As you begin the process of unwinding on your well deserved summer break, we wanted to provide you with something to keep you in the teaching mindset. A bit of a longer read, but totally worth it and hopefully something to take you into the summer break with a reinvigorated plan for next fall. Ambitious Science Teaching explains the ways to model with your students and the importance of helping your students make their thinking visible over time. The process of seeing how your students thinking evolves over time will allow you to formatively assess as you move through a unit and will also demonstrate growth to both you and your students at the end of a learning sequence. Showing growth and formative assessment is particularly important during these times when we are not able to check in with our students as consistently as when we were in the classroom. Consider using virtual methods for modeling such as Google draw or having students upload their drawings if we find ourselves continuing with distance learning in the fall.
Becky Fahey is a Professional Development Specialist at the Connecticut Science Center’s Mandell Academy for Teachers. Previously, she has worked as a preK-3 educator in various public school districts in Eastern Connecticut where she designed and implemented inquiry based lessons in the classroom. Becky brings with her expertise in collaboration and inquiry based teaching and will apply these skills to help educators to deepen their understanding of NGSS and apply best practices to support their learners in the classroom.
