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Summary
Definition
Checklist
Application/Examples
Note.
Printed with permission from National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, (Early Adolescence/Science
Standards, 1998; Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Science Standards,
1997), www.nbpts.org. All rights
reserved.
Checklist
1.
Early Adolescence
Preparing the way for productive student learning
___a. Understanding students
___b. Knowledge of science
___c. Instructional resources
Establishing a
favorable context for student learning
___d. Engagement
___e. Learning environment
___f. Equitable participation
Advancing student learning
___g. Science inquiry
___h. Fundamental understandings
___i. Contexts of science
Supporting teaching and student learning
___j. Assessment
___k. Family and community outreach
___l. Contributing to the profession
___m. Reflective practice
2. Adolescence and
young adulthood
Preparing the way for productive student learning
___a. Understanding students
___b. Knowledge of science
___c. Instructional resources
Establishing a favorable context for student learning
___d. Engagement
___e. Learning environment
___f. Equitable participation
Advancing student learning
___g. Science inquiry
___h. Conceptual understandings
___i. Contexts of science
Supporting teaching and student learning
___j. Assessment
___k. Family and community outreach
___l. Collegiality and leadership
___m. Reflection
Applications/Examples
1.
Early Adolescence
Preparing the
way for productive student learning
___a. Understanding students
- Teachers know how early adolescent learners grow and develop,
actively come to know their students as individuals, and draw on
this knowledge and their relationships with students to determine
the students' understanding of science as well as their individual
learning backgrounds.
- Teachers are passionate about involving adolescents in the
excitement and satisfaction of scientific inquiry.
___b. Knowledge of science
- Teachers have a broad and current knowledge of science and science
education, along with in-depth knowledge of one of the sub-fields of
science, on which they draw to set appropriate learning goals with
their students.
- Teachers coordinate their instructional program so their students'
explorations of science are integrated with their experiences in the
language arts, mathematics, history/social science, and other
essential areas of school curriculum.
- Teachers establish long-range learning goals that are attainable,
worthwhile, and relevant to the students.
- Learning opportunities are organized, structured, and sequenced so
that they support the goals.
- Teachers willingly improvise by taking their cue from newspaper
headlines, local controversies or unpredictable events that become
occasions for scientific explorations that link school learning to
everyday life.
- Teachers are well versed in (1) the nature of science (modes of
inquiry, habits of mind, and attitudes and dispositions); (2) the
concepts, themes, principles, laws, theories, vocabulary,
terminology, and factual information; (3) the historical,
intellectual, social, and cultural contexts out of which science and
technology have developed and in which they function today; and (4)
the nature of technology (its challenges and roles).
- Physical science teachers understand the basic properties of
matter and the principles governing its interactions; the forms
energy takes; its transformations from one form to another, and its
relationships to matter, motion and the principles that explain it;
the nature of atoms and molecules; the forces that exist between and
within objects and atoms.
- Life sciences teachers understand the diversity and unity that
characterize life, the genetic basis for the transfer of biological
characteristics from one generation to the next, the structure and
functions of cells, the life cycle, the dependence of all organisms
on one another and on their environment, the cycling of matter and
flow of energy through the living environment, the basic concepts of
evolution of species.
- Earth and space sciences teachers understand the origin,
composition, and structure of the universe and the motion of the
objects in it, the motion of the earth and the materials and systems
that compose it, the processes that shape the earth's surface and
the relation of these cycling processes to the living environment.
- Teachers are proficient in the practice of mathematics appropriate
to the developmental level of their students.
___c. Instructional resources
- Teachers select and adapt instructional resources (including
technology, laboratory, and community resources) and create their
own resources to support active student explorations of science.
- Teachers actively recruit families or other community members with
science- or technology-related backgrounds to contribute to the
instructional mix.
- Teachers encourage students to take responsibility for pursuing
their own science-related interests in the community by arranging
field trips, inviting guest speakers, etc.
- Teachers put students in control of technological tools in their
learning, as much as possible.
- They provide opportunities for hands-on experiences with
mechanical, electrical, and optical tools.
- Teachers direct students who have expressed interest in a topic to
sources of additional information (library, periodicals, other
media).
Establishing a favorable context for student learning
___d. Engagement
- Teachers stimulate interest in science and technology and elicit
their students' sustained preparation in learning activities.
- Students are encouraged to creatively solve problems, offer ideas,
pose and respond to stimulating questions.
- Teachers are passionate about science and exhibit genuine
enthusiasm in teaching the subject and its applications.
- Teachers are co-discoverers alongside their students,
demonstrating the value of false starts, blind leads, mistakes, and
anomalous results to the inquiry process.
- Whenever possible, teachers choose activities and topics that
directly relate to the interests and experiences of adolescents.
- Teachers treat seriously the ideas of all their students.
___e. Learning environment
- Teachers create safe and supportive learning environments that
foster high expectations for the success of all students and in
which students experience the values inherent in the practice of
science.
- Teachers work diligently to establish a congenial and supportive
learning environment where students feel safe to risk full
participation.
- Teachers foster a sense of community by encouraging student
interactions that show concern for others, by demonstrating high
expectations for and involving all students in the practice of
science, and by dealing constructively with socially inappropriate
behavior.
- Teachers are good listeners open to new ideas.
- They have a healthy sense of humor and a genuinely caring,
respectful attitude toward students.
- Teachers are good classroom and resource managers - they establish
orderly and workable learning routines that maximize student time on
task.
- Teachers instruct students in and enforce standard practices
regarding the use of safety equipment.
- Teachers are equally comfortable employing whole-class,
small-collaborative or cooperative-group, one-on-one, peer-coaching,
or other clustering arrangements depending on instructional purpose.
___f. Equitable participation
- Teachers take steps to ensure that all students, including those
from groups that historically have not been encouraged to enter the
world of science, participate in the study of science.
- Teachers are able to modify the mainstream curriculum and to use
adaptive strategies that enable each student to contribute.
- Teachers often use examples derived from their students' culture,
community, and home environments to demonstrate the relevance of
science and technology in daily life.
- Teachers carefully monitor the participation of students in
groups, making sure that all have an equal opportunity to
participate in key roles (planners, leaders, data collectors,
reporters, etc.).
- Teachers create an equitable learning environment through seating
arrangements, design of lab activities, etc.
- Teachers are sensitive to the needs of those students who are not
fluent in English by carrying out regular comprehension checks,
making reference to the students' prior knowledge, engaging in
instructional conversation with the students.
Advancing student learning
___g. Science inquiry
- Teachers involve students in inquiries that challenge them and
help them construct an understanding of nature and technology.
- Students are encouraged to acquire mental capacities such as
recognizing problems, asking relevant questions, formulating working
hypotheses, handling data with accuracy, reaching conclusions
consistent with what is known, etc.
- Teachers organize their classrooms around frequent, hands-on
explorations of natural and human-made phenomena in which students
assume active roles as investigators and sense-makers.
- Activities are age-appropriate to the developmental stage of the
students, likely to stir interest, and relevant to students.
- In facilitating classroom discussions or activities, teachers
model good scientific discourse and ask thought-provoking questions.
- Teachers monitor students' direct involvement in classroom
discourse.
- They often use students' words rather than the specialized
vocabulary of a given field.
___h. Fundamental understandings
- Teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to expand
students' understanding of the major ideas of science.
- Teachers focus on fostering in their students deep understanding
of a few topics rather than superficial familiarity with everything
in the textbook (when the teacher and students engage in
instructional conversation in which the teacher relates such formal,
academic concepts to the students' individual knowledge and prior
experiences).
- Teachers put scientific information in the context of larger
organizing themes (revolution, cause and effect, energy flows, etc.)
that cut across disciplinary boundaries and encourage students to
make connections between their previous understandings and everyday
experiences and the scientific principles to be studied.
- Teachers translate difficult content into terms more accessible to
the students (by use of analogies and demonstrations).
- Learning is maximized when students and teacher engage in dialogue
while working jointly.
- Through lab experiments, field experiences, physical models,
simulations, and other activities, teachers involve students in
conducting their own scientific investigations.
- Teachers also make use of instructional technology in presenting
scientific materials/principles/theories.
___i. Contexts of science
- Teachers create opportunities for students to examine a variety of
contexts of science, including its history, reciprocal relationships
with technology, ties to mathematics, and impact on society, so
students make connections across the disciplines of science and into
other subject areas.
- Teachers regularly engage students in looking at questions from a
scientific point of view across every facet of the school
curriculum.
- Teachers include a variety of activities focused on critical
thinking about science, technology, and social issues as part of the
curriculum because of the strong motivating powers of these subject
areas.
- Supporting teaching and student learning.
___j. Assessment
- Teachers assess student learning through a variety of means that
align with stated learning goals.
- Assessment takes place before (concept-mapping, conducting group
dialogue on previous knowledge), during, and after instruction and
intertwines with it.
- Formal assessment instruments might include problem-solving games,
computer-based simulation, or hands-on exercises.
- Informal means to monitor student progress might include portfolio
conducting reviews, evaluating science projects, videotaping lab
performances, keeping response journals and logs, writing
checklists, etc.
- Teachers involve students in assessing their own progress;
students might work through a self-evaluation form concerning their
work on a given unit or they might respond to a survey on their
attitudes toward important learning goals in science.
___k. Family and community outreach
- Teachers proactively work with families to serve the best
interests of each student.
- Teachers see parents and caregivers as allies.
- Teachers establish two-way communication with families, seeking
information from them about their children's strengths, interests,
preferences, aspirations, and home life.
___l. Contributing to the profession
- Teachers contribute to the quality of their colleagues practice,
the instructional program of the school, and the work of the larger
professional community.
- Teachers collaborate with peers and other education professionals
to strengthen the school's program, promote program quality and
continuity across grade levels, advance knowledge in the field of
science education, and improve practice within the field.
___m. Reflective practice
- Teachers constantly analyze, evaluate, and strengthen their
practice in order to improve the quality of their students' learning
experiences.
2. Adolescence and
Young Adulthood
Preparing the way for productive student learning
___a. Understanding students
- Teachers know how learners grow and develop, actively come to know
their students as individuals, and draw on this knowledge and their
relationships with students to determine the students' understanding
of science as well as their individual learning backgrounds.
- Teachers are passionate about involving adolescents in the
excitement and satisfaction of scientific inquiry.
___b. Knowledge of science
- Teachers have a broad and current knowledge of science and science
education, along with in-depth knowledge of one of the sub-fields of
science, on which they draw to set appropriate learning goals with
their students.
- Teachers coordinate their instructional program so their students'
explorations of science are integrated with their experiences in the
language arts, mathematics, history/social science, and other
essential areas of school curriculum.
- Teachers establish long-range learning goals that are attainable,
worthwhile, and relevant to the students.
- Learning opportunities are organized, structured, and sequenced so
that they support the goals.
- Teachers are well versed in: (1) the nature of science (modes of
inquiry, habits of mind, and attitudes and dispositions); (2) the
concepts, themes, principles, laws, theories, vocabulary,
terminology, and factual information; (3) the historical,
intellectual, social, and cultural contexts out of which science and
technology have developed and in which they function today; and (4)
the nature of technology (its challenges and roles).
- Physical science teachers understand the basic properties of
matter and the principles governing its interactions; the forms
energy takes; its transformations from one form to another, and its
relationships to matter, motion and the principles that explain it;
the nature of atoms and molecules; the forces that exist between and
within objects and atoms.
- Life sciences teachers understand the diversity and unity that
characterize life, the genetic basis for the transfer of biological
characteristics from one generation to the next, the structure and
functions of cells, the life cycle, the dependence of all organisms
on one another and on their environment, the cycling of matter and
flow of energy through the living environment, the basic concepts of
evolution of species.
- Earth and space sciences teachers understand the origin,
composition, and structure of the universe and the motion of the
objects in it, the motion of the earth and the materials and systems
that compose it, the processes that shape the earth's surface and
the relation of these cycling processes to the living environment.
- Teachers are proficient in the practice of mathematics appropriate
to the developmental level of their students.
___c. Instructional resources
- Teachers select and adapt instructional resources (including
technology, laboratory, and community resources) and create their
own resources to support active student explorations of science.
- Teachers actively recruit families or other community members with
science- or technology-related backgrounds to contribute to the
instructional mix.
- Teachers encourage students to take responsibility for pursuing
their own science-related interests in the community by arranging
field trips, inviting guest speakers, etc.
- Teachers put students in control of technological tools in their
learning, as much as possible.
- They provide opportunities for hands-on experiences with
mechanical, electrical, and optical tools.
- Teachers direct students who have expressed interest in a topic to
sources of additional information (library, periodicals, other
media).
Establishing a favorable context for student learning
___d. Engagement
- Teachers stimulate interest in science and technology and elicit
their students' sustained preparation in learning activities.
- Students are encouraged to creatively solve problems, offer ideas,
pose and respond to stimulating questions.
- Teachers are passionate about science and exhibit genuine
enthusiasm in teaching the subject and its applications.
- Teachers are co-discoverers alongside their students,
demonstrating the value of false starts, blind leads, mistakes, and
anomalous results to the inquiry process.
- Whenever possible, teachers choose activities and topics that
directly relate to the interests and experiences of adolescents.
- Teachers treat seriously the ideas of all their students.
___e. Learning environment
- Teachers create safe and supportive learning environments that
foster high expectations for the success of all students and in
which students experience the values inherent in the practice of
science.
- Teachers work diligently to establish a congenial and supportive
learning environment where students feel safe to risk full
participation.
- Teachers foster a sense of community by encouraging student
interactions that show concern for others, by demonstrating high
expectations for and involving all students in the practice of
science, and by dealing constructively with socially inappropriate
behavior.
- Teachers are good listeners open to new ideas.
- They have a healthy sense of humor and a genuinely caring,
respectful attitude toward students.
- Teachers are good classroom and resource managers; they establish
orderly and workable learning routines that maximize student time on
task.
- Teachers instruct students in and enforce standard practices
regarding the use of safety equipment.
- Teachers are equally comfortable employing whole-class,
small-collaborative or cooperative-group, one-on-one, peer-coaching,
or other clustering arrangements depending on instructional purpose.
___f. Equitable participation
- Teachers take steps to ensure that all students, including those
from groups that historically have not been encouraged to enter the
world of science, participate in the study of science.
- Teachers are able to modify the mainstream curriculum and to use
adaptive strategies that enable each student to contribute.
- Teachers often use examples derived from their students' culture,
community, and home environments to demonstrate the relevance of
science and technology in daily life.
- Teachers carefully monitor the participation of students in
groups, making sure that all have an equal opportunity to
participate in key roles (planners, leaders, data collectors,
reporters, etc.).
- Teachers create an equitable learning environment through seating
arrangements, design of lab activities, etc.
- Teachers are sensitive to the needs of those students who are not
fluent in English by carrying out regular comprehension checks,
making reference to the students' prior knowledge, and engaging in
instructional conversation with the students.
Advancing student learning
___g. Science inquiry
- Teachers develop in students the mental operations, habits of
mind, and attitudes that characterize the process of scientific
inquiry.
- Teachers involve students in inquiries that challenge them and
help them construct an understanding of nature and technology.
- Students are encouraged to acquire mental capacities such as
recognizing problems, asking relevant questions, formulating working
hypotheses, handling data with accuracy, reaching conclusions
consistent with what is known, etc.
- Teachers organize their classrooms around frequent, open-ended
explorations of natural phenomena in which students assume active
roles as investigators and sense-makers.
- Activities are age-appropriate to the developmental stage of the
students, likely to stir interest, and relevant to students.
- In facilitating classroom discussions or activities, teachers
model good scientific discourse and ask thought-provoking questions.
- Teachers monitor students' direct involvement in classroom
discourse.
- They often encourage student-to-student interaction in discussion.
___h. Conceptual understandings
- Teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to expand
students' understanding of the major ideas of science.
- Teachers focus on fostering in their students deep understanding
of a few topics rather than superficial familiarity with everything
in the textbook (when the teacher and students engage in
instructional conversation in which the teacher relates such formal,
academic concepts to the students' individual knowledge and prior
experiences).
- Teachers put scientific information in the context of larger
organizing themes (revolution, cause and effect, energy flows, etc.)
that cut across disciplinary boundaries and encourage students to
make connections between their previous understandings and everyday
experiences and the scientific principles to be studied.
- Teachers translate difficult content into terms more accessible to
the students (by use of analogies and demonstrations).
- Learning is maximized when students and teacher engage in dialogue
while working jointly.
- Through lab experiments, field experiences, physical models,
simulations, and other activities, teachers involve students in
conducting their own scientific investigations.
- Teachers also make use of instructional technology in presenting
scientific materials/principles/theories.
___i. Contexts of science
- Teachers create opportunities for students to examine a variety of
contexts of science, including its history, reciprocal relationships
with technology, ties to mathematics, and impact on society, so
students make connections across the disciplines of science and into
other subject areas.
- Teachers regularly engage students in looking at questions from a
scientific point of view across every facet of the school
curriculum.
- Teachers include a variety of activities focused on critical
thinking about science, technology, and social issues as part of the
curriculum because of the strong motivating powers of these subject
areas.
Supporting teaching and student learning
___j. Assessment
- Teachers assess student learning through a variety of means that
align with stated learning goals.
- Assessment takes place before (concept-mapping, conducting group
dialogue on previous knowledge), during, and after instruction and
intertwines with it.
- Formal assessment instruments might include problem-solving games,
computer-based simulation, or hands-on exercises.
- Informal means to monitor student progress might include portfolio
conducting reviews, evaluating science projects, videotaping lab
performances, keeping response journals and logs, writing
checklists, etc.
- Teachers involve students in assessing their own progress;
students might work through a self-evaluation form concerning their
work on a given unit, or they might respond to a survey on their
attitudes toward important learning goals in science.
___k. Family and community outreach
- Teachers proactively work with families to serve the best
interests of each student.
- Teachers see parents and caregivers as allies.
- Teachers establish two-way communication with families, seeking
information from them about their children's strengths, interests,
preferences, aspirations, and home life.
___l. Collegiality and leadership
- Teachers contribute to the quality of their colleagues' practice,
the instructional program of the school, and the work of the larger
professional community.
- Teachers collaborate with peers and other education professionals
to strengthen the school's program, promote program quality and
continuity across grade levels, advance knowledge in the field of
science education, and improve practice within the field.
___m. Reflection
- Teachers constantly analyze, evaluate, and strengthen their
practice in order to improve the quality of their students' learning
experiences.
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