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Performance Assessment as Part of Efficient, Effective, and Equitable Instructional Practice
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Lauren Stoll and Jill Wertheim
Since the release of the NGSS, science classrooms across the United States have shifted science learning away from a focus on decontextualized facts and concepts and toward engaging students in making sense of the world around them. Many educators have looked to assessments to provide feedback about students’ progress in meeting this new vision of science teaching and learning, but few assessments sufficiently reflect NGSS goals (Wertheim et al. 2016). The National Research Council (NRC) identified performance assessments as an essential tool for guiding shifts toward three-dimensional (3D) learning (NRC 2014), though many questions remain about how to design assessments that provide the information that teachers need to guide their work.
Since the release of the NGSS, science classrooms across the United States have shifted science learning away from a focus on decontextualized facts and concepts and toward engaging students in making sense of the world around them. Many educators have looked to assessments to provide feedback about students’ progress in meeting this new vision of science teaching and learning, but few assessments sufficiently reflect NGSS goals (Wertheim et al. 2016).
Since the release of the NGSS, science classrooms across the United States have shifted science learning away from a focus on decontextualized facts and concepts and toward engaging students in making sense of the world around them. Many educators have looked to assessments to provide feedback about students’ progress in meeting this new vision of science teaching and learning, but few assessments sufficiently reflect NGSS goals (Wertheim et al. 2016).
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The Use of Storytelling to Model NGSS Science and Engineering Practices
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Adrienne Larocque and Anna Babarinde
An important strand of three-dimensional learning in the Next Generation Science Standards is science and engineering practices (SEPs; NGSS Lead States 2013). The SEPs also are one of four critical attributes of sensemaking (NSTA, n.d.). These practices replace the oversimplified “scientific method” often presented in science textbooks that bears little resemblance to actual scientific research (Windschitl et al. 2008). To effectively communicate SEPs to students, teachers must describe what they know about science (science content) in the context of how we know it (science practices). Few elementary or secondary teachers have engaged in scientific research, so this presents an obvious challenge. In their study based on surveys of science teachers, Kite and colleagues (2021) observed that educators generally lack a nuanced comprehension of how science is done, and underscored the importance of teaching the teachers how to effectively integrate science practices into classroom lessons.
An important strand of three-dimensional learning in the Next Generation Science Standards is science and engineering practices (SEPs; NGSS Lead States 2013). The SEPs also are one of four critical attributes of sensemaking (NSTA, n.d.). These practices replace the oversimplified “scientific method” often presented in science textbooks that bears little resemblance to actual scientific research (Windschitl et al. 2008). To effectively communicate SEPs to students, teachers must describe what they know about science (science content) in the context of how we know it (science practices).
An important strand of three-dimensional learning in the Next Generation Science Standards is science and engineering practices (SEPs; NGSS Lead States 2013). The SEPs also are one of four critical attributes of sensemaking (NSTA, n.d.). These practices replace the oversimplified “scientific method” often presented in science textbooks that bears little resemblance to actual scientific research (Windschitl et al. 2008). To effectively communicate SEPs to students, teachers must describe what they know about science (science content) in the context of how we know it (science practices).
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On Teaching Electricity Through History
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Christine Guy Schnittka
Electricity is a fascinating phenomenon and one of the most important driving forces in the natural world, and our understanding of it all began with a fossilized lump of tree resin and a mystical rock from ancient Turkey. For the many years that I taught my students about electricity, I took them through a journey of 2,000 years of discovery instead of using the standard lab activities in their textbook. In this article, I describe the activities we did in class to re-create the discoveries in history, and primary sources are cited in Table 1 (see Online Connections) so that science teachers can access these documents and students can read the words of the long-ago scientists for themselves. These activities are safe and accessible for high school students and are described here so that science teachers can teach electricity concepts throughout history to their students. Each investigation takes about 45 minutes of class time.
Electricity is a fascinating phenomenon and one of the most important driving forces in the natural world, and our understanding of it all began with a fossilized lump of tree resin and a mystical rock from ancient Turkey. For the many years that I taught my students about electricity, I took them through a journey of 2,000 years of discovery instead of using the standard lab activities in their textbook.
Electricity is a fascinating phenomenon and one of the most important driving forces in the natural world, and our understanding of it all began with a fossilized lump of tree resin and a mystical rock from ancient Turkey. For the many years that I taught my students about electricity, I took them through a journey of 2,000 years of discovery instead of using the standard lab activities in their textbook.
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Sounds in Sunlight
Blind Students Hear Solar Eclipse
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Sóley Hyman, Wilson González-Espada, Allyson Bieryla, and Wanda Díaz-Merced
Solar eclipses are excellent platforms for engaging students with astronomy and for teaching concepts like the Sun-Earth-Moon relationship through rare natural events. Traditional STEM instruction, however, highly depends on diagrammatic and visual modes of learning, which is disadvantageous for students with disabilities, especially those who are blind or have visual impairments (BVI) (Beck-Winchatz and Riccobono 2008; Childers et al. 2015; Falk 2018).
Solar eclipses are excellent platforms for engaging students with astronomy and for teaching concepts like the Sun-Earth-Moon relationship through rare natural events. Traditional STEM instruction, however, highly depends on diagrammatic and visual modes of learning, which is disadvantageous for students with disabilities, especially those who are blind or have visual impairments (BVI) (Beck-Winchatz and Riccobono 2008; Childers et al. 2015; Falk 2018).
Solar eclipses are excellent platforms for engaging students with astronomy and for teaching concepts like the Sun-Earth-Moon relationship through rare natural events. Traditional STEM instruction, however, highly depends on diagrammatic and visual modes of learning, which is disadvantageous for students with disabilities, especially those who are blind or have visual impairments (BVI) (Beck-Winchatz and Riccobono 2008; Childers et al. 2015; Falk 2018).
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Making the Most of the Upcoming Solar Eclipse Double-Header
October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz
Eclipses of the Sun, where the Moon gets in front of the Sun and blocks its light, are among the most spectacular of natural events. The total eclipse visible in the United States in 2017 fascinated and involved millions of people all across the country. The good news is that against all odds, two dramatic solar eclipses—an eclipse double-header—will occur during the coming school year.
Eclipses of the Sun, where the Moon gets in front of the Sun and blocks its light, are among the most spectacular of natural events. The total eclipse visible in the United States in 2017 fascinated and involved millions of people all across the country. The good news is that against all odds, two dramatic solar eclipses—an eclipse double-header—will occur during the coming school year.
Eclipses of the Sun, where the Moon gets in front of the Sun and blocks its light, are among the most spectacular of natural events. The total eclipse visible in the United States in 2017 fascinated and involved millions of people all across the country. The good news is that against all odds, two dramatic solar eclipses—an eclipse double-header—will occur during the coming school year.
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The 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipse Double-Header
The Perfect Opportunity to Highlight Three-Dimensional Science Learning
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Dennis Schatz and Andrew Fraknoi
North America will experience a solar eclipse “double-header” this fall. While 500 million people will see two partial eclipses (when the Moon covers part of the Sun), those fortunate enough to be in a 125-mile-wide path on October 14, 2023, will see an annular (ring of fire) eclipse of the Sun. Even more impressive, those in the roughly 100-mile-wide path of totality on April 8, 2024, will see a spectacular total eclipse.
North America will experience a solar eclipse “double-header” this fall. While 500 million people will see two partial eclipses (when the Moon covers part of the Sun), those fortunate enough to be in a 125-mile-wide path on October 14, 2023, will see an annular (ring of fire) eclipse of the Sun. Even more impressive, those in the roughly 100-mile-wide path of totality on April 8, 2024, will see a spectacular total eclipse.
North America will experience a solar eclipse “double-header” this fall. While 500 million people will see two partial eclipses (when the Moon covers part of the Sun), those fortunate enough to be in a 125-mile-wide path on October 14, 2023, will see an annular (ring of fire) eclipse of the Sun. Even more impressive, those in the roughly 100-mile-wide path of totality on April 8, 2024, will see a spectacular total eclipse.
Idea Bank
Translanguaging as an Essential Practice in Socially Just Science Classrooms
How to make all language styles appropriate for science learning
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Sarah Braden and Taylor Dexter
In this interaction, Manuel and Rico (all names are pseudonyms) expertly mix Spanish and English to communicate as they collect data in a ninth grade physics lab. Your reaction to this mixture of English and Spanish, what users sometimes call “Spanglish” will depend on your beliefs about language and multilingualism. Researchers refer to these beliefs as language ideologies (Gal and Irvine 2019). Due to the absence of clearly articulated language policies in the United States, in districts, and in schools, teachers set the policies for their classrooms and hold students accountable for following or not following these policies based on their language ideologies (Zhang and Pelttari 2014).
In this interaction, Manuel and Rico (all names are pseudonyms) expertly mix Spanish and English to communicate as they collect data in a ninth grade physics lab. Your reaction to this mixture of English and Spanish, what users sometimes call “Spanglish” will depend on your beliefs about language and multilingualism. Researchers refer to these beliefs as language ideologies (Gal and Irvine 2019).
In this interaction, Manuel and Rico (all names are pseudonyms) expertly mix Spanish and English to communicate as they collect data in a ninth grade physics lab. Your reaction to this mixture of English and Spanish, what users sometimes call “Spanglish” will depend on your beliefs about language and multilingualism. Researchers refer to these beliefs as language ideologies (Gal and Irvine 2019).
focus on physics
Teaching Students to Read Equations
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Paul G. Hewitt
The laws of nature are expressed in equation form in all physics courses. How these laws are taught can vary widely. In this article, I expand on previous Focus on Physics articles, particularly the March 2022 article “The Importance of Reading Equations,” and relate some of my classroom experiences with physics equations.
The laws of nature are expressed in equation form in all physics courses. How these laws are taught can vary widely. In this article, I expand on previous Focus on Physics articles, particularly the March 2022 article “The Importance of Reading Equations,” and relate some of my classroom experiences with physics equations.
The laws of nature are expressed in equation form in all physics courses. How these laws are taught can vary widely. In this article, I expand on previous Focus on Physics articles, particularly the March 2022 article “The Importance of Reading Equations,” and relate some of my classroom experiences with physics equations.
Idea Bank
Pathways to Science Literacy
A new double helical model as a guide to state science standards
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By John Suchocki
Science concepts connect us to the wonders of the natural universe. Why is the sky blue? [Air molecules behave much like tiny little tuning forks.] Is there gravity in space? [Yes, it extends to infinity.] What do fish “breathe” underwater? [It’s not the water.] A scientifically literate individual can answer questions such as these or at least be curious enough and sufficiently equipped to find accurate explanations.
Science concepts connect us to the wonders of the natural universe. Why is the sky blue? [Air molecules behave much like tiny little tuning forks.] Is there gravity in space? [Yes, it extends to infinity.] What do fish “breathe” underwater? [It’s not the water.] A scientifically literate individual can answer questions such as these or at least be curious enough and sufficiently equipped to find accurate explanations.
Science concepts connect us to the wonders of the natural universe. Why is the sky blue? [Air molecules behave much like tiny little tuning forks.] Is there gravity in space? [Yes, it extends to infinity.] What do fish “breathe” underwater? [It’s not the water.] A scientifically literate individual can answer questions such as these or at least be curious enough and sufficiently equipped to find accurate explanations.
Idea Bank
Promoting Learning for All Through Explore-Before-Explain
The Science Teacher—Fall 2023 (Volume 90, Issue 7)
By Patrick Brown, Jay McTighe, and Rodger Bybee
