All Informal Education resources

Journal Article

The BEST Partnership Program

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) become more widely recognized as part of our population every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, about 1 in 59 c...

By Katie Slivensky, Ellen Cohn, Alexander Lussenhop, and Christina Moscat

Informal Education Disabilities

Journal Article

Making On and Off the Spectrum

People have been making since the first human used a tool, and have continued to create things for both fun and function. From building model trains to quilting, from woodworking to baking, people have for centuries been enriching their own lives by ...

By Wendy Martin, Regan Vidiksis, Kristie Patten Koenig, and Yu-Lun Chen

Informal Education Disabilities Engineering Technology

Journal Article

Design an Amusement Park

In the last two decades, precollege engineering education has become more prevalent. At the same time, the number of children diagnosed with autism is rapidly growing. Over half a million children with autism will enter adulthood in the next decade...

By Hoda Ehsan, Elizabeth Gajdzik, and Monica Cardella

Informal Education Disabilities Engineering Interdisciplinary

NSTA Press Book

Supporting Emergent Multilingual Learners in Science, Grades 7–12

Many middle and high school teachers are educated to teach science content—they don’t anticipate that one day they may be teaching it to students who need to learn both content and English. If the day has come when you’re facing that two-pronge...

By Molly Weinburgh, Cecilia Silva, Kathy Horak Smith

Elementary High School Informal Education Middle School Curriculum Multilingual Learners Instructional Materials Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Advocacy Careers Equity Inclusion Multicultural New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Professional Learning old Research Teacher Preparation

NSTA Press Book

A Head Start on Science, Second Edition: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder

Imagine what fun it could be for 3- to 7-year-olds to engage in a game of Prism Play or Magnetic Scavenger Hunt or Where Did the Shadows Go? Then imagine how convenient it would be for you if such activities came with the connections, standards, and ...

By William C. Ritz, William Straits

Early Childhood Elementary Informal Education Pre-service Teachers Preschool General Science Assessment Inquiry NGSS Phenomena Teaching Strategies Inclusion Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Professional Learning old Teacher Preparation

Journal Article

STEMing the Flow for All

Students with special needs traditionally have fewer opportunities to engage in hands-on learning during science class (Melber and Brown 2008). The reasons for this vary, but typically stem from teacher misconceptions about the types of activities ...

By Brent Gilles, Tim Hawig, Ashley Sutton, and Stacey Britton

Informal Education Disabilities Environmental Science Inclusion

Journal Article

Youth With Disabilities

Bold innovations in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Brilliant hacks for the digital divide. Breakthroughs in maternal health care to reduce infant mortality....

By Linda Kekelis

Informal Education Disabilities Inclusion STEM

NSTA Press Book

Discovery Engineering in Physical Science: Case Studies for Grades 6–12

Who knew that gecko feet inspired scientists to develop a stickier adhesive or that cockleburs in dog fur led to the invention of Velcro? Discovery Engineering in Physical Science uses these and other surprising cases of innovations sparked by accide...

By M. Gail Jones, Elysa Corin, Megan Ennes, Emily Cayton, Gina Childers

High School Informal Education Middle School Engineering Physical Science STEM Instructional Materials Inquiry Lesson Plans Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Citizen Science Interdisciplinary New Science Teachers

Journal Article

Serving Youth With Special Needs

In the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education community, we are well aware that “the representation of certain groups of people in science and engineering education and employment differs from their representation in the U.S....

By Beth Murphy

Informal Education Disabilities Equity Inclusion STEM

NSTA Press Book

Understanding Climate Change, Grades 7–12

Get help teaching one of the hottest topics in science with Understanding Climate Change, Grades 7–12. This nine-session module is written to be practical and accessible. It provides both extensive background and step-by-step instructions for using...

By Laura Tucker, Lois Sherwood

High School Informal Education Middle School Climate Change Environmental Science Curriculum Instructional Materials Inquiry NGSS Three-Dimensional Learning Interdisciplinary New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Research Teacher Preparation