This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the field of science education. This award acknowledges teachers who share Robert Yager’s passion for education and continued professional development. This award also honors Robert Yager’s effort to make excellent science education accessible to students of the 21st century and beyond. Awardees will have exhibited excellence and innovation in the field of science education, and embody the mission statement of NSTA. Six awardees will be selected annually.

The individual awardees will receive a $1,000 award, up to $1,000 for travel expenses to attend the NSTA National Congress on Science Education, and a plaque. They will be asked to present at the NSTA National Congress on Science Education, with their presentation videotaped for future use. The awards will be presented during the NSTA National Congress on Science Education, held each summer. An identified Yager Scholar from the six awardees will be given additional support up to $1,500, to present at a future NSTA National Conference on Science Education.

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Yager Scholar and District XII – Kristin Rademaker
Science Teacher
Harlem High School
Machesney Park, IL

Teaching through phenomena allows to engage her students and get them figuring out the science behind what happened, sparking natural curiosity to figure things out. Once the phenomena is introduced she uses the science practices and other strategies that allow students to dig into what they know, figure out what they don’t know, and fix the things they thought they knew. Rademaker focuses on students learning science through working together, solving problems, making mistakes, embracing them, and trying again. Teaching through phenomena also allows her to implement a number of different teaching methods depending on the task at hand. Using strategies that get the students active and engaged have been instrumental in changing the culture of her classroom. Engaging students through productive talk turns her classroom into a student-driven learning environment. Along with using productive talk, she also uses gallery walks, small- and whole-group discussion, close reading, driving question boards, and claim evidence reasoning along with many others. These methods coupled with the science and engineering practices not only provide students with opportunities for engagement but also allow them to develop valuable skills they can use across all academic areas and beyond. “I have come to see Mrs. Rademaker as a transformative leader in science education that I wished every science teacher in our country could meet someday and learn from,” says Michael Novak, Instructor, Northwestern University.

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District I –Steven Autieri
Science Teacher
Suffield Public Schools
Suffield, CT

Steven Autieri has been involved in developing and instructing courses centered on the theme of blended instruction, which is a computer-mediated instructional strategy that permits students to complete essential tasks at their own pace. Autieri has also served as a contributing member of a school blended learning implementation team, which provided professional support to building staff and has coordinated learning walks to highlight implementation of technology in the classroom.He inspires fellow colleagues to adopt these strategies in their own classrooms by sharing with them developed resources, lessons, and assessment strategies that will help them to be successful in driving student learning. Autieri has been deeply involved in the professional development of and discourse with other educators in his own district, as well as with teachers across the state through a workshop conducted on blended instruction delivered at the 2013 annual meeting of the Connecticut Computer Educator’s Association (CECA). According to Maria Pompano, Science Instructional Leader, East Haven High School, “Steve’s enthusiasm, innovativeness, and genuine concern for the students at our school were exemplary. He was a teacher leader, a role model, and an asset in the building as well as in the greater community of science teachers in Connecticut.”

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District VI – Covey Denton
Science Teacher
Greenfield School
Wilson, NC

Covey Denton’s students begin a science unit with immediate engagement and a fun activity. While always ensuring that the true science behind the fun is learned, Denton uses multiple modalities to reach her students. She uses hand motions and moving bodies to explore. She raps, sings songs, and claps rhythms to help those who are auditory learners. Denton encourages students by proposing STEM design challenges, letting students develop and test their own lab ideas, and offering a student choice project to her fifth and sixth graders for every unit. Denton’s homework assignments include creating a story about the rock cycle, told from a rock’s point of view or having students write their own comic book adventure about science topics. Her love for science is infectious and quickly spreads from her to her students. “Ms. Denton has brought so much energy and enthusiasm to her lower and middle school science classes. She has a terrific knowledge of the sciences taught in our school and continually works to make it interesting, fun, and educational. Students are not just learning science, they are DOING science. They are all over campus taking and testing soil samples, examining the water in our pond on campus while learning about water pollution and the effects of runoff from our soccer field, or examining our small ecosystem along our nature trail,” says Beth Peters, Head of School, Greenfield School.

 

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District VII – Kristen Sumrall
Science Teacher
Lafayette Middle School
Lafayette, MS

Kristen Sumrall has three questions she asks when preparing for a new year of science instruction. “How can I motivate my students to want to learn science? How can I convince my students to like/enjoy the world of science? And, how can I convince ALL my students that they can be successful at doing science?” She uses these three goals and questions as the driving force in how she develops curriculum as well as how she teaches science. Three of her favorite science teaching methods are open inquiry, problem based learning, and use of the 5E model, which have been effective in helping her motivate and convince her students that they can be successful at doing science. She uses the NGSS and state standards as the driving forces in the development of lessons and in her instruction. She believes that the purpose/relevancy of science to the world as identified in the NGSS is an important aspect of why and how we teach science. “Kristen is grounded in research-based practices. She has breadth and depth of scientific and educational research knowledge beyond her professional years of experience. She is an innovative science educator and a remarkable leader. She models professionalism and excellence in everything she does but especially in how she motivates others and brings forth the best in everyone,” says John Ammons Professor, Mississippi Delta Community College.

 

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District XIII – George Hademenos
Physics Teacher
Richardson High School
Richardson, TX

To ensure that his lessons are presented from the student perspective, George Hademenos designs each lesson so his students do not hear and write about the discussed concepts or topics but that they see and experience them. Hademenos has been known to wear high-heeled shoes to illustrate the concept of pressure, use a bowling ball pendulum to illustrate the concept of friction, launch a pill bottle rocket using a PVC pipe launching pad and a bicycle pump, and launch high-altitude weather balloons to see and understand science 100,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. Students could describe characteristics of his teaching style by saying words like animated, expressive, emotive, and loud. Violetta Espinoza, former student, states that Hademenos “is capable of giving lessons that are understandable, with some humor on the side to keep people engaged. Most of all, however, he does an amazing job at helping students reach their academic goals.” Hademenos loves to show his students how excited he is about physics because chances are good that if he’s excited about something, the students will also be excited about it. “Dr. Hademenos is a teacher that is not content with the daily responsibilities of lecture, labs, and tests. He is always looking for opportunities to bring practical examples of his subject into the classroom,” says Charles Bruner, Principal, Richardson High School.

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District XVIII – Ruggero Racca
Science Teacher
Toronto District School Board
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ruggero Racca’s work as a teacher situates itself at the convergence of three pedagogical stances: interdisciplinary learning, transformative learning, and inquiry-based learning. Interdisciplinary learning provides his students with authentic experiences in more than one content area, offering them a range of learning experiences, and giving them choices in the projects they pursue and the ways they demonstrate their learning. His students engage in journal writing, metaphors, life history exploration, learning contracts, group projects, role play, case studies, and using literature to stimulate critical consciousness as pathways to transformative learning. Students use open-ended investigations into a question or a problem, engaging in evidence-based reasoning, problem finding and problem solving. In this rich context, and through the use of gradual release of responsibility, students in his class acquire transferable, lasting inquiry skills and the ability to apply them across the curriculum in examining and challenging their own expanding knowledge. “The inquiry model Ruggero perfected in his classroom has been the focus of observation and broader implementation by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), as well as by the Ontario Ministry of Education. In his teaching, Ruggero nurtures not only highly effective science learning, but also a deepening of the students’ empathy towards, and connection with, the world around them,” says Catherine Munro, Vice Principal, Cosburn Middle School.

A lab safety checklist can serve as a map to help science teachers navigate through safer waters.

The list not only makes labs safer for students but also fulfills part of the teacher’s legal responsibility for inspecting, securing, and maintaining a safer learning space. For school districts regulated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the list needs to reflect fundamental elements of the Laboratory Standard and Hazard Communication Standard. Non-OSHA regulated school districts need to incorporate state and local safety regulations for academic labs into their lists. OSHA’s webpage contains safety and health standards and regulations specific to each state.

The following checklist addresses most—but not all—situations in K–12 science laboratories, but it can be tailored to meet the needs of individual laboratories.

Environmental health and safety

• Is there an active environmental health and safety program (e.g., chemical hygiene plan) addressing management of biological, chemical, and physical hazards specific to your work-site?

• Is there a person designated for the implementation and enforcement of the safety program (e.g., chemical hygiene officer)?

• Is there a department or school safety committee composed of employees and employers that meet regularly and write reports on their activities?

• Is there a process for handling employee complaints regarding environmental health and safety issues? To give an example, employees can submit a reporting form to their supervisors to address safety issues. Employees can also file a confidential complaint with OSHA to have their workplace inspected.

Personal protective equipment

• Is there a process to determine whether activities contain hazards requiring the use of personal protective equipment, or PPE (e.g., head, eye, face, hand, or foot protection)? This process involves three steps: hazards analysis, risks assessment, and safety action. Once risks are assessed after the hazards analysis, the safety action would determine which types of PPE are required for a safer activity.

• If hazards are found, are employers, employees, and students using the proper PPE?

• Are indirectly vented chemical splash goggles worn where there is a danger of flying particles or corrosive materials?

• Are safety glasses worn where there are solids hazards such as projectiles and meter sticks?

• Are employees and students who have glasses or contacts required to wear approved safety glasses, protective goggles, or use other precautionary procedures such as eliminating the use of contacts.

• Are there gloves, aprons, shields, or other protection for employees and students to protect themselves against hazards such as corrosive liquids, sharp objects, and chemicals?

• Is all protective equipment well maintained and ready for use?

• Are there eye wash facilities and a drench shower within the work areas that contain hazardous chemicals or biologicals?

• Are food and beverages consumed in areas where there is no exposure to hazards?

Flammable and combustible materials

• Are approved containers and tanks used for storing and handling flammable and combustible liquids? Containers or tanks for such storage or handling must meet OSHA’s Flammable Liquid standard and have labeling noting that it meets the standard.

• Do storage rooms for flammable and combustible liquids have explosion-proof lights and mechanical or gravity ventilation?

• Are fire extinguishers for combustible; liquid, gas, or grease; and electrical equipment fires placed in the appropriate areas?

• For electrical equipment fires:

• are appropriate fire extinguishers mounted within 75 ft. (23 m) of outdoor areas containing flammable liquids and within 10 ft. (3 m) of indoor storage areas?
• are extinguishers free from obstructions or blockage?
• are all extinguishers serviced, maintained, and tagged each year?
• are all extinguishers full and in their designated places?

Working surfaces

• Are all work-sites clean, sanitary, and orderly?

• Are work surfaces slip-resistant?

• Are all spilled hazardous materials or liquids, including blood and other potentially infectious materials, cleaned up immediately according to proper procedures?

• Is all regulated waste, as defined in the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard (1910.1030), discarded per federal, state, and local regulations?

• Are aisles and passageways kept clear?

Hazard communication

• Is there a current inventory of hazardous substances in your workplace?

• Is there a written hazard communication program dealing with safety data sheets (SDSs), labeling, storage, disposal, and employee training?

• Is each container (i.e., vats, bottles, storage tanks) for a hazardous substance labeled with product identity and hazard warning information?

• Is an SDS readily available for each hazardous substance at the work-site?

• Is there an annual employee training program for hazardous substances?

• Does this program:

•  explain what an SDS is, and how to use and obtain one?
• include SDS contents for each hazardous substance or class of substances?
• explain “Right to Understand?”—that is, understand how to work with hazardous chemicals in a safer way.
• identify where an employee can see the written hazards communication program and where hazardous substances are present in their work areas?
• note the physical and health hazards of substances in the work areas and specific protective measures?
• provide details of the hazard communication program, including how to use the labeling system and SDSs?

• Are employees trained to:

• recognize tasks that might result in occupational exposure? Occupational exposure refers to anticipated bodily contact with chemical hazards and toxic substances.
• use engineering controls, PPE, and to know their limitations?
• obtain information on the types, selection, proper use, location, removal, handling, decontamination, and disposal of PPE?
• know who to contact and what to do in an emergency?

Meeting OSHA’s Laboratory and Hazard Communication standards

• Are there safety engineering and administrative controls, including standard operating procedures?

• Are there criteria (e.g., proper housekeeping) for implementing and inspecting specific controls?

• Is there annual testing and certification of fume hoods?

• Is there access to information and training requirements?

• Are there laboratory operations that require approval of the employer or chemical hygiene officer? For example, the use of a new hazardous chemical might require the pre-approval of the chemical hygiene officer.

• Are there provisions for medical consultation and exams?

• Is there a designated chemical hygiene plan?

• Is there a chemical hygiene officer?

In the end

A good place to start a safety inspection is by answering the questions on the checklist, which provides a viable safety assessment and improves safety in the learning environment.

Submit questions regarding safety in K–12 to Ken Roy at safesci@sbcglobal.net, 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, Evans and Milgrom-Elcott pen op-ed about the importance of maintaining a strong focus on STEM education; Bill Nye believes science will help change the world; new report says most students do not graduate with the skills today’s business executives are looking for; and Achieve publishes new guide for districts to successfully implement the NGSS.

STEM Education Will Carry Our Children In Tomorrow’s Economy

NSTA’s David Evans and 100kin10’s Talia Milgrom-Elcott published an opinion piece in The Hill last week on the importance of maintaining a strong focus on STEM education through the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act and the connections between STEM education, employment, and job growth. Click here to read the article featured in The Hill.

Bill Nye On His ‘Codebreaker’ Mom And How Science Teachers Can Change The World

“These are my people,” Bill Nye said ahead of his lecture to some of the 10,000 science educators who attended the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) National Conference in Los Angeles. When Nye, the well-known 1990s television host of “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” vivaciously told the hall full of teachers about how science will help “change the world,” he was met with thunderous applause. But in fact, it’s this group — teachers on the front lines — who deserve the credit, Nye said. Click here to read the article featured on the PBS NewsHour website.

Students Graduate With Mediocre Skills For The Workplace

Students and their families spend thousands of dollars on a college education to acquire knowledge and skills they will need for the workforce. However, most of them do not graduate with the skills today’s business executives are looking for. By 2021, 69 percent of U.S. business employers will prefer job candidates with data science and analytics skills. However, only 23 percent of graduates will be in possession of such skills, creating a widening skills gap in the business industry, according to a poll conducted by Gallup for the Business-Higher Education Forum. Click here to read the article featured in U.S. News & World Report.

Year Three: State Schedules Next Round Of Science Standards Hearings

The Idaho State Department of Education is about to launch a series of public meetings focused on updating academic content standards — including the hotly debated science standards. During the just-completed 2017 session, Idaho lawmakers edited the standards to delete five references to human impact on the environment and climate change. First-year Rep. Scott Syme, R-Caldwell, said the science standards ignored positive human contributions to the environment, such as the development of clean, renewable energy sources. Click here to read the article featured on Idahoednews.org.

Next Generation Science Standards Group Publishes Guide For Districts

To successfully implement the NGSS, districts should establish a science leadership team, ensure that teachers and school leaders get high-quality professional learning, and collaborate with other districts, according to new guidelines from Achieve. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

States All Over the Map on Setting Computer Science Policy

One of President Barack Obama’s pet education initiatives was Computer Science for All: The federal government dedicated $4 billion to help states develop their computer science programs, arguing that working with technology is an essential skill. But with funds for federal education programs in question, future leadership in computer science education will likely come from states. And right now, there are major differences in how states have approached strategy, standards, and other state-level computer science education initiatives. Click here to 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.

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The buzz and excitement generated by thousands of science teachers learning and sharing their enthusiasm for science at the NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles last week was truly inspiring. From workshops to the exhibit hall and the NSTA Science Store, the newest and best in resources were on display for science educators to peruse and pack up to take back to their classrooms. The NSTA Science Store became a hub for teachers to meet authors, participate in activities, and browse the bookshelves. These top 10 books were teachers’ picks at the LA conference:

Picture-Perfect STEM Lessons, K-2: Using Children’s Books to Inspire STEM Learning, by Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry: A guide to integrating science with language arts through picture books that are kid-friendly and engaging. Lessons take students on explorations of books such as Iggy Peck, Architect; The Inventor’s Secret; and Trash to Treasure while they learn to build their own drums, invent a toy car, reduce plastic pollution, and more.

Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings, by Jessica Fries-Gaither: A trip through time to discover the value of a special place to jot your thoughts, whether you’re a famous scientist or a student. This NSTA Kids book brings to life the many ways in which trailblazers from Galileo to Jane Goodall have used a science notebook—to sketch observations, imagine experiments, record data, or write down their thoughts. A 2017 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students, K–12.

Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices, edited by Christina Schwarz, Cynthia Passmore, and Brian Reiser: Written in clear, nontechnical language, this book provides real-world examples to show you what’s different about teaching and learning that incorporates science and engineering practices at all grade levels.

When the Sun Goes Dark, by Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz: This illustrated book is a fun way to get young astronomers in grades 5–8 ready for August 2017, when millions of North Americans will have the rare chance to witness a total solar eclipse.

Big Data, Small Devices: Investigating the Natural World Using Real-Time Data, by Donna Governor, Michael Bowen, and Eric Brunsell: Designed for Earth and environmental science teachers who want to help grades 3–12 students tap into, organize, and deploy large data sets via their devices to investigate the world around them.

Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology: Lab Investigations for Grades 9-12, by Victor Sampson, Patrick Enderle, Leeanne Gleim, Jonathon Grooms, Melanie Hester, Sherry Southerland, and Kristin Wilson: A new type of lab investigation that teaches students to use argument to construct, support, and evaluate scientific claims of their own and others. The 27 field-tested labs cover molecules and organisms, ecosystems, heredity, and biological evolution.

Argument-Driven Inquiry in Physical Science: Lab Investigations for Grades 6-8, by Jonathon Grooms, Patrick Enderle, Todd Hutner, Ashley Murphy, and Victor Sampson: Twenty-two engaging labs that will capture students’ interest while they dig into important content and learn scientific practices as the figure out everything from how thermal energy works to what could make an action figure jump higher.

 

Disciplinary Core Ideas: Reshaping Teaching and Learning, edited by Ravit Golan Duncan, Joseph Krajcik, and Ann Rivet: A conceptual tool kit that can help you guide students to see the connections between important science concepts so they can grasp how the world works now—and maybe even make it work better in the future.

The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Creating Teachable Moments, by Rodger Bybee: An introduction and roadmap to the widely used 5E Lesson Model of engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and This guidebook will help you structure and sequence lessons so you can experience more teachable moments in your classroom.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Earth and Environmental Science: 32 New Formative Assessment Probes, by Page Keeley and Laura Tucker: Engaging formative assessment tools can reveal what your students already know (or think they know) about core Earth and environmental science concepts. Armed with those insights, you can use the teacher notes and suggestions to adjust your approach and present the science in grade-appropriate ways to help students build conceptual understanding.

The NSTA Press Spring 2017 digital catalog highlights all of NSTA’s resources for science teachers K through College.

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Students in most of my classes actively participate. But in one freshman class, students are engaged in labs, but they just stare at me during class discussions. I ask open-ended questions a lot and make an effort to get students involved. How can I get these students more involved? – R., Iowa

Who knows what’s inside the mind of a ninth grader? Ask the students to write brief, confidential notes to you about what is holding them back from participating. Based on the responses, you could try several strategies.

• Reassure students that you value their thinking and responses and that no question or response is “stupid.” Teasing or mocking is not allowed.
• When a student responds, make eye contact and listen (a few nods and “okays” may encourage them).
• For a shrug and “I dunno,” nod politely and say that you’ll come back to the student (and then do so).
• After any response, give a pensive “Hmmm” and ask another student what he/she thinks, even if the original response is correct. This continues the conversation and thinking.
• Show some excitement for an original or interesting response.
• Wait-time before calling on a student gives students a chance to think. This is especially important if you call on a student who has not raised a hand.
• Try a think-pair-share for discussion questions.

It’s interesting how each class has its own dynamics and “personality,” as you’re experiencing. The challenge is finding effective strategies to unlock their participation. You have an interesting opportunity for action research.

More ideas:  The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

 

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rongyos/2686415336/