Science

STEM Smart Brief: Connecting Informal and Formal STEM Education

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2012
Short Description

“Providing a richness of resources unavailable in any classroom, informal science institutions across the country have developed exemplary partnerships with public schools—and have room for more.” Read this brief to explore how out-of-school learning can complement and enhance what is being taught in the classroom.

STEM Smart Brief: Raising the Bar: Increasing STEM Achievement for All Students

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2012
Short Description

“When students from non-mainstream backgrounds receive equitable learning opportunities, they are capable of attaining science outcomes comparable to their mainstream peers. The same is true for mathematics and, presumably, for other STEM subjects, as well.” Read this brief to dive further into what can be done to improve the academic achievement of students from all backgrounds.

STEM Smart Brief: Specialized STEM Secondary Schools

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2012
Short Description

“Specialized schools still represent a tiny fraction of U.S. public education. However, they may not only produce better results than traditional programs; they also can serve as models for schools seeking to improve.” Read this brief to investigate further into what we can learn from specialized STEM-focused learning institutions.

STEM Smart Brief: Preparing and Supporting STEM Educators

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2012
Short Description

“Recent research emphasizes that teacher quality alone cannot improve student achievement at scale. School leadership, staff collaboration, and a positive climate are among essential organizational elements that contribute to meaningful change.” Read this brief to learn more about suggested methods for properly supporting STEM educators.

Essential Support Video: Peer-to-Peer Discussion

Author/Presenter

eTG Project Team

Year
2013
Short Description

In this discussion, students try to clarify areas of confusion among themselves. They puzzle through complicated scientific ideas and ask their peers for help. They wrestle with questions ranging from the definitional -- what is organic -- to the societal -- how does policy get created. In this discussion, students mention cisgenic organisms, which are organisms that contain a mixture of genes from within the species. Transgenic organisms contain a mixture of genes that come from other species.

Essential Support Video: Digging Deeper into the Complexity of the Question

Author/Presenter

eTG Project Team

Year
2013
Short Description

As the students grapple with the question of whether to serve genetically modified potatoes in the school cafeteria, the teacher uses strategies that encourage all students to voice their ideas and questions, to distinguish scientific evidence from opinion, and to critique their own and others' ideas.