One of the most popular and accessible ways for members to get quick professional development advice and stay abreast of education trends is through the free NSTA’s E-Mail List Server.

Through the list server, thousands of NSTA members from teachers to administrators are able to reach out virtually for help from fellow members. Discussion topics range from middle school science competitions and model-based biology to kitchen chemistry and the Next Generation Science Standards. The list goes on and on.

Anytime Answers

With more than 20 categories of discussion, the list server allows members to sign up for specific topics such as early childhood education, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and pedagogy. No need to wait until regular working hours to pose a question or vet an idea.

For example, an NSTA member posted the following question a few weeks ago at 7:09 p.m.:

Hi Everyone,
My school is considering changing our current schedule and course offerings. At present, we offer ‘honors’ (advanced) courses for our high achievers/gifted. Can you tell me how your middle school addresses the needs of their high achievers/gifted? I’d like to be able to bring back the information to the scheduling committee.
Thanks!

A number of responses came in from members throughout that evening and during the next couple of days. Here’s an example of one of the responses:

Our district has an accelerated math science path for middle grades. 

7th or 8th graders can take algebra 1 for high school credit. Ones who take it in 7th go on to geometry as 8th graders so they are able to enroll in algebra 2 as freshmen. 

In science the students who are accelerated can take a class that covers 6th and half of 8th grade standards as 6th graders, then 7th and other half of 8th standards as 7th graders. They take an integrated physics and chemistry course as 8th graders.     

There is a subset of this accelerated group that is even more accelerated. Those kids are in a STEM academy where they take geometry, physics, and a computer science course in 8th grade, all for high school credit. 

Established Community

Because the list is exclusive to NSTA members, you can know that each voice on the lists is a member in the science education community. With each email, participants are instantly connected to expertise around the world.

Etiquette and Guidance

Like any professional community, NSTA asks for members to agree to rules for participation. Organic conversations are expected, yet topics should stay on topic. For example, last month a member posed a question about the different approaches to teaching metric conversions. The 12 responses that came in for that question led to valuable information on different approaches, but the topic didn’t stray from metric conversions.

“PD Gold Mine”

It’s not just participants who learn from these discussions. Did you know NSTA E-Mail threads have been considered the “PD gold mine” and have led to articles in NSTA publications such as NSTA Reports?

Connect with other educators, connect with members, and connect directly with NSTA through the E-mail List Server.

Not a member of NSTA? Learn more about how to join.

NSTA’s 2018 Charlotte conference on science education is right around the corner (November 29–December 1).

If you’ve ever attended, you know that you get up to 13 hours of credit for sessions in vital areas like STEM, literacy, and 3D learning. You probably also know that exhibitors like Astrocamp Virginia; Carolina Biological Supply Co.; the Museum of Science, Boston; NASCAR Hall of Fame; the National Inventors Hall of Fame/Camp Invention; STEMscopes; and TeacherGeek, Inc. will be there to show off their latest programs and innovations (leave room in your suitcase for all the giveaways!). And best of all, you know you’ll make new professional contacts and friends.

But did you know you can take a deep dive into your grade level by planning your schedule around your grade level? Browse below to find ideas for your grade level, and see all conference details here.

High School

First, put this meeting of your peers on your schedule. NSTA’s High School Committee is hosting this get-together just for you:

Thursday, November 29
3:30–4:40 PM
High School Teachers: Birds of a Feather
Queens, The Westin Charlotte

Next, put the keywords “high school” into the session browser, and find the ones that are right for you. Here are just a few that you may want to target:

• Using Modeling Activities in the High School Chemistry Class
• The Radio Sky
• Using the Triple Line of Sustainability to Support Student Writing in All Levels of the High School Classroom
• NARST-Sponsored Session: Novel Method for Teaching the Difference and Relationship Between Theories and Laws
• Using District Science Coaching Model to Improve Teacher Instruction and Retention
• Integrating E-Books into the Secondary Classroom

Middle School

Big news for share-a-thon lovers! The Charlotte Conference Program Chair, Manley Midgett , shares this invite: “Join me as I’m joined by as many as 50 dedicated science educators from across the state, with each sharing his or her most successful activity. Share-a-thons will take place at the same time for elementary; middle school; and Earth, life, and physical sciences. A keynote speaker will follow. Have a crazy fun time!” Want in? Plan to attend the NCSTA Share-a-Palooza on Thursday, November 29, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM, in Grand Ballroom C/D, at the Westin Charlotte.

Looking for more? Put the keywords “middle school” into the session browser, and find the ones that are right for you. Here are sessions you may like:

• Learning Life Science Content Through the Integration of Computer Science and Computational Thinking Practices
• Newton’s Triple Play: An Online Interactive Lesson on the Application of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion to Baseball
• ASEE Session: Meeting in the Middle—Integrated Engineering in Middle School
• Group Work: Using Student Collaboration in the Middle School Science Classroom (AEOP)
• NESTA Session: Profiling That is Not On-the-Level

Elementary School

Is teaching science your super power? If not, it will be if you attend this panel: Empowering Teachers, Nurturing STEM Equity: The UNCG STEM Teacher Leader Collaborative, on Friday, November 30, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, in Room 215, at the Charlotte Convention Center. The organizers say “Professional learning and networking centering engineering design makes a difference for elementary teachers’ and students’ engagement. How? Curriculum and professional development resources will be shared.”

Find other sessions just for elementary teachers by browsing the scheduler. Here are some you may want to attend:

• NSTA Press® Session: Uncovering Elementary Students’ Ideas About Science, Mathematics, and Literacy (with award-winning author, Page Keeley)
• STEM Clubs for the Elementary Students
• Energy Games, Chants, and Plays: Increasing Energy Literacy in Your Elementary Classroom
• Using the NGSS to Design Interdisciplinary Lessons for Elementary Students
• Inquiry in Action: Investigating Matter K–5

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 $95 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

2018 Area Conferences

• Reno, October 11–13
• National Harbor (MD), November 15–17
• Charlotte, Nov. 29–Dec. 1

“Dive into Three-Dimensional Instruction” Workshop
National Harbor, November 16–17, 2018

2019 National Conference
St. Louis, April 11–14

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

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Huge anatomically incorrect ‘spiders’ with legs as long as a Daddy Longlegs’ took over the neighborhood these past weeks, crawling up webs ‘spun’ on the sides of houses. Dropping out of trees are others with more fuzzy hair than a troll doll. Halloween is a time to delight in shivers from confronting fantastical images when we know they are “not real.”

When children are too afraid of a spider, bee, or other small animal to enjoy a picnic or hike through woods, they will miss out on learning about the many awe-inspiring connections between living organisms in an environment and their relationship to the non-living parts of the landscape too. Look at how the body of the bee works so well to get food from the flower, and how the shape of the flower parts make pollen easily attach to a visiting bee. I want children to be aware and cautious but not afraid as they play outdoor. Every local has some dangers that children must be protected from, such as, stinging and biting insects, venomous snakes, toxic mushrooms, and bacteria that can cause illness, as well as traffic, fine particle air pollution, and applications of chemical pesticides. Some children are at more risk than others due to allergies or inadequate immune systems. Teaching children how to safely play outdoors is a gift that will last for their lifetime. We can prepare ourselves to give this gift by increasing our knowledge and comfort with co-existing with all the nature in our area. When we are aware of real dangers, such as tick-borne illnesses, we prepare to avoid and prevent them through learning. I much prefer the scent of rosemary to that of DEET, but appreciate the scientific testing that goes into determining how effective anything is for repelling mosquitoes and ticks. 

To help children feel safe when a cicada zooms past them or a Daddy Longlegs crawl near, we can first introduce them to making close observations of harmless small animals: isopods (roly-polies), lightning bugs, and earthworms. When animals are in a closed container children may feel comfortable getting close to it. Ask children who want to touch these animals to begin with just one “gentle finger.” This will help them become used to the texture of the animal and also not hurt it. A “Have you touched a worm?” T-chart with two columns—“yes” and “not yet”—can be used to tally experiences that may change over time with additional opportunities. 

Always wash hands after handling animals.

I do not encourage children to touch small animals that sting or bite, such as bees, centipedes, scorpions, and spiders. Although Daddy Longlegs, also known as Harvestmen, belong to the class Arachnida which also includes spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks, they are not spiders. They are harmless and do not bite or sting but they are fragile and rough handling may break off their legs.

Early childhood educator and author Marie Faust Evitt writes about helping children overcome their fear of spiders, but still retain a healthy caution, by going on a spider hunt, and later, making giant spider webs and constructing a huge, anatomically correct, spider. The children research how spiders make webs of various “stickiness” for different parts of the web.

After the Halloween decorations come down, children will still be seeing (much smaller) spiders and should not be deprived of learning about the lives of these tiny animals.

Outdoors looking for living organisms we will roll logs towards ourselves so any animal that is disturbed will move away from us, with the log separating us so we can have a moment to identify them before choosing to get closer. Indoor spiders will be captured by adults who are comfortable in this role, and kept in a clear container for a period of close observation before being released outdoor.  

Science and Children has several useful articles with information and lesson plans on spiders including:

Science 101: Why Don’t Spiders Stick to Their Own Webs? By Bill Robertson. September 2011. 49(1): 68-69.

Becoming a Spider Scientist by Patricia Patrick and Angela Getz. November 2008. 46(3): 32-35.

It’s trick or treat time, and I’m not talking Halloween. 

This important election will happen in 8 days and NSTA will still be working on your behalf in 8+1 days.  The most important thing for you to do is to vote. We need to make sure teachers’ voices are heard. Here are some good sites and articles to get you up to speed on key education-related issues ahead of the November 6 election:

For a complete and thorough overview of key issues and races, The Education Commission of the States  Why the 2018 Elections Matter for Education website  has a terrific interactive state-by-state map that includes topics such as which governors appoint state boards of education, and what states have key election-related ballot measures.

Speaking of ballot measures, there are 20 confirmed ballot measures in 15 states that could generate more than $2 billion in revenue for public education and represent public referendums on important education policy issues, such as private school vouchers. There are 16 tax- and bond-based funding ballot measures which could allot at least $2.6 billion to education in 12 different states. This, and more, including a table of all the November 2018 ballot measures concerning early childhood, K-12, and higher education, can be found in the article Education is on the Ballot This November  from the Center for American Progress.

The Education Week blog K-12 Education and the Battle for the U.S. Senate: What to Watch from Alyson Klein has a great overview of the key races in the Senate and the candidates’ education policies.

And in her October 24 blog, Alyson Klein writes, “States can still make changes to their ESSA plans. And after the midterm elections in November, many of them may want to.”  Here are the elections to watch on that front.

In this POLITICO article reporter Michael Stratford explains why Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is “cropping up in Democratic TV spots, Facebook ads and debate one-liners in 2018 races” this fall.

And last but not least Real Clear Politics continues to be a favorite spot of political wonks for general election news, polls and more.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is the Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

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

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Authors Lisa M. Nyberg and Julie V. McGough have done it again. Dedicated to “all learners who seek answers and love learning,” their latest offering, The Power of Assessing: Guiding Powerful Practices, is another gem in the NSTA Press Powerful Practices series.* And it doesn’t hurt that the images inside are so eye-catching you may want to hang some in your classroom!

If you’re true to the book’s guidance, the first questions you’ll ask are “What can I learn from this? Why is this methodology so powerful ?” Here’s the short list of reasons:

1. The authors are veteran educators and know what works in real classrooms. Between the two, they have more than 50 years of teaching experience, ranging from preschool to graduate school.
2. The Power of Assessing has been thoroughly peer-reviewed and models authentic assessments that engage students in standards-based learning.
3. The book is chock full of practical resources like assessment charts (so you can tailor your assessments to your students’ needs), QR codes linking to videos so you can get a deeper understanding, instructions for design, rubrics, materials lists, and more.
4. ALL learners are taken into consideration (a point that is very important to NSTA’s mission “promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all…”).

This is not a dry research tome; it’s a lively resource that will show you that assessments can not only be dynamic tools of learning, they can even be fun! The authors show creative teachers how to make the most of assessments, and how powerful instructional practices can change the lives of students.

Just as students have diverse learning styles, the authors show educators how to make the best use of diverse assessments. Have students who do well with pictures and images? Check out the visual-spacial assessments (complete with examples and criteria). Want to assess student understanding through physical movement activities? Dive into the bodily-kinesthetic assessments. There are so many assessment styles to choose from—musical assessments, logical-mathematical assessments, and linguistic assessments, to name just a few.

Toward the end of the book, the authors ask “How will you design new learning adventures to empower and inspire the children of today who will build our tomorrows?” That’s a tall order. But with this user-friendly book (think of it as a tutorial between two covers), readers will be fully equipped with dynamic strategies to engage their students.

Ready to learn a little more? Make your own assessment! A free chapter is available: The Power of Assessing: Guiding Powerful Practices.

This book is also available as an ebook.

*The Power of Assessing is the third book in the NSTA Press Powerful Practices series and focuses on modeling authentic assessment techniques. The series also includes The Power of Investigating (2017) and The Power of Questioning (2015), which was selected by educators and publishers of the Association of American Publishers as a REVERE award finalist.

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This week in education news, across the board teachers feel disrespected; University of Utah professors and local teachers are developing high school curriculum about opioids; Arizona State Board of Education approved revised science standards; new study finds 55 percent of university STEM classroom interactions consist mostly of conventional lecturing; Nintendo is giving elementary school students across the country Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Switch systems; new report details four key elements for successful high school redesigns; the teaching force has continued to grow larger, less experienced, and more racially diverse; and a University of Alabama researcher says educators must give students a motive to learn science.

We Followed 15 Of America’s Teachers On A Single Day. This Is What We Learned

A teacher whose income was so low, her child qualified for reduced-price lunch. A teacher whose school was so short on staff, he had to fill a shift as a security guard. A teacher who made meals for other teachers to pay for her grocery bill. We thought we knew teachers, until we followed 15 of them on a single day in September. What we learned: No matter their pay, teachers share in a feeling of disrespect. Read the article featured in USA Today.

High School Science Could Include Opioid Education With New Program

A first-of-its-kind program at the University of Utah is bringing together teachers and professors to create high school curriculum about opioids. Read the article featured on KUER.org.

New Arizona K-12 Science Standards Recognize Evolution

The Arizona State Board of Education approved revised science and history standards, shrugging off outgoing State Superintendent Diane Douglas’ suggestion to replace all the standards with a set from a conservative college in Michigan. Read the article featured on AZcentral.com.

Want To Keep Students Engaged? Ask, Don’t Tell

Quick: Think about something new you learned in the last year. It could be anything – an improved swing, a management technique, a coding language, a recipe. How did you learn it? New research suggests it wasn’t through a lecture. Maybe a teacher asked you a great question that made you articulate something for the first time. Maybe you took something you learned, rolled up your sleeves, and used it to solve a different challenge. The essence, according to new research, is that you need to use learning for it to stick. Read the article featured in Forbes.

Issues Arise In Teaching New Science Standards

Advocates of a set of science standards for public schools cheered when the state Public Education Department agreed after some contention and debate to initiate those recommendations starting this year. But the harsh reality of adopting the standards seemed to set in this week when the Legislative Education Study Committee heard from a trio of experts concerned about the speed in which educators must move on the curriculum. Those three science standards proponents painted a picture of too much work without enough time or money to do it correctly. Read the article featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

How About Swapping That Science Book For A Nintendo Switch?

Nintendo is giving elementary school students across the country the opportunity to tinker and game while learning the basics of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The company plans to deliver Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Switch systems to elementary classrooms nationwide, with the goal of reaching around 2,000 students ages 8 to 11 this school year. Read the article featured in PC Magazine.

Student Engagement, Supports Among Key Elements Of Successful School Redesign

A new report released this week by the Center for American Progress (CAP) details four key elements for successful high school redesigns: student engagement, career and college ready coursework, student supports and a tracking system for student success. More specifically, the report recommends career and technology classes, dual-enrollment college programs, project-based learning, social-emotional learning and grading systems that accurately gauge student success. Read the article featured in Education DIVE.

State Exam Report Card Is Out: Science Results Show Improvement But Math Continues To Be A Struggle

The focus on science education seems to be paying off for Pennsylvania’s public school students based on their performance on state exams. Statewide results on the 2018 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and Keystone Exams released on Tuesday show that the percentage of students achieving passing scores (either proficient or advanced) on those exams improved at least slightly over the prior year in every grade level of students tested. Read the article featured on Pennlive.com.

5 Things To Know About Today’s Teaching Force

The teaching force has continued to grow larger, less experienced, and more racially diverse. And the high numbers of teacher turnover have continued, especially among inexperienced and nonwhite teachers, a new analysis shows. Read the article featured in Education Week.

STEM Dual Enrollment: Model Policy Components

A new report from the Education Commission of the States outlines state-level policy components that help ensure dual enrollment programs in science, technology, engineering and math are broadly accessible, particularly to students traditionally underrepresented in STEM courses. Read the report.

Why Students Should Read Scientific Literature

A University of Alabama researcher says educators must give students a motive to learn science by teaching them to reason. Read the commentary featured in Education DIVE.

Imagine A World Without Facts

To avoid sliding further into a world without facts, we must articulate and defend the processes of evidence generation, evaluation, and integration. This includes not only clear statements of conclusions, but also clear understanding of the underlying evidence with recognition that some propositions have been well established, whereas others are associated with substantial remaining uncertainty. Read the article featured in Science.

Meet The AP Biology Teacher Who Could Flip The New York Senate

John Mannion wants to shift the balance of power at the statehouse in Albany. But before he could even try, he had to get approved for leave from teaching four periods of high school biology ― and buy three reasonably priced suits for the campaign trail. Read the article featured in The Huffington 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.

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