Engaging in Science and Engineering Practices - Center for Inspired Teaching

March 27, 2015

(Photos: Jacqueline Smalls)

Patricia Odom teaches 6-8 grade science at Kelly Miller Middle School, a DC Public School. She is also a 2014 Teacher Leader in SCALE: Science Curriculum Advancement through Literacy Enhancement, a partnership between Center for Inspired Teaching and DC Public Schools that trains teachers in inquiry-based instruction, creates Next Generation Science Standards-aligned curricula, and provides students 21st century science instruction that develops their problem solving, critical thinking, and literacy skills.

While writing my lesson unit on the structure of matter, I intentionally incorporated the Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices. In fact, it’s impossible to teach abstract concepts of matter without considering the skills and processes student have to use to move from understanding a concrete idea to understanding an abstract concept. What’s been most helpful when writing these lessons is to plan activities and develop very specific questions that instigate student thought about the science phenomena they’re exploring.

With the 5E planning template, I am able to intentionally plan out the ways the students and teacher will actively complete the 5E’s: Engage, Explore, Explain, Evaluate, and Elaborate. It is critical to hook students at the beginning of a lesson and access their prior knowledge so that they are motivated to stay with you throughout the phases. Using the 5E model helps me to plan the types of questions I will ask that will lead students to ask even deeper questions.

In a portion of my unit, students explore the law of conservation of mass. In the “Explore” phase, students are tasked with developing a model with Legos to demonstrate what happens to the mass of an object when put together as compared to when the same parts are in pieces. I asked a student pair, “which type of change are you modeling – physical or chemical?” The student responded appropriately, then followed up with a question I wasn’t expecting: “would the mass be the same in a chemical change?”

I felt success in that moment, as my student had already predicted the next phase of the lesson . At the end of class, I probed for students to explain what had happened to the mass of the Legos; they told me that “it remained the same.” I then asked them what that meant, and they were able to state that the mass had been “saved” or conserved because the mass of the parts of the model was equal to the mass of the model. They read texts to support their explanations and discovered that they had been able to demonstrate the law of conservation of mass.

Reflection has been the key to improving my lessons and asking effective questions to drive instruction. After our lesson exploring conservation of mass, students were also able to recall that energy acts in the same way. This connection was the result of strategically planned questions I had placed throughout the lesson after getting feedback from thought partners within my cohort of SCALE Teacher Leaders.

SCALE has provided me the insight necessary for intentional and deliberate planning of questions within lessons. I now video record many of my lessons and often request observations with specific feedback from my peers, administrators, the school-based instructional coach, as well as my SCALE coach. These feedback conversations help me to identify things that worked well and ways to improve the lesson. This is critical to my own professional development and extremely necessary in order to develop my SCALE module for other teachers to use throughout the district. I didn’t do those things before, nor did I thoughtfully plan questions to build on what students could already do as they worked to grasp a concept. Before SCALE, I used what was already available and was less creative and intentional in my planning and teaching.

Now, I use the language of the Science and Engineering Practices every day with students to remind them that they are always thinking, speaking, and acting like scientists, not just in science class.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.