COESEE - Join us to learn more about assessment of elementary science learning using elementary learning stories.

TAKEAWAYS:
Creating student learning stories can help support assessment in elementary classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Ewing (The Charles A. Dana Center: No City, No State)

This session is presented by members of the Georgia Science Teachers Association Board of Directors and shares ways to incorporate literacy in science lessons using inclusive teaching strategies. The session will be a panel presentation that addresses using a broad range of analogies, a mix of textual and visual representations, inclusion of examples that include both women and ethnic minority groups, students with disabilities, use of funds of knowledge, a variety of learning exercises and assessments and the use of rubrics. Justin Harvey (GSTA Director) is submitting this proposal on behalf of the GSTA Board, but he is not one of the presenters. The panel of presenters include: Teresa Massey, GA District 10 Director Robert Bice, GA District 1 Director Jane Reed, District 2 Director Michelle Thompson, District 8 Director Kathryn Mullen, District 12 Director Melissa Niemi, GSTA President-Elect

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see how the need to consider diversity is important for all students learning science. Participants will gain research-based strategies for integrating diversity in science lessons that meet the needs of all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Teresa Massey (Graduate Student), Michelle Thompson (Effingham College and Career Academy: No City, No State)

This is session #4 in the PL Committee CCCs Pathway and is designed to support K-12. The crosscutting concepts provide a consistent language for student communication. When teachers’ assessment prompts are designed with the crosscutting concepts, the focus of student thinking can be directed to different aspects of the phenomenon or, the system being investigated. Patterns may be used as evidence to support explanations or arguments for the causes of a phenomenon. Participants will explore the progression of Crosscutting Concepts throughout a student’s K-12 career. They will consider phenomenon and discuss several appropriate prompts that bring different CCCs to the forefront (patterns, scale, systems). Participants will engage with the process of developing assessment prompts which use the Crosscutting Concepts to initiate student sensemaking responses.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participant will leave with resources that guide their development and use of Crosscutting Concepts to focus student sensemaking on assessments. These can be integrated with assessments prompts which are aligned to Science and Engineering Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State), Christopher Soldat (Grant Wood Area Education Agency: Cedar Rapids, IA)

A virtual reality chemistry activity was evaluated as a supplement to laboratory instruction for first-year college chemistry classes. Student self-evaluation of confidence in certain lab activities was surveyed prior to and post VR session.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Virtual reality offers an engaging and kinesthetic way to supplement lab-based instruction; 2. The virtual environment can evaluate student lab performance on a level that can't be duplicated in a laboratory setting; and 3. VR offers an effective source of remediation for students lagging in labo

SPEAKERS:
Donald Carpenetti (Craven Community College: New Bern, NC)

Students in the first semester of the General Chemistry sequence participated in a peer-teaching exercise and were subsequently evaluated for information retention and test anxiety. Students participating in peer-teaching scored on average 20% higher on a final exam question.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students participating in peer-teaching scored on average 20% higher on a final exam question than those who participated in a non-peer-teaching review. This increased retention was shown to carry over into the subsequent semester in students participating in General Chemistry II.

SPEAKERS:
Donald Carpenetti (Craven Community College: New Bern, NC)

Research shows that writing enhances learning outcomes. In place of long research papers, low stakes writing was incorporated in an online geoscience course. This presentation will demonstrate various strategies to incorporate low stakes writing in an online course to facilitate learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Low stakes writing assignments (worth a small percent of the final grade) are a great way to increase student engagement with the material, apply topics to a student's local area, increase critical thinking and improve scientific writing skills.

SPEAKERS:
Christa Haney (Mississippi State University: Mississippi State, MS)

This session uses real life experiences teaching and designing a course on art and infectious diseases to highlight how art can be a powerful interdisciplinary tool to teach and assess students understanding of microbiology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn strategies for using art in microbiology while becoming familiar with contemporary bioartists; attendees will also appreciate how art can provide students with a creative outlet and coping mechanism, as well as providing opportunities to process recent experiences with COVID-19.

SPEAKERS:
Stefanie Iverson Cabral (University of Washington Bothell: Bothell, WA)

The STEM Scholar program was created to aid in the goal of diversifying the STEM workforce, by supporting the best and brightest students from underrepresented populations in their pursuit of STEM. Our program’s goal is to increase the number of diverse students from underrepresented populations graduating with degrees in STEM, through recruitment and retention efforts, and leadership development, while strengthening TCU’s academic community and contributing to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The foundation for these scholar’s success is laid during the required Summer Enrichment Program (SEP). The SEP is a four-week experience, designed to acclimate students to the rigors of STEM and higher education. During the summer program our students complete a 3-credit hour critical thinking course in STEM, live on campus, maintain on campus employment and participate in a variety of professional, metacognitive, and personal development experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants can pull from a real-life case study on how to lay the framework for supporting, assessing, and creating a successful program that promotes retention of underrepresented student populations as they pursue education and careers in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Zoranna Jones (Assistant Dean: Fort Worth, TX), José Luis Cano (Graduate Assistant: Fort Worth, TX), Brianna Edwards (Assistant Director of Institutional Effectiveness: Fort Worth, TX)

Join NSTA Professional Learning Facilitators for informal conversations about science teaching and learning. Bring questions and ideas to explore and discuss — no topic is too big or too small! Let’s work together to make science learning engaging, important, and accessible to all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
We’ll draw on the expertise of NSTA professional learning facilitators and educators in the room to answer questions, provide research-based feedback, and share resources to help you continue to shift your practice toward three-dimensional teaching and learning.