What is our quest as science educators? What is the quest of scientists? What are the science learning quests of students? How are they similar?
The recent detection of gravitational waves proved Einstein’s theory that was postulated in 1916. This detection was a very big deal in the science community. Scientists are on a tenacious, never ending quest to Continue reading
The draft New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS), were released for public review, on November 19, 2015. A survey to collect feedback on the draft NYSSLS is open until February 5, 2016. It has been approximately 20 years since we have had the opportunity to welcome new science standards. The adoption of new science standards to incorporate the most recent research related to how students learn science and prepare students for their future is overdue. The opportunity new science standards provide occurs infrequently. We need to maximize this opportunity by taking the time to understand the draft NYSSLS and respond to the survey.
The OCM BOCES Center for Innovative Science Education has developed a resources page to support Continue reading
As articulated in A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) a foundation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is providing a K-12 science learning experience that allows students to build an understanding of scientific concepts overtime:
“To develop a thorough understanding of scientific explanations of the world, students need sustained opportunities to work with and develop the underlying ideas and to appreciate those ideas’ interconnections over a period of years rather than weeks or month.” (NRC, 2012, p. 26).
The idea of building an understanding overtime is referred to as a learning progression. The development of understanding over time is a foundation for Continue reading
The draft New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS), were released for public review, on November 19th. A survey to collect public comments on the draft NYSSLS is expected to be released on December 2, 2015. Here are OCM BOCES Center for Innovative Science Education’s top ten things to consider when reviewing the NYSSLS:
This has been an important week in science and further points to the importance of the impending new New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS), based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Achieve, 2013). On Sunday, September 27th we were lucky to witness the beauty of the universe in the supermoon lunar eclipse. Then on Monday, September 28th NASA reported evidence of water flowing periodically on Mars. We were awed by the eclipse one day and reminded of the ever expanding understanding of the universe the next.
Science and science education are vitally important to our understanding of our world. This fundamental connection between science and each of our lives is the cornerstone of the NGSS. The part of the goal of K-12 science education articulated in A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) is “to ensure that by the end of 12th grade, all students have some appreciation of the beauty and wonder of science; possess sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on related issues…” (p. 1). Our current and past K-12 science education has not prepared students to fundamentally understand science phenomena related to their world. This is evident in the fact that the majority of the people whom I have asked to explain the lunar eclipse are unable to provide a full and correct explanation. Many are able to identify that it has something to do with the Earth, moon, sun, and shadows in general, but few are able to correctly and completely explain the phenomena.
The good news is that in the future students will develop an understanding of the phenomena that explains the occurrence of lunar eclipses. This understanding is included in the NGSS, specifically in a disciplinary core. In the previous blogs we have been talking about the Framework and building an understanding of the three dimensions (science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cross cutting concepts) of the NGSS. Here we will focus on the disciplinary core ideas.
The Framework clearly articulates the importance of focusing K-12 science education on core scientific phenomena: “an important role of science education is not to teach ‘all the facts’ but rather to prepare students with sufficient core knowledge” (NRC, 2012 p. 31). Furthermore, the goal is for students to develop a sufficient depth of knowledge such that the knowledge is usable (NRC, 2012). These core and relevant scientific concepts make up the disciplinary core ideas in the NGSS. The Framework specifies that a disciplinary core idea should meet at least two (more is preferred) of the follow:
The disciplinary core ideas are divided into four disciplinary categories: physical science, earth and space sciences, life sciences; and engineering, technology. Each of the four categories includes three or four core ideas. The disciplinary core ideas are based on one of the corner stones of the Framework, the learning progression theory. Thus, the disciplinary core ideas progress throughout K-12 science education, allowing students to develop a more complex, coherent, and deeper understanding of key phenomena.
Now let’s consider the lunar eclipse and how this relates to disciplinary core ideas included in the NGSS. First, it is included in the earth and space science in the core idea ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe. More specifically it is in the subcategory ESS1.B: Earth and the solar system. Students first begin to develop an understanding of this disciplinary core idea in first grade by making observations to describe the predicable patterns of motion in the sun, moon, and stars. Once students observe the patterns they build on this understanding in fifth grade to include daily changes in the length and direction of shadows, day and night as well as seasonal appearances of some stars. This helps students understand orbital relationship of the Earth around the sun and the moon around the Earth. In middle school students are asked to develop and use a model to explain the patterns of lunar phases, eclipses, and seasons. Then in high school students further their understanding to include complex phenomena related to elliptical orbits and Kepler’s Laws.
So what does this mean? This means that with the upcoming NYSSLS based on the NGSS students will be able to explain and understand the phenomena related to the lunar eclipse by the end of middle school. Yes, this is absolutely possible. I have had the pleasure of working with 6th grade students as they used a hula hoop, a larger marble to represent the Earth, a smaller marble to represent the moon, and a flashlight for the sun to model the cyclic patterns in the lunar phases and eclipses represented in several years of data.
You might still be wondering about the recent eclipse and how the orbits of the Earth around the sun and the moon around the Earth relate to this phenomenon. To understand this phenomenon first consider the patterns in the lunar phases – there is a new moon about once every 28 days. Then consider the occurrence of lunar eclipses over at least several years (the fact lunar eclipses don’t happen as regularly as the lunar phases is important). Also notice the differences in the shadow pattern on the moon between an eclipse and the lunar phases. When considering the pattern of the lunar phases and lunar eclipses use a model to explain the data. I used a flashlight, lacrosse ball, and golf ball on Sunday night to have my family members use a model to explain this phenomenon. The key is the moon’s orbit around the Earth at a five degree tilt to the plane on which Earth orbits the sun. These animations by NASA help explain this phenomenon.
OCM BOCES Center for Innovative Science Education is positioned to support the region’s transition to the upcoming NYSSLS. We are offering professional development opportunities this fall to prepare the region for the new standards.
Jessica Whisher Hehl
Coordinator
OCM BOCES Center for Innovative Science Education
jhehl@ocmboces.org
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (NGSS Lead States, 2013), which New York State is in the process of adopting, incorporate three dimensions: scientific and engineering practices; cross cutting concepts; and disciplinary core ideas. The NGSS requires K-12 science instruction that fully integrates all three dimensions. The previous Next Generation Science Center blog introduced us to the NGSS. This blog will begin the process of developing an initial understanding of the NGSS by discussing one of the dimensions: scientific and engineering practices. Even though we are initially introducing the three dimensions individually, remember that classroom instruction must integrate all three dimensions. Continue reading
In 1957, two anthropologists did a nationwide study to examine how 35,000 high school students from a range of backgrounds viewed a scientist. In this study, students were asked to draw a scientist — and the most popular image drawn was a study in white. Scientists were characterized as white men with glasses and white hair and white beards, wearing white lab coats. Although this research took place nearly 60 years ago, some might say that little has changed.
Several more recent studies have shown that the same image of a scientist persists over a range of socioeconomic, racial, and gender backgrounds. It was found to exist across school grades, was firmly rooted in public and private schools, and had spread to different countries (Australia, Greece, and surprisingly China). We are in the midst of a Continue reading
High school students aren’t sticking with STEM. Even though the number of jobs in science and engineering is expected to surge in the years to come, close to 60 percent of the nation’s students who begin high school interested in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, change their minds by graduation, according to a report from STEMconnector.
Overall student interest has been gradually climbing for about a decade, with about 1 in 4 of all high schoolers excited about pursuing a STEM major or career. But keeping many of those students attracted to such subjects is proving a challenge. Science and engineering careers are expected to grow more than 20 percent by 2018, twice the rate of the overall U.S. labor force! Continue reading
With so much discussion surrounding the NGSS and what is will look like in NYS, I have been doing a lot of investigating to see what other have to say about these impending changes. I came across a fantastic blog that is definitely worth sharing which focuses on the engineering component of the standards, as well as the creativity piece. The title is, “Creativity: An Engineering Habit of Mind“, by Cynthia Berger. Certainly worth the read!
Dana Corcoran
Science Coordinator
dcorcoran@ocmboces.org
It seems as though NYS has come to a decision (of sorts!) regarding the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We have been waiting for some time for an answer regarding what was happening with this process. New York State NY State is looking at “adapting”, not just adopting the NGSS. They would then be called the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS). It seems that the elementary science standards would not vary too greatly than the Next Generation Science Standards. The Board of Regents has approved a Strategic Plan which explains very thoroughly what is happening. This plan is definitely worth a read! Continue reading
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