Archives
ChemVLab+: Helping students think like chemists
Did you attend high school when chemistry instruction focused on isolated facts and procedures without any real-world context? This traditional form of instruction left students without the tools to think conceptually like a chemist. However, in…
Bridging the gap between social-emotional learning and equity through culturally responsive science classrooms
Unprecedented, unique, challenging; these are just a few of the words that science educators across California used to describe the 2020/21 school year. Many science educators across the state had to contend with new distance learning practices and,…
Enhancing STEM Education & NGSS Implementation
Over the past 30 years, there has been a decline in the number of U.S. college graduates seeking careers in science and engineering. Teaching Opportunities for Partners in Science (TOPS) of Santa Clara Valley is a volunteer program affiliated with…
Find Your Community
Do you have a community?
I mean a science education community. A group of people who are positive about teaching kids, who share ideas and inspiration, people who give energy to your teaching?
In CASE you Missed it (June/July 2021)
Summer is officially here! We know the last part of the academic year can be busy, so we’ve made a list of everything you might have missed in the last few months.
Yearlong Fifth-Grade Science Curriculum for All Students, Including English Learners
In this excerpt, our fifth-grade English learners (ELs) are developing a model to explain how the hydrosphere interacts with the geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere in order to answer the driving question of the unit, “Why does it matter if I drink…
"I’m Asian and I’m not supposed to rock the boat”: How California Asian American science educators are working to change the narrative.
“They’re Asian, they’re not going to say anything.”
This is a sentiment rooted in Asian American culture that often leads to overlooking the challenges that both Asian American science students and educators face in the context of their identities.…
California Skies, June/July 2021
In July 2021, evening twilight gatherings of brilliant Venus, faint Mars, and the star Regulus include close pairings, on July 11-14, 21, and 29; a crescent Moon passing through on July 11 and 12; and a gathering of three bodies in a field just 5°…
Transitions
Four years ago, I was approached about running for President of CSTA. I can honestly say that my first reaction was to laugh because there was no way I would be elected. Come on. Who was I to think that the science teachers in California would want…
5 Common Questions Teachers are Asking About NGSS-Designed Science Materials
The Next Generation Science Standards challenges how science was taught for decades. K-12 NGSS Teacher Morgan Martin answers common questions teachers are asking about making the shift to the NGSS Framework.