NSELA catalyzes leadership to maximize effective science teaching and learning in a complex and changing environment. If you are receiving this email and are not a member, we encourage you to join us and get involved!

May 2024

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EDUCATE
Keeping current with news in science education.

President's Message

After a tremendous gathering at the National Conference on Science Education in Denver, where we reconnected with our leadership networks, and added new colleagues to our thinking groups, I believe many went home inspired.

I am inspired, by the fact we are asking that science units and student explorations be based in phenomena. After the Leadership Summit and the National Conference, I 

had the good fortune of experiencing the April eclipse in totality. A wondrous event, and a fantastic three-dimensional opportunity to think about the Earth, Moon, Sun relationship. How exciting so many students were in the path of some degree of the eclipse, and able to experience this remarkable phenomena! Thanks to the many science educators who helped make viewing possible for students!

Thank you to the NSELA membership for letting me serve as President the last twelve months. It has been an honor, a delight, and an amazing learning experience. This has brought me great insight, through interactions with national, state, and district science education organizations, and the many amazing science education programs in place around the country.

As we move into the next educational year, it is critical we continue to think about the importance of teaching science K-5, and focus on the important foundation of exploration those years create. We are at an exciting crossroads where Elementary Science is at the forefront of many district conversations again.

Thanks for your support this past year, you will enjoy the energy of NSELA under the leadership of President-Elect, Andy Weatherhead.

Member Articles Featured in Science and Children

Some NSELA members had articles featured in NSTA's Science and Children! Be sure to check them out:

The Tatanka Teacher: Developing dispositions for Indigenous science knowledge to design and assess lesson plans in elementary environmental science." by Linda Rost, Rebecca Hite, Gina Childers, and Sweeney Windchief

This article presents a framework to design lesson plans for elementary science teachers using insights from a summer-long research experience for teachers (RET) workshop (National Science Foundation 2021) to learn strategies to weave Indigenous Science Knowledge (ISK) and Western Modern Science (WMS)  into environmental science curriculum and instruction. While ISK has also led to technologies that optimize agriculture, stewardship of the land, and foraging and harvesting plants and animals, these activities should be implemented in sustainable reciprocity with the natural world, focusing on both conservation as well as preservation. Incorporating ISK to the elementary science curriculum will not only reconcile its historical absence but also helps to overcome 21st Century challenges related to cultivating a sense of environmental stewardship and encouraging sustainable habits among youth as well as developing students' awareness of underrepresented and diverse means of thinking about the natural world from ISK perspectives. In this article, we explore ISK, WMS, and relationships therein and examine a framework to guide ISK lesson development in environmental science for an elementary audience that hoors and amplifies the importance of ISK as intertwined with WMS standards and curricula. Further, one example lesson from the RET is provided on bison bone usage from the Apsalooke' and other Plains Indian nations.

"Hope is a Thing With Wings; Building Capacity and resiliency in urban students through engaging in a local bird phenomenon." by Candace Penrod, and Kris Kaly

In an age where catastrophic damage from climate-related events circulates through social and print media, it is important to build communities of hope for our elementary students. Climate justice education is a vehicle for creating hope and building strong resilient communities where students are empowered to act for themselves and their natural surroundings. Local phenomena can be leveraged to engage elementary students in solutions to their community. We engage urban elementary students in a year-long place-based experiential learning centered on a student-driven local phenomenon. This project situates students as scientists collecting data and evidence to develop claims and argue from evidence regarding bird structures and their survival in built and green environments. Students create authentic relationships with nature, rectifying the unjust relationships from past practices that contribute to environmental degradation of local communities. Climate justice is served as students use their voices for themselves, for the environment, and for the future of the planet they will inhabit. 

ADVOCATE
Connecting with NSELA committees, events, and leaders.

Leadership Spotlight

Andrew Weatherhead, Chester County Intermediate Unit

Andrew (Andy) Weatherhead is NSELA’s incoming President and is extremely excited to host the next NSELA Summit in Pennsylvania, where he currently resides and works and is eager to support his local colleagues to participate. Andy’s journey to Pennsylvania, and science leadership, began in Maine, where, after a 1st career in the tech industry designing and developing web content, he transitioned into education. For 10 years, Andy taught elementary students with a focus on science and technology. This served as his pathway into early science leadership, taking advantage of the opportunities that came his way to participate in science- 

focused grants and other supplemental work. Eventually, Andy began leading teacher in-service days at his school and realized how much he liked doing that line of work in education. One of the early opportunities Andy took advantage of was to work with Paige Keeley, who led an academy for science leadership, and this kicked off his track toward broader science education leadership.

Eventually, Andy took a pause from the classroom and worked toward his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh, bringing him to Pennsylvania where he now lives and works. The Pennsylvanian education system is organized into Educational Service Agencies (Intermediate Units) that support collections of school districts. Andy leads within the Chester County Intermediate Unit, serving 12 school districts as the STEM/Innovation Specialist. Currently, Andy is supporting the state’s 3-year ramp-up to the new Framework-aligned state standards and enjoys the intersection Intermediate Units provide him to engage with public educators as a professional-learning developer.

Andy claims he couldn’t be a successful leader without everyone around him. As much as he likes to get things done on his own, his most rewarding work requires collaboration with multiple stakeholders. Andy likes to advise up and coming leaders that “It is important to recognize there is no single, set, way to enter into leadership and one needs to find the people they can turn to and rely on when they need support and guidance.” This makes sense, given what he says was the best leadership advice he has ever received: “It is easy to want to jump into everything, always, but remember that the important work demands space and time for processing; not quickly dashing to the finish.”“

Following those avenues of advice, Andy has worked collaboratively to serve as a science leader by serving to provide the spark for change in others, and nurturing it. He is most proud of taking the model he experienced through his work back in Maine with Paige Keeley and using it to design new-teacher institutes in Pennsylvania as he leads cohorts of teachers to make movement toward the new standards ramp-up. Andy sees this as a way to ‘pay it forward,’ ensuring continued science leadership as Pennsylvania works to improve science experiences for students. Pennsylvanian students are lucky to have someone like Andy Weatherhead leading the current changes in the science education landscape.

Do you have someone in mind for the Leadership Spotlight? Self-nominations are welcome! Click the button to access the submission form.

Register for the 2024 NSELA Summer Leadership Institute

Join an NSELA Committee and Help Shape National Science Education!

At NSELA, collaboration and shared expertise are crucial in driving positive change in science education. We invite you to become a committee member and contribute to shaping our organization's direction while advancing national science education. Our three standing committees - Communications & Marketing, Membership, and Professional Learning - provide incredible opportunities for experienced educators, enthusiastic advocates, and dedicated professionals like you to share your unique skills and insights. By joining us, you can make a meaningful impact on the future of science education. Come and be a part of something meaningful! Join us today and become a valuable member of NSELA, where your contributions will shape the landscape of science education nationwide. Together, let's create a brighter future for science education.

COLLABORATE
Highlighting the work of our members, partners, and other organizations.

Partner Feature

Partners featured in the NSELA E-Navigator support NSELA at the Einstein, Carver, or Curie levels. We are grateful to all our partners and appreciate their support. Click the button to learn more about the benefits of an NSELA partnership.

ExploreLearning

In what ways is science education leadership important to/in your organization?

At ExploreLearning, we are dedicated to partnering with leaders in the science community to create real-life, rigorous content for students. The ExploreLearning Collab Crew is a partnership program where educators help our team develop new edtech product concepts and test them in real-world classrooms. We value continuous learning from science leaders and teachers so we can better support students using our STEM products. Our team stays current in the science education space through collaboration with others at national and local conferences, membership through regional organizations, and ongoing research.

How does your organization support science education leaders?

ExploreLearning promotes professional excellence with digital STEM tools teachers and administrators can easily implement to enhance and monitor student learning. We believe science educators need relevant, ongoing professional development and content-specific training. Our robust professional development team develops and delivers on-demand and in-person training to help educators use Science4Us and Gizmos most effectively.

Why did you want to partner with NSELA?

We want to partner with NSELA to collaborate with science education leaders and support teachers with content customized to their expressed needs. Additionally, we would like to learn alongside others, gain access to resources, and engage with the latest trends in the larger science community. ExploreLearning is dedicated to sharing best practices, engaging in joint initiatives and research opportunities, and continuously growing.

Announcements

Science Olympiad: Get to Know Science Olympiad Online – May 29 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM CT. Learn what over 6,000 teams and 200,000 students have been doing in Science Olympiad this past school year. In this workshop, attendees will learn about what happens in Science Olympiad, how it can help schools achieve academic goals, and how they could become part of the program. Interested teachers and administrators can register here. 

Advertise in the NSELA Newsletter

Would your organization like to reach the science leadership audience that is NSELA? Or do you know of an organization that would like to advertise? View this brochure to learn more! Please pass along to your colleagues.

SAFER LABS: Be Protected!
By Dr. Ken Roy, NSELA Safety Compliance Officer

Preschool–Grade 2 Science/Engineering Hands-On Activity Safety Protocols

Given the importance of science & engineering in today’s world, it is critical that at an early age, students have opportunities to learn about them, including doing hands-on activities in a safer way. Learn why hands-on science/engineering activities are important at these early grade levels and how they need to be done in a safer way.

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