To implement the Next Generation Science Standards well, prepare yourself for the major shifts in teaching and learning that are involved in your classroom, your building, and your district.
To successfully implement the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers must prepare themselves for a major shift in science education. To support long-term success for educators and students, these teachers need professional development opportunities that are aligned to their needs.
Avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach is important because the learning process looks different for different grade levels. How we engage students with the new standards is not going to look the same for an early education teacher as it is for a middle school teacher. For teachers to get the most out of professional development opportunities designed to support NGSS implementation, we should group teachers within similar grade levels.
Using NGSS-Designed Curriculum to Support Professional Development
Introducing an NGSS-designed curriculum to support professional development is a great way to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
When we break up professional development sessions into grade spans and match them with an NGSS-designed curriculum, we can deliver a more targeted approach and give teachers the specific tools and strategies they need to support student achievement. .
This approach has been a part of education for a long time, which you can see in state-level recommendations, K-2, 3- 5, 6-8, and 9-12. Utilizing a curriculum that is designed to be grade specific is useful, which is why KnowAtom designs its curriculum to be grade specific.
K-2nd Grade
At a kindergarten through second grade level, nonfiction reading is often completed with the Picture Thinking Routine where the teacher uses the PTR graphic organizer to collect student ideas and then reads for students, using our nonfiction trade books. Professional development based on an NGSS-aligned curriculum for K-2nd grade students might consider different strategies for engaging students, for example how to use the PTR graphic organizer as a group when older students could independently record their ideas..
For example, when using the Picture Thinking Routine we ask students to look at the pictures on a page and share what they see and what they think we’re going to learn about based on it. This is a good way to get young students excited about what they’re about to learn about. For a unit on weather, the picture may be of snowy or rainy conditions, sparking a great conversation about the different weather conditions students have experienced (or wish were happening right now)!
Grades 3-5
In third through fifth grade, classrooms engage in nonfiction reading where the students and teachers take turns and often, the teacher projects the reader. This is an effective way to ensure students reading at different speeds and grade levels are actively engaged with the nonfiction reading at the same time. When projecting or looking at images on a page together, we can continue to use the Picture Thinking Routine.
Another strategy students can practice while the class reads together is active reading and note taking. Directly in their reader, students can be noting things that they are interested in (!), things they have questions about (?), things they think are important (-), etc. Using a shorthand key like this keeps students actively engaged in the content while thinking about how it connects to what they know and what they want to learn more about.
Grades 6-8
In middle school, you start to see reading that’s student-led rather than teacher-led. Often we ask students to take turns reading aloud. . To ensure students are highly engaged in the reading we still use the picture thinking routine but students often have their own graphic organizers and share out after a minute of studying the image on a page. We can introduce students to Concept Mapping as a transition from reading to socratic dialogue.
With Concept Mapping, students are using a visual brainstorming technique to identify big takeaways from the reading. It can help students connect the big ideas and link what they are learning in the reading to their current knowledge. Just like in the Picture Thinking Routine, we’re asking students to think deeper about the reading by making those bigger connections. This engages students of all reading levels in the nonfiction text, as it is read aloud and they note their connections in the Concept Map. Sharing connections in small groups or as a class promotes looking at things differently and learning from your peers.
Grades 9-12
In high school, students are often asked to complete nonfiction reading on their own, either before they come to class or in groups as they prepare to lead their own investigations into real-world phenomena. These students may be finding and reviewing their own outside texts, which align with the big questions the students have decided they want to learn more about.
As students work in small groups and lead their own investigations, they may be working with different materials and at different speeds than their peers. Ensuring active engagement with the text is more important than ever! One way to measure understanding and engagement with nonfiction text is to implement check-ins, where students report their progress to the teacher to ensure they are on the right path and to receive feedback on what they’ve learned and how they are connecting it to the big ideas of the lesson.
As you can see, each grade span requires different strategies to engage young readers with nonfiction text. When teachers sit through general professional development that is not targeted to their needs, the value of that professional development is diminished for every teacher in the room. Instead, we can provide targeted strategies to help teachers strengthen their NGSS implementation by linking it to relevant, NGSS-specific curricula.
Classroom Observations, Learning Walks, and Video Workshops
In addition to classroom learning, getting outside the professional development “classroom” can improve understanding of how to effectively implement NGSS. For example, classroom observations and learning walks can help teachers visualize and experience NGSS-led instructional methods in action. In addition, video workshops are a tool that require teachers to video themselves (or watch videos of others) and use that experience to identify ways to improve their own practices.
Classroom Observations
One way that we help districts with NGSS professional development for teachers is through classroom observations. There is no better way to experience NGSS than in the classroom, surrounded by students who are engaged hands-on with science phenomena. We can talk about it all we want – but when you see it in action, it just clicks. These students are excited, they are thinking outside the box, they are challenging themselves and one another, and they are thinking deeper!
If there are teachers in your school or district that have experience implementing NGSS, you have a great opportunity for other teachers to see it in action. In addition, when teachers begin implementing NGSS for the first time, they will benefit from the feedback of their colleagues and administrators who observe their classroom in action. Observations can feel scary, so it’s important to set realistic expectations when we are trying something new.
Learning Walks
In addition to more formal classroom observations, learning walks are a great way to generate new ideas and experience NGSS in action. It’s hard to get out of our own classrooms, but the chance to observe others is an important part of understanding the different ways NGSS can be implemented and how effective these strategies can really be in engaging our students to think deeper.
To organize a learning walk at your school, engage a small group of teachers who are interested in participating. Try to observe a few teachers for a short period of time each. At the end of the “walk,” make sure your small group comes back together to share what you took away. Don’t forget to thank the teachers who invited you into their classrooms!
Video Workshops
Another way to understand how teachers are effectively implementing an NGSS designed curriculum is to workshop videos of both effective and ineffective instruction. This strategy includes engaging teachers actively in analyzing, evaluating, and improving their practices.
It’s most helpful when people video themselves and can use that video as part of the discussion. However, if they aren’t open to using video of themselves, using video of others can provide an opportunity to reflect on how they see themselves in others and how they could continue to improve and become more effective.
Listen, Observe, Reflect, and Engage
As an administrator or as a teacher-leader, talk with your district about creating the space and finding the time to offer smaller, targeted professional development sessions that are directly linked to grade level appropriate NGSS curriculum.
It’s also important to listen to what teachers and students say they need. Take what you have experienced, observed, and heard to your curriculum provider, along with any proposed solutions, and ask for their input. This can provide a helpful outside perspective.
For additional information about NGSS teacher professional development, please take a look at some of our NGSS science resources for teachers.
