When a conference has plenty of sessions about science and engineering learning in early childhood—so many that each time slot has 2 or more such sessions—it shows that preschool, kindergarten, and first and second grade teachers are interested in teaching science. Some might not understand much about science yet, or have taken few science education courses, but they don’t lack confidence to participate in conference sessions on science. 

Members of the NAEYC Early Childhood Science Interest Forum presented together.

There was an abundance of science sessions specifically for early childhood educators, where the focus was on children’s learning from ages 3 to 8, at both the 2018 NSTA national conference and the 2018 annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Many sessions were full—standing room only—and even the last session on the last day was well attended. This speaks to science and engineering being relevant to early childhood curriculum and of high interest to children. 

Sessions in the “Diversity & Equity” NAEYC conference track on diversity and equity in all sectors of the early childhood field were also full, teaching educators about our implicit biases and strategies to talk with young children about culture, race, and racism, making the statement that NAEYC is for everyone. The NAEYC draft position statement on “Advancing Equity and Diversity in Early Childhood Education” is another indication that the organization and profession is for all people, and education is for all children. The opening statement of the draft states, “All children have the right to equitable learning opportunities that help them achieve their full potential as engaged learners and valued members of society. Early childhood educators have a professional and moral obligation to advance equity and diversity. They can do this best in early learning settings that reflect fundamental principles of fairness and justice and that implement the goals of anti-bias education.”

The NSTA position statements Gender Equity in Science Education (2003) and Multicultural Science Education (2000), are under revision. 

In commentary on equity in science education S. Elisabeth Faller writes, “As the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) make clear, equity must be a priority in today’s science classrooms (NGSS Lead States 2013). This means ensuring that all students, regardless of race, gender, and economic or linguistic background, are able to access, evaluate, challenge, and even generate scientific knowledge” (July 2018 Science Scope). The principles she identifies and discusses can be used by teachers of all ages to support “…students who perceive science to be in conflict with other aspects of their identities, such as gender, ethnicity, or economic class” to develop “positive, science-linked identities.”

Conference learning can be a moment of sudden insight and also take weeks to settle into practice. To read about the 2018 NSTA national conference in Atlanta, visit the April 1, 2018 Early Years blog post. I am going over my notes from NAEYC 2018 which are less helpful than I thought they would be! I need to take a larger notepad with me the next time to make it easier for me to write all of a thought, not just a phrase. Photographs help me remember the action but the words that guide it are also important. Here are a few photos from my experience at the NAEYC 2018 annual conference in Washington, D.C. I appreciate the many opportunities to ask questions directly of the presenters, in large sessions and during the poster sessions. If you have any questions, post a comment and I’ll respond.

I’m looking forward to working again with members of the NAEYC Early Childhood Science Interest Forum (ECSIF) who will also be presenting at the 2019 NSTA national conference in St. Louis!

Resources

Faller, S. Elisabeth. 2018. “Commentary “When you walk into this room, you’re scientists!” How you can promote positive, science-linked identities for all your students.” Science Scope. 41(9): 6-9. https://www.nsta.org/publications/browse_journals.aspx?action=issue&thetype=all&id=114042 

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Appendix D – “All Standards, All Students.” Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://www.nextgenscience.org/appendix-d-case-studies

This week in education news, science too often is misunderstood and overshadowed by the “T” and “E” in the STEM acronym; how a Title 1 school raised its science scores significantly; learning about science is a basic human right; and Connected Science Learning’s analysis of external STEM education programs is proving just how important it is to push science learning beyond the school gates.

Science Steps Up

Carl Sagan, the late astronomer and astrophysicist who wanted to get everyone just as excited about science as he was, once summed up how those in the field feel about the rest of us: “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” Read the article featured in Education World.

Minnesota Proposes Teaching Climate Change as Human-Caused

Minnesota’s draft science education standards include language that would require state students be taught that climate change is a human-caused phenomenon — the first time in Minnesota such guidelines would finger human activity as the driver behind global warming. Read the article featured on MPR News.

How a Title I school raised its science passing rate 24 points

Two Florida elementary teachers transformed their classrooms into active learning spaces for science. In two years, they doubled their students passing rate on science assessments. Here’s what they did. Read the article featured in Education Dive.

Learning about Science is a Human Right

Imagine a society where every child has access to high-quality education. Imagine sustainable cities with clean water and renewable energy. Imagine a global economy with opportunity for all, regardless of background or gender. Countries around the world are striving to achieve this vision in the next decade, through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. And science, technology, and innovation are keys to realizing this vision. Read the article featured in Scientific American.

Science Beyond the School Gates

Connected Science Learning is one of the National Science Teachers Association’s five journals, and its analysis of external STEM education programs is proving just how important it is to push science learning beyond the school gates. Dennis Schatz, NSTA President-Elect and Field Editor of Connected Science Learning explains. Read the article featured in Futurum magazine.

Educator: In Finland, I Realized How ‘Mean-Spirited’ the U.S. Education System Really Is

If you have paid any attention to the education debate in this country during the past dozen years or so, you’ve heard that students in Finland score at or near the top of international test scores, time and time again. You may know that, among other things, Finland has no standardized tests, starts formal reading instruction at age 7, requires all general teachers to have a master’s degree and makes sure no student goes hungry. U.S. educators visit there often. This past spring, educators from Shenandoah University in Virginia went to Finland, and this is a report on what they saw. Read the article featured in the Washington Post.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Follow NSTA

What is the most important part of teaching to remember when teaching science? 
– C., Iowa

I would ask all my student teachers, “What do you teach?” Without hesitation, they would answer science, biology, chemistry, or another discipline. I would then tell them,

“I teach kids.”

The most important thing is to remember that you teach students. If you keep in mind that you are helping to develop minds and prepare them for the modern world, then throughout your career you will consider your students before your subject, keep up with new ideas in teaching, and be flexible when dealing with them because we are all different.

You need to remember that, as a teacher and perhaps a science specialist, you are among the minority in terms of your love and interest in learning and science. The majority of your students are not like you and come to your class with different ideas, likes, dislikes, and perceptions. Keeping that in mind, you should work towards getting the majority of your students to see utility and wonder in scientific pursuit, perhaps by concentrating on how science works. There are important concepts, ideas, and skills that we need to convey that cut across all scientific endeavours and demystify science. By doing so, we hopefully can create a scientifically literate populace able to understand the important contributions of science to society and capable of making informed decisions about future scientific discoveries.

Hope this helps!

Most middle and high school science laboratories produce chemical hazardous waste, but what exactly is it, and how do you dispose of it appropriately?

Chemical waste is a substance that poses a hazard to human health or the environment, including toxins, corrosive liquids, and organic solvents. A school’s chemical hygiene plan or lab safety plan should include instructions for properly disposing chemical hazardous waste, as well as offer strategies for implementing alternatives to traditional chemistry lab activities or provide more teachers laboratory demonstrations. Both would ultimately reduce the amount of chemical hazardous waste.

The Environmental Protection Agency defines hazardous waste as a waste that is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic. According to the EPA,

• Ignitable hazardous waste could cause a fire during handling. Examples include acetone, ethanol, ethyl ether, hexane, and methanol.
• Corrosive hazardous waste could corrode containers. Examples include strong acids with pH less than 2 or strong bases with pH higher than 12.5.
• Reactive hazardous waste could explode with air, water, or other chemicals. Examples include picric acid, dinitro and trinitro compounds, and ethers with peroxides.
• Toxic hazardous waste contains toxic components such as carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, and heavy metals.

Getting started

The first step in disposing of chemical hazardous waste involves determining its location. Usually, chemistry laboratories produces waste, but biology laboratories may also produce biological or medical waste as the result of biotechnology and microbiology course work.

The second step involves determining whether the waste is hazardous or nonhazardous. This will dictate how to handle the waste. A generator in school laboratories can make the determination based on information supplied by the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet. Alternatively, you can check if the chemical is listed in the Resource, Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

In addition, all waste containing chemical solids, liquids, or containerized gases should be treated as hazardous chemical waste. A laboratory chemical is considered to be “waste” when you no longer plan to use it. Spilled chemicals and materials used to clean them up are hazardous waste. In addition to stock chemicals, items containing chemicals (e.g., solvents, glues, disinfectants) are hazardous waste.

Collecting and disposing hazardous waste

The American Chemical Society’s book titled Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Safety in Secondary Schools provides the following series of steps in planning for hazardous waste collection and disposal:

1. Spend time planning and preparing for the activity.
2. Select laboratory activities that are tailored to your science standards:
     a)    Review the properties of the chemicals required and the products generated using resources such as the SDS. If the reactants or products require special disposal or create unique hazards, then modify the experiment to use safer materials.
     b)    Use small-scale or microscale procedures. These reduce waste, save on resources, and reduce preparation time. Know and review the federal, state, and local regulations for disposal of the chemicals involved.
3. Incorporate disposal instructions into your laboratory activity. By making waste disposal a routine in every activity, students will develop a culture of concern for the environment and accept it as part of their responsibility. Note: Many laboratory explosions have occurred from inappropriate mixing of wastes, such as mixing nitric acid waste with organic wastes, so be sure that waste materials are compatible. Mixing nitric acid with any organic materials may result in an over pressurization of the waste container and release of the chemical into the workspace.
4. Collect all compatible waste solutions with similar properties in a centrally located, well labeled container.
5. Dispose of waste immediately, following the regulations appropriate for your area. Disposal of small amounts of waste is easier and quicker than disposal of larger, stockpiled amounts.

The following is a suggested safety disposal protocol that can help you dispose of hazardous lab chemicals. Specific protocols are determined by the needs of each laboratory based on the types of hands-on activities and/or demonstrations.

Glastonbury Public Schools (CT) Laboratory Waste Disposal Safety Procedure

Introduction

Over the past few years, waste-reducing strategies in science labs have been adopted to reduce the amount of hazardous chemical waste being produced. However, to prevent safety incidents resulting from mixing reactive chemical products, science teachers need to be vigilant when disposing and removing solid and liquid waste produced in laboratories.

Procedure

The following safety procedure will help reduce or eliminate the danger of unexpected reactions and also help foster proper waste disposal:

a. Proper receptacles: Appropriate waste containers should be made available in the labs to prevent cross contamination of chemical products from lab activities. The use of each container will depend on the number of students and how many times the same lab is conducted. These plastic containers with lids need to be HDPE-rated (High-density polyethylene) as chemical resistant. The containers are to be labeled and color coded for liquid chemical waste or solid chemical waste. Before the end of each class period, students must return any chemicals (excess reagent, product, or waste) to the appropriate location, or dispose of them as instructed by their teacher in chemical waste disposal containers. For instructions on disposal of specific hazardous chemicals, check out: http://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/instruction/curriculum/science/safety/chemicals.html.

b. Tag it: Each hazardous waste container from the lab needs to display the following information. This information can be completed by the teacher or lab paraprofessional.

• name of chemical waste components;
• known hazard (e.g., GHS pictograms); and
• date, school building, lab room, and science teacher.

c. Storing waste: If you add waste to a container until it is full, make sure it is segregated into compatibility groups. Also remember to add the additional contents to the tag. Keep the containers closed while being stored. They can be temporarily stored in the laboratory if additional use is anticipated within two weeks and if there is space in the container. Waste ultimately will be stored in the chemical storeroom, but again, make sure it is segregated from other chemicals and is clearly labeled and tagged. Also, have the Safety Data Sheets available.

d. Removing waste: The waste removal process will depend on the type of waste. Some forms of waste will be processed and neutralized on site by the science paraprofessional or teacher. Most waste must be picked up and removed from the site. If removed, make sure to record the day it was removed on a document—the school owns the chemical. Always plan ahead—either process it or have the waste removed in an environmentally responsible way via the maintenance hazardous waste disposal program vendor. In addition:

• Chemical storage areas shall be equipped with spill control and containment equipment, and fire extinguishers (types A, B, and C).
• Any storage area containing flammable metals must have a type-D extinguisher available.
• All chemical materials to be recycled shall be recorded on a document.
• The district will provide an annual collection for chemicals to be recycled.

Submit questions regarding safety to Ken Roy at safersci@gmail.com or leave him a comment below. Follow Ken Roy on Twitter: @drroysafersci.

NSTA resources and safety issue papers
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This week in education news, as personalized learning spreads rapidly among U.S. schools, critics contend the term often is a misnomer; Americans think that U.S. teachers are underpaid by an average of $7,500 a year; it’s still difficult to teach evolution in many public school classrooms; Hawaii has teacher recruitment and retention challenges; incorporating arts education through STEAM engages the right side of the brain; and the panel that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress approved small but significant changes to the test’s description of what constitutes “advanced,” “proficient,” and “basic” performance.

STEM and Blacks

More Blacks are attending colleges and universities than ever before. Over the last 60 years, the percentage of Blacks attending and graduating from colleges and Universities has nearly quadrupled from less than 5 percent in 1960 to nearly 15 percent in 1998 and 22 percent in 2015. For the last 50+ years Blacks have enjoyed access to opportunities available in every occupation and profession, however Blacks still gravitate toward the same types of professions. Read the article featured in DIVERSE.

Why Does Personalized Learning Sometimes Feel Impersonal?

Fourth graders aren’t great at keeping secrets, but in Jeremy Crowe’s class, they stand shoulder to shoulder and try to stay poker-faced as they pass a small beanbag behind their backs. A girl in the middle of their circle scrutinizes each face, trying to guess who has the toy. The game is part of the class’ morning meeting—based on the theme “How do we reveal ourselves to others?”—and the students’ conversation wraps in role-playing for handling distracting friends as well as ways to create a new character for a class writing assignment on the Lexia reading program. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Are Teachers Underpaid? Around the World, People Say Yes

Americans think that U.S. teachers are underpaid by an average of $7,500 a year, according to a new global survey. The Global Teacher Status Index, conducted by the Varkey Foundation, a global charity that supports teachers, surveyed more than 1,000 people from each of 35 countries. Overall, in 28 of the 35 countries surveyed, teachers are being paid less than the amount the general public considers to be a fair wage for the job. Read the article featured in Education Week.

In a Shift, More Education Reformers Say They’re Worried about Schools’ Focus on Testing

It was not the place you’d expect to hear sharp critiques of standardized testing. But they just kept coming at an event put on by the Center on Reinventing Public Education, an organization that has spent 25 years studying and supporting key tenets of education reform. Read the article featured in Chalkbeat.

It’s Still Hard to Teach Evolution in Too Many Public School Classrooms

Supreme Court cases involving the role of religious beliefs in civic life have repeatedly made headlines in recent years. Such conflicts, of course, are not new. Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Epperson vs. Arkansas, which struck down the state’s ban on teaching evolution in public schools. The Epperson ruling did not, however, end interference with the teaching of evolution. Read the article featured in the Los Angeles Times.

Hawaii Faces Major Teacher Recruitment, Retention Challenges

The Hawaii Department of Education has released a new strategic plan for recruiting and retaining more teachers after recent reports showing that its five-year retention rate is only 51% and that there still more than 500 vacancies for the current school year, Hawaii News Now reports. Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.

Don’t Forget about the A in STEAM!

Over the years, an increasing amount of schools nationwide have incorporated the STEM framework into their curriculum, engaging students around the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math. The framework has proved to be a critical component to elementary education that better prepares students’ for future careers, especially since the United States is expecting to see more than three million job openings in the STEM-related fields in 2018. Recently, however, educators have recognized the benefits of integrating arts education into STEM subjects, which has led to a new framework. Read the article featured in eSchool News.

Alaska Native Students Pursue STEM, with Great Success

Sam Larson was looking for loopholes. Crouched on the floor of a sunny student building at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Sam was surrounded by cardboard, scissors, rulers and about a dozen other high school students. All of them were attending a residential summer “Acceleration Academy” hosted at the university by the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, or ANSEP. On this July day, with pop music playing in the background, Sam and his classmates were trying to build cardboard canoes capable of transporting at least one paddling student to a target and back. Read the article featured in The Hechinger Report.

Is ‘Proficient’ Insufficient? A New Wrinkle in the Debate Over NAEP Achievement Levels

Members of the panel that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress—better known as the Nation’s Report Card—approved small but significant changes to the test’s description of what constitutes “advanced,” “proficient,” and “basic” performance. From now on, they’ll be preceded by the word NAEP, as in “NAEP advanced”, “NAEP proficient,” and “NAEP basic,” and references to performance in a grade will be stricken and replaced with performance on the NAEP assessment. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Follow NSTA

Do the twist! With the Dynamic DNA kit from 3D Molecular Designs, that is. Or if you’re really brave, face off against the Zombie Apocalypse with Texas Instruments. The Exhibit Hall at NSTA conferences has been called “The Science Teachers’ Playground” with good reason. There is so much to do, and win, and bring back to colleagues. Seasoned conference attendees recommend you leave room in your suitcase for all the swag you can take home.

Sign Up for the 2018 Area Conference on Science Education in Charlotte, NC
November 29–December 1

If you’re looking for hands-on experiences, don’t miss the Carolina Booth, where you can make a butterfly necklace (among many other activities). Unleash your inner superhero at the Legends of Learning booth (cape included) and try some games for the classroom. Makers won’t want to miss the LEGO Education booth, where you can ask them how to make marble runs, security devices, and so much more. Does your classroom need a Wiggle Bot? The answer will be yes once you visit the TeacherGeek booth.

Looking to plan a field trip (either live or virtually)? Talk to the folks at the Museum of Science, Boston; the NASCAR Hall of Fame; Small World Journeys; the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI); the Catawba Science Center; and the North Carolina Zoo.

Meet the people who bring you some of your favorite informal science learning. A stop by the Science Friday and National Geographic booths gives you even more insight into these world-famous groups and can get you connected with resources and opportunities you may not even know exist.

How about cool contests you can do with your students? There are quite a few to be found, with the highlights being the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), the Shell Science Lab Challenge, and Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision. Visit their booths and find out how you can bring exciting challenges to your students outside the ordinary curriculum. And don’t miss the NSTA Hub, where you can find out about dozens of teacher awards and student competitions—all are free to enter, and all have great prizes like classroom makeovers, lab equipment, cash, and trips to the NSTA National Conference. While you’re at the NSTA Hub, also ask how to enter to win Southwest Airlines tickets + FREE registration to next year’s National Conference in St. Louis or the 8^th Annual STEM Forum & Expo, hosted by NSTA, in San Francisco.

Want to work with government programs that will give your students real data, hands-on opportunities to solve real-world problems, and connections with prestigious institutions and other classrooms? Stop by the booths of the FDA Food Safety & Nutrition Education, N.C. Air Awareness Program, and NOAA Office of Education.

There are so many ways to learn new skills and resources to pick up for the classroom. But what if you’re looking to extend past the school year? There are great opportunities for your own professional development and for students over the summer. Don’t miss these booths for PD, camps, and other opportunities: AstroCamp Virginia; the Center of Excellence for Research, Teaching and Learning at Wake Forest School of Medicine; East Carolina University; HHMI BioInteractive; the National Institute for STEM Education; the National Inventors Hall of Fame/Camp Invention; the University of Notre Dame Center for STEM Education; and Virginia Tech College of Science.

Don’t let what happens at this conference stay at the conference. Take home loads of free materials, ask the booth professionals if there are contests you can enter, or visit the websites of the exhibitors. Many have free or substantially discounted resources for conference attendees. Browse all the exhibitors here, and learn more about the conference here.

Pro Tips

Check out more sessions and other events with the Charlotte Session Browser/Personal Scheduler. Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA18, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it!

Need help requesting funding or time off from your principal or supervisor? Download a letter of support and bring it with you! Charlotte support letter

And don’t forget, NSTA members save up to $90 off the price of registration. Not a member? Join here.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2019 National Conference
St. Louis, April 11–14

2019 STEM Forum & Expo
San Francisco, July 24–26

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What are some hands-on ideas of how to integrate science into music and art classes?  – A., Iowa

I believe that teachers should try to integrate subjects! Here are just a few ideas; search the NSTA Learning Center and NGSS@NSTA for more.

Science in Music
You can stretch large metal springs or plastic dryer vent tubes across your room to demonstrate waves or investigate many sound-related properties.

Record stringed and percussion instruments in slow motion to observe the wave patterns. Change the note and see the difference in the instrument.

Wind instruments create sound by “bouncing” waves repeatedly inside them. If the wavelength and the tube “match” (resonate) then you get a nice loud sound. Investigate this relationship by making pan flutes out of differing lengths of straws, PVC pipe, or use plastic bottles with varying amounts of water.

Science in Visual Arts
Try some chromatography—the reverse of color mixing. Cut coffee filters or blotter paper into long strips. Dab a saturated dot of ink from pens or markers near one end. Dip the tip of that paper in a small amount of water in a tall glass. Over time and you will see the colors in the ink separate as they are carried as the water wicks upward.

Differentiate between additive and subtractive color mixing using light filters. Just overlapping different colored LED Christmas lights will show that blue and green light make yellow!

A chemical reaction occurs between damp plaster and paint which makes frescos brighter and much more durable than paint on wood or canvas. This could lead to a discussion of Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.

Hope this helps!

The release of the consensus study report Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine provides teachers of science with a structure to engage students in science and engineering performances. The report concludes that engaging students in learning about natural phenomena and engineering challenges via science investigation and engineering design increases their understanding of how the world works. Investigation and design are more effective for supporting learning than traditional teaching methods.  For most teachers, this is a dramatic shift from current practice. The report advocates a transformation from classroom activities emphasizing vocabulary and memorizing science ideas and concepts to instruction that engages students in three dimensional science performances. Central to the report is shifting instructional approaches from learning about science to engaging in science investigations to make sense of phenomena.

The teacher’s role in the classroom becomes transformed into one of facilitator of reasoning as students plan and carry out investigations. Teachers foster student curiosity by presenting phenomena which spark student questions and drive teaching and learning. The report encourages teachers to use culturally and locally relevant phenomena to engender student interest.  Constructing developmentally appropriate explanations that relate to students’ background knowledge and social perspectives is also addressed in the report. A key role of the teacher therefore, is to create coherence in learning where students build upon prior knowledge and develop evidence based explanations for the causes of phenomena.

Of the seven recommendations in the report, it is recommendation two which accentuates the idea that instruction should engage students in three dimensional science performances. When students plan and carry out an investigation to determine causes of phenomena, data is collected, analyzed, and used as evidence to support scientific explanations or arguments. This manipulation of data creates a need to focus on student conceptual reasoning.  It is here as teachers of science, we realize we cannot just teach about the what. We must also teach about how we came to know. 

Duschl and Bybee (2014) assert that teachers must problematize evidence. This means when students carry out an investigation, measurement and observation become problematized. In essence, there needs to be a struggle in doing science. In traditional labs, all students are often provided the same materials, and the activity always works. As teachers, we know this is inconsistent with how science works in the real world. Instead, during investigation and design teachers facilitate reasoning as students gather data, enter it into a spreadsheet program, analyze the data, and then reflect on questions the data prompts. This approach creates teaching moments for conversations with students that promote productive discourse about the meaning of the data. 

For example, questions may include how a pattern can be explained, are cause and effect relationships apparent, and are there outliers in the data and if so how should they be addressed. This in depth reasoning helps students see that science is a social enterprise as they engage in discourse and communicate and critique in dialogue with others.

Performances where students generate artifacts help learners organize and share their thinking. The artifacts students make reveal their thinking; early artifacts show initial understanding and later artifacts demonstrate a more sophisticated level of reasoning as students reflect on new evidence. Investigations create opportunities for teachers to engage students in learning about the nature of science. As students engage in a series of coherent science performances, they come to realize scientific knowledge is based upon empirical evidence and why scientific explanations are revised in light of new evidence. (See appendix H in NGSS).

As a current teacher of science, the structure of gathering information and data, reasoning about the meaning of the data, and communicating reasoning through artifacts has yielded increased conceptual understanding in my students. Engaging students in a series of coherent science performances is more than simply having students do hands on activities. Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center provides a research based rationale for how student science performances create situations where students’ interest and motivation is cultivated as they develop explanations for the causes of phenomena. This report provides strategies for how teachers of science can thoughtfully reflect on their instruction to ensure student investigation remains at the center of the classroom experience.

References:

Duschl R.A. and Bybee R.W. (2014). Planning and carrying out investigations: an entry to learning and to teacher professional development around NGSS science and engineering practices. International Journal of STEM Education, 1:12. https://stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40594-014-0012-6

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center. Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press www.nap.edu/25216

Kenneth L. Huff is a teacher of science at Mill Middle School in Williamsville, New York and a member of the Committee on Science Investigations and Engineering Design Experiences in Grades 6-12.

I am writing to ask for suggestions to teach visually-impaired students science. How do you suggest to teach such students? — M., Iowa

First, you need to get to know the student as an individual learner. Start by asking the student how you can support them in your class. Then, discover and contact the supports for that child—teaching assistants, case workers, parents, resource teachers—and get information on what works and what doesn’t; which vision and reading technologies are in place and what will you need in your classroom; what services can assist you; and if you can access textbooks in braille or large print versions.

Only a fraction of legally blind people have 100% impairment, so you need to understand what level or kind of impairment each child has. For instance, a person with retinitis pigmentosa may have lost peripheral vision but retain a small central area of vision. To get an idea of what that would be like, you could spread petroleum jelly on a pair of goggles, leaving a small central area clear (or visa versa) and then try out your activities, handouts, and visuals. You should quickly realize this student would need additional time to scan across readings, visuals, and work areas.

Scan your room for mobility hazards. Pair the student with a buddy who can perform tasks that might be dangerous like using Bunsen burners. Physical objects may be an excellent tactile experience and observational exercise for the student. For dissections, allow them to perform cuts (scissors or scalpels) to their degree of ability and have them handle and touch specimens as the dissection progresses.

Hope this helps!

High school students love to talk. Covering topics from music to memes, the hallway conversations are always lively. But when students enter the classroom, they suddenly have nothing to say. I believe it’s because students don’t know how to talk science. Recently, I have analyzed productive discourse among students, and what I have found confirms what I have read and heard from multiple sources:

The person doing the talking is the person doing the learning.

When planning lessons and units, I focus on ways I can create the conditions in which students have a basic knowledge and are motivated to learn more about a topic. Thinking in terms of NGSS-style planning, the time is perfect to bring in phenomena. Consider equity, and how students will react to the phenomenon. Does it connect to the history, readiness, and interests of all students? Are students interested enough to inspire the curiosity of the entire room?

Sometimes student discussions seem like unplanned, natural conversations. Sometimes they are, but usually these conversations result from more intentional planning then serendipity. I take these basic steps when planning a lesson designed to coach students to develop their own understanding or deepen their knowledge of science concepts.

1.Plan conversations in advance by anticipating questions and methods that can be used to guide student discussions while empowering them to maintain control of the conversation. It is essential to consider multiple entry points. For example, knowing students’ history and interests can help you interest them in a topic: This has been critical to the success of my lessons. It’s not surprising that students quickly become disinterested and disengaged when the topic is too unfamiliar or mundane. I also try to consider the varied levels of experience students have with the phenomenon and am prepared to provide clarifying or alternate examples. 

When engaging students with a phenomenon, I have found if I provide as little information as possible, it nudges students to ask their own questions. My response to student questions is usually as follows:

“Why do you think that is?”

“What do the other students think?”

“How does this compare to what you know or experience you have had?”

2. Decide which scientific practices will support rigorous student discussions and determine how students will encounter appropriate vocabulary. If the reason for students’ lack of engagement in science conversations is their lack of experience with the particular lexicon, give them opportunities to interact with the material physically as a way to provide another means of understanding and increase their comfort level.

3. Consider how students’ ideas will change based on their interactions with the planned activities and discussions. Determine the type of support they will need to deepen their understanding. I have a driving question board and encourage students to contribute new questions they have during the unit. This makes their thinking visible to me and their peer collaborators and encourages students to respond to one another without my intervention.

4. Lastly, it will take more time than you think! Allow time for students to reflect and connect with their peers. Consider offering sharing opportunities such as learning walks, gallery walks, debate, and show-what-you-know activities that facilitate opportunities to consolidate ideas among groups of students, and encourage them to meet the goal of eliciting additional information.

Recently, my freshman biology students began a typical unit, What Does it Mean to Be Alive. The unit started with petri dishes of mystery substances, and their task was to determine which of the samples were living. The first step was for students to brainstorm what living things do. Their initial results are pictured. I supplied an article to help them clarify their misunderstandings, and after reading it, they updated the board and decided how to test their samples. Students decided on the following:

1. Test for cells using microscopes.
2. Place in water to observe growth or bubbles.
3. Place in soil to observe growth.

Students also decided that if each group performed all three tests on one sample, they would be able to work more effectively. Groups posted their observations and images to a shared digital journal. During collaboration, they correctly identified yeast, brine shrimp cysts, beans, and corn as living, and salt as non-living.

This process took six full class periods, a considerable time investment for teaching a concept that could have been accomplished with a single class session of taking notes. However, these students were given an opportunity to brainstorm, determine testable questions, and perform their own tests, which gave them a deeper understanding of the processes and the ability to apply their knowledge in future units.

Their experience and discourse will be used during the next unit on cell theory and spontaneous generation. Students will begin by setting up a hay infusion and predicting what they will see. Their explanations will be supported by what they learned about characteristics of living things, and I will coach them toward conducting a controlled experiment much like that of Francesco Redi. I will introduce them to Leeuwenhoek’s animalcules and anticipate that they will instantly connect this to their observations. This unit will end with a presentation of various organisms found in a drop of water.

These units will ensure that my students have a solid understanding of cells. We can take a few different pathways after these lessons, such as mitosis, populations and succession, and clean water. I will consider my students’ conversations before I finally decide.

What would your students choose? Perhaps you have an idea to merge all three! If you do, please share: I’d love to hear about it.

Bonnie Nieves teaches high school science in Massachusetts. Her professional passions include engaging students in authentic activities, incorporating restorative practices, and leveraging technology to empower students to make an impact on their community. She enjoys connecting with educators through social media, professional organizations, conferences, Twitter chats, and edcamps. Nieves is a member of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES), NSTA, and Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE); serves as an Elementary and Secondary Education Science and Technology Ambassador in Massachusetts; and has presented at NABT, New Hampshire Science Teachers Association (HSTA), and MassCUE. Connect with her on Twitter @biologygoddess, on Voxer @bonnienieves, and via her WordPress blog,

Note: This article was featured in the November issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

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