Several years ago, I did a series of workshops entitled “What’s in Your Assessment Toolkit?” so I appreciated both the cover and the theme of this month’s issue of Science Scope. Whatever vocabulary we use (assessment, test, exam, etc) the purpose, according to the editor, is the same: to determine what students know before a [...]
As part of the district’s induction program, I coordinate a monthly seminar for new science teachers. The seminar features veteran teachers who share their experiences with a given topic or strategy, followed by a discussion. The topic of assessment is coming up. Do you have any insights or resources to share? —Todd, Wichita, Kansas “Are [...]
Perhaps you’ve used the “Favorite Websites” feature of SciLinks, in which you can create lists of websites to share with students. The new Quiz Manager takes this a step further. You can create questions for a particular website in the SciLinks database and assign students to complete them. You would need to have a class [...]
I’ve been hearing a lot about science notebooks lately, so I went to the Education Development Center’s Pathway Session on Establishing Science Notebook Habits and Skills. It was interesting to hear each presenter’s unique take on the science notebook and see all of the student examples they displayed.
In the March issue of NSTA Reports, Dr. Robert Yager shares his perspective on the six domains for teaching and assessing science learning in the Educated Opinions column. “A View of the Importance of Six Domains for Teaching and Assessing Science Learning” By Robert Yager Four years ago, the National Science Education Standards (NSES) resulted [...]
Get some insight on students’ “Private Universe” in Philadelphia. You’ll find sessions addressing misconceptions at all grade levels, in a range of science fields.
I’m hoping that secondary teachers will take a look at the articles that describe authentic investigations conducted by young scientists in their communities: Creative Soil Conservation and Boulder Creek Study. The latter has examples of student work as they studied the water quality in their communities, using various indicators, including the presence of aquatic invertebrates. [...]
I’m looking for suggestions for formative assessments. Do you have some unique ideas to assess students quickly and adjust instruction accordingly? —Karen, Arizona Formative assessments are ongoing, classroom level assessments critical to discovering what students are learning during the instructional process so we can move on (if students have learned a topic) or revisit our [...]
Did I tell you how happy I was to see the returning three-year old students use magnifiers appropriately? Because this half-day preschool for 2-5-year-olds had moved to a new space over the summer, the “usual place” for everything had to be determined. It is one thing to design a preschool in a set of rooms [...]
