A Bold Experiment

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A Bold Experiment

Teachers team with scientists to learn Next Generation Science Standards

By Sharon L. Gilman and Martha C. Fout

February 2017

Vol. 38 No. 1

The Next Generation Science Standards place an emphasis on the practices of science and engineering, where ensuring that students understand and experience how science works is as important as, or maybe more important than, memorizing facts. The idea is that, while some facts may change, the practices will always be applicable, and it is important for citizens to understand how scientists arrive at their conclusions, in addition to what those conclusions are. The standards’ emphasis on the practices of science represents a culmination of the long-running understanding that people learn science by doing science. In the classroom, this has translated to inquiry-based lessons, where students design and conduct experiments, form explanations from evidence, evaluate and justify those explanations, and communicate their work. The question is:

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Sharon L. Gilman ([email protected]) is associate professor of biology at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. Martha C. Fout ([email protected]) is a science learning specialist for grades 6-12 in Horry County Schools in Conway, South Carolina.

References

Ball, D.L. & Cohen, D.K. (1999). Developing practice, developing practioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education. In G. Sykes & L. Darling-Hammond (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 3-32). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Huffman, D., Thomas, K., & Lawrenz, F. (2003). Relationship between professional development, teachers’ instructional practices, and achievement of students in science and mathematics. School Science and Mathematics, 103(8), 378-387.

National Research Council. (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Trowbridge, L. & Bybee, R. (1996). Secondary school science: Strategies for developing scientific literacy (6th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.