Come to this engaging, hands-on session where we will use science activities to demonstrate effective professional learning practices! If you present at NSTA, facilitate professional learning, or just want to learn, this session is for you!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn specific practices they can incorporate into their NSTA presentations or professional learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Deanna Taylor (Interactive Learning Solutions LLC: Columbia, SC), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: Omaha, NE), Jesse Wilcox (University of Northern Iowa: Cedar Falls, IA)

Reading and writing skills are best developed when students are able to practice these skills across all content areas. Come hear from an experienced science and special education teacher about how to easily add literacy activities to your science curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave with multiple examples of in class activities that can help students develop reading comprehension and writing skills within the science content areas. These activities are easy to implement, are low cost, and supported by current research.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Zito (Miller School of Albemarle: Charlottesville, VA)

Elementary teaching can be very busy. This session will have engaging activities and practical strategies for making time for elementary. We will provide examples of long-term investigations, how science can be a foundation for math/literacy, how teachers can utilize science station work, and more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn practical strategies and see examples of making time for science in elementary.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Deanna Taylor (Interactive Learning Solutions LLC: Columbia, SC), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: Omaha, NE), Jesse Wilcox (University of Northern Iowa: Cedar Falls, IA)

Researchers at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary have been collecting data through repetitive photographs since the 1970's to evaluate the change in the ecosystem over time. Participants will identify habitat changes in reef monitoring images and infer potential causes of those changes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Environmental monitoring is a challenging activity, especially underwater. This activity will introduce students to the methods used for evaluating underwater habitats and the kinds of information that can be learned from those efforts.

SPEAKERS:
Taylor Galaviz (Constituent Engagement Specialist: Galveston, TX), Sandra Metoyer (Environmental Institute of Houston at University of Houston Clear Lake: Galveston, TX)

Come engage in an earth science activity about geologic time periods (MS-ESS1-4) and a biology activity about cell membranes (MS-LS1-2) to explore how to make science relevant for their students. We will also demonstrate and discuss strategies for increasing the relevance of any NGSS lesson.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience two examples of how we make science relevant for our students. We will also discuss tips and strategies for increasing relevance in any lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Alexa Clements (Associate Professor: Cedar Falls, IA), Jesse Wilcox (University of Northern Iowa: Cedar Falls, IA)

Chat GPT is a powerful language model that can be used to create background knowledge for lessons. By using Chat GPT, educators can help students get a starting point for their research and provide them with the necessary information to explore various topics such as periodic table, environment issu

TAKEAWAYS:
One takeaway from this session is that you will understand that ChatGPT is a powerful tool for teachers. This application will allow you to answer questions or ideas you have and improve research activities that might be difficult for students.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla (Brookhurst Jr HIgh School: Placentia, CA)

Empower your teaching with Scientist Circles! Discover research-backed strategies to foster collaborative learning, critical thinking skills and ignite curiosity in the classroom. Engage in hands-on-activities, share best practices and leave empowered to implement Scientist Circles effectively.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave equipped with proven methods and practical implementation tips to enhance student engagement and communication skills in the middle school classroom. Elevate your classroom experience and inspire lifelong learners.

SPEAKERS:
Ann Guglielmo (Taunton Public Schools: Taunton, MA), Tonya Brainsky (OSE Massachusetts Community: Rehoboth, MA)

Participants will learn data analysis/collecting techniques to help students young and old to learn the relationships between types of data and analysis of it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Concrete hands on examples linking types of data being collected with types of graphical representations to use. These were developed in response to research which demonstrated that students do not have a conceptual foundation to make decisions about which type of graph to use.

SPEAKERS:
G. Michael Bowen (Mount Saint Vincent University: Halifax, NS)

This session will provide demos, activities, and advice on how to teach Physics based on NGSS to students at all levels in a secondary setting. New or perhaps new to the subject teachers will leave the session energized and ready to implement new ideas in their classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be involved in an interactive discussion and conduct various demos and activities aligned with NGSS. They will also learn how to adapt Three Dimensional Learning and phenomena to activities presented.

SPEAKERS:
Misty Heredia (UTRGV: Brownsville, TX)

This session explores how productive uncertainty in science investigations can support meaningful engagement in science practices and conceptual understanding. Participants will engage with uncertainty, analyze examples of elementary students grappling with uncertainty, and explore tools for use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Uncertainty is core to sense-making at all ages. We can elicit and build from specific forms of uncertainty as children move between phenomenon, investigation, evidence, and explanation to support productive classroom sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Annabel Stoler (Boston University: Malden, MA), Eve Manz (Boston University: Boston, MA)

Computational thinking (CT) and engineering offer students problem-solving skills and foster innovation. This session will provide educators with the knowledge and resources needed to integrate CT and engineering into their STEM curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of CT and engineering strategies for integrating these concepts into their STEM classrooms. They will feel empowered to equip their students with the problem-solving skills necessary for success in an increasingly technology-driven world.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine Mathias (John Kerr Elementary School: Winchester, VA), Ch'Loris Clemons (John Kerr Elementary School: Winchester, VA)

Join us to master the art of leading interactive and impactful workshops with facilitation checklists and planning templates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will use a facilitation checklist and planning template to plan, deliver, and receive feedback on a mock professional learning activity for disseminating best practices for NGSS instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Cherry (Loyola University Chicago: Chicago, IL), Sarah Stults (Loyola University Chicago: Chicago, IL)

Good problem-solving in physics is more than algebraic manipulation. Students can learn and you can assess problem-solving through multiple avenues, including graphs, representations, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to assess student problem-solving ability and conceptual understanding through students' use of multiple representations and approaches in physics classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore (University of Nebraska Omaha: Omaha, NE)

We encourage and sometimes require teachers to differentiate in the classroom; however, we rarely consider the importance of differentiating professional learning for teachers. But, teachers need it too! In this session, several strategies for differentiating professional learning will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Differentiation is not just for the classroom; it is also a component of designing effective professional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Brooke Whitworth (Clemson University: Clemson, SC)

Participants will be engaged with current research techniques using STEM to engaged students in real world problem solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away strategies and techniques to use in their classroom to introduce students to how to collect, analyze and report out research.

SPEAKERS:
Judith Lucas-Odom (Chester High School: Ardmore, PA)