Discuss Shifts One and Five

[brun...@uwosh.edu]

Shift One: The NGSS reflect how science is done in the real world by intertwining three dimensions: Scientific and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. Scientists ask and answer questions to further our understanding of the world around us. Engineers define problems and design solutions to solve problems. The intent of NGSS is to weave the three dimensions together to reflect the work of scientists and engineers. For example, students are expected to use scientific and engineering practices and apply crosscutting concepts to develop an understanding of disciplinary core ideas. This is a conceptual shift from most state and district standards, which separate these dimensions in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Curriculum often initially focuses on the science process skills of inquiry without emphasizing science content. To prepare students for the competitive global economy, we must equip them with the skills and information to develop a sense of contextual understanding of scientific knowledge: how scientists acquire it, how engineers apply it, and how it is connected through crosscutting concepts. These understandings can be achieved by interlocking the three dimensions. Therefore, each NGSS performance expectation integrates scientific and engineering practices to understand disciplinary core ideas and connect ideas across disciplines by applying crosscutting concepts.

Shift Five: The NGSS integrate science, technology, and engineering throughout grades K–12. The NGSS integrate applications of science, technology, and engineering into the disciplinary core ideas along with life, Earth, space, and physical science. This conceptual shift also raises engineering design to the same level as scientific inquiry. This requires the development of curriculum, instruction, and assessments—as well as teacher preparation—to integrate engineering and technology into the structure of science education. Science and engineering are needed to address challenges we face in our ever-changing world, such as an adequate food supply, clean water, renewable energy, and disease control. Hopefully, students will be motivated to pursue careers rooted in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as a result of early opportunities to apply their scientific knowledge to develop solutions to similar challenges. Integrating science, technology, and engineering into curriculum and instruction empowers students to apply what they learn to their everyday lives beginning in kindergarten, throughout their academic careers, and beyond.

How will this shift benefit student learning in your classroom?

[David Buck]

It seems to me this opens up more doors for hooking kids into the STEM disciplines. If we are thoughtful and careful about how we implement this, we can maintain the excitement and wonder our students usually lose as their learning becomes more "institutionalized". Student learning can focus on big ideas and problem solving, with less focus on compartmentalized knowledge. It is an exciting development.

[Kelli Parr]

I agree David.  I love it when students get lost in a project because they are seriously interested. Integrating science, technology, and engineering seems like it will offer more opportunities for students to be creative problem solvers and make important connections.

[srschaefer]

These shifts are the most exciting to me.  I like how the performance expectations make it so you can't avoid all three dimensions  and through that, you are forced to be doing more real science.  Previous standards said things like "know" and "understand."  I like how the performance expectations explicitly say "develop a model" and use it to "predict."  I will need a lot of help to teach kids how to develop a model of some of these things, but well worth it!  The integration of science, technology, and engineering seems to reinforce the practical aspect of science nicely as well.  It brings science away from just knowing things to doing things.

[Ken Magno]

This change will most affect Life Sciences and the Chemistry end of Physical Science in my district. Currently only in Physics do we do any project based learning (mouse trap cars, egg drop, etc.). I find that for most students following the Confucius saying "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."  works best.

All students need some hands on, independent inquiry with topics and ideas.

On Sunday, April 21, 2013 10:58:24 PM UTC-4, brun...@uwosh.edu wrote:

[Amy Murphy]

I have used inquiry based methods in my instruction for many years, so I am comfortable with combining science practices with core ideas. I do need to work  helping students with the engineering aspects of the NGSS, along with the cross cutting connections.

 

Since I serve teachers in multiple school districts who are not as comfortable with inquiry as I am, I will need to focus on helping them connect the practices to the content they teach.

[brun...@uwosh.edu]

I think one challenge will be to take engineering beyond "building things"  - especially in life and chem.  Engineering can be about designing processes too!

[fende]

Think the inclusion of engineering as a connected piece of "science" is phenomenal.  Why shouldn't students see the direct connection between theory and practice and idea and application?  It is a wonder that this hasn't been happening in all of our schools and districts to a much greater extent.  I think aspects of this can be done fairly easily, without much wheel reinvention, as long as teachers, curriculum developers, and admins have the time to reflect and appropriately plan for these changes.

On Sunday, April 21, 2013 10:58:24 PM UTC-4, brun...@uwosh.edu wrote:

[MS-Gelhaus]

I continually try to make that connection to the real world with the content and projects we do.  I know that students respond better and retain the information longer when they can make that connection. Just a recent example that comes to mind was when we were studying bacteria (as part of the 5 kingdoms in 7th grade- dividing Monera into the 2 bacteria kingdoms)... The didn't seem interested. As soon as I connected them  with a clip of how cell phones have bacteria on them... and we pass that device around... they were hooked.  They also wanted to know more about the "flesh-eating" bacteria they heard about on T.V. and if that was something they could be exposed to. 

It would be great to have a "hotline" where we could ask other teachers what sorts of "real world" connections they make with topics that we, as teachers, might be struggling to discover.

On Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:58:24 PM UTC-5, brun...@uwosh.edu wrote:

[brun...@uwosh.edu]

I like the hotline idea... Any thoughts on infrastructure to help teachers share?

[Marsha Ratzel]

[Tracie Schroeder]

I am hoping this really helps my students realize that science is not just a bunch of random facts, but a coherent body of knowledge that is made up of connections in all directions. My biggest concern is how to really integrate everything while still keeping a focus on the subject being studied.

[Danielle Dorsey]

I see "Hot line", I think a Listserv.  I still consider myself a "young" teacher after teaching 6 years of Living Environment and almost 1 year of Chemistry.  I don't what I would do if I didn't have the NSTA listserv and Bioforum/Chem forums to read and learn from master teachers all over the world.  

[brump...@gmail.com]

I am very pleased with Shifts 1 and 5 because I enjoy watching my students make real life applications from concepts covered in class. I see a noticeable difference in student understanding and level of appreciation for a topic when they are allowed to apply what we've learned to something they can build or create.

I think one challenge could be cost. I know budget reductions have happened in the past and this could limit me to the types of "real-world" science-based activities I could expose my students to due to expenses.

[Usha Hariharan]

Our elementary school follows the PYP curriculum that follows the inquiry based learning and learn their skills and science concepts by connecting their learning and culminate their project by trying to find solutions in real life situations. So , I completely agree with this shift!

[galeckmj]

Here in Michigan cost will be a huge challenge.  School funding keeps getting cut and our lovely governor wants more online schools.  How would the NGSS be addressed through an online school?

[nde...@gmail.com]

Connections to the real world always increase the engagement in the classroom. A science classroom should be hands on activities and labs...that makes science what it is....Posing questions, discovering and sharing.

On Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:58:24 PM UTC-5, Eric Brunsell wrote:

[Brian Witthun]

I have always told my students that science is the ultimate subject.  That we incorporate all the other subjects into ours.  We do math, we read, we write, we tie in art and manufacturing.  The list goes on and on.  The crosscutting concept is a natural fit for what we do and have always done.

On Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:58:24 PM UTC-5, Eric Brunsell wrote:

[Theresa Stockel]

As an English , turned math, turned Physics major, connections among the science and math disciplines as well as engineering field have been my mantra!. There is no greater satisfaction than hearing students Make these connections on their own. Developing projects that incorporate inquiry, cross cutting, as well as cross curricular concepts, is my goal now. As I read shifts one and five, I feel that I will be able to find support and resources to expand units and lesson plans for these projects. It is also exciting to think that in a few years, students will arrive at high school with a firmer foundation in concepts as well as a common vocabulary that allows me to move deeper into understanding with them. I also foresee that students will be more willing to take risks in their approach to new ideas! Right now, most of my students have difficulty moving away from the "right answer" and looking for new answers and ideas.

[Theresa Stockel]

[Eric Brunsell]

I bet the ELA and Math teachers say the same thing about their subjects ;)

[Jessica Henze]

These new shifts encourage integrated units, as well as service learning.  When students are studying problems in societies in Social studies, they can be developing a new device in science to help solve that problem, this idea would encourage collaboration among disciplines.  I feel like the cross cutting concepts and the idea of multiple modalities is key to helping students understand that "science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge" (Carl Sagan).

This will enable students to be more engaged and their understanding will be deeper because there will be far less "content" that they are required to learn.  This is HUGE! 

[Kathryn Fedel]

I definitely see a greater shift towards "relating to the student's life" which is always a teacher's goal. Kids want to learn what they can immediately apply. Problem-Based learning allows students to use core-ideas and practices to develop solutions to global issues.

On Sunday, April 21, 2013 9:58:24 PM UTC-5, Eric Brunsell wrote:

This email is intended for the use of the addressee(s) only and may contain privileged, confidential, or proprietary information that is exempt from disclosure under the law. If you have received this message in error, please inform me promptly via reply email, delete the mail, and destroy any printed copy.

[Connie Farmer]

Yes, I think the idea of designing a model and coming up with concrete ways to represent abstract concepts in chemistry will help students "apply" the ideas more.  We utilize many computer simulations with chemistry in the atomic model, kinetics, gas laws, balancing.  I need to shift my focus so that we understand the concepts enough to develop their own models, and this is exciting.  Even just to evaluate the models we use as to what is valid and where the model breaks down is good engineering investigation.

[Connie Farmer]

In agreement with what many others have said, this shift seems to be the most exciting.  I think the teaching shift will be a very big change.  I have always used the content of chemistry to reinforce math concepts, show application of algebra and purpose for the theoretical math they have learned in other classes.  But the chemistry content has been the immediately goal with a broad, kind of all year goal of bringing them to problem solve, apply and create.
This change will put the end of this on the front burner, and change so that the content is more of a by-product of the thinking and creating.
I need practice and training in how to present in sort of this "backwards" design of what I have always done, but this is very exciting to me.

[Connie Farmer]

I do the same with my chemistry students.  Show them how to use math, writing, reading in science context, because now it has "purpose".  I am hoping I can shift my approach a bit and start this sooner, with the younger, less ambitious students.

On Saturday, April 27, 2013 6:29:46 AM UTC-5, Brian Witthun wrote:

[C Authement]

Though past standards have made references to include more engineering and technology within science education, I have not seen where this has occurred successfully in many curricula.  It seems more often, tech and engineering have been offered as additional courses.  I think integrating science, technology, and engineering will serve to strengthen student interest in science.  The shift fits nicely with STEM efforts.  It will encourage students to better develop connections between the disciplines and provide more depth for concepts covered.  I provided an engineering unit in general science, had some engineering reference and application in earth science, and referenced engineering in life science. Personally, I will have to work on integrating engineering more within coursework.

Cheri

[Barbara Walton-Faria]

The exciting part of the two mentioned shifts is that now everyone should be thinking about some sort of problem - based type learning in order to integrate all of the elements. Students will need  scenarios within which to work out real-life problems. This is where collaboration with other teachers will come in particularly useful. These shifts force us, the teachers, to shift from a teacher centered environment to a student-centered environment in order to address the practices, concepts,and core ideas. This transition will be a slow process for many. I only hope that there is a realization that this will take time for many teachers and that incoming teachers need to be properly prepared at the college level. This is where I think many of us could help to fill the void.

[Laura Luckasavitch]

I think these are the ones that affect me, as a teacher, the most.  The challenge will be in coming up with exciting ways to make connections and apply the performance expectations to what students find interesting and relevant. 

[Tammy Huenink]

I think this will lead to more project based learning and greater student involvement in their learning.

[pdel...@pekinhigh.net]

I believe it will build a connection between what students will often see on TV and real-life and help them determine when a situation seems logical based upon the science behind it.  Which had been taught it class, tested out, and then found additional applications where this would be true.