Top > In the News... > Guidelines for the Evaluation of Instructional Materials in Science
by BSCS, posted on 12:41 PM, May 23, 2017
The BSCS just announced the release of "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Instructional Materials in Science"for those engaged in "evaluating the extent to which widely used instructional materials embody" the NGSS/NRC view of science learning.
Here is an expert from the report:
A Note About the Science and Engineering Practices
Practices are not skills or tools, per se, but are much like the habits of mind or ways of knowing and engaging in the world. These habits of mind are acquired by scientists through repeated authentic use and are notably different from our everyday ways of thinking. Argumentation in science, for example, is based on logical reasoning and evidence, whereas the argumentation we experience in our daily lives might be based less on logic and evidence and more on our emotions and cultural background. Importantly, learning goals need to focus instructional activities on the repeated authentic use of practices, including experiences in which teachers model practices for students and scaffold students’ use of practices over time. Instructional material designers cannot assume that students will readily engage in science practices without sufficient support that includes multiple and varied opportunities to engage in practices, especially in social learning situations.
The entire article can be found here.
Minnesota science teachers should know about:
