Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/882783
Article: Toward Equity in Science - continued - page 64 - and administrators, and that mind shift hasn't happened yet." "How do we make it so kids want to learn?" Grace asks. "at's the big conversation happening statewide right now." e California Alliance for Next Generation Science Standards, a project established by the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, is guiding the way to a smooth implementation of the standards. e alliance (CA4NGSS) represents 60 public and private organizations (CTA among them) that support effective and timely implementation of NGSS throughout California. Its STEM initia- tives program director, Jessica Howard, is optimistic about California becom- ing a leader in implementing NGSS, largely because of the extensive work that was done early on in preparing for Common Core. " The standards take the approach that we are all scientists," Howard says. "ey take off the table that some stu- dents aren't supposed to be here. e tone is that science is a fun, engaging exploratory process. By bringing science into the earlier years, the standards create more opportunities for all students." Wo r k i n g w i t h k e y o r g a n i z a t i o n s , C A 4 N G S S i s h e l p - i n g l e a d e r s i n s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s a r o u n d t h e s t a t e a c c e s s consi st ent training through regional rollouts. Its websit e cdefoundation.org/steam/ca4ngss provides numerous resources as well as a new toolkit to help educators introduce and communicate the value and intention of the standards to parents, district leaders and the community. Howard rightly points out that California is a huge state, and th ere are a lot of variables in smoothly implem enting the standards. "Right now there are really great resources out there, but aware- ness is not the same thing," she says. "We want to help educators get the support and resources they need." TEACHING PHENOMENA What are phenomena in science and engineering? Natural phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe and that we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict. The goal of building knowledge in science is to develop general ideas, based on evidence, that can explain and predict phenomena. Engineer- ing involves designing solutions to problems that arise from phenomena, and using explana- tions of phenomena to design solutions. Why are phenomena such a big deal? Phenomena have traditionally been a missing piece in science education, which too often has focused on teaching general knowledge that students can have difficulty applying to real- world contexts. By centering science education on phenom- ena that students are motivated to explain, the focus of learning shifts from learning about a topic to figuring out why or how something happens. For example, instead of simply learn- ing about the topics of photosynthesis and mitosis, students are engaged in building evi- dence-based explanatory ideas that help them figure out how a tree grows. Excerpted from "Using Phenomena in NGSS-De- signed Lessons and Units," Next Generation Science Standards, nextgenscience.org. 64 cta.org Teaching & Learning Jessica Howard STEAM Symposium T H E F I F T H A N N U A L California STEAM Symposium takes place Dec. 10-11 at Moscone West in San Francisco. A showcase for innovative approaches to teaching and learning, the event offers opportunities for ongoing rigorous, high-quality and collaborative professional learning and resources. The symposium will have a special focus on increasing and supporting the participation of women and girls — as well as other underrepresented groups — in STEAM fields. To register, go to stemcalifornia.org.