Author Archives: Carole Hayward

Rodger Bybee Makes The Case for STEM Education

What do we mean when we say “STEM education”? For years now, we’ve recited that STEM means “science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” We’re often somewhat less precise when it comes to defining what STEM education is. Rodger Bybee’s latest book, The Case for Education: Challenges and Opportunities, takes a critical look at the many diverse [...]

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Open-Ended Everyday Science Mysteries

This is exciting news! I’ve been a fan of the Everyday Science Mysteries for a long time, but it took time to cull through each volume to get the discipline-specific activities I wanted. In response to teacher demand, NSTA recently published the books for separate content areas: Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space [...]

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Including Students With Disabilities in Advanced Science Classes

The 2013 National Science Foundation (NSF) report Women, Minorities, and Persons With Disabilities in Science and Engineering indicates that “U.S. citizens and permanent residents earned higher numbers of science and engineering (S&E) doctorates in 2009 than they did in 1999. Since 2008, they’ve earned more doctorates in S&E fields than in non-S&E fields.” In 2010, the [...]

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Uncovering Student Ideas in Astronomy

I’m already a fan of the Uncovering Student Ideas series, but authors Page Keeley and Cary Sneider piqued my interest with the 45 new formative assessment probes in this latest volume, Uncovering Student Ideas in Astronomy. Trying to get a sense of how and what students think about a particular science concept is tricky. As [...]

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What Are the Best Practices in Professional Development?

Budget dollars for teacher professional development can be scarce, particularly in these economic times. Evaluating the quality of the professional development options available is more critical than ever. The Exemplary Science Monograph Series has updated Best Practices in Professional Development with a revised second edition. The 14 professional development programs are presented in a series [...]

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A Little Perspective Goes a Long Way

Elementary teachers can experience a sense of isolation when their schedules don’t allow a lot of interaction with their colleagues. I remember those days well. That’s why I was excited to see the new book, Perspectives: Research & Tips to Support Science Education, K–6. A compendium of the popular column from Science & Children, Perspectives offers teachers research and [...]

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Becoming a Responsive Science Teacher

I always enjoy reading books that challenge my way of thinking. Working in education, I read many books for my professional development. Many taught me new techniques or strategies, but rare were the ones that challenged me to think in new ways. Becoming a Responsive Science Teacher: Focusing on Student Thinking in Secondary Science has at its [...]

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Who Doesn’t Like a Good Argument?

Research indicates that many students do not develop proficiency in scientific practices, such as argumentation. The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the forthcoming Next Generation Science Standards emphasize eight practices that are key elements of K–12 science and engineering instruction, and one practice is “engaging in argument from evidence.” In Scientific Argumentation in Biology: 30 Classroom Activities, authors Victor [...]

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Reading With NSTA Kids: New Series of Children’s Picture Books

When my children were very young, we really enjoyed our weekly trek to the public library for story time and checking out books. We would stagger out balancing stacks of what we called “fact books”. You name the subject, we checked out trade books on it: electricity, dinosaurs, elevators, animals of the Amazon. I was [...]

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Nonfiction Selections to Lead Your Students to Inquiry and Literacy

As elementary teachers continue to struggle to find time to teach science to their students in an already crowded schedule, particularly as the emphasis on literacy has actually reduced the amount of time designated for science study, authors Jessica Fries-Gaither and Terry Shiverdecker have combined forces and experiences to write Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers: Using Nonfiction [...]

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