eight Tips for New (and not so new) Teachers
Being a teacher can be a wonderful experience. Making it so is greatly aided by qualities that you can acquire. Needless to say, you must know your subject and be able to explain it well. Beyond that are traits and practices that make the difference ...
By sstuckey
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Senate Restores $2 Billion Teacher Training Fund
Congress returned to D.C. after Labor Day and immediately started work to fund the government, raise the federal borrowing limit and supply relief funds to disaster victims....
By Jodi Peterson
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Answers to Your Questions About NSTA's District Professional Learning Packages
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By Carole Hayward
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I’m looking for ideas to get to know my students better and interact with them. My head spins with six different groups of students each day. –M., Maryland You may have heard the idea that students don’t care what you know until they ...
By Mary Bigelow
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A Vanderbilt University Scientist in the Classroom Partnership fellow helps middle school students in the Nashville, Tennessee, area test their car design for speed....
By Debra Shapiro
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Ed News: Teacher Shortages Affecting Every State As 2017-18 School Year Begins
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By Kate Falk
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Early-in-the-school-year science experiences to support later explorations
When children and teachers are just getting used to being at school and with each other, open-ended experiences can help bring joy to what may be a stressful time. Simple science experiences involve open exploration and build foundations for later sc...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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What Goes Into STEM Certification? STEM Orgs Weigh In
What if you are an experienced science teacher but you have limited knowledge of engineering? Or you are an administrator looking for the most qualified person to fill a vacancy in your STEM lab? What if you are a preservice teacher and are intereste...
By Guest Blogger
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A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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I see many good activities for middle school involving plants, but what if students already did something similar at the elementary level? I don’t want to spend time on duplicate activities or get the eye-roll “we already did this.” —M., Ariz...
By Mary Bigelow
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Collaborating to Improve Performance Expectations
Jessica Tetreault and I were the only two middle school teachers at a recent conference, so we were paired to create a common performance assessment that we could both use with our students in the coming months. She volunteered to share an assessment...
By Cindy Workosky
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Gravitational Interactions and 3-D Learning in Middle School
I recently embarked on a journey with K–8 teachers in Vermont to learn how to be intentional about planning for three-dimensional (3-D) learning in the classroom....
By Cindy Workosky
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It's Elementary: Investigating Student Work
Teachers wear many hats in the classroom. We are doctors, therapists, IT technicians, politicians, and entertainers, but the one hat we wear that is essential for student learning is the detective’s hat. As detectives, we gather and analyze evidenc...
By Cindy Workosky
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It is truly an exciting time in science education. Science educators across the country are adapting to a new vision of how students learn science guided by the Framework for K–12 Science Education (Framework). As a result, science instruction is c...
By Cindy Workosky
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I will start teaching in an elementary school this year. When I looked in what will be my future my classroom, but I didn’t see supplies or equipment for teaching science. What can I do now? – —G., Michigan...
By Mary Bigelow
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Unparalleled Student Experiences through the NASA Educator Workshop
During July 2001, I along with 24 science educators from 15 states attended the NASA Educator Workshop (NEW) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The two-week program was a NASA Headquarters initiative managed by NSTA, and coordina...
By Korei Martin
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Federal Agencies Fulfilling their Mission to Support Science Education
Science has been a central component of American democracy from the very beginning. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”...
By Korei Martin
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Q&A on Unpacking Three-Dimensional Standards
We’ve recently heard discussions from colleagues about the need to “unpack” the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and how to do it. The term unpacking means a lot of things to lots of people so we thought we’d share our ideas about wh...
By Cindy Workosky
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There are plenty of reasons to wear a lab coat. For instance, lab coats are fire resistant, and they protect your skin from splashes and spills in the laboratory. The following are some helpful hints for selecting the right lab coat for your needs. ...
By Kenneth Roy
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I’m preparing for my first year as a science teacher. I’ve heard I should have a folder for a substitute teacher, but I’m not sure what should be in it besides a lesson plan. —H., Georgia...
By Mary Bigelow
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Art and motion: moving toward STEM
Camp is not school. Like school, camp is play and camp is a learning environment, but the time together may not be long enough to build a community that effectively investigates together. In a half-day, five-day camp program with 15 minutes for snack...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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I’m not sure what to do on the first day of my new middle school assignment (I started student teaching in the spring, so I never had the experience of a “first day”). Any suggestions? —C., Minnesota...
By Mary Bigelow
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NSTA’s fall area conferences on science education are right around the corner:...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
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Even if your location is not in the path of the total solar eclipse, viewing a partial one is an amazing event. If you’re looking for safety tips, a refresher on the science of eclipses, classroom activities on the topic, or professional develo...
By Mary Bigelow
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Focus on STEM at NSTA's Baltimore Area Conference, October 5-7, 2017
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) take center stage at NSTA’s 2017 Area Conference on Science Education, in Baltimore, MD, October 5-7....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
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Students’ Self-Assessment and Reflection
Do you have ideas on how to help my middle school students become more thoughtful, independent learners? —J., Michigan In my experience, self-assessment and reflective activities gave students ownership in their learning....
By Mary Bigelow
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Secretary DeVos and Ivanka Trump Team Up for STEM Ed
On Tuesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Adviser to the President Ivanka Trump teamed up for a STEM-related reading event at the National Museum of American History and later worked on some STEM-focused projects with the students. Read more he...
By Jodi Peterson
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Total Solar Eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017!
If you haven’t heard about what is known as the Great American Eclipse by now, it is not too late. This August 21, 2017 natural phenomena promises to be well worth “attending” or stepping outdoors for at least a few minutes approaching the mome...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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How NGSS and CCSS for ELA/Literacy Address Argument
In the summer of 2015, I observed an elementary science teacher from an NGSS-adopted state who made a presentation to her cohort of close to 100 K–12 science teacher leaders and administrators from schools, districts, and the state. After presentin...
By Cindy Workosky