Building Science Engineer

Voices for Change

I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editorial” section written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “Raising a Voice for Change.”

Our students can act as change agents. Involving students in community outreach in which they educate, encourage, and assist families in organizing carpools, planning for weekly meatless meals, and limiting food waste are all actionable things that help the planet.

Climate Justice

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” section written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn. She wrote an article entitled, “Climate Justice.”

Education is a critical agent in addressing the issue of climate change. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change assigns responsibility to Parties of the Convention to undertake educational and public awareness campaigns on climate-change, and to ensure public participation in programs and information access on the issue.

Performance-Based Assessment

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Interdisciplinary Ideas” section written by Katie Coppens. She wrote an article entitled, “Designing Performance-Based Assessments That Engage!”

Rather than stressful, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning for students. Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and flexible in how students approach them. In addition to seeing students’ scientific knowledge, teachers get a better sense of their students’ interests and strengths that they bring to each open-ended assignment. The author then shared an example of a performance-based assignment based on the Flint Water Crisis.

3D Assessment

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 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, “3D Assessment.”

In the article she shared ideas about writing assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. The National Research Council recommends that teachers utilize a combination of constructed response, selected response, and projects to assess three-dimensional learning. She recommended two resources that provide tips for writing assessments. They are:

“STEM Teaching Tool #30: Integrating Science Practices in Assessment Tasks”

and

“The NGSS Evidence Statements”

Making Thinking Visible

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley MacKenzie. She wrote an article entitled, “How Can We Make Our Students’ Thinking Visible?”

In the article she shared three strategies for making thinking visible. The strategies were taken from the books, “Making Thinking Visible” and “The Power of Making Thinking Visible.”

The strategies are:

“See-Think-Wonder”

“Connect-Extend-Challenge”

“CSI: Color, Symbol, Image”