High

Systems are a natural part of our world—from the smallest chemical system to the Earth's climate system. The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards identify systems and system models as one of the crosscutting concepts, and developing and using models as one of the science and engineering practices. However, students do not naturally engage in systems thinking or in building models to make sense of phenomena, and there are few easily accessible tools designed specifically for students to construct models.

Systems are a natural part of our world—from the smallest chemical system to the Earth's climate system. The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards identify systems and system models as one of the crosscutting concepts, and developing and using models as one of the science and engineering practices. However, students do not naturally engage in systems thinking or in building models to make sense of phenomena, and there are few easily accessible tools designed specifically for students to construct models.

Sprout Pro was developed as a new kind of all-in-one computer that enables students to make, design, and customize the world around them. This Sprout Pro in a classroom handbook is designed to give you a starting point for integrating Sprout Pro into your learning environment and igniting your students’ creativity. Through this handbook you will learn how Sprout Pro can enhance educational experiences; support the development of collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills; improve digital literacy; and empower the imagination of your students.

No longer only for the elite, a new generation of science high schools could help low-income and minority students get better jobs.

Lucadamo, K. (2016, September 6). Can All Students Succeed at Science and Tec High Schools? U.S News Report. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-09-26/can-all-students-succeed….

The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of different instruments, independently developed and traditionally used for measuring science teachers’ beliefs in short-term interventions, to longitudinally measure teachers’ changing beliefs.

Numerous research studies have illustrated the importance of connecting the visible (macroscopic) world of chemical phenomena to the invisible (particulate) world of atoms and molecules for conceptual understanding in chemistry (Birk & Yezierski, 2006; Gabel, Samuel, & Hunn, 1987; Johnstone, 1993; Nakhleh, 1992). This skill fits particularly well into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science practice of developing and using models, and a particle-level understanding of phenomena is a fundamental component of the redesigned AP Chemistry curriculum.

Despite decades of research regarding best practices for the teaching and learning of chemistry, as well as two sets of national reform documents for science education, classroom instruction in high school chemistry classrooms remains largely unchanged. One key reason for this continued gap between research and practice is a reliance on traditional, prescriptive professional development (PD) in place of PD that focuses on changing teachers’ ideas and beliefs. The former view treats teachers as technicians, workers who are supposed to follow a manual to produce student results.

Kinematics is a topic students are unknowingly aware of well before entering the physics classroom. Students observe motion on a daily basis. They are constantly interpreting and making sense of their observations, unintentionally building their own understanding of kinematics before receiving any formal instruction. Unfortunately, when students take their prior conceptions to understand a new situation, they often do so in a way that inaccurately connects their learning.

The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of different instruments, independently developed and traditionally used for measuring science teachers’ beliefs in short-term interventions, to longitudinally measure teachers’ changing beliefs.

This paper describes a guided-inquiry activity designed for the first week of a first-year high school chemistry course. Students manipulated magnetic models of atoms in depicting air and learned to connect the three domains of chemistry: macroscopic, symbolic, and particulate. The purpose of the activity was 2-fold: to remediate misconceptions of foundational chemical concepts such as atoms, molecules, compounds, subscripts, and coefficients; and to help students begin to think in the particulate domain of Johnstone’s triangle when studying chemistry.