KnowAtom's Blog

The economic recovery may be well underway, but for many American families—and many urban centers in our nation—the turnaround has been slow in coming, with a return to real prosperity not yet on the horizon. Lower unemployment rates and economic growth in some places give many people reasons for optimism. But the hard truth is that the American ideology that tells us anyone who works hard can achieve his or her economic potential seems far from reality these days.

To implement the Next Generation Science Standards well, prepare yourself for the major shifts in teaching and learning that are involved in your classroom, your building, and your district.

The Next Generation Science Standards have changed the game by shifting the expectations of teaching and learning. Anytime somebody is being asked to change the way they do their job, you have to anticipate that that's not going to be an easy transition.

The Next Generation Science Standards envision students learning as scientists and engineers. This is really a new approach to learning that sets students up to be critical thinkers and innovators. It's no longer about doing science but about being scientists; not doing engineering but being engineers.

As classrooms begin to implement NGSS and work to achieve this vision, there are inevitably some challenges that will come to the forefront.

Every year, teachers move. Sometimes they move within their schools to teach a different grade or subject matter, and sometimes they change schools entirely.

Called churn, this is a very real issue in public schools. This is common with both administrators and teachers, and it affects both the speed of implementation and student achievement levels.

Budgeting enough science time on learning will go a long way toward helping districts successfully implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

If you don’t have enough time on learning for science, your implementation of NGSS will likely run into some significant hurdles.

This is because of the importance of effective STEM instruction under NGSS . The National Research Council definition of effective science instruction is that it capitalizes on students’ early interest experiences and builds on it. 

In voting on November 10, 2015, to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as the framework for the new Michigan Science Standards, the state officially became the 17th to back this new approach to teaching science in US classrooms. It joins Arkansas, California, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Connecticut and the District of Columbia. 

The Hawaii State Board of Education adopted the Next Generation Science Standards on February 16, 2016, and plans to implement them over a four-year period beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.

At the time it officially adopted the standards, the 50th state joined 17 other states and the District of Columbia in using these new science standards to inform a curriculum more suited to teaching students the skills and practices they need to succeed in higher education and their careers, and become true members of a global workforce. The 17 other states who had adopted the standards included Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. 

On January 26th, 2016, while most educators were hard at work in their classrooms, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met at Roxbury Community College to vote on a resolution to adopt a new set of K-12 science standards. The proposed standards, a very close reflection of the Next Generation Science Standards, are taking the place of the 2006 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Science, Technology, and Engineering.

Imagine a school with a hyper-local perspective and a deep-seeded connection with the community that supports and surrounds it. A place where you’ll find typical K-12 classrooms, but also a health clinic, continuing education programs and robust after-school opportunities open to everyone—not just students. A place where students learn the value of STEM education through relevant, hands-on learning that benefits the community.

A STEM learning ecosystem helps educators, parents, and other community players connect the dots between STEM learning that is formal (standards-based, in the classroom), with informal learning that students encounter every day after school, in community programs, and at home. But how do you create a thriving STEM ecosystem in your own community? If you’re thinking about building a STEM ecosystem, there are a few things you’ll want to consider.

Building in-class time for small group work and labs can provide students with the opportunity to think critically and build hands-on knowledge in the STEM fields. Read on for 7 tips to maximize success!