richardaudet@gmail.comNovember 1, 2012

Professional Development

Pathways for the Future

of ScienceTnSELA Annual Conference

My Assumptions about the TnSELA Audience

As Science Education leaders the last thing you want/need is another broad overview of the NGSS.

Sooner or later, everyone in this group will provide some type of NGSS-related professional development.

One of your goals for such PD experiences will be to engage teachers in active learning about NGSS.

So, all of you will have to design active and worthwhile PD activities.

But, there is no need for busy people like you to redesign the same wheel.

Workshop Format

Focuses on designing Professional Development experiences in terms of goals-driven modules.

That is: If your goal is to…; then here are some possible alternatives.

Reviews examples of activities that you can adopt/adapt/mix and match to target specific Professional Development goals.

All materials are either linked to or posted at TN Curriculum Center under: Science/Next Generation Science Standards/ TnSELA Workshop.

If you want to explore pre-conceived ideas

or beliefs about the NGSS…

Then, consider a Consensogram. Almost everything I’ve heard so far about the NGSS has been

positive. Having a single set of science standards for all US students is a

beautiful thing. The NGSS will most likely be “same old; same old” and have

little effect on what students actually learn or are able to do in Science.

I’m eager for the NGSS to be finalized so that I can begin to implement them in my classroom.

Successful implementation of NGSS is going to require extensive, high-quality Professional Development for teachers.

If you want to Assess a Group’s Prior Knowledge of NGSS…

Then, consider a NGSS Card Sort.

If you want to introduce Guiding Principles of the Framework for

Science Education…Then, consider a Four Corners Inquiry All children are born to investigate. As early as kindergarten all students should have

learning experiences that engage them in science investigations and engineering design projects.

For students to be proficient in Science and Engineering they must possesses both knowledge and the ability to do certain things.

All scientific disciplines share a common set of themes or big ideas.

Every student is capable of becoming a critical consumers of the scientific information needed to understand the natural and human-made worlds.

“Children are born investigators who strive to make sense of and influence

their world.”

Framework and NGSS: Guiding

Principles

Children are born investigators. Over multiple years students have learning

experiences that explore fundamental questions about the world and engage in science investigations and engineering design projects.

Science and Engineering incorporate both knowledge and practices.

Students apply Crosscutting Concepts to deepen their understanding of Disciplinary Core Ideas.

ALL students should be critical consumers of scientific information and enjoy a current understanding of the natural and human-made worlds.

If you want to introduce information about Dimension One…

… and think it wise to compare the new NGSS Science

& Engineering Practices with familiar TN Embedded Standards…

Then, you might begin with a Cross-Comparison/Crosswalk

Then, you might consider a Jigsaw of a NSTA science and engineering practices

handout.

If you want to explore the eight Science and Engineering Practices

in detail…

If you want to investigate the NGSS’System Architecture…

Then, you might begin with a Jigsaw of the “How to Read the NGSS” handout.

If you want to explain the NGSS System Architecture in detail…

Then consider using the following slides.

Integrating the Three Dimensions:Performance Expectations

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Science & Engineering Practices

Crosscutting

ConceptsPractices are the processes of using Core Ideas to make sense of the natural and designed world, and Crosscutting Concepts hold the disciplines together.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Science & Engineering Practices

Crosscutting

Concepts

Communicate information about the relationship between/

“Standards” are Expressed as Assessable Performance

Expectations

Explicit learning goals for students and instructional targets for teachers: e.g.,

the structure and function of/special structures within cells.

Reading the NGSS Foundation Boxes:

Science & Engineering Practices

Reading the NGSS Foundation Boxes: Disciplinary Core Ideas

Reading the NGSS Foundation Boxes:

Cross Cutting Concepts

Reading the NGSS: Connection Boxes

If you want to dig deeply into the content of the NGSS…

Then you might consider having teachers Unpack a Performance Expectation.

If you want to compare the NGSS Science and Engineering, Common Core

Mathematical Practices…

Then you might consider using a Compare and Contrast Thinking

Diagram.

Or, to compare NGSS, CCSSM, and CCSSELA…

Then consider a Venn Diagram

If you want to better understand some issues surrounding the

transition to NGSS…

TnSELA Challenge Questions - How can we apply this model to:

• heighten the level of understanding of NGSS?• accelerate the pace of NGSS implementation?

Then you might introduce the Dreyfus Model through Plus-Minus Interesting.

Twenty-Five Ideas for Building Goals-Driven Professional Development

Modules

25

Here’s something I just learned about NGSS that I want to share

with you…