What new insights do you have about the crosscutting concepts?

[Eric Brunsell]

1.  What new insights do you have about the crosscutting concepts?

[fende]

I still find the Cross-Cutting Concepts to be the hardest "foundation" to really wrap my head around, and I wonder about methods to helping teachers see their importance in professional development I provide.  I did like the reference to CCCs as being a "lens" through which to view the world.  I think that is a very good way to visualize these themes, and likely a good starting point for helping teachers to think about putting them into practice.  I also see them as a "homebase" of sorts; a point to rally around across the scientific disciplines and those of other content areas as well.

[Tammy Huenink]

New insights: I did like the introduction.  In my district we always hear "What do we want students to know."   I like the reference of  "What do we want students to do and what do they need to know to do it?"  I think the reference that science education should be a combination of both knowledge and practice is important.  I have seen many teachers just teach from a book and say they cover a topic.

[pat...@wolfnet.net]

On Saturday, May 25, 2013 10:16:39 AM UTC-5, Eric Brunsell wrote:

> 1.  What new insights do you have about the crosscutting concepts?

I do not think I have anything new to add about crosscutting concepts... it is basically a new name for an old concept. We want students to make connections between science disciplines as well as across the curriculum as a whole. This puts emphasis on this within the NGSS. This is exactly what we want, to lead students to make those connections on their own as they develop their thinking skills.

[Deborah Hilscher Middle School]

 I believe that crosscutting concepts will be the platform that will help students relate the knowledge from the science fields and across units. While these ideas have been around for along time (under different names), I think because of the design of NGSS they will become more a focus.  These concepts will provide common vocabulary that can use used whether they are study the universe or cells.

On Saturday, May 25, 2013 10:16:39 AM UTC-5, Eric Brunsell wrote:

[emq...@gmail.com]

I think the cross-cutting concepts will help to bridge some gaps between units when teaching science, especially in elementary school where different science disciplines are taught by one teacher in a given year.  Not only will they help students, but these concepts will help teachers to make connections between previously taught information.  Some of the concepts also relate well to other content areas (cause and effect, patterns, etc.).

On Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:16:39 AM UTC-4, Eric Brunsell wrote:

[Theresa Stockel]

The cross cutting concepts are absolutely the same as the unifying concepts of the NSES! The idea that there are big ideas that all disciplines within science use is crucial to have students understand. When the students starting saying "this is like that lesson in biology when we looked at energy" while they are in physics or chemistry, we will know they are starting to grasp the big picture.
One CCC may be more obvious in a unit than the others, but really, they travel as a gang! We have to incorporate them everywhere.

[nde...@gmail.com]

Looking at the crosscutting concepts helps to remind me that making connections is the critical piece to the successful learning of students. I really try to emphasize in my classroom to make connections to the outside world. As talked about in the video, having a "lens" to view the world, that to me is the foundation of success in teaching. It is incredibly essential to help the students to connect to the world around them. By grasping the concepts and being engaged in actually using these concepts in real life,it will truly benefit each individual as they continue to learn and grow.