reconstructing stem in our schoolsmultimedia experiences teachers visit an exhibit at the museum of...
TRANSCRIPT
Reconstructing STEM in Our Schools
Bimonthly magazine of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
November • December 2014
Blue Telescope Studios uses technology, storytelling, and design to create engaging interactive exhibits and experiences. From multi-touch and mobile apps to games, quizzes, and social interactives, our innovative solutions use the latest technology to educate, communicate, and connect with your visitors.
212-675-7702studios.blue-telescope.com
INTERACTIVE EXHIBITSIMMERSIVE MULTIMEDIA GAMES & SIMULATIONSANIMATION & VIDEOMOBILE APPLICATIONSEMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
that open up new worlds
Digital/Physical Interactive, Caguas Science Center
Multimedia Experiences
Dimensions November • December 2014 3
November • December 2014 contents20The Next Generation Science Standards and Informal Science EducationBy David E. Evans
23Embracing the NGSS in Science CentersBy Sharon A. Kortman
27How Can Museums Help Teachers with the NGSS?By Jim Short
32Addressing the Convergence of the NGSS and the Common CoreBy Vanessa Lujan and Craig Strang
37Reaching New Heights with Whole-School Teacher Training By Daniele Paulding Daveline and
Janina R. Johnkoski
40Building Successful Professional Development Collaborations that Support Standards By Sandra Ryack-Bell
44Science Centers Support Formal Educators in Times of Change
Cover: As part of a challenge at the SHIFT Lab professional learning program at TELUS Spark in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, an educator works on building a structure to enable a team member to climb up and reach the ceiling. Photo courtesy TELUS Spark
5 FROM THE CEO“if a tree falls in the woods . . .”
6 SPOTLIGHTScuriosity runs wild at
new Utah museum
10 NOTES FROM ASTCnews from ASTC 2014 and the
2014 AISL PI Meeting
16 PEOPLEstaff changes and in memoriam
17 WHAT WE LEARNEDthe Arctic: bringing it home
57 GRANTS AND AWARDS
58 Q&A
taking science beyond lab coats
with Rabiah Mayas
features
departments
Blue Telescope Studios uses technology, storytelling, and design to create engaging interactive exhibits and experiences. From multi-touch and mobile apps to games, quizzes, and social interactives, our innovative solutions use the latest technology to educate, communicate, and connect with your visitors.
212-675-7702studios.blue-telescope.com
INTERACTIVE EXHIBITSIMMERSIVE MULTIMEDIA GAMES & SIMULATIONSANIMATION & VIDEOMOBILE APPLICATIONSEMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
that open up new worlds
Digital/Physical Interactive, Caguas Science Center
Multimedia ExperiencesTeachers visit an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, to learn how to use museum resources to enhance their teaching. Photo by J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry
48 Teaching STEM with Real-World Relevance in SingaporeBy TM Lim
51South African Education 20 Years into DemocracyBy David Kramer
53Bringing Science Centers to the Forefront in U.S. Education LawBy Kevin Frank
CHEAPBOOKS GREATEST HITS!
Featuring 30 “classics” from Volumes 1, 2, and 3
plus 10 all new cheap exhibit hits! EDITED BY: Paul Orselli
Volume 16, Number 6
EDITORIAL
Anthony (Bud) RockPRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Emily SchusterEDITOR
Margaret Glass, Wendy Hancock, Larry H. Hoffer, Mary Mathias, Rowena Rae, Christine Ruffo, Sandra Ryack-Bell, Kalie Sacco
CONSULTING EDITORS
Christine RuffoPHOTO EDITOR
Christopher LotisCOPY EDITOR
Red Velvet CreativeART DIRECTION AND DESIGN
BUSINESS AND ADVERTISING
David CoutoumanosSALES COORDINATOR
To advertise in Dimensions, contact David Coutoumanos, (202) 783-7200 x121, [email protected].
Alejandro AsinPUBLICATIONS ASSISTANT
EDITORIAL ADVISORS
CONTRIBUTORSLindsay Bartholomew, Jamie Bell, Jacob Clark-Blickenstaff, Jeff Estes, David E. Evans, Kevin Frank, Larry H. Hoffer, Douglas J. Hrabe, Jessica Jain, Janina R. Johnkoski, Sharon A. Kortman, Nicole Kowrach, David Kramer, TM Lim, Luz
Lindegaard, Vanessa Lujan, Mary Mathias, Stephanie Nemcsok, Daniele Paulding Daveline, Anthony (Bud) Rock, Sandra Ryack-Bell, Kalie Sacco, Dennis Schatz, Joelle Seligson, Jim Short, Craig Strang, Grace Troxel, Julie Yu
Dimensions (ISSN 1528-820X) is published six times a year by the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, 818 Connecticut Avenue NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20006, U.S.A. Copyright © 2014 the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Dimensions is intended to keep member institutions apprised of trends, practices, innovations, perspectives, and news of significance to the science center and museum field. Any paid staff member of an ASTC-member institution can request a free print or electronic subscription at members.astc.org. For nonmembers, print subscriptions are USD 60/USD 70 outside the U.S. (electronic: USD 35). For students, print subscriptions are USD 35/USD 45 outside the U.S. (electronic: USD 29). Students also receive a free subscription to the biweekly INFORMER enewsletter. Students must provide a copy of a valid student ID. Subscribe at www.astc.org/pubs/dimensions.htm or send name, address, and payment in U.S. dollars to ASTC at the above address, Attn: Dimensions Subscriptions. For help, call (202) 783-7200 or email [email protected]. Dimensions is included in EBSCO Publishing’s products. ALTERNATE FORMATS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.
Dimensions is printed on 30% post-consumer paper with environmentally friendly inks. By printing this issue on recycled paper, ASTC has saved the following resources:1,230 gallons 136 pounds 268 pounds 2,050,965 BTUswastewater solid waste net greenhouse energyflow saved not generated gases prevented not consumed
Follow us on Twitter: @ScienceCenters (twitter.com/ScienceCenters), like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ScienceCenters), and visit www.astc.org.
To submit ideas for features or departments, contact Emily Schuster, editor, (202) 783-7200 x130, [email protected]. To see the current editorial calendar, visit www.astc.org/pubs/dimensions/
DimensionsEditorialCalendar.pdf. Email letters to the editor to [email protected] (subject line: Inbox) or mail them to ASTC at the above address, Attn: Dimensions Inbox. Include your name,
title, and institution. We reserve the right to edit letters for publication.
SPECIAL!! The ASTC Exhibit Cheapbooks BundlesEdited by Paul Orselli ASTC (1995, 1999, 2004, 2014)
These collections of inexpensive exhibit ideas, now available in PDF format, have been extremely popular and are more afford-able than ever. Perfect for small museums and exhibit developers on a budget, each volume provides construction tips and exhibit schematics for 30 time-tested interactive exhibits.
You may also purchase The Cheapbook, Cheapbook 2, Cheapbook 3, and the new Cheapbooks Greatest Hits individually as elec-tronic editions by visiting our website below.
Order your PDF copies of the Cheapbooks to save big time on exhibits!
#169E Cheapbooks 1–3 Bundle (PDF only)ASTC members/students: $20Nonmembers: $28
#178 Cheapbooks Greatest Hits Super Bundle (includes all four Cheapbooks as PDF copies)ASTC members/students: $38Nonmembers: $45
Visit www.astc.org/pubs for availability and to order.
Ganigar ChenNational Science Museum,
Pathumthani, Thailand
Jonah Cohen The Children’s Museum, West Hartford,
Connecticut, U.S.A.
Ayman Elsayed Planetarium Science Center, Bibliotheca
Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt
R.L. (Chip) Lindsey ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum,
Ashland, Oregon, U.S.A.
Rachel MeyerCuriOdyssey, San Mateo, California,
U.S.A.
Paul OrselliPaul Orselli Workshop (POW!), Baldwin,
New York, U.S.A.
Erika C. Shugart American Society for Microbiology,
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Julia TagüeñaCentro de Investigación en Energía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
México, Morelos, Mexico
Harry WhiteAt-Bristol, Bristol, England, U.K.
Dimensions November • December 2014 5
Imagine a riddle beginning with the phrase, “If a scientist is hard at work and nobody hears about it . . .” The thought came to me following a recent dinner with friends where someone posed the question on the minds of many these days: Are we prepared for a disease like Ebola, and will science soon provide a vaccine or a cure? No one debated that the solution resides in the application of good science. At issue instead was concern about the capacities of scientists to secure the desperately needed answers in time to redress the disastrous trend—and no one could speculate with confidence.
The conversation caused me to contemplate the roles of our science centers and museums in tackling complex and timely issues. We are not science news institutions, per se, though we often build on topical issues to demonstrate the broader relevance of science in our lives. Our task is to educate our communities about critical topics through the lens of science and, at the same time, build confidence that scientists are hard at work in pursuit of answers. Oh, and the message needs to be positive, inspirational, and, better yet, fun!
An alternative approach to tackling public con-cerns directly is to embed them in broader, positive presentations concerning the pathways to scientif-ic discovery and solutions. A good example of this approach is in the scientific message that under-lies the very inspiring 100 Resilient Cities Project (100RC, www.100resilientcities.org). Sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, the project is dedicated to helping cities worldwide become more resil-ient. 100RC defines resilience as “the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.” The first selected
From the CEO Z
“If a Tree Falls in the Woods. . .”
Anthony (Bud) Rock ([email protected]) is ASTC’s president and CEO. Visit www.astc.org/blog/category/ceo to read more From the CEO editorials.
cities are already developing strategies that rely upon the work of scientists to address challenges including public health issues, natural disasters, and food security.
100RC defines the first pillar of resilience as “constant learning” on the part of decision mak-ers and the general public alike. Implicit in this project’s message is the need for the public to gain trust and confidence in the work that scientists are doing to help our communities continuously adapt to change. This is the same positive message that science centers and museums strive to convey. So, if a scientist is hard at work and no one hears about it . . . well, then we have more work to do.
Photo by Christopher Anderson
6 November • December 2014 Dimensions
ADVERTISER INDEX
ASTC Publications .............................................4Blue Telescope ...................................................2 Dimensions .....................................................60Imagine Exhibitions ........................................ 59Michigan Science Center .................................11Nobox Creative ................................................ 15Thank You to Our Partners ................................6VCU .................................................................. 56
ASTC’s Board and staff wish to thank our Partners for their
leadership and generosity. We are truly grateful for their
visionary support.
Dimensions November • December 2014 7
spotlights
Left: Two visitors explore air currents at the Museum of Natural Curiosity. Above: The zip line is one of six simple machines at the museum’s Archimedes Playground. Photos by Alyssa Vincent
A CURIOUS DEVELOPMENTA 45-foot-tall (14-meter-tall) monkey head stands amid a three-story rain-forest in the new Museum of Natural Curiosity in Lehi, Utah. Children can crawl through and slide out of this massive interactive, one of more than 400 exhibits peppering the museum’s 45,000 square feet (4,181 square meters) of indoor space.
The rainforest—which also contains a series of rope bridges for a canopy walk—is one of the museum’s five key sections. In Waterworks, young visitors can learn about physics and geology, and in Kidopolis, they can explore a miniature city filled with art and music. Outside, another 5 acres (2 hectares) of running room holds the Children’s Discovery Garden, featuring
an Archimedes Playground with fun engineering lessons, and a Noah’s Ark installation with fountains to splash in on hot days. The fifth section provides space for traveling exhibitions.
The Museum of Natural Curiosity is the newest addition to Thanksgiving Point, a nonprofit complex filled with cultural activities and destinations. The $28.5 million museum opened on May 15 after 18 months of construction. According to CEO Mike Washburn, “Audiences feel like it’s a wonderful combination of science, discovery, fun, and education. They’re having a great time, but they’re learning. It’s making them question and wonder how things work.” —Joelle Seligson
Details: Mike Washburn, CEO, [email protected], www.thanksgivingpoint.org/visit/museumofnaturalcuriosity
8 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Z spotlights
Details: Tim Porter, My Sky project director, [email protected], www.myskyexhibit.org
LOOKING UPA backyard, a child’s bedroom, and a skateboard park become portals to the stars in the traveling exhibition My Sky. Funded by NASA and created by Boston’s Children Museum in partnership with Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this nearly $600,000 exhibition is sharing its astronomical lessons across the United States. Its first stop is Boston, where the 1,500-square-foot (139-square-meter) in-stallation opened on July 26 and will remain until January 4, 2015.
As Tim Porter, project director, emphasizes, “Every experience in My Sky is about observing the sun, the moon, or the stars together as a family.” In
the Skate Park, visitors can become human sundi-als or learn about solar flares, eclipses, and other phenomena while viewing images of the sun taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory satellites. In the Child’s Room, families can create their own constellations or change the moon’s phases out-side their window by manipulating a mechanical model of the earth and moon. And in the Backyard, visitors can rotate and touch a giant model of the moon’s intricate topography, while tales of real-life scientists, researchers, artists, and others inspired by the sky are told around a nearby campfire.
After they take in the full My Sky experience, Porter says he hopes that visitors “leave inspired to look up at the sky with their child.” —J.S.
A boy explores Solar Dynamic Observatory movies of the sun in the My Sky exhibition. Photo by Clive Grainger
Dimensions November • December 2014 9
spotlights Z
NEW WAYS TO REACH VISITORSThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s first national monument, Hanford Reach, has a wealth of stories to tell. Open since July 4, the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center—known simply as the Reach—is dedicated to telling the tales of this scenic corner of Richland, Washington.
The $12 million institution, which combines aspects of a museum, performing arts space, and in-terpretive center, starts at the beginning, when lava flows and Ice Age floods began to form the natural landmark. Installations go on to explain how Native Americans and, later, white settlers populated the land. Visitors can also learn about the Grand Coulee Dam, Columbia Basin Project, and other key devel-opments that brought irrigation and agriculture to
the region—as well as the Manhattan Project, which produced the first atomic bombs and partly took place in Hanford, Washington.
Designers of the Reach strove to evoke the surrounding landscape within its more than 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) of exhibit space. Visitors can follow a trail painted on the floor that shows how ancient waters carved out the Columbia Basin. Beige and tan stripes line the walls, a tie-in to the hues of the nearby White Bluffs. Fish native to the area flit through a spa-cious tank. Outside, 18 acres (7 hectares) of land provide ample space for a community garden, ani-mal trail, and other areas that illuminate the nature and history of Hanford Reach. —J.S.
Details: Stephanie Button, curator of programs and education, [email protected], www.visitthereach.org
Hanford Reach National Monument. Photo courtesy the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
10 November • December 2014 Dimensions
A PLETHORA OF THANKS . . .ASTC’s Annual Conference doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it comes to fruition as the result of more than a year of tireless work and planning expended by so many. The Association’s Board of Directors and staff heartily thank and congratulate the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh for an outstanding job as host of ASTC’s 2014 Annual Conference in October. The museum’s staff, board, volunteers, sponsors, and partners were truly generous with their time, their effort, their pas-sion, and their leadership in order to ensure an exceptional conference experience for attendees from around the world. We also applaud ASTC’s Conference Program Planning Committee (CPPC), session leaders, and presenters for their willingness to share their expertise, inspirations, and ideas with conference participants.
We express our appreciation to CPPC chair Guy Labine, Science North, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, and we are pleased to announce that Karen Hager, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, has assumed the position of CPPC co-chair. We also salute out-going committee members Len Duda, Albuquerque, New Mexico (who chaired the Albuquerque Host Committee for ASTC’s 2013 Annual Conference); Liesel Chatman, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul; and Joe Hastings, Explora, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Finally, we would like to express our immense gratitude and appreciation to the following conference sponsors (as of September 19, 2014) for their support of ASTC and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and their commitment to sci-ence centers, museums, and informal science education around the globe:
notes from astc
Look for a full report on ASTC’s 2014 Annual Conference in the January/February 2015 issue of Dimensions. Also, watch for more information about ASTC’s 2015 Annual Conference in future issues. The conference will be hosted by the Montreal Science Centre, Quebec, October 17–20, 2015.
Corporate PartnersAramcoBurroughs Wellcome TrustJMP Software from SASRocky Top Catering
Gold SponsorsAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryBlackbaudDinosaurs UnearthedGlobal Experience Specialists (GES)Imagine Exhibitions Inc.Nobox CreativeNorth Carolina State UniversityPremier ExhibitionsRedBox Workshop, Ltd.RotoRTI InternationalThe Umstead Hotel and SpaUnified FieldvCalc LLC
Silver SponsorsEvans & SutherlandGiant Screen Cinema Association
(GSCA)Hands On! Inc.KRE8 360National Geographic StudiosSky-SkanSuperior Exhibits & Design, Inc.Tessitura Network
Jade SponsorsConnecticut Science CenterEnnead ArchitectsEvent NetworkFriends of the North Carolina Museum
of Natural SciencesIMAXTime Warner CableUSDA Forest Service
Bronze SponsorsAlcoa Power Generating Inc., Yadkin
DivisionArizona Science CenterCapitol Broadcasting Company, Inc.ElectrosonicFentress ArchitectsThe Franklin InstituteMarbles Kids MuseumNorth Carolina Grassroots Science
Museums CollaborativePotashCorpTeaching Institute for Excellence in
STEM (TIES)
Supporting SponsorsBatwin + Robin ProductionsDesign & Production IncorporatedLifelong Learning GroupMagnolia Consulting Pepsi Bottling VenturesRandi Korn & Associates, Inc.
NARRATED BY MIKE SHEPHERD
ADDITIONAL SCENESPRODUCED BY DOME 3D MATTHEW MASCHERI, JASON HEATON, MICHAEL NARLOCK TOM RICEVOICE OVER SESSION
THE AUDIO CAFE RECORDING STUDIO, INC.‘SOUND DESIGN
AND MIX PLUTO POST PRODUCTIONS, INC
WRITTEN, DIRECTEDAND EDITED BY JAY SWANSON PRODUCED
BY JAY SWANSON, JENNY PONPRESENTS MICHIGAN SCIENCE CENTER SUNSTRUCK
For trailer, more information or to order the show:mi-sci.org/sunstruck | 313.577.8400, ext. 474 | [email protected]
PLANETARIUM EXPERIENCE FULL-DOME NEW
NARRATED BY MIKE SHEPHERD
ADDITIONAL SCENESPRODUCED BY DOME 3D MATTHEW MASCHERI, JASON HEATON, MICHAEL NARLOCK TOM RICEVOICE OVER SESSION
THE AUDIO CAFE RECORDING STUDIO, INC.‘SOUND DESIGN
AND MIX PLUTO POST PRODUCTIONS, INC
WRITTEN, DIRECTEDAND EDITED BY JAY SWANSON PRODUCED
BY JAY SWANSON, JENNY PONPRESENTS MICHIGAN SCIENCE CENTER SUNSTRUCK
For trailer, more information or to order the show:mi-sci.org/sunstruck | 313.577.8400, ext. 474 | [email protected]
PLANETARIUM EXPERIENCE FULL-DOME NEW
12 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Z notes from astc
WELCOME TO ASTC
The following new members were approved by the ASTC Board in February. Contact information is available in the About ASTC section of ASTC’s website, www.astc.org.
SCIENCE CENTER AND MUSEUM
MEMBERS
• Bay Area Discovery Museum,
Sausalito, California. Framed by the
Golden Gate Bridge, this museum is
designed to ignite creative thinking
in children. It features art studios,
exhibits that re-create local sites and
habitats, and 7.5 acres (3 hectares)
of outdoor exhibitions. The Center
for Childhood Creativity extends
the museum’s mission by bringing
the latest research to parents and
educators to help them raise a new
generation of creative thinkers.
• Bradbury Science Museum, Los
Alamos, New Mexico. Ranked fifth
in American Mensa’s list of top
10 science museums, Bradbury
Science Museum highlights Los
Alamos National Laboratory’s
Manhattan Project roots and current
research through exhibits such as
Supercomputing, Algae to Biofuels,
and Nanotechnology.
• Science Play-Space Initiative (SPI
Spot), Mount Vernon, Ohio. SPI Spot
works to enhance its community by
bringing people of all ages together
to explore science and technol-
ogy through play. The small center
debuted in 2012 and hired its first
paid employees in 2013, allowing
for expanded operating hours and
increased science programming.
SUSTAINING MEMBERS
• CineMuse, Inc., Sunnyside, New
York. CineMuse supports a network
of museums, universities, and sci-
ence centers that use high-definition
technology to present CineMuse
programs to their audiences. The
company’s library features nearly
400 programs from producers such
as BBC Worldwide, Discovery
Enterprise International, and NHK,
as well as many original CineMuse
Studio productions.
• Cinnabar California, Inc., Los
Angeles. Founded in 1982, this
company provides exhibit design,
content preparation, information
delivery systems, and specialty
fabrication in its 45,000-square-foot
(4,180-square-meter) production
facility. Clients include the Natural
History Museum of Los Angeles
County; Discovery Science Center,
Santa Ana, California; and the
California Academy of Sciences, San
Francisco, among others.
Children play in the Lookout Cove outdoor exploration area. Photo courtesy the Bay Area Discovery Museum
• Pacific Studio, Seattle. Pacific
Studio is an exhibit design and
fabrication company with a mis-
sion to provide quality products,
creative solutions, and the best in
production, support, and fabrication
services. Pacific Science Center and
the Museum of Flight, both in Seattle,
and the Terry Lee Wells Nevada
Discovery Museum in Reno are
among Pacific Studio’s clients.
• Trillium Productions, LLC,
Evanston, Illinois. This company was
founded in 1984 by independent
filmmaker and producer Roger
Brown. Clients include PBS, National
Geographic, Discovery Channel, and
Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural
History, among others.
Dimensions November • December 2014 13
notes from astc Z
Do you have a board member you’d like to see profiled in a future “Our Boards in Action” column? Please send his or her name, position, and contact information to [email protected] (subject line: Boards).
Tell us about the Academy for Exploration at Discovery Center of Springfield (DCS). What does each partner bring to the collaboration? The Academy of Exploration, a col-laboration between Springfield Public Schools (SPS), DCS, and the Hamels Foundation, is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)–focused school made up of two 20-student fifth grade classes that are housed full time at DCS. SPS teachers work with DCS staff to leverage exhibits and the center’s location downtown to deliver project-based instruction. DCS provides classroom space and access to the mu-seum, the Hamels Foundation provides funding for the cost of the lease, and SPS provides the teachers and class-room equipment. We hope the Academy of Exploration will be a shining example of organizations coming together to bet-ter the entire community.
What are the greatest challenges fac-ing students in your district? How can DCS help?Nearly 60% of SPS’s students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Families faced with this challenge often have limited access to out-of-school learning
OUR BOARDS IN ACTION: BEN HACKENWERTH
Each “Our Boards in Action” column highlights a board member at an ASTC-member institution, who shares his or her insights and experiences. In this edi-tion, we feature Ben Hackenwerth, associate superintendent of Springfield Public Schools and a member of the Board of Directors of Discovery Center of Springfield, Missouri.
Ben Hackenwerth, associate superintendent of Springfield Public Schools and a member of the Board of Directors of Discovery Center of Springfield, Missouri.
experiences. DCS can close the gap by providing families with access to learn-ing that is both engaging and affordable.
In general, what should science centers do to support schools most effectively?In a word, partner. Science centers and school systems have the shared mission of teaching and learning. Be creative and work to generate partnership op-portunities beyond just the traditional yearly field trip.
Missouri adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010. What role do you think science centers and muse-ums should play in supporting teach-ers and schools as they adapt to new standards and education reform?I don’t believe the roles of science centers and museums should change as a result of the Common Core State Standards. School systems have always been held to sets of standards, and science centers and museums have always served as hands-on learning resources for students, teachers, and families as they work to meet those standards. Regardless of whatever stan-dards school systems are accountable to at any given time, the opportunity
to partner and work closely with local science centers and museums should always be leveraged.
Where do you see DCS headed in the future? Funding is a constant concern but I’m hopeful that the Academy of Exploration will provide not only a dependable fund-ing stream but additional exposure that might generate excitement and drive memberships at the center. Sometimes the center seems like a hidden gem in the community. Continuing to develop awareness of all it has to offer families has to be a priority.
14 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Z notes from astc
In August, the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) hosted the 2014 Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Principal Investigator (PI) Meeting in Washington, D.C. This meeting brought together more than 140 projects funded by the (U.S.) National Science Foundation (NSF) AISL program, including research and development projects related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learn-ing that occurs outside of classroom settings. More than 250 professionals participated in the meeting, including designers of informal learning experi-ences and settings, learning researchers, natural and physical scientists, directors of education and public outreach, evalu-ators, and program officers from NSF and other federal agencies.
The meeting sought to encourage dialogue among projects representing the diverse sectors of informal STEM learning. Participants gathered in eight
breakout sessions to discuss hot topics that surfaced in a survey of active PIs in the NSF AISL program, including the uses of technology in informal settings and strategies for connect-ing with the scientific community. Summaries of those sessions are posted at InformalScience.org/perspectives/blog/category/36. These topics crosscut many types of AISL projects, whether they focus on developing museum ex-hibits, creating websites, or experiment-ing with new methodologies to assess out-of-school STEM learning.
Attendees voiced their passions about issues that emerged during the meeting by nominating “open space” sessions for further discussion, which other participants joined based on similar interests. Some popular top-ics included place-based learning, broadening participation through media, measuring success, and STEM learning in libraries. Meeting par-ticipants also learned more about one
Attendees discuss evaluation in informal STEM learning during a technical assistance session facilitated by CAISE co-PI Kirsten Ellenbogen. Photo by R. Anthony Hitchcock
L. RaShawn Farroir of the NSF Division of Grants and Agreements provides commentary on NSF award policies. Photo by R. Anthony Hitchcock
Earlier this year, NARST, a worldwide organization for improving science teaching and learning through research, released a series of position papers on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org). The position paper on informal science education and the NGSS was partially informed by an online forum on InformalScience.org in September 2013. Read this paper and the other position papers at narst.org/NGSSpapers/index.cfm.
another’s projects during poster sessions (InformalScience.org/perspectives/blog/posters-from-the-2014-aisl-pi-meeting).
This was the fourth biennial meeting or summit that CAISE has hosted, and as in past years, the discussions and resources that emerged at the meeting will inform CAISE activities over the coming months. Watch for additional documentation, outputs, and outcomes to be posted on InformalScience.org.
CAISE CONVENES 250 PROFESSIONALS AT AISL PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR MEETING
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Dimensions November • December 2014 15
COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICES MEET UP AT ASTC 2014At ASTC’s 2014 Annual Conference, all ASTC Communities of Practice (CoPs) held meet-ups, the Making & Tinkering Spaces in Museums CoP hosted a preconference workshop, and the Visitor Services CoP facilitated a session on frontline personnel. Two new CoPs were introduced during the conference: Managing Exhibitions, and Youth and School Programs.
The Making & Tinkering Spaces in Museums CoP held its regular hangouts, including a Spotlight on a Space featuring the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. To view these hangouts, and recordings of all past ASTC webinars, visit the ASTC Professional Development Vimeo page at vimeo.com/ASTCprofdev.
To learn how to join the ASTC Community and the ASTC CoPs, visit www.astc.org/about/pdf/HLhowto.pdf.
MINIGRANTS AWARDEDASTC and the Afterschool Alliance recently awarded 20 Lights On Afterschool Partnership Minigrants, funded by the Noyce Foundation, to ASTC members and their afterschool partners. The minigrant program stems from ASTC’s Commitment to Action for the Clinton Global Initiative (www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative). See the full list of minigrant recipients at www.astc.org/blog/2014/09/29/lights-on-afterschool-partnership-minigrant-recipients.
16 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Washington. Seidl led ASTC’s Board as president from 2011 to 2013. Cory Sbarbaro is acting as interim president and CEO.
Cora B. Marrett stepped down from her position as deputy direc-tor of the (U.S.) National Science Foundation
(NSF) in August after three years in the post and over 20 years with NSF. She previously served as senior vice presi-dent for academic affairs and professor at the University of Wisconsin.
The Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, hired Daniel Ksepka as its new curator of science in June. Ksepka
was previously a postdoctoral researcher at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center and held earlier positions at several natural history museums.
Kelly McKinley is now director of the Oakland Museum of California lab. Previously, she held leadership posi-
tions in education at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
The Discovery Center of Idaho, Boise, has brought on Eric Miller as its new exhibits director. Miller has previously worked at Mobius Science Center, Spokane, Washington, and the Imaginarium Discovery Center (now part of the Anchorage
Museum at Rasmuson Center, Alaska). Miller replaces Bill Molina, founding director of exhibits, who retired after 24 years but continues to serve as a volunteer.
Ford W. Bell will retire as president of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) next May. Bell came to AAM
in June 2007 from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and has had a varied career as a veterinarian, nonprofit executive, educator, scientist, and civic leader.
Discovery Cube Los Angeles, scheduled to open in November, has chosen Kafi D. Blumenfield as its ex-
ecutive director. Blumenfield was most recently president and CEO of Los Angeles’ Liberty Hill Foundation.
Russell Gallas became executive director of the USS Silversides Submarine Museum, Muskegon, Michigan, in May. He previously worked as senior human resources manager at Johnson Controls. Gallas succeeds Frank
Marczak, who is now the museum's associate director.
In July, Linda Quinn resigned as CEO of DISCOVERY Children’s Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada, a position she
had held since 2007. Tifferney White, who has been deputy director of the museum since 2009, is serving as interim CEO.
After 11 years as presi-dent and CEO, R. Bryce Seidl retired from Pacific Science Center, Seattle, in August.
Before he joined the center, Seidl spent 25 years at Simpson Timber Company and 10 years in elected office as a city councilman and mayor of Vancouver,
The Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, has appointed Brendan Mullan as director of the Buhl Planetarium and Observatory and Jason Brown as director of science and education. Mullan holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophys-
ics from Pennsylvania State University, where he has designed curricula and outreach programs. Brown has taught physics, astronomy, and geology in vari-ous educational settings.
ASTC has recently welcomed three new staff members. Carlin Hsueh joined ASTC as World Biotech Tour project manager in August. Hsueh, who holds a Ph.D. in chemis-try from the University of California, Los Angeles, most recently worked as science education lead at Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland,
California. David Coutoumanos became ASTC’s sales coordinator in September. He is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama, where he studied advertis-ing and general business. In October, Michelle Kenner started at ASTC as association services coordinator. Kenner recently completed her Master of Arts degree in art gallery and museum stud-ies at the University of Manchester, England, United Kingdom.
In MemoriamRichard F. Coyne, founding president and CEO of Great Lakes
Science Center, Cleveland, died on August 23 at age 78, after battling can-cer. A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, Coyne retired from the center in 2004.
people
Photos courtesy the Idaho Press Tribune
Dimensions November • December 2014 17
what we learned
In August and September 2013, Miami’s Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science sent me, its science curator, on a five-week expedition around the Arctic Ocean on the Russian vessel Akademik Fedorov. My role was to train scientists on how to effectively communicate the excitement of their climate research to people around the world in real time, via social media.
The expedition—organized by the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska–Fairbanks and funded by the (U.S.) National Science Foundation—focused on changes in the ocean, ice, and atmosphere, and how these are related to global climate, even as far away as Miami. I joined a group of 60 scientists representing 11 countries on the expedi-tion, and here are some things we learned along the way:
1. Effective science communication makes a difference, for scientists as well as the public. During the expedition, I led workshops for scientists to help them develop skills to engage the public in their research. The workshop format, developed under Portal to the Public (www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Portal-to-the-Public/portal), emphasized finding common ground, building context, allowing for discovery, and asking thoughtful questions. Scientists applied these techniques while writing blog posts (www.miamisci.org/lindsayinthearctic) and interacting with students and the public through Twitter and Instagram (@ArcticLindsay). I even received messages from scientists after the expedition, describing improvements in their daily interactions with the public.
2. Real-time interaction with scientists engages the public, especially young people. Prior to the expedition, I estab-lished relationships with teachers in Miami and around the world (through the scientists’ contacts) so students could follow along with the expedition. Young people were
particularly comfortable interacting with scientists via social media. Over five weeks, our blog received more than 1,200 questions from people in 89 countries, mostly students. The scientists and I answered each one, and more often than not, students followed up with even more questions.
3. Making connections between global research and local impacts makes science relevant. A goal for scientists was to make their research relevant to people reading the blog, wherever they lived. It became clear the public was engaged when we started receiving questions about how changes in the Arctic affect Miami, the Mediterranean, and Siberia, and vice versa.
This year, on the basis of our work in the Arctic, I was in-vited to serve as science communication instructor at an International Glaciology Summer School in Alaska. In addi-tion, our museum has launched a Science Communication Fellows Program for local researchers and is developing a sci-ence communication course for the University of Miami. We hope to generate the kind of excitement about science evident in this comment posted on our blog: Only you fully know how it is there, on the icy ocean, far from home, making it possible to fulfill all this research. How many things you have to share, and how deep the knowledge must be. Let interest and enthusiasm never leave you! Best regards from school #6, Nyagan, Siberia.
The Arctic: Bringing It HomeBy Lindsay Bartholomew
A view of the Arctic Ocean over the bow of the Russian vessel Akademik Fedorov during the Arctic expedition last year. Photo by Lindsay Bartholomew
If you would like to write about what your institution has learned from a project in exhibit development, education, finance, and/or operations, contact us at [email protected] (subject line: What We Learned).
Lindsay Bartholomew ([email protected]) is science curator at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, Miami.
Teachers visit an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, to learn how to use museum resources to enhance their teaching. Photo by J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry
A Wave of Change for STEM EducationCountries worldwide recognize the need to cultivate a
scientifically literate population and prepare a strong science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce for the
challenges and opportunities of the future. Many national and
regional governments are therefore launching initiatives aimed
at teaching STEM more effectively in schools.
In this issue, we look at how science centers on four continents
are supporting or even leading the way in new STEM education
initiatives. In particular, we focus on two initiatives now making
waves across the United States: the Next Generation Science
Standards (www.nextgenscience.org) and the Common Core
State Standards (www.corestandards.org).
This historic time marks a chance for our field to define more
precisely our roles in relation to formal education. To support
schools in times of change, science centers might implement
a multifaceted suite of programs, or they might choose one
aspect—like field trips or teacher professional development—
and do it really well. When science centers play to their strengths,
they can be invaluable partners for schools as they strive to
prepare children for the future.
20 November • December 2014 Dimensions
The release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org) has brought
about a sea change in K–12 science education in the United States. Released in April 2013, the stan-
dards promote a new way of teaching and learning that allows students to do and experience science
in a deep, meaningful way. All stakeholders in science and education need to be actively involved in
helping to support and successfully implement the standards, and the informal science education
community is well positioned to play a pivotal role. I believe the greatest areas for this work focus on
(1) providing professional learning opportunities for teachers themselves to experience science learn-
ing in the vision of the standards and (2) helping teachers and informal educators better connect the
unique capabilities of science centers to the curriculum.
The Next Generation Science Standards and Informal Science Education By David E. Evans
ABOUT THE NGSS
The standards are the result of a collective, collab-orative process that reflects research from the past two decades about how students learn science. Education teams from 26 states led the development of the NGSS. A 41-member writing team (including many classroom teachers) worked in collaboration with stakeholders, experts, and partners, including the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA, www.nsta.org) and many informal educators and institutions. Thousands of educators, parents, and other community members also participated in an extensive review of drafts.
The most significant change in the new stan-dards is the idea that science learning occurs at the nexus of three important dimensions—science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. (See the table on page 21.) This three-dimensional learning model enables deeper understanding of science concepts as well as the application of those concepts. In essence, it shifts instruction from rote memorization of facts and figures to a rich, investigative approach that pro-motes the use of evidence to construct explanations,
develop models, and design solutions in much the same way scientists do in their everyday work. The approach also helps students apply their knowledge in the real world. In many ways, this type of learning occurs quite naturally in environments like science centers and museums.
The standards focus on a limited number of core ideas that effectively build and progress as students move from kindergarten through 12th grade. The NGSS also integrate key ideas of engineering. Most importantly, the NGSS set high expectations for all students, not just those destined to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.
The NGSS are written as performance expecta-tions that clearly articulate what students should know and be able to do at the conclusion of instruction. To learn more about the architecture of the standards, visit nstahosted.org/pdfs/ngss/InsideTheNGSSBox.pdf.
To date, the NGSS have been adopted by 12 states and Washington, D.C.—representing nearly 30% of students in the country—whose leaders and educa-tors are working in earnest to implement them in districts, schools, and classrooms. More importantly,
Dimensions November • December 2014 21
the standards are being embraced and supported by science educators everywhere because they recog-nize the value of the approach and the best practices that support effective science instruction. The NGSS are well on their way to providing students across the country with the skills and knowledge they need to become informed citizens, prepared for college and for STEM careers.
THE NGSS AND THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
The NGSS were developed independently and are not part of the Common Core State Standards ini-tiative (www.corestandards.org), but there is some confusion regarding the relationship of these two efforts. The Common Core, which has been adopted by 43 U.S. states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C., establishes goals for what students should know in
THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF THE NGSS
1. Asking questions (for science)
and defining problems (for engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations (for science)
and designing solutions (for engineering)
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating
information
Life Science
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and
Processes
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics
LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Earth & Space Science
ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
Physical Science
PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
PS3: Energy
PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies
for Information Transfer
Engineering & Technology
ETS1: Engineering Design
ETS2: Links Among Engineering, Technology,
Science, and Society
1. Patterns
2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation
3. Scale, proportion, and quantity
4. Systems and system models
5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and
conservation
6. Structure and function
7. Stability and change
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS
DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS
22 November • December 2014 Dimensions
math and in English language arts (ELA) at the end of each grade. The ELA standards include goals for reading and writing within content areas, such as science, but do not replace the NGSS. The NGSS development team worked carefully to ensure that the science standards align to math content and make important literacy connections.
THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION
The NSTA position statement on the NGSS states that “achieving the goals of the NGSS will take a long-term systemic effort that requires significant changes in instruction, curriculum, assessment, teacher preparation, and professional development, accompanied by extensive financial, administrative, and public support.” It further states that “K–12 sci-ence educators, including teachers in both formal and informal settings, are central to the successful implementation of the NGSS.”
One important way that science centers and museums can support the implementation of the NGSS is through professional development (PD) for K–12 science educators. The standards significantly change how science should be taught and learned, and teachers—both new and seasoned—will need a great deal of time and support to learn how to change their instruction. In order to teach students in this new way, teachers need to experience it first-hand. Science centers and museums are uniquely equipped to provide the types of hands-on, investi-gative learning opportunities that can help teachers experience the practices of science and how they can be integrated with core ideas and crosscutting concepts to support student learning. Whether it’s developing and using models or asking questions and defining problems, teachers need to see and understand how the practices of science can pro-mote exploration, examination, and explanation of science concepts. Science centers can give teachers the same rich learning experiences they will eventu-ally translate into classroom instruction for students.
David E. Evans ([email protected]) is executive director of the National Science Teachers Association. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidE_NSTA.
It’s important to note that PD for informal educa-tors is equally crucial. The NGSS create a significant shift in how science should be taught, and informal educators need to understand this shift in order to best support K–12 schools and teachers. They must also be familiar with the latest research that lays the foundation of the NGSS. This research is articu-lated in A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (National Research Council, 2012). NSTA recom-mends that it be considered an essential companion document to the NGSS and be fully understood and used as the foundation of the standards.
Science centers and museums also can play a larger role in directly supporting student learning in the vision of the NGSS. Teachers and schools will be building and revamping science programs and seeking targeted programs and experiences for students. Science centers can help teachers dis-cover how to use these rich learning environments to support student learning tied directly to the new standards. Together, they can become partners in building programs that can enrich science learning for all students.
NSTA recognizes that informal institutions play an important role in promoting science learning for preK–12 students and beyond. To support informal science educators, NSTA offers a number of resourc-es and programs, including articles and publications, awards, special informal-focused programs at confer-ences, and more. NSTA and ASTC are jointly explor-ing the feasibility of a journal that would build a bridge between the informal and K–12 communities. Watch for news about this and other efforts at www.nsta.org. For resources dedicated to NGSS, visit the NGSS@NSTA Hub at www.nsta.org/ngss. n
REFERENCE
National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165.
Dimensions November • December 2014 23
Embracing the NGSS in Science CentersBy Sharon A. Kortman
Do science centers have a place in supporting academic standards and, in particular, the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org)? As chief learning officer at Arizona
Science Center, Phoenix, and a state reviewer of the NGSS, I propose that science centers and infor-
mal science educators have more of a place than ever before. That place includes knowledge and
engagement opportunities within a physical space and incorporates outreach, virtual experiences,
our ability to influence models of learning for all ages, and a collective responsibility to positively influ-
ence our communities and the world.
As a former teacher, K–12 educational consultant, and university professor, I am deeply committed to educational leadership, teaching, and learning. My role in a science center provides a unique opportu-nity to liaise among educational systems, business and industry, and parents and community to address comprehensive support for youth learning. Having led and collaborated on efforts for positive change in K–12 education, I see common themes emerging, including the need for relevance and engagement in science learning.
This article addresses how science centers can support science standards and specifically support A Framework for K–12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012), which lays out the recom-mendations from years of research on teaching and learning science. The Framework provides a context for learning expectations and formed the basis for the NGSS.
Should science centers support the standards?
Not all U.S. states have adopted the NGSS, and there is debate about whether science centers should align curriculum, programs, and services to specific standards. The foundational question is: What is quality learning?
A science center’s role includes engaging youth,
adults, businesses, and the community in environ-ments and experiences that further an interest in and motivation for solving problems, engaging with community issues, and thinking innovatively. If the NGSS allow science centers to influence learning in these ways, and I think they do, then it is worth using the standards as a guide, regardless of whether or not your state has adopted them. It is equally worth using the Framework, which provides the underly-ing assumptions of quality learning in science.
Making use of these resources is not for the sake of aligning with standards to check them off a list, but to impact quality learning experiences. By creating learning environments and experiences in this way, we will do far more than align ourselves with science standards; we will exceed them with flying colors.
Do standards align with science centers’ values?
Many ask whether the Framework and the NGSS incorporate values and practices that align with the mission of science centers. My answer is a resound-ing yes. Science centers have been engaged in this model of teaching and learning for as long as we can remember.
Science learning is really about learning in every context of life. Bring up almost any subject, activity, content area, demographic, aspect of pop culture, or
24 November • December 2014 Dimensions
current cultural or societal challenge in your own community. Bring up making a difference or chang-ing the world for the better. Science is there. So let’s define and interpret science as a foundation of life, not just as a content area. Science by nature is inter-disciplinary and applied.
Science centers must understand our core mis-sion and be clear and concise about our value. Science standards are simply a tool to define what learners should know or be able to do. In the case of the NGSS, this includes science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. (See the article beginning on page 20.) Standards, then, align to my values as an educator, a
community member, a science center professional, a researcher, and a learner.
Are standards positive for science centers?
Science centers are educational institutions. There is pride in the fact that we are informal. This ele-ment provides us benefits in access, in crossing all age barriers in learning, and in engagement models. We should also take pride in the fact that the lines are becoming more and more blurred between for-mal and informal education. Formal and informal education institutions make unique contributions in relevance and engagement. We have a collective responsibility for the success of our youth, and we
Dimensions November • December 2014 25
have the ability and desire to capitalize on our indi-vidual and combined strengths. In addition, we are becoming more sophisticated in determining what equates to the highest quality learning experiences, which are desired and expected in both formal and informal environments.
Nevertheless, science centers can be challenged to be more consciously competent and to articulate our competencies in ways that encourage formal education systems to partner with us to meet and surpass academic standards. The NGSS challenge us to be more intentional about identifying our strengths and provide a positive lens to articulate these qualities of learning. This could help business
and industry envision how to engage with us in schools and communities to enrich the future work-force. It could help governments see value in the ways we help create an informed citizenry and contribute to our communities’ economic vitality.
This is not meant to oversimplify the complexities of working in collaborative partnerships to educate our youth. Effective education is comprehensive and at times daunting, but it is also the right thing to do. It is important for science centers to speak the language of the standards and showcase how our contributions align to their accountabilities. The alignment of our work to standards needs to be authentic to the practic-es, concepts, and areas of content knowledge. Science standards provide one more way to articulate our mis-sion and our competencies.
I think science centers are also in a unique position to add value to the standards. We can “unpack” them by showcasing our strengths and capabilities, and we can also bring depth to them by emphasizing how the standards are relevant to science and engineering fields and careers.
Where is the wonder?
At Arizona Science Center, we have a tagline: “Never Stop Wondering.” I absolutely love that. I engage in wonder every day and use it as I interact with person-nel, donors, board members, educators, scientists, families, and children. I like to think of science as wonder and a way to act on our wonder.
Some people question whether science centers can continue to inspire wonder while also supporting sci-ence standards. I believe they can. The very nature of the content science centers already provide through their galleries, programs, and services lives out the NGSS in authentic ways.
The NGSS identify the reality of integrating knowledge and skills in the world. They provide a comprehensive set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do. It can be hard work to engage students at this level of rigor and relevance,
Ninth grader Aakanksha Saxena (left) speaks to a judge during the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair 2014, hosted by Arizona Science Center. Her project won two awards at the fair. Photo by Carolyn Corcoran
26 November • December 2014 Dimensions
but sometimes it is as easy as giving youth a chance to think deeply, ask questions, identify a problem, and act through their sense of wonder. It might be as simple as that. n
1. Understand A Framework for K–12 Science
Education and the NGSS. The Framework
gives a critical foundation of learning regardless
of what standards are adopted in your region,
while the NGSS identify such elements as
asking relevant questions, identifying problems,
and using models for thinking and learning,
among others, which can be powerful in show-
ing value aligned to the standards.
2. Identify examples from your services that
bring together science and engineering
practices, crosscutting concepts, and dis-
ciplinary core ideas. One of the greatest ben-
efits of the NGSS is the intersection of learning
processes with the content to be learned.
Having examples creates immediate relevance
to the standards and, more importantly, to life
and professional skills.
3. Determine your mission and audience. Be
clear about your purpose and how educational
systems, educational leaders, teachers, stu-
dents, and the community can engage.
4. Generate common ground with K–12
education systems. Find out from educators
their greatest educational need and biggest
challenge. Ask what they most want for their
graduates and what skills they think youth need
for ongoing and long-term success. Find out
what is relevant to youth.
5. Link science standards to the experience
in your physical space. Have you heard that
schools approve field trips to science centers
after standardized testing has happened, as
though the trip is a reward for students’ learn-
ing? Think about how to reverse this thinking
so schools see the need to engage with science
centers throughout the school year. Influence
the dialogue to ensure critical learning enhanc-
es students’ performance.
6. Find relevant entry points to engage your
broader community. Know your local context
and identify opportunities for partnerships and
funding sources. Determine who needs to be in
the conversation.
7. Create ongoing engagement with partners.
Design partnerships to impact learning over
the long term and address K–12 education and
community needs.
8. Be inclusive. Science centers can bring togeth-
er multiple perspectives, diverse knowledge,
and different engagement opportunities.
9. Show impact. Measure students’ interest
and motivation to engage in science, technol-
ogy, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as
increased knowledge and skills.
10. Share successes. We will all be better for it!
—S.A.K.
TEN WAYS TO ADDRESS THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
Your science center can begin to incorporate and align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org) using this list:
Sharon A. Kortman ([email protected]) is chief learning officer at Arizona Science Center in Phoenix. She is a Noyce Fellow and an Alliance of Affiliate member for the National Science Teachers Association.
REFERENCE
National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165.
Dimensions November • December 2014 27
How Can Museums Help Teachers with the NGSS?By Jim Short
Released in 2013, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org) have
the potential to revolutionize science education in the United States, requiring a very different way of
thinking about learning and teaching science. Now is an opportune moment to prepare teachers for
these new approaches to science instruction and classroom assessment and introduce them to the
types of curriculum resources needed to implement the NGSS successfully. What are these teach-
ing resources and professional development (PD) needs? What is the role of museums in supporting
schools and teachers as they address the demands of the NGSS?
A family enjoys hands-on activities in the American Museum of Natural History’s Cullman Hall of the Universe at the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Photo courtesy AMNH/R. Mickens
28 November • December 2014 Dimensions
TOOLS AND PROCESSES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City is addressing these needs along with collaborators at WestEd, an education research and development agency (www.wested.org), and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS, www.bscs.org). With support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and working with PD providers from several NGSS-adoption states, the AMNH and its collaborators have developed a set of tools and processes for PD providers to work with middle and high school science teachers to translate the NGSS into instructional sequences and units with classroom assessment tasks.
In September, teams from California, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C., which have all adopted the NGSS, began field-testing these tools and processes with middle and high school science teachers to help refine them and build capacity for broader NGSS implementation within each state or district. In addition to district and regional network leaders, some of these teams include partners from informal science education institutions and higher education. All materials gen-erated by this project will be available online at the conclusion of the project in September 2015.
TEACHERS’ CHALLENGES AND NEEDS
One of the challenges educators face in translat-ing the NGSS into classroom instruction is that the standards present an integrated, three-dimensional view of learning and teaching science—a new approach for science teachers. The NGSS perfor-mance expectations weave together science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. (See the article beginning on page 20.) For classroom assessment to incorpo-rate these dimensions, science instruction needs to be designed so that all three are explicitly part of teaching an instructional sequence with students. To support this approach, we are using the BSCS 5E Instructional Model (www.bscs.org/bscs-5e-instruc-tional-model) to help teachers develop instructional sequences that lead to assessment tasks aligned with the NGSS performance expectations.
In addition to tools, science teachers need access
to rich curriculum resources to meet the demands of the NGSS. The NGSS emphasize students learn-ing to use science practices such as analyzing and interpreting data, developing and using models, and constructing explanations from evidence. Doing so often requires access to scientific data sets, simula-tions, or data visualizations to investigate science phenomena such as climate change, depletion of natural resources, human impact on ecosystems, and natural hazards. Teachers also need support in learn-ing to use these data-rich resources in instruction.
AMNH’S TEACHING CASES
Over the past five years, with support from the (U.S.) National Science Foundation, the AMNH has devel-oped several examples of teaching case materials and has worked with groups of science teachers on
Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth. Photo courtesy AMNH/D. Finnin and C. Chesek
Dimensions November • December 2014 29
using them with their students. The three teaching cases developed thus far focus on river ecology, earthquake risk, and evolution of antibiotic resis-tance in bacteria. Each case has three components:
1. Reading passages—typically four text pas-sages with graphics and diagrams—provide background information about what scientists are doing to study a specific problem. The text includes details about how the data are gathered. Both teacher and student versions of these pas-sages are developed for use in PD sessions and in the classroom with students.
2. Four video segments accompany the text pas-sages and weave together interviews with sci-entists and images of them at work in the field and laboratory, as well as animations to illustrate
science concepts. They provide learners with opportunities to hear directly from the scientists about their work.
3. Interactive, web-based data visualization tools provide access to secondary data sets. For exam-ple, the river ecology teaching case materials (www.amnh.org/education/hudsonriver) explore a unique data set collected from the Hudson River, New York, over a 25-year period by aquatic scien-tists at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Students can work with this data set to learn about the short- and long-term impacts of inva-sive zebra mussels on the river ecosystem and the way scientists gather data and explain the mean-ing of their observations.
Teaching cases support the development of the
30 November • December 2014 Dimensions
MUSEUMS AND THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
As schools and teachers focus on addressing the demands of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy), teaching and learning science has sometimes taken a “back seat” to teaching literacy. Museums and science centers are well positioned to respond to this challenge because their exhibits and many other resources provide opportunities for non-fiction disciplinary-based reading, which is required in meeting the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Using these types of resourc-es, museums can develop educational materials to help teachers focus on teaching science while also supporting nonfiction reading and writing—in other words, literacy in the service of teaching science.
Over the past few years, the Gottesman Center for Science Teaching and Learning at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York City, has been grappling with how best to help teachers integrate literacy with science learning. With sup-port from the Louis Calder Foundation and working with New York City science teachers and literacy consultants, we have developed a successful model for creating resources and delivering related profes-sional development (PD). This model helps teachers incorporate better reading and writing opportunities in the science curriculum and link what they are doing in the classroom with museum visits and learn-ing experiences.
The model includes three parts:
1. An Educator’s Guide includes an overview
of the essential questions addressed by the
content in an exhibition. It includes a Teaching
in the Exhibition section designed to direct
teachers to the exhibits that most closely con-
nect to the topics relevant to the state science
standards and core curriculum.
2. Online versions of these Guided Explorations
are provided on the AMNH’s website and
optimized for mobile devices to further enhance
opportunities for teachers to bring the museum
into their classrooms.
3. Science and Literacy Activities include
previsit science readings about the science
content in the exhibition, student worksheets
to gather information during a museum visit,
post-visit writing tasks, and Common Core–
aligned scoring rubrics. An informational writing
task that draws on the previsit reading and on
observations and information collected during
the AMNH visit provides students with oppor-
tunities to learn science as well as develop the
nonfiction reading and writing skills required by
the Common Core.
We’ve used these types of resources with more than 500 science teachers in PD workshops over two years. Throughout the process, we’ve learned lessons and refined both the PD workshops and the materials. Teachers in our workshops have reported a greater understanding of how to integrate literacy skills into science instruction and how to use museum learning experiences to support the teaching of both science and literacy. In addition, the AMNH science and literacy materials have been reviewed by Common Core experts, includ-ing the EQuIP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products) Peer Review Panel at Achieve, an education reform organization (www.achieve.org). One of these lessons for Grade 10, Earth Systems Evolution, was rated an EQuIP Exemplar and is available on Achieve’s website along with EQuIP peer review feedback (www.achieve.org/EQuIP).
All resources are available on the AMNH’s website:
Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth
www.amnh.org/davidsand ruthlgottesmanhallofplanetearth/ educatorresources
Cullman Hall of the Universe
www.amnh.org/dorothyand lewisbcullmanhalloftheuniverse/ educatorresources
Ross Hall of Meteorites
www.amnh.org/arthurrosshallofmeteorites/educatorresources
Guggenheim Hall of Minerals
www.amnh.org/harryfrankguggenheimhallof minerals/educatorresources. —J.S.
Dimensions November • December 2014 31
Jim Short ( [email protected]) is director of the Gottesman Center for Science Teaching and Learning at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City.
specific NGSS science practices mentioned ear-lier. These resources also support specific Common Core State Standards (www.corestandards.org) in reading and writing, including determining the cen-tral ideas of text and citing specific textual evidence to support the analysis of science texts; writing infor-mative texts to construct science explanations; and writing argumentative passages in science using the framework of claims, evidence, and reasoning. (See the sidebar on page 30 for more about the Common Core).
During the past two years, with support from the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, AMNH edu-cators have worked closely with a group of middle school science teachers and a literacy consultant to learn how to integrate literacy strategies into the teaching of science content. Using the river ecol-ogy teaching case resources, some of these teachers have designed and taught units in their curriculum that support both the Common Core and the NGSS. These science units incorporate literacy strategies that teachers learned to use during PD sessions facilitated by both AMNH and literacy educators.
Building on our experiences using these types of innovative resources with teachers, the AMNH now plans to work with curriculum developers at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, to develop the river ecology teaching case materials into an eight-week middle school ecology unit aligned with the NGSS and the Common Core. The unit will include instruc-tional materials for students and teacher’s support materials—in other words, an example of an NGSS-aligned science curriculum.
THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS
Museums are well suited to support teachers and schools as they address the demands of the NGSS. Through teacher PD and partnership programs, museums have a lot of experience working with schools, supporting teachers, and developing inno-vative resources. While many school systems seem to be constantly changing, particularly in urban envi-ronments, museums can provide places for teachers
to find ongoing support and for schools to develop deep relationships focused on improving teachers’ practice and students’ learning.
Teachers and schools need partners—the demands of NGSS-aligned instruction and class-room assessment will need everyone’s help. This is an excellent opportunity for informal and formal institutions, as well as other nonprofit partners, to work together as collaborators. Museums can develop innovative resources, visualize data, bring the real work of scientists into instructional mate-rials, and help make learning science more acces-sible and engaging for students. Teachers can help inform the development of these resources by shar-ing the realities of the classroom and challenges of addressing the needs of all students. Nonprofit partners can provide expertise and tools to help sci-ence teachers achieve their goals. For example, we have formed a strong partnership with the Literacy Design Collaborative (ldc.org) to help science teach-ers build students’ literacy skills and understanding of science. Working together, we can all make a dif-ference in helping teachers meet the challenges of implementing the NGSS and ensuring all students learn science. n
At a Leadership Institute at the AMNH, three professional development providers work on deepening their understanding of the NGSS by organizing disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and performance expectations to promote curricular coherence in a unit of instruction. Photo courtesy AMNH/MS
32 November • December 2014 Dimensions
From a science education advocate’s perspective, it is easy to see science as a gateway, conduit, or lever for implementing the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For others, it is less evident. Regardless, there are clear connections among the standards for the three con-tent areas, as shown in the Venn diagram on page 35 (Stage et al., 2013). The diagram shows connec-tions among subjects and the practices students are expected to engage in for science and engineering (NGSS) and math and literacy (Common Core). Students are expected to use similar practices (e.g., constructing arguments and using evidence) in their learning across the content areas.
Many informal science institutions, or science-rich educational institutions (SREIs), are well posi-tioned to help schools build an understanding of the NGSS and the Common Core and facilitate their convergence in classrooms. SREIs have a long histo-ry of providing programs and support for K–12 teach-ers, students, schools, and districts (Bevan & Semper, 2006). In addition, many SREIs have not only taken
Addressing the Convergence of the NGSS and the Common CoreBy Vanessa Lujan and Craig Strang
Education in the United States is at a critical and historic time as many states implement the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org) and the Common Core State
Standards (www.corestandards.org). A unique challenge for school districts, administrators, and
teachers is the need to develop a deep understanding of the pedagogical foundations of the NGSS
and the Common Core while planning how to implement the convergence of the standards within
their schools.
part in developing and refining the new standards, but they have already established programs and materials for students and teachers founded upon the very principles underlying the standards.
A COORDINATED EFFORT
In the San Francisco Bay Area, California, the Lawrence Hall of Science, Exploratorium, and Inverness Research are leading a program called BaySci, where SREIs, districts, schools, and teachers work together to enhance the quantity and quality of science teaching and learning (www.baysci.org). BaySci aims to improve the likelihood that every stu-dent in California will engage in high-quality science learning. Started in 2008, BaySci has grown from working exclusively with five local school districts to serving school districts, individual teachers, and an ever-growing number of SREIs beyond the Bay Area. BaySci is funded by the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
BaySci has three strands that together form a cohesive network of science support:
Dimensions November • December 2014 33
Above: BaySci teacher leader teams take stock of their own leadership skills and experiences. Below: BaySci seeks evidence of change in student learning and engagement related to the NGSS. Photos courtesy the Lawrence Hall of Science
34 November • December 2014 Dimensions
1. District Strand: Partner school districts com-mitted to improving science education and sup-port for the convergence of the NGSS and the Common Core. Each district is developing a dis-trict-wide science vision, distributed leadership (both support for science within the district office and teacher leadership), strategic and sustainable plans for science education, and increased access to high-quality science teaching and learning (e.g., professional development (PD) opportuni-ties, instructional materials, and developing poli-cies and priorities for science).
2. Science Champion Strand: Teachers, admin-istrators, and other educators willing to cham-pion science and the NGSS outside the BaySci partner school districts. Science champions participate in PD summer leadership academies and academic year follow-up sessions, led by the Exploratorium, to develop the capacity to lead PD for their colleagues.
3. SREI Strand: A learning community of SREIs dedicated to improving their capacity to support districts, schools, teachers, and students with the
convergence of the NGSS and the Common Core. For example, this commu-nity has developed a deep understanding of specific NGSS science and engi-neering practices, as well as NGSS connections to the Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards and others.
A SUCCESSFUL MODEL OF SUPPORT
BaySci provides participat-ing school districts with PD, planning time, technical assistance, access to exper-tise, and opportunities for collaboration that are other-wise unavailable. For exam-ple, BaySci staff meets with a district’s leadership (from the superintendent to select teacher leaders) to address milestones, needs, and chal-lenges for their K–12 science program. BaySci’s techni-cal assistance responds to individual district needs through consultation and customized support for the district science and Common Core plans.
A BaySci teacher engages in the NGSS science and engineering practices during summer professional development. Photo courtesy the Exploratorium
Dimensions November • December 2014 35
BaySci works with districts to
• Develop a common district vision for science teaching and learning as supported by the NGSS and the Common Core. The vision, in part, drives the action plan for science education, how teacher leaders are used, where resources are allo-cated, etc.
• Know the realities of the district’s classrooms. How close are classrooms to achieving the district science vision, and what mechanisms are in place to know this (e.g., site-based and district-wide assessments)? Student assessment and science
program evaluation must align to standards and materials, be an integral part of ongoing instruc-tion, and be used iteratively to inform instruc-tional and overall district-wide programmatic decisions.
• Make the convergence of the NGSS and the Common Core an explicit priority among lead-ers at the district level and among principals and teachers at the school level.
• Plan instructional materials, classroom expe-riences, and out-of-classroom time to pro-vide students opportunities to learn science by
MATH SCIENCE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
E2. Build a strong base of knowledge through content-rich texts
E5. Read, write, and speak grounded in evidence
M3 and E4. Construct viable arguments and critique reasoning
of others
S7. Engage in argument from evidence
S2. Develop and use models
M4. Model with mathematics
S5. Use mathematics and computational thinking
E6. Use technology
and digital media strategically and
capably
M5. Use appropriate tools strategically
M1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
M2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
M6. Attend to precision
M7. Look for and make use of structure
M8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
S1. Ask questions and define problems
S3. Plan and carry out investigations
S4. Analyze and interpret data
S6. Construct explanations and design solutions
S8. Obtain, evaluate, and
communicate information
E3. Obtain, synthesize, and report findings clearly
and effectively in response to task and purpose
E1. Demonstrate independence in reading complex texts and in writing and speaking about them
E7. Come to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading, listening, and collaborations
KEY
M1–M8: Common Core State Standards mathematical practices
S1–S8: Next Generation Science Standards science and engineering practices
E1–E7: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts core capacities
From Stage, E., Asturias, H., Cheuk, T., Daro, P.A., & Hampton, S.B. (2013). Opportunities and challenges in Next Generation Standards. Science, 340, 276–277.
36 November • December 2014 Dimensions
HOW CAN SCIENCE CENTERS AND MUSEUMS SUPPORT DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS WITH THE
CONVERGENCE OF THE NGSS AND THE COMMON CORE?
• Develop a deep understanding of the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and
the Common Core State Standards. Every
BaySci staff member carries three documents
at all times: the Common Core, the NGSS, and A
Framework for K–12 Science Education (www.
nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165).
Supporting districts and schools requires sci-
ence center staff to have a deep understanding
of these documents.
• Know how a district’s or school’s science
program is currently set up. Each program is
unique and requires customized support.
• Work within existing leadership structures to
make science teaching and learning an obvious
and explicit priority within a district or school.
• Support the development of a district’s or
school’s instructional leadership and infra-
structure via professional development, quality
materials and materials management, sup-
portive policies, and parent support focused on
science. BaySci staff must be nimble to provide
districts and schools with technical assistance
in a variety of areas.
• Be aware of other relevant initiatives—
importantly, the ever-changing approach to
the Common Core. —V.L. and C.S.
Vanessa Lujan ([email protected]) and Craig Strang co-lead BaySci at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. Lujan is project director of BaySci, and Strang is associate director of the Lawrence Hall of Science.
engaging in the NGSS science practices and their Common Core corollaries.
• Provide PD at all levels to help teachers and administrators understand and identify high-quality science. Teachers need a strong knowl-edge base of science, science learning, and science teaching to help them apply effective instructional strategies.
• Ensure a supportive context for the conver-gence of the NGSS and the Common Core. Districts and schools must align policies and resources to support the connections among sci-ence, English language arts, and mathematics—at the district level, at the classroom level, and when garnering community support.
Currently, it is rare to find educational settings where even some of these features exist concurrent-ly. BaySci works to deliberately develop and improve the necessary infrastructure throughout a school district to support the convergence of the NGSS and the Common Core. We believe that SREIs can play a pivotal role by purposefully and systemically provid-ing the focused expertise and leadership needed to support the work that lies ahead. n
REFERENCES:
Bevan, B., & Semper, R. (2006). Mapping informal science institutions onto the science education landscape. San Francisco, CA: The Center for Informal Learning and Schools, cils.exploratorium.edu/resources.php.
Stage, E., Asturias, H., Cheuk, T., Daro, P.A., & Hampton, S.B. (2013). Opportunities and challenges in Next Generation Standards. Science, 340, 276–277.
Dimensions November • December 2014 37
IT BEGINS WITH TEACHERS
Demand for qualified professionals in the STEM fields seems to increase daily. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org) include specific STEM requirements, and U.S. legislators introduce more and more STEM-related bills each year. STEM is something of a buzzword among educa-tors and employers, but it has become obvious that STEM is not just about in-school education or even future employ-ment opportunities; it’s also about civic engagement. A solid STEM education is critical for those tackling global issues like treatment and prevention of disease, disaster relief, environmental protection, and growth of emerging communities.
How do we make sure that the next generation is prepared to apply STEM principles to careers and global challeng-es? New standards like the NGSS, and
Reaching New Heights with Whole-School Teacher TrainingBy Daniele Paulding Daveline and Janina R. Johnkoski
Like many urban schools in the United States, Annie Fisher STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and math) Academy, a public school for K–8 students
in Hartford, Connecticut, struggled with standardized test scores in science.
At times, the school’s scores fell well below the Connecticut state average.
Now, however, those struggles are in the past. Annie Fisher’s 2013 Connecticut
Mastery Test scores in science surpassed not only the Hartford School District
average, but the state average as well. How did this happen?
the earlier Framework for K–12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012), which provides the vision upon which the NGSS are based, are certainly good starting points. However, true success begins with teachers and with proper implementation of the vision and standards.
Comprehensive, inquiry-based, whole- school professional development (PD) for teachers at the elementary and mid-dle school levels is a worthwhile first step. This type of teacher PD is offered by the Joyce D. and Andrew J. Mandell Academy for Teachers at the Connecticut Science Center in downtown Hartford (www.ctsciencecenter.org/mandell). Annie Fisher’s dramatic rise in standard-ized test scores in science correlates directly with their adoption of the Mandell Academy’s whole-school PD program.
A COMPREHENSIVE PD MODEL
Unlike traditional PD programs, the Mandell Academy’s PD model trains every teacher schoolwide in the inquiry process, pioneered at the Institute for Inquiry at the Exploratorium in San Francisco (www.exploratorium.edu/ifi). The inquiry process harnesses students’ curiosity and desire to learn. Lecturing and memorization are replaced with student-driven lessons in which they for-mulate and answer their own questions.
Since 2009, all Annie Fisher teach-ers have participated in the Mandell Academy’s Inquiry for Teaching and Learning series, where each teacher receives at least 150 hours of inquiry-based PD over a three-year period. The program includes yearly weeklong sum-mer workshops and two-day follow-up conferences where teachers share their new strategies and successes.
While teachers gain content knowl-edge during their PD, they learn much more than just science. With the NGSS and the Common Core State Standards (www.corestandards.org) asking students to know and do things not asked of them before, teachers must be equipped with new methods to help students achieve. To this end, teachers participate in supplemental workshops that show the
38 November • December 2014 Dimensions
connections between science and lit-eracy. Teachers learn to encourage the application of reading, writing, reflection, and communication strategies to the sciences. The training teachers receive in instructional practices allows them to integrate science and engineering into their whole curriculum.
The Mandell Academy also offers STEM units that focus on integrating Common Core practices with the NGSS engineering design practice. With all teachers receiving the same PD across grade levels and subjects, Annie Fisher is creating a culture of inquiry-based learning, where students are engaged, active participants. The teachers work as a team to implement new standards; they all “get it.”
Questions posed by teachers during the second-year Classroom Applications component of the Inquiry for Teaching and Learning series. This “parking lot” of questions inspires discourse and helps participants reflect upon the principles of hands-on learning they will pass on to their students. Photo by Julie Chen/Connecticut Science Center
FIELD TRIPS WITH A TWIST
Whole-school professional development (PD) has been a major success for the Connecticut Science Center and its partner schools, but it’s only one part of the equation. Science centers have the unique opportunity to engage student inter-est in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through an intercon-nected program of PD, outreach, and field trips, the Connecticut Science Center reinforces for students and teachers that STEM is alive, with exciting real-world applications all around.
Before teachers bring students on a field trip to our science center, we encour-age them to engage in a previsit outreach program, where STEM educators bring a fun science activity to the classroom. These hands-on activities spark students’ curiosity before their field trip. While visiting our science center, students become investigators, performing experiments and making their own discoveries during our lab programs and exhibit experiences. Through school partnerships, which include teacher PD, teachers begin to better understand how to use science center and other museum resources more strategically, not only to engage and excite students about STEM, but also to reinforce curriculum goals.
—D.P.D. and J.R.J.
Dimensions November • December 2014 39
Daniele Paulding Daveline ([email protected]) is marketing and membership manager, and Janina R. Johnkoski ( [email protected]) is director of professional development and school programs, both at the Connecticut Science Center, Hartford.
POSITIVE RESULTS
Since Annie Fisher began its partnership with our science center, its average grade 5 science scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test have risen steadily each year, exceeding the Hartford district aver-age after only one year and the much higher state average after the third year (Tutwiler et al., 2013).
Teacher feedback has been over-whelmingly positive, as well. Said one teacher, “We are generating more high-level science students than previously.” Science teachers report that their new inquiry-based skills have led to increased content knowledge and confidence in teaching science; further, their stu-dents have become more engaged and able to think critically. The benefits of the Mandell Academy inquiry training extend beyond the science classroom—teachers across subjects report similar results in their classrooms.
With Annie Fisher’s success, other Connecticut schools have been eager to try the whole-school PD model. Florence Smith School in West Hartford began partnering with the Mandell Academy in 2011, and since then, they’ve seen similar trends in test scores and positive teacher feedback. Several other schools have recently begun partnerships with us and three newly opened schools have begun integrating Mandell Academy PD into their school cultures from the ground up. Teacher feedback has been enthusiastic,
Inquiry-based Training for Science Center Educators
All Connecticut Science Center STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) educators receive the same three-year Inquiry for Teaching and Learning training that we offer to Annie Fisher STEM Academy and other local schools. This ensures that our staff has a common understanding of the inquiry process, and it allows our educators to see content, standards, practices, and methods from the same perspective as our school partners. It also helps us identify STEM educators with aptitude for facilitating our professional development (PD) programs.
In addition, we’ve created an internal Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Leadership Team, which will help plant the seeds of common under-standing of the NGSS within our science center. Team members will help set the direction when modifying our PD programs and exhibits to reflect new and changing standards.
—D.P.D. and J.R.J.
with teachers expecting similar gains in test scores as those seen at Annie Fisher and Florence Smith schools.
While not every school chooses the whole-school PD model, it’s clear that this systemic approach makes a much greater impact than traditional PD. With the whole-school model, the focus shifts from educating individual teachers to creating a common learning culture where teach-ers encourage students to apply new inquiry-based skills to all school subjects. Teachers and students become more con-fident, more excited, and more engaged.
Kate Ericson, chief academic offi-cer for public schools in New London, Connecticut, said, “We are confident that the Connecticut Science Center and
their outstanding STEM educators have helped New London teachers increase their content knowledge and confidence in their abilities to teach STEM princi-ples throughout our district, and we look forward to making even bigger strides as our partnership continues.” n
REFERENCES
National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165.
Tutwiler, M.S., Gruner, H., Johnkoski, J., Inga, S., & Brady, M. (2013). The impact of whole-school inquiry-based teacher professional development on STEM achievement: A case study, ctsciencecenter.org/casestudy.
40 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Building Successful Professional Development Collaborations that Support StandardsBy Sandra Ryack-Bell
For more than 30 years, the Museum Institute for Teaching Science
(MITS, Inc., www.mits.org) in Quincy, Massachusetts, has been devel-
oping and running professional development (PD) programs that
provide educators with the skills and content knowledge needed to
effectively implement science standards.
MITS is an umbrella organization that brings together museums, nature centers, aquaria, zoos, institutions of higher education, and other cultural and science organizations to provide PD programs and resources for K–12 teachers and informal educators statewide. We offer a diversity of pro-grams that help teachers implement curriculum standards.
MITS Professional Development Institutes for K–12 educators bring together scientists, engineers, and informal science educators to provide one-week, two-week, or hybrid graduate-level courses. (Hybrid courses combine online and on-site instruction.) Three to five partner organiza-tions work together to develop and deliver an institute. One lead institu-tion works with a MITS staff member to coordinate the theme, content, and schedule. MITS provides the administrative support, including funding, marketing, registration, a Teacher Resource Handbook, gradu-ate credit registration, and state PD points. Teachers spend one or two
Teachers carry out a species inventory in the Butterfly Pavilion at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Photo by Sandra Ryack-Bell
42 November • December 2014 Dimensions
days at each partner institution, exploring different aspects of the science/engineering content, partici-pating in inquiry investigations led by the institu-tion’s education staff, and learning about how that institution can be a resource for the teachers dur-ing the academic year. Depending on the location of the institute, teachers may explore a salt marsh, visit a rainforest canopy exhibit, participate in a bird migration citizen science project, build a robot, learn about medical research, take a behind-the-scenes lab tour, explore how plastics are colored, or work with a 3D printer. Through these collaborative institutes, MITS enables teachers to develop inquiry-based, interdisciplinary investigations for their classrooms using real-time scientific knowledge. The institutes are a tool for increasing the capacity and skills of teachers to use inquiry-based, hands-on methods for teaching STEM content and the science and engi-neering practices. The institutes also help teachers implement the current Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Standards while planning how to transition to the newly revised Massachusetts standards, which are an adaptation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and are cur-rently available for statewide review (www.doe.mass.edu/stem/review.html).
MITS Professional Development Seminar Series is a model for providing PD for the staff of informal science institutions. Offered from January to April each year, these one-day seminars include a morning content session and an afternoon pedagogy session. At the seminars, informal science educators learn to develop school programs that address the NGSS science and engineering practices, crosscutting
concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. (See the article beginning on page 20.) These seminars also provide low-cost, quality training opportunities that many individual partner organizations otherwise cannot afford to provide for their staff, as well as the oppor-tunity for their staff to network with other museum educators.
MITS’ Customized School Services develop col-laborative partnerships for schools and school sys-tems that provide PD sessions, curriculum develop-ment, and modeling of inquiry investigations in the classroom. The programs are tailored to the needs of the individual schools and designed to assist them with meeting state standards and developing the science and engineering practices in the classroom.
Science by Connections (www.sciencebycon-nections.org) is a hub for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) resources across Massachusetts. Educators can search for STEM resources from more than 45 museums, science centers, cultural institutions, zoos, and other orga-nizations. Teachers can access standards-based enrichment programs, field trips, online resources, and PD opportunities from multiple service pro-viders through one easy-to-use website. The site is searchable by grade level, region, program type, and content standard. It also creates an opportunity for partner organizations to increase their access to their programs.
MITS’ programs are best practices models that can used by science centers and other institutions to create similar programs for the communities they serve. For help adapting these models, contact [email protected] or [email protected]. n
Sandra Ryack-Bell ([email protected]) is executive director of the Museum Institute for Teaching Science, Quincy, Massachusetts.
Through collaborative professional development institutes, MITS enables teachers to develop inquiry-based, interdisciplinary investigations for their
classrooms using real-time scientific knowledge.
Dimensions November • December 2014 43
Clockwise from top: Teachers use field chemistry kits to measure oxygen and nitrogen levels in water from the Housatonic River in Lee, Massachusetts; investigate the Living Machine wastewater treatment process in the Environmental Science Center at the Darrow School, Lebanon, New York; and examine a deep sea core at the Core Lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Photos by Sandra Ryack-Bell
44 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Picture 42 educators being given this challenge: Build a wooden struc-ture so the shortest team member can put a sticker on the ceiling. Some participants had never held a power tool before. Others were afraid of heights.
Challenges like this are at the heart of SHIFT Lab at TELUS Spark in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (www.sparkscience.ca/visit/school-programs/SHIFT-Lab). Through this pilot professional learning program for K–12 educators and administrators, we aim to share TELUS Spark’s culture of risk-taking and openness to failure. This is particularly top of mind for educators in Alberta right now, as the Ministry of Education is undertaking Inspiring Education, a massive shift in K–12 education that encourages innovation through skill development (inspiring.education.alberta.ca). Through SHIFT Lab, we share our expertise in design thinking and our making and innovation practices with the education community as they strive to meet student needs in a rapidly changing environment.
From day one, we establish norms that encourage idea sharing, com-fort with being uncomfortable, and a beginner mindset. We emphasize process, not product, and we build trust by candidly sharing our own experiences of failure and frustration. Educators engage in individual reflections and community of practice discussions to cement their learning and map their learning experiences onto the curriculum and their own classroom practices.
Because people don’t become innovative risk-takers overnight, this one-year program maintains momentum through a summer intensive, workshops, a conference, a Facebook group, and ongoing support from the TELUS Spark team.
Stephanie Nemcsok, professional learning specialist, education, TELUS Spark, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Science Centers Support Formal Educators in Times of Change
SHIFT Lab participants take part in a rapid prototyping challenge. Photo courtesy TELUS Spark
Dimensions November • December 2014 45
Washington State LASER (Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform, www.WaStateLASER.org) is a pub-lic/private partnership co-led by Pacific Science Center in Seattle and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. Now in its 16th year, Washington State LASER offers school districts materials, resources, and professional development (PD) to help them ini-tiate and implement research-based K–8 science programs and science education reform efforts.
Through Washington State LASER, Pacific Science Center has served as the nexus of statewide science education reform. Most recently, we have worked with Washington State’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to coordinate feed-back from educators, community members, scientists, engi-neers, and students on drafts of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org). Since the release of the NGSS, LASER has provided PD to build the capacity of teachers, administrators, and regional PD providers to make the instructional shifts called for in the NGSS.
We aim for each participating school district to have
1. A plan for implementing a standards-based science program
2. Access to standards-based, student-centered, and activity-rich curriculum materials, including instructional practices and formative assessments
3. Well-trained teachers capable of implementing the curricu-lum materials
4. Strong administrators who advocate for and provide the leadership necessary to implement and sustain a compre-hensive science program in their schools.
Washington State LASER works through 10 regional alliances to reach more than 200 school districts serving more than 90% of students in Washington State. To date, we have worked with 106,300 educators.
More information on the program’s impact can be found in two national publications, the National Research Council’s 2007 report Rising Above the Gathering Storm (www.nap.edu/open-book.php?record_id=11463) and the National Science Teachers Association’s 2007 book, Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings.
Dennis Schatz, senior advisor, Pacific Science Center, Seattle; Jacob Clark-Blickenstaff, Washington State LASER pro-gram manager, Pacific Science Center, Seattle; Jeff Estes, Washington State LASER co-director, U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
46 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Fernbank Science Center (www.fernbank.edu), as part of the DeKalb County School District in Georgia, serves as a resource for science teachers in the district and the Atlanta metro area when new instructional standards, such as the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards, are adopted by the state and the surrounding school districts. At the state level, Fernbank instructors have participated on a variety of committees to help plan for the roll out of new standards and the corresponding assessments. At the district level, they have participated with the unpacking of standards and helped to write unit plans and model lessons for K–12 science instruction. Fernbank instruc-tors also model standards-based lessons in both single visit and outreach programs.
In addition, the science center has hosted and led several PD
The Exploratorium Teacher Institute (TI, www.exploratorium.edu/education/teacher-institute) in San Francisco offers teacher PD institutes, classroom coaching and mentoring, and teaching tools to middle and high school science teachers. TI staff is composed of Ph.D. scientists and veteran classroom educators who focus on strengthening teachers’ content knowledge and enhancing their pedagogical skills to engage students in asking and pursu-ing science questions.
Upon completing an initial 100-hour sum-mer institute, teachers become alumni and are eligible to return for ongoing PD support for the rest of their lives. There are currently more than 3,000 alumni who make up a community of practice of educators committed to their own continual learning and improvement of their professional practices.
Since its inception in 1984, TI has designed its programs to meet the specific needs and requests of its teacher participants. The advent of the NGSS has brought new concerns for teachers, including how to implement the NGSS science and engineering practices into their curricula. These practices mirror key aspects of TI’s classroom pedagogy, specifi-cally in the focus on the design of investiga-tions, collection of data, and development of evidence-based explanations.
TI is drawing from its extensive portfolio of over 1,000 unique hands-on activities to identify which are most effective in support-ing engagement with, and recognition of, the NGSS practices. These “practice-rich activities” have features that actively engage students in the science and engineering practices, such an experiment’s repeatability (to foster argumen-tation) or readily observable outcomes and quantifiable variables (to foster modeling and data analysis).
Julie Yu, director, Exploratorium Teacher Institute, San Francisco
Scientific Tools and Techniques (STT) students explore microbes. Photo by Tony Madden
Dimensions November • December 2014 47
Since its launch in 2003, the National Continuing Education Program for Teachers at the Mirador Interactive Museum (MIM) in Santiago, Chile, has served more than 7,000 teachers, mostly from low-income schools in different regions of the country (www.mim.cl/prontus_mim/site/edic/base/port/profesores.html).
The program extends the MIM’s “learning through action” methodology to formal classroom spaces through a wide range of workshops, lectures, and free courses. The Chilean Ministry of Education—which provides 70% of the MIM’s annual bud-get—reviews, certifies, and supervises the program.
Through the program, teachers of all grade levels, from preschool to secondary school, acquire new methodological, student-centered, creative, hands-on strategies for teaching sci-ence. The program also keeps teachers up to date with changes to the national school curriculum, including a new emphasis on scientific investigation and experimentation skills, intended to improve Chilean students’ currently poor performance in sci-ence and math.
We aim to give teachers a higher level of satisfaction in their work, which ultimately will improve the quality of learning of their students. The MIM presents an extension of the class-room, providing an interactive approach to science, motivating students, and helping them to develop critical thinking skills.
Luz Lindegaard, educational director, Mirador Interactive Museum, Santiago, Chile
courses that have helped science teachers to further develop standards-based lessons. One example of this was the use of the 9th-grade program Scientific Tools and Techniques (STT) as a model for a workshop for biology teachers entitled STT for Teachers. The participating instructors learned about the research-based, hands-on approach this course takes in teaching students how to explore the world around them.
Fernbank instructional staff members apply their scien-tific expertise to help the district personnel fully realize the potential of new standards. As part of the school district, we are an integral part of the team in rolling out new standards in DeKalb County.
Douglas J. Hrabe, director, Fernbank Science Center, DeKalb County School System, Atlanta A teacher engages in a mechanisms and circuits course at the MIM. Photo by Eliette Angel/MIM
48 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Teaching STEM with Real-World Relevance in SingaporeBy TM Lim
Minister Heng’s vision is a sharp departure from the current state of education in Singapore. In our schools today, teachers typically focus on prepar-ing students to do well on national examinations. Parents and students are very anxious about these exams, particularly the Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE) that students take at age 12. High PSLE scores will get students into one of Singapore’s elite secondary schools, which are considered the key to a bright future. Another national exam at age 18 determines whether students will get into a univer-sity. Hence the focus in schools is on studying to score well on exams, rather than on lifelong learning or mastering knowledge and 21st-century skills rel-evant to a career in an ever-changing market.
Soon after Minister Heng declared his vision, the Ministry of Education (MOE) asked Science Centre Singapore, as one of its 10 statutory boards,1 to cre-ate a program to support the minister’s goals. We were given less than one month to come up with the concept and figure out staffing. When I agreed to help, our Science Centre Board told me I was crazy
In September 2013, Singapore’s Minister for Education Swee Keat Heng shared his vision of making
“Every School a Good School.” His idea of a good school is one that provides a solid education to all
students and encourages them to become confident, self-motivated, lifelong learners.
to accept such a big task. My reply was, “If we don’t do it, who will?”
DEVELOPING STEM INC
By February 2014, Science Centre Singapore had set up its new STEM INC unit, which developed and implemented the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Applied Learning Program (STEM ALP). The program enables secondary school students, ages 13 to 15, to apply what they have learned in STEM subjects to innovate solutions to real-world problems. STEM INC aims to give our students a strong sense of ownership in their own learning while helping them see the relevance of STEM to their future career options. We hope the emphasis on real-world applications will stimulate their curi-osity and interest in science. The MOE provided funding to establish the program.
The name “STEM INC” represents (1) students incorporating STEM knowledge into real-world problem solving and (2) students beginning to see STEM as an enterprise through which they can
1. A statutory board is an organization given autonomy to perform an operational function by legal statutes passed as Acts in the Parliament.
Dimensions November • December 2014 49
create wealth or a future for themselves. STEM INC provides interactive
and hands-on experiences within eight domains: engineering and robotics, infor-mation and communications technology and programming, food science and tech-nology, environmental science and sus-tainable living, materials science, health science and technology, transportation and communication, and simulation and modeling. The Curriculum Planning and Development Division of the MOE works closely with STEM INC to advise schools on which domains to focus on to fit the needs and aspirations of their students and teachers.
The STEM ALP curriculum is designed by specialists that Science Centre Singapore recruited from out-side the formal school education system through a full-page advertisement in the local newspaper. Some of these special-ists are retired professors or engineers, while some younger specialists come with years of research and development experience. To further enhance student learning with real-world relevance, STEM INC also enlists business and industrial partners (such as Micron and Broadcom) to work with the schools. These companies provide STEM role mod-els and internships to students and professional development to teachers.
PUTTING THE PROGRAM INTO PRACTICE
STEM INC operates from our science center and deploys curriculum specialists and STEM educators to train teachers and work with them to co-develop and co-teach STEM lessons. The actual lessons and activities are conducted in the classroom as part of the regular school day. This allows the STEM
lessons to be integrated into the formal curriculum, so that they are not seen as an extra requirement or a burden.
Lessons and hands-on activities bridge concep-tual understanding of the curriculum to applications in real-world scenarios. For example, students might apply what they have learned about biology, elec-tronics, computer programming, and microcontroller technology to build an electronic heartbeat sensor.
There is no examination in the STEM ALP. This is a very big change in mindset for teaching and learning in Singapore and frees schools from per-petually using an exam-driven teaching approach.
Students and a STEM educator (center) discuss how they will build a cardboard house model. Photo courtesy Science Centre Singapore
50 November • December 2014 Dimensions
We believe that when students find learning fun and relevant, they will be motivated to learn and will improve their exam results.
FEEDBACK AND IMPACT
In the first phase of the implementation in 2014, 19 schools embarked on the program. During phase two, in the second half of the year, 23 more schools decided to join. We aim to bring the program to 60 to 80 of Singapore’s secondary schools by 2017.
Feedback from school principals and teachers has been encouraging. For example, the principal of Greendale Secondary School said he witnessed genuine engagement and collaborative learning when he visited the classrooms. He also noted that the level of enthusiasm for learning was equally high in classes of all achievement levels.
STEM INC offers all students a chance to blos-som, especially those who might otherwise be left out because their performance on the PSLE did not qualify them for the most prestigious second-ary schools. Some parents have expressed their
happiness in seeing their children having access to tools like microprocessors, 3D printers, and robotics, which otherwise are available only in elite schools.
STEM INC hopes to help schools develop a new learning philosophy that allows students to enjoy learning because they are motivated by the intrinsic meaning and relevance of STEM in their lives.
To quote Minister Heng, “Our aim is simple. It is to equip our students with the critical competencies and dispositions to succeed in a knowledge economy.” n
TM Lim ([email protected]) is CEO of Science Centre Singapore.
Students at the Geylang Methodist School work together to construct a cardboard house model under the supervision of a curriculum specialist recruited by Science Centre Singapore (second from right). Photo courtesy Science Centre Singapore
STEM INC hopes to help schools develop a new learning philosophy that allows students to enjoy learning because they are motivated by the intrinsic
meaning and relevance of STEM in their lives.
Dimensions November • December 2014 51
South African Education 20 Years into DemocracyBy David KramerIn 1994, South Africa’s first democratically elected government inherited an education system crip-
pled by Apartheid—economically, geographically, and racially segmented, and in need of total recon-
struction. After 20 years, the nation has made much progress in healing the school system:
• PreK enrollment has tripled in the last decade.
• The number of black Grade 12 exam candidates grew from 30,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 2013.
• The annual expenditure per child has doubled in the last six years.
• There has been a slow but steady improvement in the quality of education as measured both by the number of children achieving passing grades and the quality of those passes.
There are, however, many seriously disturbing and persistent problems in schooling that overshadow much of the progress made. Progress is inequitable and more evident in middle class and affluent com-munities. Many schools, particularly in communities impacted by poverty, remain dysfunctional. Over 55% of Grade 1 cohorts drop out before completing Grade 12.
Poor science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is one of the most serious issues facing the nation’s education system. South Africa seems glued to the bottom of international rank-ings in this area. In 2013, more than 88% of Grade 9 students failed the national mathematics bench-marking tests. Improving STEM education for the majority of citizens remains a major challenge for provincial educational authorities in South Africa’s nine provinces.
A SCIENCE CENTER’S ROLE
Since 2006, South Africa has had a national strat-egy to improve STEM education. The province of
Gauteng is the economic heart of South Africa and needs a strong pool of STEM skills. In 2010, the Gauteng government adopted a strategy as a blue-print for achievement in these gateway subjects, involving interventions such as curriculum support, supplementary tutoring, teacher training and sup-port, materials development, information and com-munications technology in education, equipment
A Grade 11 student builds a robot as part of Sci-Bono’s Electronics Club for youth from disadvantaged inner cities and townships. Photo courtesy Sci-Bono
52 November • December 2014 Dimensions
number of underperforming schools in Gauteng has decreased from 188 in 2009 to 19 in 2013. Sci-Bono’s flagship support program, which offers free weekly supplementary tutoring to 62,000 Grade 12 students in 156 sites across the province, won the UN Public Service Award this year.
OUR SECRETS OF SUCCESS
Besides luck and hard work, there are other impor-tant drivers behind Sci-Bono’s success:
• As a science center, Sci-Bono has a greater appe-tite than government for creativity, innovation, and risk tolerance.
• Sci-Bono straddles the public-private sector divide. We draw on skills and resources from both and forge partnerships to tackle educational challenges.
• We blend and mix formal and informal educa-tional approaches.
• We actively strive to do things more efficiently, quickly, cost-effectively, and successfully than government.
• We rely on cooperation from departmental offi-cials and need their help, so we often let them take credit for success.
• We ensure transparency, acknowledge errors, and adapt quickly.
The relationship between Sci-Bono and the GDE is both unusual and, to my knowledge, without prec-edent. We are making up the rules and building the model as we go. Its strength lies in a relationship that gives us the independence to be innovative along with a strong interface with government that enables us to implement programs across the main-stream school system. The model is not perfect nor without risk, but we really believe that it’s worth tak-ing the experiment as far as we can. n
David Kramer ([email protected]) is CEO of the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
and resource procurement, STEM management pro-grams, and even STEM policy formation.
The mandate to implement this strategy was given to the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, the coun-try’s largest science center, which is located in Johannesburg in Gauteng province. This effectively relocated responsibility to improve STEM education from government to Sci-Bono.
Sci-Bono is an independent nonprofit organi-zation, funded by a range of donors including the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), which provides more than 95% of our annual budget. Since 2010, Sci-Bono has been treated as a component of the GDE, although we remain legally independent.
SUPPORTING STEM EDUCATION
Sci-Bono now implements a wide range of formal and informal programs, projects, and interventions to support the delivery of formal STEM education across Grades 3 to 12 in public schools. These include
• teaching physics and chemistry courses in under-performing high schools
• teaching math in disadvantaged primary schools
• offering free walk-in afterschool tutoring pro-grams for Grade 12 students
• managing all STEM teacher training and class-room support
• broadcasting real-time virtual Grade 8 and 9 math lessons to 220 secondary schools every day
• running provincial robotics, rocketry, math, engi-neering, astronomy, and other competitions
• implementing STEM talent development pro-grams for high-potential learners in poverty-stricken communities.
Since Sci-Bono began implementing these interven-tions in 2010, the Grade 12 pass rate in math and sci-ence in underperforming high schools in Gauteng has increased from 40% to 65%. In addition, the
Dimensions November • December 2014 53
Bringing Science Centers to the Forefront in U.S. Education LawBy Kevin Frank
In 2012, 76% of ASTC-member science centers and museums in the United
States provided teacher workshops or institutes, helping veteran educators excel
and removing barriers for those with limited experience teaching science. Yet,
while science centers are often at the forefront as providers of teacher profes-
sional development (PD), they are considered as an afterthought in U.S. law.
Section 2131 of the current U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) establishes that the “eli-gible partnerships” allowed to compete for Title II teacher PD funds must con-sist of a university or a school district (www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg23.html#sec2131). It is only after that
requirement is satisfied that eligible partnerships may also include science centers or other nonprofit education organizations. As a result, these teacher PD funds rarely reach science centers. Many science centers are now asking their senators and representatives in the U.S. Congress to change the language
Students engage in a construction activity that their teacher learned as part of a professional development course at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Photo by J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry
of ESEA so that nonprofit, community-based science centers may compete directly for these funds.
For the past few years, ASTC’s Public Policy Committee has made this policy change one of its key priorities for action. ASTC’s Legislative Action Center (www.congressweb.com/sciencetechnology-centers)—which is used to alert ASTC members about key public policy issues impacting their institutions and provide them with a quick, easy way to contact their senators and representatives—has helped the Association lead the way in uniting the field to take action. Each
54 November • December 2014 Dimensions
time ASTC issues an alert, hundreds of science center advocates send mes-sages to Capitol Hill legislators and staff. One result of this united science center advocacy is that inclusive eligibility lan-guage now resides in both the U.S. Senate Committee version of ESEA reauthoriza-tion bill (the Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013, S. 1094) and the House of Representatives’ Student Success Act of 2013 (H.R. 5). (You can view PDFs of the bills at thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php. The eligibility language appears on page 1737 of S. 1094 and page 249 of H.R. 5.)
Updated ESEA legislation has received
Teachers build a terrarium as part of a professional development program at the Museum of Science and Industry. Photo by J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry
committee approval, but remains stalled in both the U.S. Senate and House. No vote is scheduled yet, but the Members of Congress who will eventually reauthorize ESEA will need steady reminding of how science center teacher PD activities align with research-based best practices, rec-ommendations, and definitions in ESEA (Section 9101, Public Law 107-110, www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg107.html#sec9101). These recommendations include activities that increase teachers’ knowledge of academic subjects; are sus-tained, intensive, and classroom-focused (not one-day workshops); and are an
integral part of broad, school district–wide educational improvement plans. Science center teacher PD activities should also be evaluated for impact on student achievement, a measure of great importance to our field and funders. (See the sidebar on page 55 for an example of how evaluation of the impact of teacher PD on both teachers and students has been used to demonstrate the value of science centers’ work to policy makers.)
To help further the momentum of sci-ence centers as they embrace their role in shaping science education, consider calling your representatives in Congress.
Dimensions November • December 2014 55
DOCUMENTING AND SHARING THE IMPACT OF TEACHER
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON STUDENTS
By Kevin Frank and Nicole Kowrach
When science centers make their case for support, policy makers frequently ask them to provide solid evidence of the impact of their programs. Considerable lit-erature suggests that high-quality professional development (PD) can improve teacher practice; however, very little evidence exists on how improved teacher practice impacts student achievement in science.
In March, the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), Chicago, announced the results of a study confirming that PD offered by its Institute for Quality Science Teaching (IQST, www.msichicago.org/education/teacher-courses) positively impacts students. Michigan State University’s Education Policy Center, with funding provided by the Boeing Corporation, complet-ed the comprehensive analysis led by William Schmidt, a leading expert on K–12 science and math curriculum and assessment.
IQST provides free five- or six-day courses focusing on Earth, space, life, physical, and envi-ronmental science for fourth- to eighth-grade teachers with lim-ited or no background in science or science teaching. Since 2006, 805 teachers from 320 schools (one-third of Chicago’s public K–8 schools) have participated in IQST courses. MSI gives prior-ity to teachers at schools with
predominately low-income popu-lations. Teachers are recruited in pairs to ensure support back at school, and they also receive lesson plans, materials, and other resources.
In the study, both teachers par-ticipating in IQST courses and a control group took pre- and post-course tests. Their students took a traditional paper and pencil test, and researchers also measured students’ applied knowledge in the context of a museum field trip. Teachers in the treatment group significantly outperformed their peers in the control group. Researchers determined with a high degree of confidence that these improvements were due to teachers’ participation in IQST courses. The students of the treatment group teachers also performed much better and were more successful at applying what they learned. (For a summary of findings and the full report, visit
msichicago.org/casestudy.)
With research-confirmed suc-cess, MSI is sharing its findings with policy makers. During a U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space, and Technology Full Committee Hearing on March 26, the study was cited as an example of the value science centers bring to the table for both teachers and students.
Kevin Frank ([email protected]) is director of government relations and foundation giving, and Nicole Kowrach ([email protected]) is director of teaching and learning, both at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.
Inquire about opportunities such as con-gressional hearings or open comment periods offered by an agency like the U.S. Department of Education when devel-oping its strategic plan. Opportunities like these will enable you to share your impact and remind Congress that sci-ence centers fill gaps in our local educa-tion systems. n
Kevin Frank ([email protected]) is director of government relations and foundation giving at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, and co-chair of ASTC’s public policy committee.
56 September • October 2014 Dimensions
Dimensions November • December 2014 57
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded Museums for America Grants to 28 ASTC members:
• American Museum of Natural History, New York City: $147,571 to rehouse and treat items in its Siberian collections
• Bakken Library and Museum, Minneapolis: $146,000 to develop the exhibition Mary and Her Monster: Mary Shelley and the World that Created Frankenstein
• Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito, California: $149,911 to train 500 preK–5 educators
• Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: $149,611 for hands-on learning for youth aging out of the foster care system
• Clay Center for Arts and Sciences of West Virginia, Charleston: $138,709 to create professional learn-ing communities of teachers and afterschool staff
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science: $149,940 to enhance man-agement of its North American Plains Nations Clothing and Accessories Collection
• Discovery Museums, Acton, Massachusetts: $149,477 to create the Brain Building Zone early learning gallery
• ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, Vermont: $150,000 to create a master plan to transform its Leahy Center for Lake Champlain campus
• Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, Massachusetts: $149,988 to develop biological species “stories”
• Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley: $149,974 to implement the Mobile Inventor’s Lab model outreach program
• Long Island Children’s Museum, Garden City, New York: $150,000 for its Theater Program Expansion Project, and $150,000 to provide expanded professional development for teachers and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learn-ing opportunities for first and second graders
• Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, Poughkeepsie, New York: $146,799 to enhance school readiness for under-served preschoolers
• miSci (Museum of Innovation and Science), Schenectady, New York: $149,793 for out-of-school time STEM experiences for underserved youth and families
• MOSI, Tampa, Florida: $149,600 to create a youth science, technol-ogy, engineering, arts, and math program designed by neighborhood participants
• Muncie Children’s Museum, Indiana: $150,000 for the exhibition Discovery Park
• Museum of Flight, Seattle: $19,163 to rehouse and catalog its aviation manual collection
• Museum of Science, Boston: $150,000 to prototype exhibit ele-ments for the Charles River Gallery
• Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana: $71,972 for a new K–12 field trip program
• New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn: $150,000 to develop the exhibition Bringing Back the City: Transportation First Responders
• North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh: $112,679 for an external evaluation of the museum’s Nature Research Center
• Pacific Science Center, Seattle: $149,847 to expand its STEM– Out-of-School Time model
• Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas: $150,000 to launch and evaluate a STEM teacher insti-tute and mentor program
• Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul: $66,225 to create three live the-ater productions highlighting current research
• Sciencenter, Ithaca, New York: $150,000 to help parents, caregivers, and educators to integrate STEM into activities for preschool children
• Staten Island Children’s Museum, New York: $95,000 to transform a roof deck into an outdoor exhibit
• Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, California: $149,710 to develop design-challenge exhibits
• Wild Center, Tupper Lake, New York: $144,736 to design installations for an elevated walkway through the Adirondack forest
• Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, Connecticut: $136,615 to purchase storage cabinets for its invertebrate zoology collection.
In addition, IMLS has awarded four National Leadership Grants for Museums to the following ASTC members:
• Balboa Park Online Collaborative, San Diego (including Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and San Diego Natural History Museum): $419,030 to create a digital disaster planning and recovery model for museums
• Museum of Science, Boston: $460,292 to unite science centers in the systematic collection, analysis, and reporting of visitor experience data
• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland: $298,694 to develop a business plan outlining how to use a museum café to educate the public
• Wild Center, Tupper Lake, New York: $391,371 for a model program for science museums adapted from the Visual Thinking Strategies teaching method.
grants and awards
58 November • December 2014 Dimensions
Q&A
“An old person in a lab coat”: This is the stereotypical image of a scientist that Rabiah Mayas works to dismiss. As director of science and integrated strategies at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), Chicago, Mayas helps fulfill the museum’s mission to inspire and motivate children of all backgrounds to achieve their full potential in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.
What’s a typical day like for you? I think for most of us in museums, there isn’t any such thing as a typical day, which is great. I have the privilege of being responsible for a multidisciplinary team. We may be develop-ing instruments, meeting with partners, collecting data, or prototyping new programs for our digital fabrication labora-tory [Fab Lab, www.msichicago.org/whats-here/fab-lab].
Tell me more about the Fab Lab.It’s a fantastic space focused on inspiring young people to think of themselves as designers, engineers, and innovators. People have an opportunity to get their hands on cutting-edge technology. In just 20 minutes, guests can come in with no design experience and leave with something that they’ve designed themselves. For example, guests can scan their own heads and then modify their files and print them on the 3D printer. They leave with miniature busts of themselves. That’s definitely a popular one. It’s important for us that the technol-ogy is not hidden but that it’s transparent and hands-on, so there’s a real sense of agency and ownership.
Is there an anecdote from your work that you’ve found particularly rewarding?We had a student who came into the Fab Lab really apprehen-sive and not particularly interested in the space. She quickly became a mentor to other students and applied the Fab Lab to her personal interest in fashion and design. That was exciting because we recognize that a young person’s full potential in the sciences isn’t always a career in science, per se. But we know that engaging with science helps everybody achieve his or her full potential.
Why are you passionate about involving youth and underserved communities with science?The museum as a whole is invested in ensuring that all populations have opportunities to engage with science. I think museums are extraordinary places for leveling the playing field. At MSI, we work hard to identify barriers and challenges different populations may have in accessing science—be those socioeconomic challenges or language barriers or a fear of sci-ence—and then we do our best to lower or eliminate them. We also do program evaluation to understand what our audiences need; we’re constantly refining what we’re offering.
How can other museums and science centers make science fun and relevant for youth?We focus on exposing our audiences to nontraditional careers. Science is at all levels in every industry. We have programs that bring science professionals from all back-grounds, ages, ethnicities, and educational levels to interact with our audiences and show what science looks like and what scientists can look like. The ability to identify with diverse science professionals highlights what we think is great about science, which is that it’s everywhere and there are opportunities for everyone to explore it.
Rabiah MayasInterviewed by Joelle Seligson
For a podcast and full transcript of this interview, visit www.astc.org/blog/category/astc-dimensions/q-and-a.
Rabiah Mayas in the Fab Lab. Photo by J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry
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