NSTA Engage: Spring21 - Sessions

Engagement Strategies and Resources for Remote and Face-to-Face Instruction

Participants explore strategies and resources for engaging students during face-to-face and virtual instruction. Equity, differentiation, and nonlinguistic representations of instruction and learning will be targeted.

Takeaways: Attendees will: 1. learn research-based strategies that increase student engagement so that all students are involved in the learning process; 2. learn new ways to increase the confidence of learners who may be reluctant to engage in classroom activities and discussions; and 3. obtain numerous activities, templates, games, resources, etc. they can use with their students. These can be used “as is” or modified to include other content based on the needs of the attendees.

Speakers

Iris Mudd (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: Winston Salem, NC)

Virtual Field Labs: Student-Generated Data Explorations of Investigable Questions Led by Climate Scientists

Based on three-dimensional learning and field-tested in high school classes, Virtual Field Labs can be used synchronously, asynchronously, or in hybrid classrooms.

Takeaways: 1. Hands-on virtual tool for teaching climate change concepts; 2. Student-generated data activities led by climate change scientists; and 3. Generate, graph, and analyze data on the way to making claims supported by evidence related to the investigation.

Speakers

Louise Huffman (U.S. Ice Drilling Program: Hanover, NH), William Grosser (Curriculum Designer: Auburn, CA)

Presenter Materials for this Session:
(Please login with your NSTA account to view the materials)

Engagement Strategies and Resources for Remote and Face-to-Face Instruction

Participants explore strategies and resources for engaging students during face-to-face and virtual instruction. Equity, differentiation, and nonlinguistic representations of instruction and learning will be targeted.

Takeaways: Attendees will: 1. learn research-based strategies that increase student engagement so that all students are involved in the learning process; 2. learn new ways to increase the confidence of learners who may be reluctant to engage in classroom activities and discussions; and 3. obtain numerous activities, templates, games, resources, etc. they can use with their students. These can be used “as is” or modified to include other content based on the needs of the attendees.

Speakers

Iris Mudd (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: Winston Salem, NC)

Virtual Field Labs: Student-Generated Data Explorations of Investigable Questions Led by Climate Scientists

Based on three-dimensional learning and field-tested in high school classes, Virtual Field Labs can be used synchronously, asynchronously, or in hybrid classrooms.

Takeaways: 1. Hands-on virtual tool for teaching climate change concepts; 2. Student-generated data activities led by climate change scientists; and 3. Generate, graph, and analyze data on the way to making claims supported by evidence related to the investigation.

Speakers

Louise Huffman (U.S. Ice Drilling Program: Hanover, NH), William Grosser (Curriculum Designer: Auburn, CA)

COVID Teaching Strategies That Are Keepers!

NSTA High School Committee members will discuss the strategies that they will bring forward from COVID teaching.

Takeaways: 1. Teaching for student engagement; 2. Distance, hybrid, in-person techniques; and 3. Time for questions and discussion between the presenters and particpants.

Speakers

Demetrice Smith-Mutegi (Old Dominion University: Norfolk, VA), Ruth Hutson (Blue Valley High/Middle School: Randolph, KS), Johanna Brown (Pullman High School: Pullman, WA), Brenda Walsh (Eden Prairie High School: Eden Prairie, MN)

Presenter Materials for this Session:
(Please login with your NSTA account to view the materials)

The Journey Back: Leveraging Data Tools and EdTech in the Post-COVID Classroom

Engage in a lesson from NOAA’s Data in the Classroom to explore some effective engagement and assessment tools and technologies for the post-COVID classroom.

Takeaways: 1. Keep experimenting with EdTech inside and outside of your classrooms; 2. Utilize EdTech for assessment and engagement of all learners in the classroom; and 3. Access scientific data from NOAA to help students evaluate claims, construct arguments, and better understand the world around them.

Speakers

Amy Dean (Jewish Community High School of the Bay: San Francisco, CA)

Presenter Materials for this Session:
(Please login with your NSTA account to view the materials)

Using Online Tools to Engage Students in Asking Questions About Phenomena

Learn to use free Google tools to support your students in analyzing phenomena and asking good scientific questions that drive learning in the classroom or remotely.

Takeaways: 1. Students' observations of and questions about phenomena should drive their learning; 2. You can use free online tools from Google to engage students in analyzing and developing questions about phenomena whether you are teaching face-to-face or remotely; and 3. We can use these same tools to scaffold students' ability to revise and improve their questions to be more productive.

Speakers

Jeremy Peacock (Jackson County School System: Jefferson, GA)

Presenter Materials for this Session:
(Please login with your NSTA account to view the materials)

Summer STEM Institute Goes Virtual: Creating an Engaging STEM Learning Program

We will share the strategies and activities that made our first virtual STEM institute an engaging and educational experience for diverse upper elementary and middle level youth.

Takeaways: Participants will: 1. identify best practices for engaging youth in informal STEM experiences, including an end-of-summer celebration; 2. learn how we delivered programming in STEM with multiple grade-level bands; and 3. gain a list of valuable resources we used to teach scientific concepts, including how we created and distributed kits.

Speakers

Demetrice Smith-Mutegi (Old Dominion University: Norfolk, VA)