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There are so many concepts and ideas that students must learn throughout school. How do you teach concepts and ideas to students when, you as a teacher, do not fully understand the concept. What are some strategies or techniques that teachers use when they are struggling to understand information? -Emily

Emily Curriculum Topic Study, written by Page Keeley, is an excellent way to get background on a number of science concepts, what standards apply to that concept, and to find out what the common misconceptions that students may have on a given concept. You can find out more information about the topic at http://www.curriculumtopicstudy.org.

This may seem like a strange way to learn content quickly for a teacher, but it is a quick, fun way to do it. Find picture books on a topic area you need to learn more about and read the book. If gives a lot of information in a quick read. One series that comes to mind is the Magic School Bus science series.

Hi Emily,

This is something that we all struggle with, so you are most definitely not alone! I'm glad that Jim suggest the Curriculum Topic of Study. This fantastic resource outlines each curricular topic (for instance, animal life or weathering and erosion) and then provide resources for where to find more information about the topic. Another great Page Keeley resource are any of the Uncovering Student Ideas series. While these books are written to uncover student ideas during formative assessments, each probe has an in depth reference section for teachers to help you increase your content knowledge and provides pedagogical information. Here's a link to a free chapter from on of Page's books: Can it Reflect?.
Another great way to increase your science content knowledge is to complete any of NSTA SciPacks. These are interactive , self-paced learning opportunities that guide you through specific areas of science. In addition to the information you'll learn, you also have access to an online mentor who can answer content questions for you. I've learned a lot by completing SciPacks! Here's a link to information on the SciPacks: SciPack Homepage.

I think that one of the things that I try to do in every concept that I teach is to teach the misconceptions about the topic. Every student comes in with prior knowledge on almost every topic that is taught and teaching the students the misconceptions will help students to think through their own understanding of any concept.

Hi Emily, at some time in our careers we all end up teaching something we have very little idea about. Several of my favorite resources have already been mentioned, Page Keeley’s “Curriculum Topic Study”, “Uncovering Student Ideas” series, and Bill Robertson’s “Stop Faking It!” series. The others have pretty well described Page’s works, so I will take a minute to tell you about Bill’s. He approaches every concept imaginable in Science in his “Stop Faking It!” series. Not only do you get background information in language you can understand, but he also gives investigations you can do with your students with mostly everyday items. His humor throughout is undeniable. I have been known to read sections aloud to my middle school students and they think he is the funniest person they ever heard of – the bonus is, they remember the content. Robertson has 13 different books out, the link to find them in the NSTA store is http://www.nsta.org/store/search.aspx?action=quicksearch&text=Stop%20Faking%20It

Emily, I have asked that question myself several times....there is just too much science to know it all. I have found that using the series "Stop Faking It" by William Robertson, a wonderful way to learn concepts. He is fun to read and gives you many simple insites to teach with. He has not let me down in the past. You can find his books in the "Learning Reaources & Opportunities" tab on your Home page. Look under NSTA press books. Pull his name up and look at all of the different books he has. Also-have you used any of the SciObjects. Wow!!! They get right down to it and come many of the different subjects. Again, they can be found in the "Learning Reaources & Opportunities" tab on your Home page. Look under "Science Objects"-they are free.

Another excellent resource for those of you wanting to teach about energy and alternative energies. I attended an Island Energy Inquiry workshop in January and was so happy about the abundance of local resources and information regarding alternative energy projects in my community. Enjoy! http://www.islandenergyinquiry.org/

The benefit of teaching science is that you always discover something new. With such a wide variety of content to cover, it is almost quite impossible to master all of the material. As teachers, we learn new material from this science subject everyday. It is amazing how science is all around us and we still discover new things as we go on. This is why science is so important and fascinating at the same time.

I love the mention of project-based learning. I can also see how it would force a teacher who was unfamiliar with the deep content to become more facilitators than, well, teachers. I used to do an anatomy project where students stepped into the roles of cancer researchers. I "joked" often that if they went any deeper with that project that I was going to have to go to medical school to be able to answer student questions.

I think the learning center is a great tool for teachers to gain knowledge on the subject that they are going to teach. The SciPacks are great! They are filled with information and written in a way that anyone could understand. I also think that looking at videos of the topic helps a lot because it may give you a visual and a better understanding. Also, as it was mentioned, children's books, such as The Magic School Bus, are filled with information that is very easy to understand.

Lots of good suggestions here! The Learning Center has a wealth of information.

I work with a lot of kids in science areas where I am not licensed (physics, for example) and biology (where there is a ton of vocabulary that I readily forget). I have found many very well-done websites that allow me to 'brush up' quickly and efficiently in a content area. For example, The Physics Classroom has some great interactives. Khan Academy works for updating skills in a wide range of areas. Find some websites that work for you, and when you are in a tight spot and need of some quick learning, get out the bag of tricks.

Or come back to the Learning Center, and ask your colleagues!

There are also cartoon/manga books on different topics like physics, chemisty--even Molecular Biology. The webinars by NSTA are also great in terms of learning new content. I also go to the websites of major science-related organizations such as NOAA, NIH, EPA etc. PBS, National Geographic, Nature and Discovery also offer loads of information. I also like test review books. It gives me an overview of what the topic is all about before I go deeper by reading more on it. Youtube also has loads of short informative videos. By the way, I also "like" major news sites on my facebook. That is an easy way for me to know new developments. If rss works with you, that is even better. The science and environment section of the newspaper is also very useful. Going to museums, attending actual symposia/lecture at local universities, attending PDs--- there are many ways to learn about content. I think that there is always something new that we can learn. But we have to continue learning.

Make learning it fun! Get books or pictures of the concept, this always helps!

Make learning it fun! Get books or pictures of the concept, this always helps!

Another idea is to join state professional organizations and attend conferences. I learned more through my involvement with state level organizations like the Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association and the Michigan Science Teachers Association about teaching science than I did in any methods course at the university I attended.

What to have you science question answered on camera? "Ask Argonne": Submit a question to a national lab and get it answered on camera! This week Argonne National Laboratory debuted its "Ask Argonne" interactive video series in which we introduce you to a researcher and the work he/she does and invite questions on that topic. Either you or your students can submit a question and it might get answered - along with a shout-out to the questioner(s) - in the follow-up video. You can submit a question as a comment in this discussion, a comment on the video or you can email it to [email protected].

Another resource worth considering are the SciObjects or SciPacks offered by NSTA and found right here in the Learning Center. You could choose an area you feel a bit shaky in and do a SciPAck in that area. I am sure after doing the Sci Pack you will be much more confident in your own science understanding and therefore more comfortable teaching those concepts t your students. KAthy

Emily- The chapter on Chemistry in my book Notes to a New Teacher addresses how I came to the difficult topics of atomic theory, gas laws and stoichiometry. It might help you. I did a 15 minute interview on education with WCAX, Vermont’s leading TV station. It is at http://www.uvm.edu/extension/atfence/?m=20131018 The interview covers topics including schools and public relations, advice to new teachers, classroom discipline, teacher training, economic inequalities between schools, and the failure of my Vermont hometown to pass a school budget- in five tries! I also repeated the collapsing can trick, as well as the variation described in the Chemistry chapter of Notes to a New Teacher. Because the soda can had to be carried across the studio from the kitchen, and then waited until the camera was back on the set, the soda can failed to collapse. So, instead of demonstrating condensation and atmospheric pressure, I demonstrated the thermal conductivity of metals and bad stage management. There is also a link to both TV interviews on the website www.chalkdustmemories.com

Hi Emily. I, as some of the others, returned to teaching from the private sector or government, and one of the things I became less timid about was being a subject expert. I always let the kids know that I don't know it all and that if we don't know the answers there are places we can look to find the answers. heck, the textbooks don't all agree! I find that this takes pressure off me and relaxes the class. The kids seem to delight in finding me wrong and work hard to verify the answers!