Explore how to take advantage of NSTA’s vast resources and pathways, including both asynchronous and synchronous options to create personalized professional learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover the value of being a School or District NSTA Partner; 2. Explore how to maximize online professional learning for all teachers; and 3. Discover how to utilize NSTA's online learning resources to support in-person professional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Participants will learn about the successful and varied informal and formal science partnerships developed by members of the NSELA leadership community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Successful partnerships between formal and informal science institutions increase student and community engagement in STEM education; 2. Success stories include STEM ecosystems; and 3. The NSELA Learning Center provides resources and support for ongoing learning about formal and informal science partnerships.

SPEAKERS:
Linda Cook (The University of Texas at Dallas: Richardson, TX)

How can we elevate equity and justice in our work in science education, personally and in community? Learn about Oregon’s efforts in this critical process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn about the Oregon Equity in Science Teaching and Learning Symposium; 2. experience (briefly) several components of the symposium; and 3. contribute to our collective understanding of this critical work.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Mayo (Portland Public Schools: Portland, OR), Jamie Rumage (Oregon Dept. of Education: Salem, OR), Noelle Gorbett (Oregon Dept. of Education: Salem, OR)

We share inclusive approaches to science and engineering “flipped labs” that enabled hundreds of high school students to connect STEM with home and families.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Design guidelines for affordable and accessible STEM design activities that can expand from classroom to home and allow students to engage in inquiry and engineering exploration; 2. Example case studies, from high schools with diverse demographics, of integrated science and engineering “flipped lab” design projects that bridged the classroom to home; and 3. Suggestions for improving flipped labs into full 3-D learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Mihir Ravel (Visiting Scholar: Portland, OR), Stephen Scannell (Gresham High School: Gresham, OR), Dan Robinette (Clackamas High School: Clackamas, OR), Cary Sneider (Portland State University: Portland, OR)

Learn how Next Time You See books can connect students with nature and inspire them to write their own books about natural objects and phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore research about the positive effects of time in nature on children and adults; 2. Learn how literacy and science can be connected through writing activities; and 3. Receive classroom-ready resources (videos and graphic organizers) to guide your students through a Mentor Text Study.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Stilwell (STAFF - Director, Business Development: Arlington, VA)

Explore NSTA’s new Professional Learning Units. Discover these bite-sized asynchronous professional learning experiences that support student sensemaking to earn credit to submit to your school or district.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover how NSTA can provide asynchronous and bite-sized continuing education credit options (2 hours per PLU); 2. Explore how each PLU contains reflections or tasks connected to the classroom that are submitted to NSTA for review or feedback; and 3. Explore how we can support professional learning for individuals or schools/districts including the flexible options available for Professional Learning Unit topics, and how these fit into our Professional Learning pathways.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Elizabeth Allan (University of Central Oklahoma: Edmond, OK)

This session focuses on helping college faculty support preservice elementary teachers to incorporate the crosscutting concepts (CCCs) as part of three-dimensional science teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ways to conceptualize the CCCs as “tools” and “lenses” to support sensemaking Strategies for introducing the CCCs to preservice elementary teachers Classroom examples of how the CCCs can be utilized in elementary science teaching and learning

SPEAKERS:
Anne Gatling (Merrimack College: North Andover, MA), Sarah Fick (Washington State University: Pullman, WA), Melissa Pearcy (Jefferson Elementary School: Spokane, WA), Debi Hanuscin (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA)

College faculty and teacher educators will explore NGSS-focused strategies and materials for preparing teachers to teach about matter in the elementary grades.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn more about the content knowledge for teaching (CKT) about matter that elementary teachers need to know in order to teach in ways that align with the NGSS; 2. learn how to elicit elementary teacher/preservice teachers’ CKT for matter with research-based CKT assessment tasks; and 3. learn how to support the development of elementary teachers’ CKT for matter using free materials and resources.

SPEAKERS:
Josie Melton (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA), Emily Borda (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA)