NGSS: How Practices Change

Summary

The video script discusses the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in classrooms, emphasizing the shift towards engaging students in eight scientific practices. It highlights the challenges and rewards of facilitating these practices, such as argumentation and modeling, which encourage students to think critically and collaboratively. Teachers like Melina support students in developing their own scientific ideas and explanations, fostering a sense of agency and excitement about science.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The NGSS emphasizes eight scientific practices, requiring students to engage with ideas in authentic ways, not just memorize them.
• 🔍 Students are encouraged to make claims and use evidence to support them, fostering critical thinking and scientific reasoning skills.
• 💧 A hands-on approach is used to explore phenomena such as the interaction of water with different surfaces, enhancing students' understanding of scientific concepts.
• 🤔 Teachers facilitate rather than dictate, allowing students to experience the process of scientific inquiry, including making predictions and observing outcomes.
• 📈 Students learn to develop and refine models to represent their understanding of phenomena, such as how rainwater interacts with the school yard's surfaces.
• 🗣️ Argumentation is a key practice, where students are encouraged to express their viewpoints and engage in respectful discussions with peers.
• 👂 Active listening is crucial, as students are taught to consider and respond to each other's claims and evidence, promoting collaborative learning.
• 🔑 The teacher's role shifts from providing direct answers to guiding students through the scientific process, fostering their independence and agency.
• 🌧️ Real-world examples, such as the effects of rain on the school yard, are used to make abstract scientific concepts more tangible and relatable.
• 🛠️ The use of models and symbols helps students visualize and communicate their scientific understanding, enhancing their communication skills.
• 📊 Productive uncertainty is embraced in the classroom, where teachers create a space for students to explore ideas without immediate judgment, promoting deeper learning.

Q & A

What is the main challenge for students and teachers in implementing the NGSS?

The main challenge is the shift in focus to the eight practices, which means students are not only responsible for knowing scientific ideas but also for engaging in practices that use these ideas in authentic ways.

How does the NGSS approach differ from traditional teaching methods?

The NGSS approach emphasizes scientific practices where students actively participate in scientific processes, such as making claims, gathering evidence, and arguing from evidence, rather than just memorizing facts.

What did the teacher observe about students' reactions to the new teaching method?

Some students were initially disappointed and struggled with the teacher not providing immediate affirmation or correction, but they eventually learned from the experience.

What was the unexpected outcome the teacher noticed in the classroom?

Unexpectedly, students who typically didn't talk much had valuable contributions to make, indicating that the new approach was engaging a wider range of students.

How does the teacher facilitate the development of students' scientific agency?

The teacher facilitates by creating an environment where students can generate their own scientific ideas and explanations, and by supporting their participation in scientific practices.

What was one of the specific practices students engaged in as part of their learning?

One specific practice was predicting phenomena, which involved planning and designing investigations, making predictions, and then explaining and comparing these predictions with actual observations.

How do the NGSS practices relate to each other and to real-world scientific work?

The NGSS practices are interconnected, and they cannot occur in isolation. They work together with disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts, mirroring how scientists in the real world engage in multiple practices.

What was the role of argumentation in the classroom as described in the script?

Argumentation played a significant role, as it allowed students to express and defend their ideas, with the teacher facilitating by encouraging peer responses rather than providing immediate judgments.

How did the teacher handle disagreements among students?

The teacher supported inclusive and respectful discussions by not immediately interjecting with a 'yes' or 'no' but by encouraging other students to respond and engage in a dialogue.

What was the final assessment task for the students in the script?

The final assessment involved creating a model that explained how rainwater interacts with different surfaces on the school yard, demonstrating an understanding of patterns in water flow and surface changes.

How did the teacher and students adapt to the concept of 'productive uncertainty'?

Initially uncomfortable, both the teacher and students adjusted to productive uncertainty by embracing the space for exploration and discussion, which led to deeper learning and understanding.

Outlines

00:00

🔬 Embracing Scientific Practices in NGSS

The first paragraph discusses the significant shift in education due to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which emphasizes the eight scientific practices. Students are expected to engage with scientific ideas through authentic practices, as illustrated by the anecdote about wet mud and bike tracks. Teachers face challenges in facilitating these practices, particularly in managing student expectations and encouraging quieter students to participate. The narrative highlights the importance of developing student agency and the collaborative aspects of scientific inquiry, including making claims, gathering evidence, and taking intellectual risks. The paragraph also touches on the iterative nature of scientific practices and the interconnectedness of ideas, as students learn to predict, investigate, and explain phenomena.

05:05

🌧️ Exploring Water Interaction with School Yard Surfaces

The second paragraph delves into the hands-on investigation of how water interacts with various surfaces in the school yard, as part of the NGSS curriculum. Students are tasked with predicting outcomes, gathering data, and observing phenomena such as water spreading on concrete or being absorbed by gravel. The educational process involves developing a model of the school yard, using symbols and colors to represent different surfaces and their interactions with rainwater. This activity not only enhances students' understanding of physical properties and environmental dynamics but also encourages them to think critically and express their ideas through visual representation.

10:06

📊 Analyzing and Modeling Surface Changes Post-Rain

The third paragraph continues the theme of environmental inquiry by focusing on the analysis and modeling of how surfaces change after rainfall. Students explore the concept of 'productive uncertainty,' learning to be comfortable with not having immediate answers and instead engaging in respectful discussions and debates. The paragraph describes the process of creating a model to demonstrate how water flow affects different surfaces, such as the spreading of wood chips under tire swings. The narrative emphasizes the importance of adjusting to uncertainty and the value of inclusive and respectful dialogue in the classroom, as students learn to support their claims with evidence and consider alternative viewpoints.

Keywords

💡NGSS

NGSS stands for 'Next Generation Science Standards', which is a set of educational standards for K-12 science education in the United States. In the context of the video, NGSS emphasizes the importance of students engaging in scientific practices as part of their learning experience. The script mentions that implementing NGSS involves a significant shift for both teachers and students, focusing on the eight practices that are integral to scientific inquiry.

💡Scientific Practices

Scientific Practices refer to the methods and processes used by scientists to investigate the natural world. In the video, it is highlighted that students are not only learning scientific ideas but are also responsible for engaging in practices that apply these ideas in authentic ways, such as making claims, gathering evidence, and constructing explanations.

💡Authentic Ways

Authentic ways in the context of the video refer to the real-world application of scientific ideas and practices. It is about students using scientific knowledge and methods in a manner that reflects how they are used by professionals in the field. An example from the script is the students investigating how rainwater interacts with different surfaces in the school yard.

💡Claims

Claims in the video are statements or assertions made by students that can be supported by evidence. They are a part of the scientific process where students express their ideas or hypotheses. The script describes how students start with writing claims with evidence as a way to engage in scientific practices.

💡Evidence

Evidence in this context is the data or observations that students collect to support their claims. It is a critical component of the scientific method and is used by students to validate their hypotheses or arguments. The script includes examples of students using sentence strips and photos as forms of evidence.

💡Argumentation

Argumentation is the process of making a case for a particular interpretation, using evidence and reasoning. In the video, argumentation is facilitated by the teacher, encouraging students to express their views, disagree, and engage in a dialogue, which is a key part of developing scientific literacy.

💡Productive Uncertainty

Productive uncertainty is a state where students are encouraged to explore ideas without immediate confirmation of their correctness. It is a teaching approach that promotes critical thinking and deeper understanding. The script mentions that teachers must be comfortable with this approach, allowing students to be in a space of productive uncertainty.

💡Investigation

Investigation in the video refers to the hands-on activities conducted by students to explore and understand scientific phenomena. It is a core part of the NGSS, where students actively participate in the scientific process by conducting experiments and making observations. An example from the script is the investigation of how water interacts with different surfaces.

💡Model

A model in this context is a simplified representation of a phenomenon or system, used to explain or predict its behavior. In the video, students develop and refine a model of the school yard and its surfaces to demonstrate how rainwater interacts with different materials, showing an understanding of patterns and processes.

💡Disciplinary Core Ideas

Disciplinary Core Ideas are the fundamental concepts within a specific discipline, in this case, science. They form the basis of understanding in scientific fields and are integrated with scientific practices and cross-cutting concepts in NGSS. The script implies that these ideas are essential for students to explain phenomena through their scientific practices.

💡Cross-Cutting Concepts

Cross-Cutting Concepts are ideas that span across different disciplines and provide a unified understanding of scientific phenomena. They help students make connections between different areas of science. The video suggests that these concepts work in conjunction with disciplinary core ideas and practices to deepen students' scientific understanding.

Highlights

Shift in educational approach with NGSS focuses on eight scientific practices for students.

Students are responsible for engaging in practices that authentically use scientific ideas.

Challenges arise from students' need for validation and the teacher's role in guiding without giving direct answers.

Unexpected participation from usually quiet students indicates the effectiveness of the new approach.

The concept of children as scientists, capable of creating their own scientific ideas and explanations.

Facilitating the development of student agency is an exciting aspect of NGSS implementation.

Students start with writing claims supported by evidence as a foundational practice.

The importance of collaborative work and taking risks in the learning process.

Use of sentence strips and student-gathered photos as tools to support scientific claims.

Students engage in predicting phenomena and explaining their predictions as part of the investigative process.

The NGSS framework shows how scientific practices are interconnected and cannot occur in isolation.

Argumentation as a practice that is challenging for teachers but rewarding for students' critical thinking.

Students' back-and-forth discussions on ideas as a sign of successful facilitation of argumentation.

The school yard serves as a real-world laboratory for students to gather data on water interaction with surfaces.

Development of a model to represent the school yard and its surfaces, enhancing understanding of water flow dynamics.

Inclusive and respectful discussions as a key component of the NGSS practices in the classroom.

Students' discomfort with productive uncertainty and their subsequent adjustment to this new learning environment.

Transcripts

Practices... a big shift for students and teachers in implementing the NGSS is the

focus on the eight practices meaning that students are not only responsible

for knowing ideas but they are responsible for engaging in practices

that use the ideas in authentic ways.

When it was raining, the mud might have got wet, so when the bike was riding it might have

left a track because the mud was wet and then it ... the wheels got like

down into the mud and it left a track. How can a teacher enable students to use

in show the scientific practices in more and more sophisticated ways. There were

some challenges. There were some students that were really disappointed--I could

tell--that I wasn't saying that's right you're right on, or no, you're not exactly

right, try again. They were looking for me, and it was hard for them, but they did

learn from that experience that unexpectedly certain students who don't

talk a lot had something to say. Puddle, and yesterday, like it rained, so there's a puddle. The idea that kids are scientists and kids

can make their own science and come up with their own ideas and their own

explanations, and that it was generated here in the classroom being part of that

like facilitating that as a teacher, that kind of like developing agency of

students, i think is one of the most exciting things about NGSS.

Look at these cards you made yesterday. They may not be the exact cards that you made. Melina's students

start with writing claims with evidence. They're working toward listening for the

evidence in the claim, working collaboratively, and taking risks.

Rolando, what do you have? Because, wet ... ahhh. Even though this practice was new to Melina, she worked as

support it using sentence strips and student gathered photos for evidence.

Suppose you wanted to make a claim. What do you want to know?

Suppose you wanted to ask yourself, "did it snow last night?" That would be what

you're thinking. Thinking about things that are easier to see like snow, so

that's what you think. And then the evidence would be why you think that

What did you observe? Another practice the students engaged in was predicting

phenomena, which was part of planning and designing the investigation, and then

explaining the predictions. How does that compare to your prediction? It went down in the ground. So it didn't. Interesting. Who's in the gravel group?

What was your prediction when we pour the water on it?

The water will go in the rock, they're will be like mud in there, and then the rocks are going to

float. The rocks are going to float. And then they'll change color. Hunh. Ok! Let's see. Very nice job. It changed color! It did! It's darker. Is it a river in the rocks?

The predictions allow the students to show how they're thinking was developing, The NGSS show

that practices lead to other practices and that they cannot occur in isolation.

Just as scientists participate in multiple practices in the real world, the

practices work together along with the disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting

concepts to allow students to explain phenomena. What do you think? I don't agree.

You don't agree. Do you want to say anything more about that? I don't agree, because there's a water, and there's not normally water there.

But it doesn't change the land. What else about that? What can you say? It doesn't change the land because that's hard.

And so, why does that matter? Because then the land doesn't change. Concrete can get changed sometimes because it can get cracks.

What do you think, S....? Change!

Ok, how come? Because, here is dry, but but when it's going to rain, it's gonna get wet, so it's gonna change.

Ok, I'm gonna put it here. Oh, she disagrees, ok, why do you disagree?

Because, right, well maybe the day before it rained, but now it's dry, so it will look the same.

Notice how Melina supports argumentation. This practice can be hard to facilitate for

teachers because it means that we have to be comfortable with the students

being in a space of productive uncertainty. Facilitating this practice

is one of the big shifts for teachers. If one person is saying something we have

to figure out how are we going to not say 'yes' or 'no,' but get another student to

respond.

I think that's the biggest challenge, but it's also one of the most rewarding.

So every now and then you get the kids kind of having a back and forth about an idea

that's interesting and important to them. And to be able to sit back and allow

that to happen and have that happened every now and then is really exciting

Stand up with your group. Your going to videotape what happened.

The investigation was carried out on the school yard, which

contains several of the different surfaces that the students had described.

Who was in the concrete group? Me, me, me... The students gathered data about how water interacts

with different surfaces. What's the prediction for this surface. What's going

to happen when we pour the water on it? It's not going to change. It's not going to change because... it's hard.

And so. Change of color... Change color Wooooooooh. It made a river!

Did the prediction come true? Did it stay like a river? Yeah, but it was good to change color.

The unit also called for the students to develop and

then refine a model of the school yard and its surfaces.

And here on this side is the garden. Showing on the model how rainwater interacts with the different surfaces

And then here's the hill. Where's the bakery? Where the cars are.

So, who knows where there is concrete, gravel, grass, and wood chips around our school?

There's concrete right here. There's grass right here and right here. And there's wood chips right here, and here. And there's gravel right here.

Ahhh, how would we show the grass?

Let's start with that. Coloring it. We don't spend an hour coloring but we just show that this area or that area

has some grass in it. What do you think?

We can write 'grass.' Ok that's another idea. That's interesting.

We can use the markers and then put a green around it. Or we can put green all around it.

Green lines. What did you think of her idea?

Does someone want to look for a gray marker? Me, me!

Ahh, that's cool.

Is there grass anywhere else?

Who can do the gravel? Yeah, gray for gravel.

What do those dots mean? Rocks. Does it make sense that that could show a surface?

That you could make dots and it mean something?

What symbols should we use for the wood chips? Or what pattern?

Little Rectangles. Oh, What do you think about that? Little rectangles? Yes!

What are we missing? Concrete! The concrete is the building.

What color should we make the concrete? Gray! But we used gray for the gravel.

Color piel. Yeah, do we have any color piel?

We found some color piel crayones the other day.

Why don't we use red? Oh, what about red?

What kind of symbol should we use for the red in the concrete?

I don't know.

X's! Ok, let's do it.

They use the model to explain that water flow causes different changes to various surfaces on the school yard

and there are patterns in the changes they found.

Which surface did you pour water on. On the concrete? And what happened with the water?

Do you remember? It spread out. Oh, it spread out...

How so? Tell me more about that.

I made it in one space and then it was spreading out.

How far did it go?

About, I don't know, this much

Could you maybe show, on our map, what the water did?

About right here, and then it went over maybe this much

Could we show how it moved or how it spread?

Oh, putting some arrows in there.

What's an arrow? You know what an arrow is... like a flecha.

To show that it flowed out in all directions.

Ooooh. I put it right here, and it just stayed here.

How could we represent those two different things on this map?

Put a circle on where we poured it?

Would you do that, please?

So, the gravel... a circle means that it just sunk in.

I think I know what happened.

What do you think?

When you put the water in the rocks, there are spaces, like this,

the rocks are like this and the water went through them

It went down.

There's holes in between the rocks and it made the water go down... if that's what happened

How does that compare with concrete?

Is there a difference between concrete and the rocks, then?

Because concrete is made of rocks.

Why doesn't it go down into the concrete?

Maybe, because the concrete is together, so there is no way for the water to go down,

but in the rocks, there is space for the water to go down.

Again this practice gave rise to other practices

Including the final assessment that was a model

explaining how the wood chips that were placed under the tire swings were spread

out after the rain.

At first, Melina and her students were uncomfortable with productive

uncertainty but they rapidly adjusted

How are you supporting inclusive respectful discussion about the practices in

your class