Unpack Everything: Science Education Reform in the Real World

This week, Dan and Sam unpack the Franklin Standards. These standards have been developed by the National Association of Scholars and Freedom in Education as an alternative to the NGSS. Unfortunately, they are on the road to adoption in at least one state. As we dug in, we found that these standards have very little to do with what we know science to be and show evidence of being politically motivated by forces on the right. Since this week's episode discusses partisan politics, we wanted to share a bit more about where each of us stands politically. You can find that below. As a reminder, everything we share through this podcast represents our own thoughts and opinions and does not reflect that of our employers or any other entities. Dan places the highest value on good governance, support for democratic norms, and measures that strengthen communities. This has led him to supporting a variety of candidates, including writing in John McCain with a different running mate in 2008, voting for Barack Obama in 2012 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 (after earlier support for John Kasich in the primaries). In 2018, he supported a primary challenge to Iowa's GOP governor and served as a delegate at the Iowa Republican State Convention in a (failed) attempt to push the party in a more productive direction, accompanied by additional work advocating for ranked-choice voting and other measures to improve our political system. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan has generally voted straight-ticket for the Democratic Party, but would welcome other parties putting up candidates who propose their own, thoughtful solutions to our most urgent local and global problems. Sam has been a Democratic voter since she was first able to vote in the 2012 election. She has aligned herself with candidates who stand for values she believes in, such as promoting green energy and reducing emissions, protecting access to and funding for public education, supporting common sense gun laws, and protecting women's reproductive rights. Since 2020, she has volunteered with Postcards to Swing States to write hundreds of postcards to rally voters across the country, from presidential swing states to competitive state legislative districts. If you'd like to do your own digging into the Franklin Standards, these are the resources we consulted for this episode: Reporting from Wendy Suares from Fox 25 in Oklahoma City Franklin Standards - developed by the National Association of Scholars and Freedom in Education Final Evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards by the Fordham Institute The Franklin Standards are said to be based on the following: 2006 Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Standards and 1996 New York Science Core Curriculum Standards Resources: Drilled Podcast National Center for Science Education Article from The Conversation about attempts to undermine the teaching of evolution A Framework for K-12 Science Education Next Generation Science Standards Follow along and send us questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by elementary school teacher, Myra Lam, to talk about teaching science with attention to language needs. She discusses the strategies she uses in her classroom that have supported her multilingual students. Resources: Why you should stop pre-teaching science vocabulary and focus on students developing conceptual meaning first (STEM Teaching Tool #66) Science in the City by Bryan Brown Thinking and Feedback Protocol Knowles Teaching Fellowship Pedagogy of Hope by Paulo Freire Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Enrique (Henry) Suarez to talk about language and the role it plays in science sensemaking. He discusses translanguaging and how it describes the process multilingual students undergo as they engage and interact with the world. He also shares some helpful steps we can take to better support students in this work. Resources: @SciEdHenry on Twitter Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire Retiring the term English language learners: Moving toward linguistic justice through asset-oriented framing Translanguaging in Bilingual Education (Ofelia Garcia) Language views for scientific sensemaking matter: A synthesis of research on multilingual students' experiences with science practices through a translanguaging lens Read more about Lev Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development Why you should stop pre-teaching science vocabulary and focus on students developing conceptual meaning first (STEM Teaching Tool #66) Translingual Writing in a Linguistically Diverse Primary Classroom (Emily Machado) Look out for the Journal of Research in Science Teaching's Special Issue on "Examining translanguaging in science and engineering education research" coming soon! Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Nina Hike, a Chicago Public Schools teacher who teaches with social justice science issues like we heard about in Transformative Science Teaching. She gives a lot of context and depth to what this can look like in the classroom. Resources: @ninahike06 on Twitter Pushing Praxis - Nina's podcast!! Near-Space Science: A Ballooning Project to Engage Students with Science Beyond the Big Screen (Nina's experimental design article published in NSTA's The Science Teacher) Using the Science Writing Heuristic to Support NGSS-Aligned Instruction (Nina's experimental design article published by ACS) Read more about Dr. Charles Drew on ACS and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture PAEMST Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle - Use code TRSC24 for 20% off when you order directly from Harvard Education Press. Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

Sam and Dan are back with Season 3! This week, we are joined by the author of Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability, Dr. Daniel Morales-Doyle!! After our summer book club, we were so excited for the chance to chat with the author about the book and to unpack more about why we should teach with social justice science issues. Resources: @dmoralesdoyle on Twitter Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle - Use code TRSC24 for 20% off when you order directly from Harvard Education Press. Creative Insubordination Transdisciplinarity in STEM Education Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

Season 3 of Unpack Everything: Science Education Reform in the Real World is coming soon! Join us this season as we unpack what it means for a classroom to be student-centered and student-driven. Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Will Baur to talk about scaling up science education reform at the ground level. Will shares what it's like working on various curriculum and professional development projects as a teacher and in support of other teachers in his state. Resources: @Pearwilliambaur on Twitter OpenSciEd Curriculum Materials - The specific OpenSciEd units Will refers to can be found here: Microwaves Unit (P.5), Polar Ice Unit (C.1), Texas Blackout Unit (P.1), Cancer Unit (B.3) Washington Association of Educational Service Districts Student Perception Surveys Science Assessment Grounded in Equity (SAGE) project Ambitious Science Teaching by Mark Windschitl, Jessica Thompson, and Melissa Braaten (More resources are available here.) ClimeTime Check out Bringing Cancer Education to the Classroom to read more about how Will partnered with the Washington State Department of Health to localize the OpenSciEd Cancer Unit! Our summer book club book is Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle!! If you want to read along with us, our planned discussion schedule is below: June 29: Intro-Chapter 1 July 13: Chapters 2-3 July 27: Chapters 4-6 Dr. Morales-Doyle and Harvard Education Press have kindly provided us with a discount code. When buying directly from Harvard Education Press, enter the promo code TRSC24 at checkout to receive 20% off your book order. Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Tiffany Neill to talk about scaling up science education reform at the state level. Tiffany gives us a glimpse into the work she did at the Oklahoma State Department of Education to inform and implement policy related to updating state science standards and supporting districts in the adoption of high-quality instructional materials. Resources: @tiffanyneill on Twitter Framework for K-12 Science Education Council of State Science Supervisors The 2028 NAEP Science Assessment Framework Amazon Future Engineers National Academies of Sciences Consensus Study on K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas (in progress) National Academies of Sciences CASTL-K12 (Collaborative for Advancing Science Teaching and Learning in K-12) (in progress) Our summer book club book is Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle!! Dr. Morales-Doyle and Harvard Education Press have kindly provided us with a discount code. When buying directly from Harvard Education Press, enter the promo code TRSC24 at checkout to receive 20% off your book order. Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

Surprise! We ended up talking quite a bit about AI with John Bartucz at the end of last week's interview. If you're interested in how AI can be used productively in education, you can listen to the rest of our conversation here. Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by John Bartucz to talk about building equitable computer science learning environments. We discuss what the "ideal equitable classroom" might look like, and John shares the 3-step routine he uses in his classroom to gradually give students freedom, flexibility, and ownership over their learning. John also shares why he thinks it's important for students to engage with computer science and ways to do more of this even if you aren't a dedicated computer science teacher. Resources: CTECH Baseball equity comic from Interaction Institute for Social Change by Angus Maguire "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery Computer Science Teachers Association Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Stefanie Marshall to talk about what equity could look like in the STEM education system. We consider the American education system across multiple levels -- federal, state, organizational, and school -- to identify barriers that prevent equitable changes from being made that would impact the experiences of students in classrooms. Stefanie also shares some ways that leaders across levels can support each other in disrupting the status quo to ensure there are more opportunities for marginalized students to engage meaningfully in the sciences. Resources: @DrStefLMarshall on Twitter Industry's push for computer science education: Is computer science really for all? Administrator Observation Tool from OEI at Boston College Ambitious Science Teaching by Mark Windschitl, Jessica Thompson, and Melissa Braaten (More resources are available here.) OpenSciEd Case: When State Standards Change: Dilemmas of Teachers of Color (in Navigating Elementary Science Teaching and Learning: Exploring Complexities, Promises, and Dilemmas) Science for our children: Othermothering leadership within an elementary science network The role of collective sensemaking and science curriculum development within a research-practice partnership We are planning a summer book club!! What book should we read together and talk about on the podcast? Vote here! Teaching Climate Change: Fostering Understanding, Resilience, and a Commitment to Justice by Mark Windschitl Teaching Toward Rightful Presence in Middle School STEM by Edna Tan and Angela Calabrese Barton Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by fourth grade teacher, Patrick Conley. Patrick shares some of his experiences teaching science at the elementary school level and provides a look at the PeBLES2 project, Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale, from inside his classroom. (Check out our previous episode with Dr. Kate Cook Whitt to hear more about the research behind this project.) He shares what it was like participating in this National Science Foundation funded project as a pilot teacher, how his teaching practice shifted throughout this two-year experience, and the changes he saw in his students as they engaged with phenomena on a local level. Resources: Patrick's PeBLES2 Classroom Artifacts PeBLES2 (Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale) - This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grant #2009613. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance We are planning a summer book club!! What book should we read together and talk about on the podcast? Vote here! Teaching Climate Change: Fostering Understanding, Resilience, and a Commitment to Justice by Mark Windschitl Teaching Toward Rightful Presence in Middle School STEM by Edna Tan and Angela Calabrese Barton Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Kate Cook Whitt to talk about 3D science learning for elementary students. Kate gives us an overview of the PeBLES2 project, Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale. In this National Science Foundation funded project, the PeBLES2 team designed science instructional materials and professional learning to support elementary teachers in making locally and culturally relevant adaptations to phenomena-based units. Kate shares some of the unique challenges and opportunities they encountered while working in the elementary space, how they went about designing materials that invited adaptation, and why it is so important to ground science learning in local places. Resources: @KateCookWhitt on Twitter Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance PeBLES2 (Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale) - This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grant #2009613. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Colleen LaMotte to talk about using 3D assessments in the classroom. Colleen shares how her thinking about assessment has shifted over the years -- from assessment OF learning to assessment FOR learning and ultimately to assessment AS learning. She gives us an in-depth look at the various formative and summative assessment opportunities she uses throughout the course of a unit, how she gains insight about what students can do at each moment in time, how she communicates that learning with students and caregivers at home using asset-based rubrics, and what ultimately goes into her gradebook. Resources: @MsLaMomSci on Twitter Science in the City by Bryan Brown (More resources are available here.) Ambitious Science Teaching by Mark Windschitl, Jessica Thompson, and Melissa Braaten (More resources are available here.) The doorbell assessment Colleen refers to is part of OpenSciEd Middle School's Forces at a Distance Unit (8.3) Assessment as a Caring Practice with the SAGE Project (Washington State's Science Assessment Grounded in Equity Project) The unbreakable cell phone and designing helmets assessments Colleen refers to are part of OpenSciEd Middle School's Contact Forces Unit (8.1) Colleen's Grade Policy (with a look into how her gradebook is structured, a few sample assessments, and their asset-based rubrics) The 5D Assessment Project Wonder of Science Graphics Upcoming Conference Opportunities: Going to the NARST conference in Denver this spring? Check out this thread of sessions from the folks at the 5D Assessment Project! Going to the NSTA conference in Denver this spring? Check out the Professional Learning Institute: What Makes a High-Quality, Equitable Three-Dimensional Science Assessment and How Can You Create and Use Them? Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Bill Penuel to talk about three-dimensional assessment. Bill shares how the Framework and NGSS prime us to do assessment differently than we have done in the past. He also walks us through the process of developing a 3D assessment task and provides examples of what formative and summative 3D assessments might look like in the classroom. He gives us a peek into his work developing 5D assessments, which bring the additional dimensions of student interest and identity into focus, and also shares some advice on how to tackle grading! Resources: @bpenuel on Twitter inquiryHub (iHub) (Information about the upcoming grading professional learning will be announced here!) Science and Engineering Task Formats (STEM Teaching Tool #30) Learn more about the OpenSciEd Assessment System on pp. 28-35 of the OpenSciEd High School Teacher Handbook The 5D Assessment Project The assessment Bill refers to where students design a car safety feature for a loved one and write them a letter about it is part of Dr. Hosun Kang's work at UCI (You can read more here.) The assessment Bill refers to where students advocate for a loved one who's going into treatment for a genetic disease is part of OpenSciEd High School's Genetics Unit (B.3 Inheritance & Variation of Traits) Crosscutting Concepts Prompts Tool (STEM Teaching Tool #41) Principles for Equitable Grading Contextus: Assessments in Context Resources Upcoming Professional Learning and Conference Opportunities: Check out this upcoming NSTA Web Seminar: Designing Equitable, 3D, Curriculum-Anchored Assessments: Topic Study for K-12 Teachers Going to the NARST conference in Denver this spring? Check out this thread of sessions from the folks at the 5D Assessment Project! Going to the NSTA conference in Denver this spring? Check out the Professional Learning Institute: What Makes a High-Quality, Equitable Three-Dimensional Science Assessment and How Can You Create and Use Them? CU Boulder's Teacher Leadership Program is offering a four-course certificate - Leading for Change in Science Assessment Practice Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

Season 2 of Unpack Everything: Science Education Reform in the Real World is coming soon!! Our first set of episodes focused on unpacking the three dimensions called out in the NGSS and Framework for K-12 Science Education. Through conversations with our guests, we’ve developed a shared understanding of "the basics" -- what science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas are, where they came from, and what they can look like in the classroom. With this understanding as a jumping off point, we’re excited to dig deeper into other areas of interest in the field! In Season 2, we’ll continue to release paired episodes, so you’ll hear from both a back-end researcher or developer and a frontline classroom teacher about the same topic. In the pipeline, we've got 3D assessment, place-based science learning at the elementary level, equity in the science classroom, and scaling up this type of reform at varying levels in the education system. We’re excited for what’s to come! Thanks for listening!! Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

In today's episode, Dan and Sam reflect on all they've heard over the past few months while discussing the three dimensions with classroom teachers, researchers, and curriculum developers. Resources: Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle Over Educational Goals Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson to talk about disciplinary core ideas. Joy shares how she teaches the content found in the DCIs while prioritizing student exploration, play, and joy in the classroom. Resources: Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson's website Check out Joy's dissertation: Efficacy-Related Beliefs and Practices about Equitable Science Teaching: A Case Study in an Urban Elementary School Preparing Teachers to Engage Rural Students in Computational Thinking Through Robotics, Game Design, and Culturally Responsive Teaching Joy's Recommended Reading: Why Trust Science? by Naomi Oreskes Learn more about Carolyn Parker Learn more about Ramanujan The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson Books by George Washington Carver Learn more about the Blackwell Sisters Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Dr. Zoë Buck Bracey to talk about the third dimension of the NGSS - disciplinary core ideas. Zoë shares some background about how the DCIs were chosen and addresses some of the common criticisms of the NGSS, such as "a lot of what I used to teach has been left out." She also walks us through several examples of how the OpenSciEd High School team has used the disciplinary core ideas to design units where students figure out these big science ideas in order to make sense of the world around them. Resources: @ZoeBuckBracey on Twitter NGSS Appendix E - Disciplinary Core Idea Progressions NSTA DCI Matrix OpenSciEd High School Curriculum Materials BSCS Science Learning Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.

This week, Dan and Sam are joined by Rabi Whitaker to talk about the practical aspects of using the crosscutting concepts in the classroom. Rabi shares resources that she has used in her own pedagogical journey with the crosscutting concepts and gives us so many tangible examples of how she uses the crosscutting concepts in her planning, instruction, and assessment. Resources: NGSS Crosscutting Concepts Elements and Grade-Level Progressions NGSS Evidence Statements Crosscutting Concepts: Strengthening Science and Engineering Learning Check out Rabi's dissertation: Examining Validity and Coherence in a Cognitively-Based Science Performance Assessment Follow along and send us the questions YOU have about science education! @SciEdPod on Instagram and Twitter unpackeverythingpod@gmail.com Our music is 'Rainbows' by Scott Buckley released under CC BY 4.0.