about the project

The Understanding Science for Teaching project is dedicated to boosting student achievement in science, especially for diverse learners, by building the internal capacity of school districts and other organizations to provide proven professional development to K-8 science teachers.

The Understanding Science for Teaching project at WestEd has reached thousands of teachers and staff developers across the country, impacting hundreds of thousands of students.

The project combines existing education research with knowledge of practicing teachers, staff developers, and scientists to collaboratively develop and refine professional development experiences for science teachers and staff developers.

Rigorous research is integrated into the development of all the Understanding Science for Teaching project's products and services. The project's iterative development process allows these studies to have a direct impact on the design and quality of the materials.

Making Sense of SCIENCE

Developed by the Understanding Science for Teaching project, Making Sense of SCIENCE (MSS) is a comprehensive series of professional development courses that focus on core topics of K-8 earth, life, and physical science. Each course explores the intersection of science knowledge, teaching, and literacy so that teachers are better able to support students in making sense of essential science content.

Courses help teachers learn effective instructional practices that facilitate hands-on science lessons, support evidence-based discussions, and develop student academic language and literacy skills in science, along with the habits of mind necessary for sense making and scientific reasoning.

The MSS professional development series is designed to complement any science curriculum and is aligned with national science standards. Each course is nationally field-tested.

There is compelling evidence this approach to professional development strengthens teachers' content knowledge, transforms classroom practices, and boosts student achievement — especially for low-achieving students, English learners, and students with poor literacy skills. As a result, MSS courses can help close student achievement gaps.

Two Making Sense of SCIENCE courses are available for purchase (Force & Motion and Energy), and the Understanding Science for Teaching project hosts Facilitation Academies for each course.

Facilitation Academies prepare staff developers, district science leaders, and other teacher educators to effectively lead a Making Sense of SCIENCE course for teachers.

Academy participants experience the teacher course firsthand; collaboratively investigate the art of facilitation, including strategies for promoting evidence-based conversations among teachers and strategies for supporting teachers' analysis of student work and use of formative assessments; and practice facilitation and receive one-on-one coaching.
The development and evaluation of the Making Sense of SCIENCE courses has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education's Institute for Education Sciences, and the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, along with the expertise of a multitude of classroom teachers, staff developers, scientists, and education researchers.