Attendees of the 2012 NSTA National Conference on Science Education used the free wi-fi to keep in touch with colleagues at the event and back home.

Saturday morning and the conference is going strong. As I was walking down the hall, I overheard a woman telling a friend how she was overwhelmed — there was just too much that she wanted to do while here. She said, “Next year, I’m coming a day earlier!”

Guess it’s time to start planning for San Antonio!

This week we are featuring a post from guest blogger, Chuck Hempstead, MPA, CAE.  Chuck is the Executive Director of the Science Teachers Association of Texas (an NSTA Chapter). Chuck also serves as President of Hempstead and Associates, a full-service association management company based in Austin, Texas.  He holds the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives.

In the past few years, the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT) has ramped up its efforts to become a presence in the eye of public policymakers.  We’ve advocated for new supplemental science materials, and urged our members to speak out.  Advocacy is becoming one of our most important member benefits, because when people stand together, they can get a lot more done than when they act alone.  Camaraderie is, after all, the basic reason for an association to exist.

Having advocated for non-profit educational associations for more than 30 years, I’ve made it my life’s work to make sure the voices of our educators are heard.  STAT is becoming a force to be reckoned with.  Our membership is in the thousands.  We’ve become the “go-to” people when reporters, like Erika Aguilar of KUT News, need to get the facts on science-related breaking news (President Ross Ann Hill and TESTA Representative Gail Gant were interviewed recently regarding teaching climate change in Texas schools).  We’re the first to know about important STEM-related issues, like STAAR updates and other TEA news.  We get the word out to our members via social media and email, keeping teachers from across the state in touch with what’s happening in Austin.

We know the times are tough for teachers all across the country.  Every year, without fail, we host the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST), where teachers from Texas and beyond gather to collaborate and network.  We had our biggest conference in 2010, when Federal money was still flowing in school districts.  Last year, we still had over 6,000 attendees, even though that district money was long gone.  We know times are tough, but we believe in the power of CAST to sustain our teachers.

Providing professional development opportunities and legislative advocacy are the marks of a great organization with real, year-round benefits.  We’ve offered outstanding teacher awards, conference scholarships, and top-dollar giveaways to our members.  Every year, CAST hosts over 600 sessions so teachers can get the most specific information for their grade level and subject matter.  We are teachers teaching teachers.  We advocate for and protect each other.

I’m proud to call myself the Executive Director of an association with a rich history and an even brighter future.  In all my years of management, the Science Teachers Association of Texas is the association that shows the most promise and can make the biggest impact on the nation at large.

Chuck Hempstead, Executive Director, STAT

Gentle readers, here are two opportunities for us to be part of a larger professional community.

For just 24 hours, beginning 9:00 a.m. on Monday, NSTA membership for $50

The National Science Teachers Association publishes four journal, including Science and Children, the journal for early childhood through grade 6. The December issue has 5 articles written with the early childhood educator in mind (plus the Early Years column). By joining NSTA you get a journal in the mail and access to many archived and additional resources online as well as discounts on books and conferences.

Beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, November 28, for one day only, a regular individual NSTA membership (normally $75) will be offered online for 33% off, or just $50! Whether you’re renewing your membership, re-joining some time after an earlier membership lapsed, or starting out with a brand-new membership, click here for your Cyber Monday countdown clock and then, starting at 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, 11/28/2011, a link will appear that will take you to your savings page. This offer is valid only online and will expire in just 24 hours, at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, so remind yourself on Cyber Monday to join/renew and save!

The NSTA membership broadened my professional development choices and gives me a community to go to with questions about teaching science. Be part of this community by joining NSTA.

Online Professional Development from NCQTL

“Why and How Can We Promote Science in Early Childhood” is the title of the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning’s Front Porch Series Broadcast Call of Monday, November 28^th, 2011 (10:00AM – 10:45AM PST). Topics include:

• Children’s ability to engage in inquiry
• Fostering children’s engagement in science
• Benefits of early science teaching and learning

A brief presentation by Dr. Andrew Shouse and Dr. Ximena Dominguez will be followed by time for questions and answers. Dr. Shouse authored (with Sarah Michaels and Schweingruber) Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms, a 2008 Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Book Award winner. Dr. Dominguez, an Early Childhood Researcher at SRI International, is currently    co-leading the early science NCQTL task force, identifying evidence-based practices that support early science learning.

Space is limited to 500—go to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/242569846 to reserve a spot. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Broadcast Call. Contact for more information: ncqtl@uw.edu or 877-731-0764

Readers, you can post information about upcoming events on the forums you participate in. Maybe they include the NSTA Learning Center, NAEYC Interest Forums, or the Early Childhood Science Interest Forum (naeyc) on Facebook.

Peggy

This year, K–5 teachers from the Baltimore City (Maryland) Public Schools went from thinking they couldn’t teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and their students couldn’t learn it to expressing confidence in their skills and in their students’ abilities. This sea change resulted from an Elementary STEM Teacher Clinic held by STEM Master Teachers for teachers from struggling elementary schools with many high-poverty students and a predominantly African American population. The clinic provided 130 teachers from 22 schools with hands-on professional development during the summer and also with equipment, supplies, and books from the NSTA Picture-Perfect Science Lessons book collection, which contains standards-based science content and ready-to-teach lessons.

This morning in New Orleans, as part of the Urban Science Education Leadership (USEL) session, presenters from Baltimore City Public Schools described the clinic and how it transformed the teachers. One key to its success was “every teacher had a coach…having that coach is the most critical component,” said presenter Katya Denisova. When the teachers returned to school in the fall, they had the coach available in their school to help them operate software and equipment and answer their questions. Most of these teachers “had not been exposed to teaching rigorous STEM,” she pointed out. By the end of the clinic, however, their self-assessments showed they greatly increased their knowledge of and skills in scientific inquiry.

Presenter Linda Evans declared, “How great is it to see the kids actually touching things and doing things [in class]!” She said the curriculum was based on Common Core state standards, “infusing literature and using [Picture-Perfect Science Lessons] as the anchor” to “push in STEM, touch on all those content areas.”

Adren Kornegay of Baltimore’s Garrett Heights Elementary Middle School said the curriculum “hit all four of the types of science,” and engaged students as young as kindergarteners in engineering design challenges. Kindergarteners developed a recycling program; second graders designed habitats for hermit crabs and worms; fifth graders created wind turbines. Terrell Davis of Montebello Elementary Junior Academy said even the fifth graders enjoyed the curriculum’s picture books, which helped them “relate to the [STEM] concepts.”

Then the presenters gave the attendees some supplies and turned them loose to explore a motion-and-force activity related to the book Sheep in a Jeep. Groups of three teachers created ramps and rolled a tiny plastic sheep in a plastic jeep down them, then measured how far the sheep traveled. Just as their students would do, they varied the heights and lengths of the ramps and tried using sandpaper to see how it would affect the jeep’s motion. This “inquiry allows students to think for themselves,” observed presenter Evelyn Tolliver. Her students “connected all the ramps and were rolling cars across the classroom,” she said, smiling.

Denisova mentioned that the attendees and other K–5 teachers around the country could take advantage of the clinic’s curriculum, even though they won’t be in the next cohort. “We want you to be STEM advocates,” said Evans. “A lot of our elementary teachers are not comfortable with the content…They really do need support.”

Professional development strengthens teaching skills and introduces the latest research about learning.

For early childhood teachers professional development can range from first aid to interactive reading to integrating science inquiry with literacy and mathematics learning. We hope we never have to use the first aid training but everything else is a boost to our teaching. This summer I got to participate in a training on science inquiry held at the University of Northern Iowa Regents’ Center. The development of this work by their Center for Early Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CEESTEM) is supported by the National Science Foundation and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Research in early childhood education supports the practice of teachers engaging in science inquiry in preparation for teaching science to their students.

One very important tip (no, not the “one weird tip that really works” as so many web ads claim) that I learned was to make time for children to get deeply into the process of asking questions as they explore phenomena through direct exploration. Researchers found that when there are too many transitions, it interrupts children’s investigations and problem solving.

Documenting observations is one way to integrate literacy and mathematics with science.

This is tough to do if I set aside time “just for science” so I’m going to focus on integrating science inquiry with opportunities for early literacy and mathematics learning. After working with tools to move water with pushes and pulls, children used a tally chart to document which tool they liked the best.

Tell us about the professional development pointers you will be using this year in a comment below.

Peggy

As I was packing up materials and readying the classrooms for summer storage I reflected back over the year and thought about the next. Developing an on-going inquiry (or overlapping inquiries because more than one class uses the space at this school) is foremost in my mind. I want to find some resources to share with the classroom teachers (who are with the classes for the entire day) so we can plan together.

Have you had time to use any of the free resources available from the National Science Teachers Association? I like being a member of NSTA because I get one in-print journal in the mail, and all the archived journals, as well as getting discounts on the books and conference registrations. For those who are not yet members, there is still free access to the NSTA Learning Center (click here) where many of the resources are available at no cost after free registration. The teacher-to-teacher forums are a comfortable place to ask questions and offer answers to questions.

The elementary section includes preK as the youngest end of the preK-to-Grade 2 continuum of early childhood. There you can find new  lessons, discuss classroom management issues in science, learn how others develop inquiry in their classrooms, find out about new resources to help you teach science and improve student achievement. Online advisors are available to help you navigate and become familiar with the Learning Center. You do NOT need to be a NSTA member to use many of the resources of the Learning Center including the discussion forums. The NSTA Learning Center is a good place to start preparing for the fall—look for reading material to be ready to teach particular topics and share strategies which worked well for you this past year.

To support your use of online professional development, let your administrators know about research firm Edvantia’s study on online professional development experiences offered by the NSTA Learning Center showing significant gains in teacher content knowledge and student learning among participants from the Houston Independent School District. Results show that the use of SciPacks—interactive web-based modules developed by NSTA and offered through its online Learning Center—significantly increased teacher content knowledge of Earth science and force and motion over the course of the study and gave teachers greater confidence in their ability to teach science.

I’m joining the book group started by Kathy Renfrew, Elementary Math & Science Assessment Coordinator at the Vermont Department of Education, to discuss Hard to Teach Science Concepts: A framework to support learners, Grades 3-5 by Susan Koba with Carol T. Mitchell (2011, NSTA Press). (Yes, a little out of my normal range of preK-2 but I see it as a chance to learn what experiences my students in preK should have as groundwork.) I’m especially interested in the chapter, “Understanding Changes in Motion” by Rand Harrington with Susan Koba.

Kathy also began an on-going discussion of teaching physical science to kindergarteners. I’m curious—what has your experience been? Post your ideas or respond to any of the others at at the Force and Motion with Kindergarten thread in Elementary Science forum.

Peggy

Imagine—you submit a proposal for a session at the NSTA conference, and you’re ecstatic when it’s accepted. And then you learn that you have an 8:00 AM Sunday morning time slot, in competition with early departures, church services, hotel brunches, and losing an hour to daylight savings time. Will anyone come to my session?

Steve Bane from Phoenix didn’t need to worry! The nice crowd who attended his presentation on science vocabulary learned some new strategies to help students learn and use key terms. (Last minute funding issues prevented his colleague Jodi Sanchez from attending.)

After the 8:00 session, I was talking with Kristen Shelly from the Hollis Public Schools in Oklahoma. Her school sent 5 teachers to the conference, and they had to take photos of themselves with the presenters as documentation. More importantly, they are expected to share what they’ve learned in workshops and meetings. So the impact of the conference is magnified by all of the sharing of experiences and resources that will happen over the next few months.

I’m sitting in the NSTA bookstore right now, and it’s crowded with attendees making last minute purchases. I hope they left room in their suitcases!

My principal recently invited me to serve on the school improvement committee; both my mentor and the high school science department chair have urged me to accept. I’m just in my second year of teaching, so I’m not sure I would have anything to offer.
—Joseph, Columbia, South Carolina

Participating in a school-wide committee could be great opportunity for you to grow as a professional and develop as a teacher-leader. You can learn more about how science education fits into larger issues such as initiatives in other departments, school district policies, or state mandates. You’ll also have opportunities to work with administrators and teachers in different departments. In some schools, committee members and other teacher-leaders have priority for professional development opportunities including seminars and conferences.

What you can offer is a fresh view of situations and issues, as well as the perspective of newer teachers. You may have useful skills in technology, writing, or presenting. You can also be a voice for science teaching and learning.

You most likely would have to commit to after-school meetings, so you should consider other demands on your time (lesson planning, extracurricular activities, graduate classes, and other personal responsibilities) as you make your decision.

Assuming you accept, as the “newbie” on the committee, you would be wise to begin by observing the personal dynamics and listening to the conversations. How do the members interact with each other and with the committee chairperson? Do certain members (or the principal) dominate the conversations while others stay in the background? Are the conversations positive, focusing on identifying problems and solutions, or do the meetings become gripe sessions? How do the members react to different ideas or suggestions? Who are the thoughtful, reflective members? Who seems most resistant to change?

You can also use your status as new kid on the block to ask questions during the meetings: Why do we…? What would happen if…? Have we ever tried…? What is the purpose of …? If you get responses such as “We’ve always done things this way” or “We tried that years ago, and it didn’t work,” ask for clarification if necessary. I’ve been in meetings where these questions have lead to interesting discussions. Sometimes the discussions lead to changes in school practices; other times, the discussions centered on valid reasons for keeping a practice. Asking the right questions can be just as much of a contribution as having the answers.

It’s also important for science to be represented during discussions on curriculum development, scheduling, assessments, grading, professional development, budgeting, and strategic planning. You can provide background information on the importance of inquiry, safety concerns, laboratory space and storage requirements, technology issues, or problems faced by “floating” science teachers and their students.

Some veteran teachers may question your presence based on your experience level. I suspect, though, that others may be delighted that a newer member of the faculty is willing to become involved. Your principal, mentor, and department chair apparently see your potential for leadership.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsbrennan/4222955364/

“Different Routes to Science Teaching Lead to Common Ground,” the cover story of the November 2010 issue of NSTA Reports, looks at alternative certification and how “alt-certs” and their traditionally certified counterparts can work together successfully.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Please use the Comments form to share them.

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

Thank you all for your great comments on my first blog post!

This is a first for me and I wasn’t sure what the responses would be. There are some great examples of what is going on right now in classrooms. I am going to respond to some of the major points included in your thoughts rather than comment on each one.

To begin, you are right—the PCAST report (PDF) is long. I would highly suggest you read the entire document if you are really interested in policy debates and the process around developing science education policy. But please, certainly read the executive summary and the major recommendations, it is truly interesting reading if you have the time.

The need for more “inspiration” in science education seems to be a foundational issue in many of the comments. Last week during the NSTA regional Conference in Kansas City I heard Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Director of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. What a terrific motivational speaker! Dr. Goldstein maintains that we need to instill students with a love for science and make sure they have a conceptual understanding of science at an emotional level. I could not agree more. Inspired students want to learn more. Inspired students want to pursue science (and science education) as a career. Each and every student should have an “a-ha” moment and feel the joy of science. Aren’t these “aha” moments why a lot of us went into teaching?

The Oct. 9–15, 2010, issue of the New Scientist includes a series on “Fifty Ideas That Will Change Science Forever.” This issue is focused on the coming revolution in biology, life and Earth. One of the ideas that are truly revolutionary is artificial photosynthesis. Says New Scientist “Some of the pieces of the jigsaw are already in place. Tiny light-collecting particles can be embedded on a membrane to absorb energy and split carbon dioxide and water molecules. The products are not sugars but carbon-neutral transportation fuels.” Just imagine putting these on cars or planes. How revolutionary is that? This too gives me a sense of wonder about science.

Another issue that came up in your comments was whether the recommendations in PCAST report would actually go anywhere. This remains to be seen. Will there be professional support and training to learn new and enhanced techniques? Will there be the resources to adequately teach science? I agree with your concerns, as do others. Last week Education Week reporter Erik Robelen filed an article that explores how President Obama has brought huge visibility to STEM education over the past year, but he asks whether the Administration is “matching the rhetoric with sufficient commitments in federal policy and spending.” The jury is still out on this too, but I can tell you we are working hard with a lot of key folks in Washington on these issues.

Another reader brought up the equity issue in science education. One was saying the United States needed to be focused on the top students in the sciences, while another commented on how we must include all students. I believe we can’t afford to focus on one group over the other, and we must do both.

I want to close with some thoughts on teacher education and teacher learning. One commenter said that we have to take teacher education seriously. You are absolutely right. There are very good teacher education models, yet many are expensive. Are we as a society ready for that investment? Recently the Association of Public Land Grant Universities (APLU)—the big state universities—launched an Analytical Framework for STEM Teacher Education that describes an effective teacher preparation program for science and mathematics teachers, and provides some very specific examples of effective criteria and processes that should be used in teacher preparation programs.

Teacher learning is also a concern. The National Staff Development Council just released a report about professional development trends in education and found that teachers are reporting experiencing much less in-depth professional development and are spending less time for professional development than four years ago. If we believe that the future of this nation is dependent on the education of our youth, then we have to do a much better job in getting much needed, quality professional development to teachers.

Your thoughts and ideas are welcome.

—Francis