Presenter: Suzanne Kehret

Sponsored by NSELA Platinum Partner ExploreLearning

Description

Effective integration of Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) is essential for fostering student engagement and understanding of science concepts. This webinar equips educators with practical strategies for seamlessly incorporating SEPs - such as Modeling, Data Analysis, and Constructing Explanations - into their science curriculum with significantly reduced preparation time. By combining dynamic simulations with targeted scaffolds, any teacher can empower students to engage in authentic, high-quality sensemaking while requiring less prep work from educators.

We will demonstrate how scaffolds ranging from graphing and data analysis tools to evidence organizers and claim-evidence-reasoning frameworks can facilitate student-driven investigations and support deeper sensemaking. This practices-infused approach not only enhances conceptual understanding but also directly prepares students for success on new practices-aligned state assessments that evaluate scientific thinking skills alongside content knowledge.

Attendees will begin with interactive simulations that explore real-world phenomena and explore adding these scaffolds. This hands-on experience will involve building and refining models, analyzing complex datasets, and constructing well-founded explanations. Educators will gain insights into guiding students through intricate scientific practices while providing differentiated feedback to enhance learning outcomes - all with more efficient use of instructional planning time.

Key Takeaway

By the end of this webinar, educators will possess actionable strategies and a toolkit of resources to effectively implement SEPs, empowering all students to deeply engage with scientific concepts and practices.

Presenter Bio

Suzanne Kehret is a learning designer with 18 years of experience in K-12 science education. She has a B.S. in Biology Education from Iowa State University and an M.A. in Educational Technology from Concordia University, St. Paul. Suzanne has worked as a science teacher, instructional technology coach, and curriculum coordinator, creating personalized, hands-on learning experiences. Now, as a Product Designer at ExploreLearning, she creates engaging, interactive lessons using eLearning tools to inspire students to explore and understand science in fun, meaningful ways.