Railway Engineer
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Career of the Month” column, written by Luba Vangelova. She wrote an article entitled, “Railway Engineer.” Railway engineers design and maintain rail systems used by trains of various types, ranging from long-distance cargo trains to metropolitan light-rail and subway trains. Cassie Gouger is senior director of design within Union Pacific Railroad’s engineering department, in Omaha,...
info_outline
Chemical Puns
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Idea Bank” column, written by Nick Thomas. He wrote an article entitled, “Chemicals Gone Funny.” Using humor in the classroom at any level can be a gamble for teachers and most have probably experienced students collectively rolling their eyes at a corny joke. Puns, of course, frequently elicit that response along with the almost requisite group groan. Yet this ancient and simple...
info_outline
Inclusive Science Classrooms
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Corner” column, written by Ann Haley MacKenzie. She wrote an article entitled, “Inclusive Strategies for the Science Classroom.” The time is now for more attention to be paid to providing an inclusive environment for all learners. Our STEM pipeline depends on it. Our future as a progressive scientific country depends on it. Our scientific literacy depends on...
info_outline
Do Students Work Like Scientists?
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Science 101” column, written by Matt Bobrowsky. He wrote an article entitled, “What Makes a Great Science Investigation?” Real-world science doesn’t involve a series of steps, and there’s not always a single correct answer. Real science is exploration and discovery and lots of fun! Scientific investigations are open-ended and can keep being extended or expanded, so too is learning an...
info_outline
Augmented Reality and the WWF Free Rivers App
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Tech Talk” column, written by Heather Pacheco-Guffrey. She wrote an article entitled, “Using Augmented Reality to Augment Inquiry (and Fun!) in Your Lessons.” Technology has the potential to extend students’ reach into the world around them, increase their access to concepts and resources, and help to make learning fun and memorable. Augmented reality (AR) is just such a...
info_outline
Finding Inspiration as the School Year Winds Down
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” column, written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn. She wrote an article entitled, “Finding Inspiration as the Year Winds Down.” This is the time of the year when teachers need a boost of energy or inspiration to help finish the school year. One way of finding that boost of energy is to create space for large-scale investigations and in-depth activities where the students are in the...
info_outline
Mark My Bird!
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” column, written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled, “Mark My Bird!” Mark My Bird is a global online citizen science project associated with the University of Sheffield that invites participants to study the how and why of bird biodiversity and change over time by studying bird bills. For more information, please visit:
info_outline
Equity in the Science Classroom
K12Science
I was recently reading the May/June 2022 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “From the Editor’s Desk” column, written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “Equity in the Science Classroom.” Despite advances in science education, there remains an opportunity gap; historically underperforming populations often opt out of advanced courses and are not equitably represented in the STEM fields. As teachers, we are tasked with closing this gap through practices...
info_outline
Cool Water
K12Science
I was recently reading the March/April 2022 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the Science 101 column, written by Matt Bobrowsky. He wrote an article entitled, “What’s Cool About Water?” Water is a good example to use when discussing how matter can be in different states — solid, liquid, or gas. Students are quite familiar with solid water and liquid water but gaseous water is a bit more abstract. Bubbles in boiling water are made of water vapor (gaseous...
info_outline
The Ocean
K12Science
I was recently reading the March/April 2022 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the Formative Assessment column, written by Page Keeley. She wrote an article entitled, “Uncovering Student Ideas About Earth’s Defining Feature: The Ocean.” Earth’s ocean is the defining feature of our planet. Principle #1 of the “Ocean Literacy Framework” states the Earth has one big ocean with many features. But research shows that both children and adults believe a...
info_outlineI was recently reading the December 9, 2021 NSTA Blog, hosted by the National Science Teaching Association. This blog was entitled, “A Call to Action for Science Education,” written by Dr. Heidi Schweingruber, Director for Board on Science Education at National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Recognizing the urgency of elevating the importance of science education, the Carnegie Corporation of New York commissioned the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to develop a report, “A Call to Action for Science Education.” NASEM convened a committee of 10 experts to develop the report and solicited input from hundreds of educators across the country. The committee’s vision for K-16 science education, grounded in decades of research on effective teaching and learning, is that every student is able to experience the joy and wonder of science, learn how science can be used to solve local and global problems, see the pathways they can take into science-related careers, and feel welcomed and valued in science classrooms.