Understanding Science

The following is a list of professional development course topics planned for the Making Sense of SCIENCE™ series, organized by grade spans, with projected publication (actual dates may vary):

Grades K–2

• Balance & Weighing
  
• Life Cycles
• Weather

Grades 3–5

• Earth's Systems (2013)
• Electric Circuits (revised for 2013)
  
• Magnets & Magnetic Force (revised for 2014)
• Sound & Light
• Structure & Function of Living Things (2013)
• Water

Grades 6–8

• Weather & Climate (2012)
  
• Energy (2011)
  
• Force & Motion (2011)
  
• Heredity, Selection, & Adaptation (2013)
• Matter (2012)
• Plate Tectonics (2012)

Each course targets one of these topics and provides 40 hours of professional development, enabling districts and other providers to effectively address science teachers’ greatest needs. Each course is carefully sequenced, yet modular by design, making it usable in a variety of contexts.

To incorporate the best practices in teacher professional development and meet the realities of time, each course is divided into two main parts: a 30-hour Core Course consisting of intensive science and literacy learning that typically takes place during a five-day summer institute; and a 10-hour set of follow-up activities, called Looking at Student Work, for teachers to collaboratively examine samples of work from their own students. The Looking at Student Work component typically is used during the regular school year in a format consistent with site-based professional learning communities, often in after-school sessions or half-days.

The Core Course has four main components:

• Science Investigations — hands-on, guided inquiries designed to help adult learners explore core science concepts and classic misconceptions
• Literacy Investigations — activities through which teachers strengthen their own abilities to read, write, or talk in science-specific ways, and learn classroom routines to support students’ literacy needs
• Teaching Investigations — discussions of narrative teaching cases drawn from actual classroom practice that provide a way for teachers to examine instructional moves and student thinking, explore alternative solutions, and rethink their own teaching
• Classroom Connections — opportunities for teachers to read about, reflect on, and discuss key science and literacy concepts and consider how these concepts pertain to their own work with students

The course structure is carefully designed to move teachers effectively and efficiently through learning about key science concepts, literacy supports, classroom practices, and students’ science ideas, drawing from research in the fields of adult learning and cognitive psychology.
The Looking at Student Work follow-up component reinforces learnings from the 30-hour Core Course while it broadens the sphere of participants and increases teachers’ use of formative assessments. The materials for this component are presented in a guide that includes structured protocols to support peer-to-peer conversations about students’ work, a task bank of formative assessment items linked to the science content of the course, and, to help guide instructional decision-making, a summary of common misconceptions and desirable outcomes for students. These follow-up sessions are designed to be flexible to best accommodate site-specific needs and preferences.

Benefits of Making Sense of SCIENCE

No other publications offers the unique combination of features provided in each Making Sense of SCIENCE course, which helps K–8 teachers learn science content in combination with student thinking and instruction. Most other professional development books currently available deal with just one of these topics (e.g., science content or teaching). Few tackle all three —science, student thinking, and instruction — leaving teachers the tough task of knitting together the information they most need to do their jobs well. Making Sense of SCIENCE courses also have a unique focus on literacy, helping teachers and their students build important skills for reading and making sense of science texts. This unique component is one reason the Making Sense of SCIENCE courses have been shown to be particularly effective with English learners.
The main benefits of the Making Sense of SCIENCE professional development courses include:

Proven Results (Significant positive impact for students). Several large-scale efficacy studies and a series of descriptive studies have consistently shown that the courses build teacher knowledge, strengthen classroom practice, and positively impact student achievement. Students of all abilities gain a deeper understanding of key science concepts, along with greater skill in articulating and justifying scientific ideas and explanations.

Effective with underserved students. By building both academic language and reasoning skills, the Making Sense for Science approach has been shown to be particularly effective with English learners and low-achieving students, thereby offering the potential to significantly reduce achievement gaps.

Builds and increases teacher knowledge. Randomized control studies show phenomenal gains in teacher’s understanding of core science concepts at levels equivalent to one-on-one tutoring, with gains maintained a full year after the professional development.

Transforms classroom practices. Teachers’ develop more sophisticated pedagogical content knowledge such that they are clearer about what students should know, and classroom activities and discussions focus more successfully on the meaning of science concepts, increased attention to student thinking, and greater opportunity for students to articulate and justify their scientific ideas and explanations.

Scalable. The curriculum can be used with small groups of teachers or an entire district. While the professional development courses can be implemented and effective with minimal facilitator training, more in-depth Facilitation Academies are available.

Cost-effective. The Making Sense of SCIENCE series has everything district staff need to conduct their own in-house professional development and it is less expensive (and likely more effective) than hiring an outside group.

Comprehensive. The Making Sense of SCIENCE curriculum emphasizes pedagogy alongside science content and literacy supports, and the full set of 15 courses covers the main topics of science content for K–8, whereas most other products or professional development groups have a notably limited focus.