Making Sense of SCIENCE
"The materials and professional development were amazing, the best I've experienced in science."
Contact Information
Mikiya Matsuda
650.381.6412
mmatsud@wested.org
Related Program(s)
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM)
Related Projects
Understanding Science for Teaching
Related Features
Knowledge Know-How Needed For Teacher Quality
Related Resources
Equal Access to Content Instruction for English Learners
2012 Science and Mathematics Products & Services Catalog
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Matter for Teachers of Grades 6-8, Charts
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Matter for Teachers of Grades 6-8, Teacher Book
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Matter for Teachers of Grades 6-8
STEM Teachers in Professional Learning Communities: A Knowledge Synthesis
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Energy for Teachers of Grades 6–8, Charts
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Energy for Teachers of Grades 6-8, Teacher Book
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Force & Motion for Teachers of Grades 6–8, Charts
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Force & Motion for Teachers of Grades 6-8, Teacher Book
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Energy for Teachers of Grades 6-8
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Force & Motion for Teachers of Grades 6-8
Teachers in Professional Communities
Developed by the Understanding Science for Teaching project, Making Sense of SCIENCE is proven professional development that helps teachers develop their science content knowledge, strengthen their science teaching, explore how students think about science concepts, and consider how to support students' literacy needs in science.
New Making Sense of SCIENCE Courses
Two Making Sense of SCIENCE courses are available for purchase beginning in June 2012 (Force & Motion and Energy), and the Understanding Science for Teaching project will host Facilitation Academies for each course in the summer of 2012.
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Force & Motion for Teachers of Grades 6-8
By: Kirsten R. Daehler, Mayumi Shinohara, Jennifer Folsom
Price: $249.95 | Format: Multimedia | Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-914409-77-9 | Order #: MSS-11-01
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Energy for Teachers of Grades 6-8
By: Kirsten R. Daehler, Jennifer Folsom, Mayumi Shinohara
Price: $249.95 | Format: Multimedia | Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-914409-78-6 | Order #: MSS-11-02
About the Materials
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. The courses, developed by the Understanding Science for Teaching project at WestEd, are nationally field-tested and proven through rigorous research studies to be effective for teachers and students — especially for diverse students, including English language learners and students with poor literacy skills. As a result, MSS courses help close student achievement gaps.
Each course is supported by a Teacher Book and Facilitation Guide. The Teacher Book contains five core sessions, each a full day of collaborative learning, along with a Looking At Student Work™ follow-up guide to support teachers' analysis of their own students' work throughout the school year. The Facilitator Guide provides detailed yet flexible procedures, in-depth background information, guiding questions and charts to use during group discussions, and other insights for successfully leading each Making Sense of SCIENCE course.
About the Facilitation Academies
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, make sense of vexing science concepts, explore the practice of teaching science, and consider how to support students' literacy needs in science
- 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
- Practice facilitation and receive one-on-one coaching
The academies are limited in size and led by the course developers, helping to ensure a personal and high-quality learning experience for each attendee. Since leading a rigorous, multi-day course for teachers can be quite demanding, we encourage pairs of co-facilitators to attend whenever possible.
- Format 1: National Facilitation Academies Hosted by WestEd
We hold five-day Facilitation Academies at select locations across the country. Please visit our Facilitation Academies page to view the dates and locations for the upcoming institutes. The five-day Facilitation Academies are $2,100 per person, or $1,800 per person for teams of two or more.
- Format 2: On-Site Facilitation Academies Hosted by Your Organization
Five-day, on-site Facilitation Academies with flexible dates are available for school or district teams of up to 24 people. The on-site Facilitation Academies are $1,800 per person. The minimum price for an on-site Facilitation Academy is $18,000.
Contact Information
Mikiya Matsuda
650.381.6412
mmatsud@wested.org