JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
On behalf of the staff of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and our leadership team, I would like to thank the following members of our Standing Committees, Advisory Boards, and Panels whose terms of appointment end on May 31, 2014. NS...
By Bill Badders
Blog Post
Safety and substitute teachers
We had an incident in a high school physical science class where the substitute teacher left the room and several students engaged in dangerous behaviors with gas jets and flames. Fortunately, no one was injured and no damage occurred. I’m gath...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Each issue of The Science Teacher, NSTA’s high school journal, features the column The Green Room, with background information, classroom activities, and resources to make your teaching more environmentally friendly....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Way Cool! Physics Lessons (Seriously)
Middle and high school science teachers who seek engaging chances for their students to first watch something happen—and then become curious enough to explore and discover why—should check out two new books by authors Matthew Bobrowsky, Mikko Kor...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
National Science Teachers Association and NAEYC Join Forces to Enrich Early Childhood Science
The world of a young child is full of “wow.” Children are constantly observing, exploring and discovering phenomena around them. From those activities they build models of how they think the world works and make predictions from those models. Tha...
By Juliana Texley
Blog Post
At a professional development workshop several years ago, I heard a teacher say “I do lots of activities. My students are so busy, they don’t have time to think!” Her statement has haunted me to this day. I wondered what students le...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA Press Titles Honored: 2014 Washington Book Publishers Design and Effectiveness Awards
Authors and designers of books by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Press cover the content science teachers need, so it’s no wonder that the outsides of the books are as impressive as the insides....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has endorsed the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) new position statement on Early Childhood Science Education. Thank you to all the individuals who brought these tw...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Exploring the properties of liquid, and solid, water
Photo by Em Parkinson....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Outstanding Science Trade Books Enhance a 95-Year-Old Tradition
This is Children’s Book Week—and 2014 is, incredibly, the 95th year for the annual celebration. A bit more recently—in 1954, a mere 60 years ago, Sister Marian taught her entire first-grade class of 66 students how to read. I should know—I wa...
By David Beacom, NSTA Publisher
Blog Post
Science and Children Wins a Silver Award for Design Excellence
NSTA offers congratulations and gratitude to the authors, designers, reviewers, and editors of Science and Children, NSTA’s elementary level science education journal....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Congratulations to the authors and to the NSTA Press staff for their recently announced 2014 Gold EXCEL Award from Association Media and Publishing (AM&P)....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Questions and discussions about safety are often seen in the NSTA e-mail listserves and discussion forums. Each month, columns on safety in the science lab are featured in NSTA’s Science Scope (Scope on Safety) and The Science Teacher (Safer Scienc...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Whether from Spiderman or Voltaire, the sentiment proves critically important to our approach to science education. As such, we hold great power to encourage, enlighten, and nurture young minds that are inherently curious and full of poignant questio...
By David Evans, NSTA Executive Director
Blog Post
Today at the National Science Teachers Association: We’re following NSTA Member Steve Rich (@bflyguy) on Twitter as he visits the White House for an educators luncheon with 2nd Lady Jill Biden, getting excited because we’re only 1 week away from ...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Calming the interview butterflies
I’m finalizing my student teaching, which has been a good experience. I’m excited about teaching science, but I’m not excited about interviewing for jobs. Will the school ask anything about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)? Do you h...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA’s K-College Science Education Journals: April/May 2014 Issues Online
Science for All is the theme of our high school journal this month, but all four of NSTA’s grade-level journals are full of the types of ideas and lessons that promote a quality science education for all. This month’s K–College journals from th...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
What to do at the end of the year?
I’m working with a beginning teacher, and I’d like to share some ideas on the challenges of the end of the year, such as how to keep students engaged and ideas for the summer break. —Alyssa, Corpus Christi, Texas...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Doing Good Science in Middle School
“In our experience, good science—by which we mean activity-based STEM instruction—promotes the unexpected and delightful development of adolescent middle school students.” –From the preface...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Middle schoolers enjoy a challenge. The featured articles in this issue show that incorporating physical science concepts with engineering practices and crosscutting concepts can lead to challenging projects for students (and their teachers as they c...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA conference in Boston: Reflection and making connections Part 2, Sat and Sun
Here are the descriptions of a few more sessions I attended at the 2014 NSTA national conference in Boston. These summaries are from my notes and may not accurately reflect the presentations or the presenters’ views. Don’t delay, go to the Boston...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
How to Select and Design Materials that Align to the Next Generation Science Standards
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By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
I had a great conversation with an early-career teacher a few weeks ago. She was a “digital native”—armed with smart phone and ready to tweet. I admit, I’m a “digital immigrant” who re-examines every new device in order to evaluate whethe...
By Juliana Texley
Blog Post
#NSTA14 Heats Up in NOLA with the STEM Iron Chef Competition
Attendees of NSTA’s 2014 STEM Forum and Expo will be challenged to cook up a recipe for STEM success next month....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
NSTA conference in Boston: Reflection and making connections Part 1, Th and Fri
I didn’t see the swan boats in the Public Garden or tea in the Harbor, but I did see many things—skylines, modern art, sunrises and fabulous sessions at the conference....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
How many of us have said that students don’t study enough? A more fundamental question: Do they know how to study? Teachers may assume so, especially for secondary students. Many of the featured articles in this issue focus on strategies that f...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Sylvia Shugrue award winner 2014
Lisa Ernst models perseverance and critical thinking for her elementary students, encouraging them to persist when faced with challenges. Throughout her career, Ernst has developed project–based units that allow her students to tap into their creat...
By admin
Blog Post
I inherited a classroom-lab from a retired teacher, and I want to replace some of the generic posters with displays of student work. One of my colleagues says this is not a good idea. She didn’t explain her reasons, but now I’m not sure w...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Next Generation Science Standards Turn 1!
It’s been one year since the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were adopted (on April 9, 2013)....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Earth Day 2014 is right around the corner (April 22), and I’ve noticed a huge number of NSTA members talking about Dr. Suess’s The Lorax on our members-only lists. Coincidence?...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Language development in science
For many students, science itself is a new language, with specialized vocabulary and an emphasis on observations and evidence, rather than feelings or opinions. Even the graphics in books and websites go beyond being decorative to include the languag...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA was in Boston last week, where more than 11.5K science teachers gathered for our national conference on science education. It was no surprise that all the selfies seemed to be group shots—because that’s what science teachers do, they share!...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Top 10 reasons for visting the conference exhibit hall
With a nod to David Letterman, here are my top 10 reasons for spending time in the exhibit hall: 10. Interacting with people. You get a chance to meet and talk with other members and vendors....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Elementary Extravaganza, Ramps and pathways
The Elementary Extravaganza was pulsing with energy as educators from many settings rushed in at 8am to get personal attention from the hundreds of presenters who were ready to share their work. Thanks to the sponsors–www.BioEdOnline.org, Delta...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
On the train to Boston on Wednesday, the view for most of the ride was gray and dreary. But coming out of the station–blue sky and sun! After what seemed to be an endless winter, I hope that was a sign to indicate the bright ideas we’ll l...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA National Conference in Boston–early childhood too!
I’m looking forward to learning, collaborating, meeting, laughing, learning, sharing, and getting a break from the usual schedule while attending the National Science Teachers Association’s conference in Boston. It’s one of several ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Share Your Conference Experience
This is my sixth conference with NSTA — my first, in 2008, was in Boston as well. When I tried to walk through the NSTA Science Store this morning, it was packed virtually shoulder to shoulder (the lines are considerably shorter now if you want...
By Lynn Petrinjak
Blog Post
Students as peer-editors (p. 2)
A previous question from a teacher related to using the peer-editing process in science class. Jaime Gratton follows up with a summary of her experiences:...
By Mary Bigelow