Teaching to the Standard in

Science Education

By:Jennifer Grzelak

& Bonnie Middleton

The National Science Education Standards

• Produced by the National Research Council in 1995– Published in 1996

• 4 years to complete• 22 scientific and science

education societies– Over 18,000 individual contributors

6 Aspects of Science Education…

• Standards for science teaching.• Standards for professional development

for teachers of science.• Standards for assessment in science

education.• Standards for science content.• Standards for science education

programs.• Standards for science education systems.

Science Teaching Standards – Assumption #1

• The vision of science education described by the Standards requires changes throughout the entire system.

Science Teaching Standards – Assumption #2

• What students learn is greatly influenced by how they are taught.

Science Teaching Standards – Assumption #3

• The actions of teachers are deeply influenced by their perceptions of science as an enterprise and as a subject to be taught and learned.

Science Teaching Standards – Assumption #4

• Student understanding is actively constructed through individual and social processes.

Science Teaching Standards – Assumption #5

• Actions of teachers are deeply influenced by their understanding of and relationships with students.

Teaching Standard A:

• Teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their students. In doing this, teachers…– Develop a framework of yearlong and short-term

goals for students.– Select science content and adapt and design

curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students.

– Select teaching and assessment strategies that support the development of student understanding and nurture a community of science learners.

– Work together as colleagues within and across disciplines and grade levels.

Teaching Standard B:

• Teachers of science guide and facilitate learning. In doing this, teachers…– Focus and support inquiries while interacting with

students.– Orchestrate discourse among students about

scientific ideas.– Challenge students to accept and share

responsibility for their own learning.– Recognize and respond to student diversity and

encourage all students to participate fully in science learning.

– Encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new ideas and data, and skepticism that characterize science.

Teaching Standard C:• Teachers of science engage in ongoing

assessment of their teaching and of student learning. In doing this, teachers…– Use multiple methods and systematically gather

data about student understanding and ability.– Analyze assessment data to guide teaching.– Guide students in self-assessment.– Use student data, observations of teaching, and

interactions with colleagues to reflect on and improve teaching practice.

– Use student data, observations of teaching, and interactions with colleagues to report student achievement and opportunities to learn for students, teachers, parents, policy makers, and the general public.

Teaching Standard D:• Teachers of science design and manage

learning environments that provide students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning science. In doing this, teachers…– Structure the time available so that students are

able to engage in extended investigations.– Create a setting for student work that is flexible

and supportive of science inquiry.– Ensure a safe working environment.– Make the available science tools, materials, media,

and technological resources accessible to students.– Identify and use resources outside the school.– Engage students in designing the learning

environment.

Teaching Standard E:• Teachers of science develop communities of science

learners that reflect the intellectual rigor of science inquiry and the attitudes and social values conductive to science learning. In doing this, teachers…– Display and demand respect for the diverse ideas, skills, and

experiences of all students.– Enable students to have a significant voice in decisions about

the content and context of their work and requires students to take responsibility for the learning of all members of the community.

– Nurture collaboration among students.– Structure and facilitate ongoing formal and informal

discussion based on a shared understanding of rules of scientific discourse.

– Model and emphasize the skills, attitudes, and values of scientific inquiry.

Teaching Standard F:

• Teachers of science actively participate in the ongoing planning and development of the school science program. In doing this, teachers…– Plan and develop the school science program.– Participate in decisions concerning the

allocation of time and other resources to the science program.

– Participate fully in planning and implementing professional growth and development strategies for themselves and their colleagues.

The 8 Categories of Content Standards…

• 1. Unifying concepts and processes in science.

• 2. Science as an inquiry.• 3. Physical science.• 4. Life science.• 5. Earth and space science.• 6. Science and technology.• 7. Science in personal and social

perspectives.• 8. History and nature of science.

Illinois State Standards

• State Goal 11: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments and solve problems.– A. Know and apply the concepts, principles

and processes of scientific inquiry.– B. Know and apply the concepts, principles

and processes of technological design.

Illinois State Standards (cont’d.)

• State Goal 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.– A. Know and apply concepts that explain how living

things function, adapt and change.– B. Know and apply concepts that describe how living

things interact with each other and with the environment.

– C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.

– D. Know and apply concepts that describe force and motion and the principles that explain them.

– E. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and its resources.

– F. Know and apply concepts that explain the composition and structure of the universe and Earth’s place in it.

Illinois State Standards (cont’d.)

• State Goal 13: Understand the relationship among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.– A. Know and apply accepted practices

of science.– B. Know and apply concepts that

describe the interaction between science, technology and society.

Project 2061• Project 2061 was founded by The American

Association for the Advancement of  Science (AAAS) in 1985.

• Their goal was to help all Americans become literate in areas such as Science, Mathematics, and technology.

• This project’s work received a honorable reputation as the “single most visible attempt at science education reform in American history” (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, 1996).

Project 2061: Science for all Americans

• Science for all Americans (SFAA) was published in 1989 by the AAAS.

• SFAA defines science literacy and lays out some principles for effective learning and teaching.

• Purpose of the project was to find out what was most crucial for the future generation to “know and be able to do in science, mathematics, and technology- what would make them science literate”.

Project 2061: Science for all Americans (cont’d.)• SFAA shows a comprehensible

visualization of science literacy that many groups can use for various purposes.

• Serves as the basis for recent attempts at improving science education in the U.S. and beyond.

What is Science Literacy? • Science for all Americans emphasizes the

connections among ideas in the following areas for learning: – *The Nature of Science

*The Nature of Mathematics*The Nature of Technology*The Physical Setting*The Living Environment*The Human Organism*Human Society*The Designed World*The Mathematical World*Historical Perspectives*Common Themes*Habits of Mind*Effective learning & teaching & reforming education

Science for all Americans: Curriculum

• Provides educators, parents, school administration and policymakers a guide to where the K-12 curriculum should be covering.

• The book also serves as a tool for educators to refresh their knowledge content and learn new information.

• Courses have been made around the topics in SFAA through Project 2061's CD-ROM, Resources for Science Literacy: Professional Development.

• This CD-ROM teaches specific science literacy concepts and topics.

“Science for All Americans presents a unified vision of science literacy that serves as a basis for discussions of the skills and knowledge that our nation’s students should have.”

(Science for All Americans, Education for a Changing Future)