Sarah K, our fearless Program Manager, shares how GMRI is internalizing and acting on the ideas and vision of the Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Here are Sarah’s thoughts….
From my first read of the Executive Summary I’ve been excited about the direction in which the Framework for K-12 Science Education Standards is driving science education.
So much of the vision resonates with my own thinking – that students of all ages can (and must) engage in the practices of science and engineering, that students need more opportunity to make connections across disciplines (within science and without), and that K-12 science education must be built on a progression of core ides. It is welcome news that the education establishment, (including Maine DOE) is supporting new standards (and one day new assessments!) that will incentivize the shift in school priorities and teachers’ practice towards these ideas.
From our perspective here at GMRI, Maine has a great foundation on which to advance this vision. Many teachers around the state are already doing many parts of what the Framework envisions – they are utilizing classroom strategies offering students opportunities to explore, investigate, question, and share what they have learned. This approach to teaching and learning is supported by the professional development and programs offered by GMRI and other education not-for-profits. Current standards, however, do not represent exploration and investigation as essential to K-12 science learning. Some teachers even feel like they have to sneak these experiences into their curriculum because our current large scale assessments don’t directly measure students skill at asking good questions, constructing explanations, and engaging in argument from evidence, and the other science practices (see Chapter 3 of the Framework). The Framework, and we hope the Next Generation Science Standards, help to clarify and support the role of investigation with the learning of science ideas in Maine classrooms.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) programs have focused on creating and giving students and teachers first hand experiences of what it is like to DO science. We’ve been committed to offering programs like LabVenture!, and Vital Signs because we think that DOING science is as important as learning the language and knowledge of science. All across the State of Maine, students and teachers are partnering with citizens and scientists through the Vital Signs program to document where invasive and native species are, supporting the efforts of our natural resource managers and science researchers. (Check out the recent story of a close call with an invasive species in Dedham and the students’ video to see what why we are so excited!). We know that teacher MUST combine learning about and doing science. And we have found that this approach to learning is much more engaging for young people.
So what are we doing with the Framework right now? Our entire education staff is reading and discussing the Framework. We are identifying the ways that our programs currently support teachers and students to fulfill the vision set forth in the document. More importantly, we are discussing ways that we can tweak GMRI’s learning experiences to more effectively help educators engage their students in science learning described by the Framework. And we are following this blog closely and looking forward to providing input on drafts of the Next Generation Science Standards as soon as they are released.
We hope you join us in bringing the vision of the Framework in to reality in Maine.
