How do you get students excited about science and prepared to pursue degrees and careers in the sciences? Scientists and engineers have important roles to play in furthering modes of teaching that engage students by helping them to think like scientists, working in teams to gather data, build models and defend their own reasoning and conclusions to classmates. Based on recommendations from the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, a state-led effort called Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) blended three dimensions of scientific knowledge to provide the curricular foundations informing instruction in science classrooms today. Rather than treating scientific skill and scientific content as separate strands, this approach gives students a set of tools that work across every science discipline. Although highly engaging modes of teaching have spread unevenly, research shows it produces a significant leap in students’ understanding of science. Why hasn’t it spread further? What can people with STEM backgrounds do to participate or help encourage more skills-building science education?
Join us for a webinar to learn more about how teachers are creatively using the Next Gen Science Standards, how local supporters have championed engaging science education through local and state governments, and how scientists and engineers can volunteer in classrooms to increase students’ excitement about science.
Guests:
Emma Mitchell, Ph.D., President of the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), physicist and physics teacher at a private girls school in Connecticut, will speak to what it takes to bring teachers into the modeling community and sustain it through mentorship and workshops.
Matt Krehbiel, Chief Product Officer at OpenSciEd — a nonprofit building free, modeling-based K–12 science curricula used by over 100,000 teachers nationwide — will offer a curriculum developer's perspective on the methods used to develop engaging instructional materials for student-driven science instruction.
Brenda Tuohy, computer science and engineering coach, Oakland Unified School District (CA), will discuss the long-term challenges of aligning K-12 science education with the Next Generation Science Standards in a large urban school district.
