On-line Program Book & Personal Scheduler Available Now!
by Lisa Hegdahl
Back by popular demand are the On-line Program Book and Personal Scheduler for the annual California Science Educators Conference. Clicking on the conference logo on the lower left on the CSTA website will take you to the 2012 California Science Education Conference and then to the On-line Program Book and Personal Scheduler. Currently you can see lists and descriptions of Short Courses, Field Courses, General Sessions, Meal Events, and Evening Events that will be part of the 2012 California Science Education Conference October 19-21 in San Jose. The schedule of Workshops will be available in August. Using the Personal Scheduler, you can plan your time at the Conference as well as see other CSTA members who are attending the events with you.
When planning your Conference weekend, don’t forget to include the Evening Events. For instance, on Friday night, October 20th, CSTA will host an Evening Event entitled “A Climate Science Media Festival – Film, Social Media, and the Green Ninja.” This event is included with your registration, but you must request a ticket if you plan to attend. The evening will showcase a selected number of short films and social media tools that focus on the science and solutions to our changing climate. Barnaby Dallas, director of Spartan Film Studios and teacher of advanced screenwriting at SJSU and DreamWorks will lead a panel of film writers, social media designers and science educators who critique each media piece and offer thoughts on how to effectively use film and social media in the classroom. The evening finishes with the Green Ninja – a climate-action superhero created by faculty and students at San Jose State to engage young people in topics related to our changing climate. What a great way finish off your first full day of conference activities!
Registration for the 2012 California Science Education Conference in San Jose, October 19-21 is open now! Current CSTA members pay a significantly lower rate than nonmembers. Not a member of CSTA? You can join CSTA when you register online for the conference (or download a registration form) and still pay a reduced price. Not only will you be registered for the Conference, your member benefits will begin immediately. See the CSTA website for details. With Conference hotel rooms being offered at incredibly low rates, they are likely to sell out soon, so don’t delay. As usual, registration for the California Science Education Conference also includes access to over 150 workshops, the exhibit hall, and Focus Speaker sessions.
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Seeking Members for IQC Appointment Recommendation
One of the benefits of being a CSTA member is the opportunity to be recommended by CSTA to serve on important state-level committees. One such opportunity is now available. CSTA is seeking science teachers to recommend for service on the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), formerly the Curriculum Commission. This committee is charged with writing the curriculum frameworks for the Common Core ELA and math standards and will be tasked with developing the framework for the new science standards (once adopted). Members of the Commission serve without compensation, except that they receive their actual and necessary travel expenses in attending Commission meetings and participating in other Commission activities (airfare, lodging, meals, shuttle service, mileage, parking). No funding is provided for substitute teaching or administrative personnel; each applicant employed by a local education agency must obtain the agency’s acknowledgement of the application and the agency’s agreement to absorb any costs for substitute personnel.
CSTA is seeking a member science educator with experience with integrating literacy and math skills into science instruction. A familiarity with the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards is preferred. If you meet these qualifications and would like to have your name considered, please contact CSTA at csta@cascience.org or 916-979-7004. Please include a copy of your resume and/or a description of your qualifications.
State Library’s “Women in STEM” Calendar for June Is Now Online
The California State Library invites you to view our online June calendar that highlights four women who have achieved success in STEM-related fields in California. These women and their accomplishments have helped pave the way for future generations.
One such woman is Hattie Scott Peterson, an African American civil engineer who became the first female engineer for the Sacramento district of the Army Corps of Engineers in 1954. She started with the Corps at a time when cultural diversity in the workplace was not common. Her work ethic and personal integrity helped her to overcome the challenges she faced. In the late 1940s she was reputed to be the only female African American civil engineer in the United States.
This monthly calendar is a joint effort of the State Library, California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, and the California Department of Education.
View the calendar here: http://www.library.ca.gov/calhist/calendar6-1.html?utm_source=csl0613
You Are Invited to Participate in an Online Survey Regarding Possible Changes to the High School Academic Performance Index:
In response to state legislation, the California Department Education (CDE) currently is developing new indicators to include in the high school Academic Performance Index (API).
To help with this important task, the CDE invites administrators, teachers, parents or guardians, students, school board members, educational organizations, community members, and business leaders to take an online survey located on the CDE API Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/.
CSTA encourages you to take about 20 minutes to complete the survey and let CDE know the vital role that science takes in preparing students for college and career and how achievement in science should be given a high value in the proposed College and Career Readiness Indicator. The survey closes June 20, 2013 – please act today. Please encourage your colleagues, students, parents of students, and administrators to complete the survey as well.
For more information about revisions to the API, including the proposed College and Career Readiness Indicator, please view the video that was prepared by CDE staff as background material for the survey.
Comparing AP Science Practices, Common Core State Standards, and NGSS Science and Engineering Practices
by Bethany Dixon
At NSTA San Antonio and again at the California State Science Fair, I fell into a conversation about connecting NGSS Science and Engineering Practices and AP Biology Science Practices 1-7. In the past few years, ideas have converged on what it looks like to “Do Science:” the habits of mind necessary to develop scientific knowledge. This idea isn’t new to science education – scientific skills are still important. Haven’t we seen this before? We called it using the Scientific Method(s), or Levels of Inquiry, or whichever wrapper we’re putting things into… it doesn’t seem like the ideas of what constitute good science have changed. Or have they? Learn More…
Summer and Fall Professional Development Opportunities Provided by CSTA and its Chapters
by Lisa Hegdahl
The students are gone, the meetings are over, your classroom is clean – Learn More…
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