JoinAll Blog Posts
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Ideas and info from NSTA’s December K-12 journals
The Science Teacher: Novel Science Tools...
By Mary Bigelow
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"Group" work in elementary science?
I’m a first year teacher, teaching third grade. In my undergraduate work and student teaching, I worked with math and reading groups, but not much was mentioned about using small groups in science or social studies. I’m curious about how to go ab...
By Mary Bigelow
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The Science of Art by guest blogger Carrie Heflin
Welcome to guest blogger Carrie Heflin! Carrie was a pre-k classroom educator at the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center for four years. With everyday access to the museums on the National Mall, she developed her students’ understanding of art conc...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Education Gets $1.2 Billion Increase in FY16 Omnibus
Earlier this week the House Appropriations Committee released the FY 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which provides for discretionary funding for the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2016....
By Jodi Peterson
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Constructivist theory and its use in the Next Generation Science Standards
The people involved with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have indicated that they did not plan to “mess” with teaching goals, professional development of teachers, and the ways teachers teach which were used as headings in the 1996 ...
By Robert Yager
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[youtube]https://youtu.be/ThHYGzvrxZ0[/youtube] In this video, columnist Jared Mader shares information from the Science 2.0 column, “Did They Really Read It?” that appeared in a recent issue of The Science Teacher. Read the article here. ...
By sstuckey
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Shadow formation and natural or electric light
At mid-December the children’s morning shadows are recognizably long. Over time, through repeated observations made formally or just in casual comments, children begin to notice that the position of the sun in the sky changes during the day. Kinder...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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The Paris Agreement: What Do Science Teachers Need to Know for Class on Monday?
The Paris Climate agreement is top news this weekend. Here are a few resources teachers can share with their students on Monday. Share this tweet Seeing the Earth from 250 miles up gives you a new appreciation for why we need to take care of it. #Pa...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
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My principal tells me I have “leadership potential.” I’ve been teaching Earth science for 11 years. I like my students and I feel confident with the curriculum. I don’t want to leave the classroom, but a little voice keeps whispering that she...
By Mary Bigelow
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Senate Passes ESSA, President Obama to Sign Bill into Law Tomorrow, Dec. 10
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By Jodi Peterson
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House Passes New Education Law, Senate Action Expected Week of Dec. 7
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By Jodi Peterson
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17 Things You'd Only Hear if You Were at #NSTA15 in Kansas City Last Week
They come to conferences for intensive professional learning, nationally renowned speakers, and exhibit hall swag… but what science teachers really come to NSTA for are the moments you wouldn’t get anywhere else!...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
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House of Reps Set to Vote on NCLB Bill Today: Updated December 3, 2015
December 3, 2015 Update The House of Representatives voted 369 to 64 late on Wednesday, December 2, to approve the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal education law which will replace the No Child Left Behind Act. The bill now goes to the Senate ...
By Jodi Peterson
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Connecting more with science education
My happy place is the at intersection of the worlds of science education and early childhood education so I was delighted by the large number of sessions on science and engineering education at the National Association for the Education of Young Chil...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Science & Engineering Sessions at NAEYC 2015
Science inquiry, engineering design, research-based practices, the NSTA position statement on Early Childhood Science Education, and the Next Generation Science Standards were all part of presentations I attended at the conference of the National Ass...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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My mentor and I are discussing if we should grade science notebooks, lab reports, and assessments for correct usage, punctuation, and spelling. Or should we ignore these errors and just grade for content? —G., Maryland...
By Mary Bigelow
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Science for preschool children
I’m taking a job with a preschool program. I’m concerned about how to incorporate science lessons with children who have had no experience with science. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome. —C., Virginia...
By Mary Bigelow
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NCLB Reauthorization Moves Forward; New Ed Law Possible by Christmas
No Child Left Behind is closer to becoming history....
By Jodi Peterson
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The iPad Pro: Hands-on Observations
The iPad Pro is, at its core, a larger iPad. Larger screen. Larger speakers (four of them), larger keyboard, larger processor, and larger resolution. But so what? Well, I guess it depends on whether or not you believe in magic!...
By Martin Horejsi
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Thinking about technology and young children
When the two-year-old class goes walking around the open space with me, they sometimes like to bring pretend cameras with them. I have let children use my real digital camera if they are interested, making them use the wrist strap to catch it if they...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Educators enjoy the innovative booths at #NSTA15
Babafemi Ojo is a high school biology teacher. Yet his favorite booth at the National Science Teachers Association’s Philadelphia conference was the portable planetarium. “I could see kids getting in there and being amazed,” says Ojo, who teach...
By Luke Towler
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To be a teacher means being a life-long learner, by disposition and by program and licensing requirement. Every day I learn a something new in my conversations with children (“My mommy has a baby in her tummy”), colleagues and online. Attending w...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Tapping into student interests
It seems like it’s getting harder to get my middle school students interested in a topic. I’ve strained my brain trying to come up with new ideas. Am I the only one in this situation? —B., Arizona...
By Mary Bigelow
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Ideas and info from NSTA's November K-12 journals
Each of the K-12 journals this month includes Three-Dimensional Instruction: Using a New Type of Teaching in the Science Classroom with suggestions on how to integrate Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and CroEarath ss-Cutti...
By Mary Bigelow
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Let Your Voice Be Heard–Support STEM Education in Final No Child Left Behind Bill
Hopes mount that Congress will complete reauthorization of No Child Left Behind this fall, establishing the federal funding and programs that will help to define K-12 education for the next several years....
By Jodi Peterson
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I like to provide activities that help students learn science vocabulary, but at a recent department meeting we discussed the value (if any) of word games and puzzles. Do you have any insights or research on the topic? –W., New York...
By Mary Bigelow
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Tailoring professional development to the needs of a small group
I sometimes wish I could have another hour or more with a presenter of a session at a conference or other professional development program. I want to more-fully explore the ideas presented or a question the discussion raised in my mind. I was able to...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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“Children are naturally fascinated by spiderwebs, and when they learn that these webs are clever traps made by small and skillful spiders that never had a single lesson, these structures become even more remarkable. My wish is that after reading t...
By Carole Hayward
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As a beginning science teacher, I have issues with time management. Some days a lesson I thought would take the entire class period doesn’t. Other activities take longer than I planned. How do teachers handle this? —D., Vermont...
By Mary Bigelow
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NSTA Leader Shares NGSS Expertise at International Conference with Chinese Science Educators
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By Guest Blogger
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Update on No Child Left Behind Reauthorization
The hot parlor game recently among education advocates is whether the reauthorized version of No Child Left Behind will make it across the finish line this fall amid the turmoil in Congress and the unexpected departure of Education Secretary Arne Dun...
By Jodi Peterson