Ask Matt - NGSS science education advice from an expert

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about storytelling and the value that stories bring to learning and in particular, learning science. They relate to their own experiences using storytelling, describe some of the latest research, and offer tips for how teachers can bring stories and storytelling into their own science classroom. Resources mentioned in this episode: Ignorant Pineapple https://w...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt are joined by a special guest, Tiffany Boyd. Tiffany is a retired teacher who taught for 27 years in Boulder, CO and now runs the organization Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA). Eugene and Matt talk with Tiffany about her work in Colorado to support teachers integrate climate science, climate justice, and climate action into their classrooms. Resources mentioned...

Eugene talks about how to be a good science thinker on the ScIC “Science is Cool”  Unplugged podcast with PocketLab co-founder, Dave Bakker. The podcast follows a similar theme as the very popular Science is Cool (ScIC) virtual unconferences that PocketLab has hosted since the pandemic started. Dave Bakker is a wonderful host and makes every conversation interesting and fun! Dave asks Eugene a bun...

Eugene talks about Green Ninja with Pod of Gold hosts Stefanie B. Overbeck and Mel Wymore. The Pod of Gold podcast is created to inspire creative activism and social innovation as they believe the successful evolution of human society will require a profound transformation of the systems that shape our behavior. They were interested in talking to Eugene about Green Ninja because they were curious...

Eugene and Dr. Steve Westlake (Cardiff University) were recently guests on the podcast, Your Money, Your World , where the focus of the episode was “Understanding Our Carbon Footprints”. We decided to rebroadcast the episode because we felt that many of our listeners would find the conversations interesting and relevant to our own understanding of climate change and how we teach this subject. Orig...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk to Katie Worth about her new book and what her extensive research can teach us about climate change education in the U.S. Resources mentioned in this episode: Miseducation: How Climate Change is Taught in America by Katie Worth https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/miseducation/ ClimeTime https://www.climetime.org/ National Network for Ocean and Climate Cha...

Eugene and Matt have recently helped create a new series of free and open lessons on climate change called Saving the Monarchs. In this episode, Eugene and Matt discuss the inspiration for creating these lessons, some of the design decisions they made along the way, and how teachers can use these materials in their own classrooms. Resources mentioned in this episode: Green Ninja's Climate Cha...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt are joined by a special guest, Tashanda Giles-Jones. Tashanda is a teacher at Environmental Charter Middle School in Inglewood, California, and she shares some of the work she’s done to help students become leaders in their community through outdoor and environmental projects. Eugene and Matt then explore how outdoor education can enhance opportunities for science...

In this special episode, Eugene mainly listens in to a small group of teachers who share their experiences and offer advice on how to engage students within this challenging remote learning environment. The discussion is fascinating and offers insights into the lengths that teachers will go to best serve their students. On the call are Elizabeth Brooking, a grade 6-8 science teacher, and the teach...

Our special conversation with Dr. Okhee Lee continues now with a focus on language learning and the role it should play in our science classrooms. Okhee has established a national reputation for her work and thinking on this subject, and our discussion with her is very thought-provoking. Resources mentioned in this episode: NYU SAIL Research Lab https://www.nyusail.org/ Okhee Lee's Twitter ht...

This week, we have a special guest, Dr. Okhee Lee. Okhee is a professor of childhood education at New York University where she works to advance research, policy, and practice around science and language learning, especially for English learners. Okhee was on the NGSS writing team, a leader of the NGSS Diversity and Equity team, and author of many peer-reviewed articles on teaching and learning. I...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk with Paul Andersen, an educational consultant, a Montana-based science teacher for 20 years, and most famously the creator of hundreds of science YouTube tutorials that have been viewed by millions of teachers and students. Paul has also created a trusted online resource for science teaching and NGSS called ‘The Wonder of Science’, and they talk with Paul abou...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about the election, from their own vantage points, and from what they expect to see with a new government for science and education. They also discuss how scientific thinking and data can be used to explain aspects of the election for our students, so we can fairly use the election as an important learning opportunity for our students. Resources mentioned in t...

In this episode, we’ll hear from Elizabeth Brooking, a middle school science teacher who faces daily challenges supporting at-risk students during this period of remote instruction. Elizabeth shares her story, and together with Eugene and Matt, they discuss ideas for how teachers can make progress in helping their students during these difficult times. Resources mentioned by Elizabeth in this epis...

In this episode, we’ll hear from Sarah Rahman, a practicing middle school science teacher on how remote learning is going for her. What is working, what is not, and what techniques has she used to engage her students and help them move forward? The discussion with Eugene and Matt offers some interesting insights that we can all use right now. Resources mentioned by Sarah in this episode: Pear Deck...

In this episode, we find ourselves engulfed in some of the worst weather and air quality that we have seen in the western states. Here is what was on the front page of the LA Times reports two weekends ago in big letters: “California’s Climate Apocalypse — Fires, heat, air pollution: The calamity is no longer in the future — it’s here, now.” Eugene and Matt spend all of this episode digging into t...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt try to look past some of the immediate challenges that all teachers are facing for some benefits and new opportunities. What can we learn about education from this experience, what exemplars have we witnessed of success, and what happens when the vaccine comes and things return to ‘normal’? Can we take some of what we’ve learned during this odd year to improve educ...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt explore some of the challenges teachers are facing right now as they start a new term teaching remotely, and how they might continue to emphasize a coherent focus around science learning and NGSS while students are learning at home. Eugene and Matt discuss synchronous versus asynchronous methods and share some insights they had while developing a remote learning pr...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt focus on the shift to online or remote teaching and the particular challenges and advantages that NGSS offers us. Matt shares his experience online teaching including his current offering of synchronous science classes with 3rd and 5th graders. Although Matt would be the first to admit that it doesn’t always go according to plan, there are some valuable insights fo...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about teaching science during uncertain times, like now during a global pandemic. As schools move online and students struggle to understand all these changes, how can teachers keep students moving forward while maintaining their own standards and well-being? Resources mentioned in this episode: Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about classroom strategies that can help move instruction toward NGSS. For example, how do sentence frames, vocabulary, and hands-on activities look in Matt’s ideal classroom? They also talk about hard  to have environmental conversations, and how to navigate those through a science lens. Resources mentioned in this episode: Eugene and Matt's suggestion f...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about climate change, how it appears in the NGSS, and how youth leaders like Greta Thunberg can provide inspiration for great science engagement and inquiry.   

In this episode, Matt discusses the connection between student achievement and teaching, and how teachers can make progress with NGSS. They then dive into one of the standards, and Matt takes us on a tour of how he would approach teaching this standard. As usual, Eugene and Matt also discuss the environment, and how to help students and teachers find credible information about topics like climate...

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about assessment—formative, summative, performance and other types. Matt suggests that it doesn’t matter what you call the stuff, it’s how it’s used by teachers that is important. They also have a very good discussion about the science and engineering practice—planning and carrying out investigations, and how the planning part is so important.

In this episode, Matt talks about his writing experience with the 2016 California Science Framework and his suggestions for favorite chapters for teachers. In addition to a discussion about the California Science Test, Matt also discusses what he sees are the main reasons why teachers find teaching climate change to be a difficult task. Resources mentioned in this episode: Eight Ways To Teach Clim...