A full release of responsibility to students doesn’t happen overnight, but progresses in stages from a group-think to a collaborative model to independence, in which students begin operate independently or in small teams with check-ins.
Continue readingStudents will not start out with the ability to use science and engineering practice skills. That’s why we put so much emphasis on a gradual release of responsibility and on helping students become independent in their use of these ideas.
We do this in the context of other disciplines – English language arts, math, technology – and by introducing students to the science and engineering practices while requiring them to function with increasing levels of independence is key to mastery.
The tradition of siloed instruction – each subject taught on its own without integration – really has no home with NGSS. NGSS by design treats science as a basic discipline integrated with others, even at a very young age. That’s why you see these students taking on the role of engineers but using their knowledge of science to solve a problem in their own way.
Continue readingTopics: Common Core Standards, ELA, release of responsibility
When evaluating alignment to NGSS, ask how well the curriculum releases responsibility to students over the course of the year.
Let’s begin by asking how much time should you be spending on learning. This question is easily answered, even if the implementation is not quite so simple.
Continue readingTopics: higher order thinking, System-Level Alignment, release of responsibility