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Journal Article

Q: Which is more important—weather or climate—when planning where to be on April 8, 2024, to see the total solar eclipse?

Science 101...

By Matthew Bobrowsky

Elementary Astronomy Climate Science Earth & Space Science Inquiry

Journal Article

“Hope is a Thing with Wings”: Building Capacity and Resiliency in Urban Students Through a Engaging in a Local Bird Phenomenon

In an age where catastrophic damage from climate-related events circulates through social and print media, it is important to build communities of hope for our elementary students (Hestness, et al., 2019, Sanchez, et al., 2021). Climate justice educa...

By Candace Penrod

Elementary Citizen Science Environmental Science Inclusion Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Developing Climate Justice

In this edition of Tech Talk, climate education is addressed with two engaging digital resources: the Maine Online Open-Source Education (MOOSE) Climate Education Module and Google Earth. Climate education resources for elementary students, specifica...

By Heather Pacheco-Guffrey

Elementary Climate Science Social Justice Teaching Strategies Technology

Journal Article

Community Connections to Support Early Science Learning

Community resources offer extensions of early science learning that can deepen connections to the local ecosystem. This column offers ideas to extend early childhood classroom science through community mapping....

By Alissa Lange

Early Childhood Elementary Inclusion Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Community Gardens as Places for Ecological Caring in Action

Current and future Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) students must grapple with one of the most pressing scientific issues of the century: climate change. Teaching about climate change with our youngest learners requ...

By Amal Ibourk, Lauren Wagner, Deb Morrison, Syrena Young, Justin Milledge

Elementary Environmental Science Inclusion Life Science Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Civic Engagement for Climate Action, Resilience, and Hope for Local Waterways

Climate education in elementary grades offers a chance to teach climate science, to help students understand how serious climate change is, to focus on ecosystems and global social systems, and to work toward justice-oriented solutions. This article ...

By Melissa Braaten, Tiffany Boyd, Jessica Bean

Early Childhood Elementary Citizen Science Environmental Science Inclusion

Journal Article

Children Communicating Care through Curiosity Walks: Using Scientific Practices to Cultivate Knowledge about Climate Justice

Children experience and grapple with the ongoing effects of climate change in their daily lives. While they did not cause climate change nor should they have to solve it, children deserve educational opportunities to understand why and how it occurs ...

By Kathleen Schenkel, Cassie J. Brownell, Jon M. Wargo

Pre-K Early Childhood Elementary Pedagogy Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Here Come the Robots: A Century of Fear and Fascination with Automated Machines

Teaching resources from the Library of Congress...

By Kelsey Beeghly

High School General Science STEM Technology

Journal Article

Teacher Spotlight: Kate Harding

An interview with Kate Harding...

By Ann Haley MacKenzie

High School New Science Teachers Teacher Preparation

Journal Article

Metallurgical Engineer Wendi Cooksey

An interview with metallurgical engineer Wendi Cooksey...

By Luba Vangelova

High School Careers Engineering General Science

Journal Article

Moving Around as a Teacher

What other profession gives summers off, with the bonus of teaching in different locations? In this article I’ll tell how taking leaves of absence to teach at other locations was one of the opportunities that I enjoyed, which hopefully is available...

By Paul Hewitt

High School New Science Teachers Physics Teacher Preparation

Journal Article

Generating opportunities: Strategies to elevate Science and Engineering Practices using ChatGPT

Within this Idea Bank, we offer practical strategies to integrate ChatGPT across three science and engineering practices (i.e., asking questions and defining problems, planning and carrying out investigations, and analyzing and interpreting data) dur...

By Andrew Kipp, Nathan Hawk, Gustavo Perez

High School Science and Engineering Practices STEM Teaching Strategies Technology

Journal Article

 Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?

By Ann Haley MacKenzie

High School STEM Teaching Strategies Technology

Journal Article

People Designing for People: A One-Week Human-Centered Design Engineering Summer Camp for Pre-College Students

This paper describes the design and implementation of a week-long engineering summer camp that engages pre-college learners in human-centered design principles. Students worked in teams of 3-5 to create and present a viable prototype for a specified ...

By Taylor Tucker, Saadeddine Shehab

High School Engineering STEM Teaching Strategies Technology

Journal Article

The Science of Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction

Over the past few years, computer science education has expanded globally, including aspects of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in graduate and undergraduate education settings. However, less has been accomplished regarding how to introduce ...

By Sandy Watson

High School STEM Technology

Journal Article

Just Because It Sounds Plausible, Doesn’t Mean It’s True

Plausible scientific arguments abound. Those who wish to deceive often weave a tangled web of plausible scientific arguments to support their case. What can the science teacher do to prevent their students being duped? Given that many of the claims a...

By Jonathan Osborne

High School Literacy Sensemaking Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Promoting Scientific Literacy through the Writing of Abstracts

Students are provided with plenty of opportunities to acquire new knowledge based on the various scientific disciplines they explore in their schooling. However, it can sometimes be difficult to integrate activities that build scientific literacy ami...

By Alexander Eden

High School Learning Progression Literacy Pedagogy

Journal Article

Using Scenarios to Assess Student Learning

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) define science literacy as having the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes and the ability to question natural world phenomena (National Research Council, 2012). When students w...

By Maha Kareem, Amy Lannin, William Romine, Nancy Singer, Marsha Tyson, Katie Kline, Michelle Kendrick, Sam Otten, Sarah Apple

High School Assessment Pedagogy Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Knowing the ABCs of Teaching in an Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, consequently bringing a hurricane to the seas of education. The purpose of this article is to encapsulate commonly used classroom strategies into practices that can effectively build content...

By Tanya MacMartin

High School Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Technology

Journal Article

Establishing AI Literacy before Adopting AI

As applications of AI have proliferated, the call has grown for educating students about what AI is, how it works, and how it can affect us. In response, [an American University], in collaboration with an external implementation partner, developed 12...

By Fiona Hollands, Cynthia Breazeal

Literacy Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Technology

Journal Article

The Power of Suggest…ed Practice:Using Optional Practice Instead of Assigned Homework in the High School Science Classroom

How do we as teachers balance the need of students to practice class content with their intense schedules, extracurriculars, and need for a healthy and balanced life? An alternative to traditional, mandatory homework is offered herein, in the form of...

By Lindsey Paricio-Moreau

Curriculum Pedagogy STEM Technology

Journal Article

Using Lessons from History to Guide the Implementation of AI in Science Education

It is critical to understand past science education reform to know what could be explored in the future (Cheng et al., 2010). The purpose of this position paper is to describe a historical timeline of science education. Using historical documents a...

By Aria Hadley-Hulet, Marc Ellis, Austin Moore, Emily Lehnardt, Max Longhurst

NGSS STEM Technology

Journal Article

Metallurgical Engineer Wendi Cooksey

An interview with metallurgical engineer Wendi Cooksey...

By Luba Vangelova

High School Careers Earth & Space Science Technology

Journal Article

Next to Nothing

Scope on the Skies March 2024...

By Bob Riddle

Middle School Astronomy Earth & Space Science Phenomena Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

From Sun to Shade: Exploring Environmental Changes During the Total Solar Eclipse

Excitement is building in anticipation of the total solar eclipse taking place this April 2024. During the total solar eclipse, the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun and casting a shadow on Earth. As the sky darkens, the ...

By Jill Nugent

Middle School Astronomy Earth & Space Science Labs Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

3D Assessment

We are now a decade past the release of the NGSS —an event that has shaped the way we teach science. The NGSS, with its three-dimensional approach encompassing disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), science and engineering practices (SEPs), and cross-cutt...

By Patricia McGinnis

Assessment NGSS Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Eliciting initial ideas, building understandings, and coming to consensus: Using different teacher moves to support three distinct discussion types

Whole group discussions are a key aspect of the NGSS because these activities are where students collectively make sense of natural phenomena. However, curriculum can present all discussions as possessing the same instructional purpose and roles for ...

By Kevin Cherbow, Benjamin Lowell, Kris Grymonpre, Katherine McNeill, Renee Affolter

Middle School Inclusion Pedagogy Professional Learning Teacher Preparation Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

From Windy Day Stories to Wind Farms of the Future: Leveraging student resources to make sense of science phenomena with Data Puzzles

This article introduces the Data Puzzles instructional framework as a means to engage middle school students in the exploration of wind energy and its potential for future wind farm locations across the United States. By eliciting and leveraging stud...

By Jonathan Griffith, Melissa Braaten, Ann Dubick, Anne Gold

Environmental Science Learning Progression Phenomena Sensemaking Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Making Formative Use of Student Experience Data to Promote Equity in a Cycle of Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

This article describes a cycle of teacher collaborative inquiry called the Student Experience Improvement Cycle (SEIC). The SEIC is a novel form of assessment: it focuses on supporting teachers in using evidence of the quality of student experience f...

By William Penuel, Ali Raza, Yamileth Salinas Del Val, Rosa Salinas-Estevez, Emily Williamson, Jennifer Smith, Quincy Gill

Middle School Assessment Equity Inquiry Pedagogy Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

The Standard Answer: Considerations for Implementing Standards-based Grading in an NGSS-aligned Science Classroom

Standards-based grading (SBG) is an alternative approach to grading that uses standards, such as the NGSS, to communicate what students have learned. While SBG has increased in popularity in the last decade, questions still remain in regard to what c...

By Jesse Wilcox, Matt Townsley

Assessment NGSS Pedagogy Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Designing Performance-Based Assessments that Engage!

Rather than feel stressful for students, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning. Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and f...

By Katie Coppens

Middle School Assessment Pedagogy Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Socioscientific Modeling: Helping Students See Systems and Understand Messy Issues

In this article we present a strategy to help students unpack complex, socioscientific issues. We outline a 90-minute learning experience where students are asked to explore the complicated cause and effect relationships that shaped the course of the...

By Eric Kirk, Troy Sadler, Zhen Xu, Jamie Elsner, Li Ke, Laura Zangori, Rebecca Lesnefsky

Interdisciplinary Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Introducing Engineering Aims and Values through Rover Wheel Design

Engineering activities often emphasize the practices of engineers, but pay less attention to aspects of the nature of engineering. One important aspect of the nature of engineering is an understanding of the aims and values that underlie engineers’...

By Jerrid Kruse, Isaiah Kent-Schneider, Dan Chibnall, Sarah Voss, Emma Marie, Bridgid Miller, Jayme Scheck

Middle School Earth & Space Science Engineering STEM Technology

Journal Article

Sensing in Animals and Robots: Collaborative, Transdisciplinary Learning in an Undergraduate Science Course

Transdisciplinary learning—where students develop and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines to solve open-ended problems—is necessary to prepare students for the most pressing real-world problems. Because transdisciplinary education often req...

By Anna DeJarnette, Stephanie Rollmann, Dieter Vanderelst, John Layne, Anna Hutchinson

Postsecondary Biology Engineering Interdisciplinary Robotics STEM Technology

Journal Article

Implementing Universal Design for Learning in the Higher Education Science Classroom

There is a growing need for college science faculty to teach a diverse group of learners. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework can be used to create inclusive learning materials and activities in the higher education science classroom. A...

By Breanne Kirsch, Theodore Bryan, David Hoferer

Postsecondary Inclusion Leadership Pedagogy Professional Learning Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Scaling Up: Lessons for Persuading Science Faculty to Adopt an Evidence-Based Intervention

The science education community is deeply vested in growing the next generation of scientists. One way to do this is through evidence-based interventions that support the motivation and performance of students in introductory classes. The literature...

By Jessi Smith, Dustin Thoman

Biology Curriculum Pedagogy Professional Learning Teacher Preparation

Journal Article

Equitable instructor assessment changes amid COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak mandated a rapid transition to online classes with little warning. Previous literature studying the effect of this sudden shift demonstrated enormous impacts on instructors and students. However, the details concer...

By Todd Lamb, Emily Driessen, Abby Beatty, Rachel Youngblood, Abby Esco, Sehoya Cotner, Catherine Creech, Abby Drake, Sheritta Fagbodun, Kristen Hobbs, Kelly Lane, Erin Larson, Sophie McCoy, Seth Thompson, Cissy Ballen

Postsecondary Assessment Biology Equity Teacher Preparation Teaching Strategies