A major focus of my STEM certification program last year was structuring the classroom to increase student autonomy. Why is student autonomy so important? Here are a few reasons: When students are able to make decisions in the classroom, they…
One major shift in an NGSS aligned classroom is that students no longer do confirmation style labs. During confirmation style labs, the teacher has already taught students what they need to know and then students perform a lab to confirm…
One of the biggest changes that occur in the shift to meet the intent of the Next Generation Science Standards is the role that students play in their own learning. Students are no longer allowed to be passive participants in…
Now that we have had a preliminary discussion about models (click here to review the post!) in an NGSS aligned classroom it’s time to discuss helping your students create better models. Here are my top 5 ways to help your students…
When I first started shifting my focus to the Next Generation Science Standards, I didn’t know what modeling should look like in an NGSS aligned classroom. Earlier this week, I posted this picture on my Instagram of what models used…
It’s summer break and my daughter and I love spending our free time reading. While she prefers mysteries, the science teacher in me loves to steer her in the direction of STEM books. Here are some of our all-time favorites…
Last week, I posted about why I am not using the Scientific Method in my classroom anymore. That brings up the question of how to start your school year. Read below to find out how I plan to start my…
While the Scientific Method is a staple in many science classrooms, it doesn’t align with the NGSS.
In this post, I explain why I don’t use the scientific method in my classroom any more and why it doesn’t align. I also provide articles of support if you aren’t quite ready to give up the scientific method yet.
Last Summer I got so many questions about digital interactive notebooks. I’d never used them before so I decided to play around with them this year in my classroom. I have been using a paper composition notebook with my students…
When I first began teaching, I was required to list the objectives of my whiteboard every day. In the last couple of years, I have almost given up this practice entirely in my classroom. In my classroom, students work to…
