Flip Your Science

The Next Generation Science Standards are to be used to create lessons that are student-centered rather than the content delivered in lecture from a teacher. The goal should be to have the students explore a phenomenon and learn about it through engagement. Teachers need to flip their mindset and throw away their Powerpoint slides to become facilitators of learning rather than the "Sage-on-the-Stage" relaying vocabulary and definitions with students taking notes. There is a fundamental understanding that most of our science teachers have developed over time this approach at the very beginning stages of their careers. NGSS does not allow for teacher-centered instruction. Also, there should be an understanding that the process of developing the Science and Engineering Practices must begin at the lowest levels of school at Pre-Kindergarten or kindergarten. Delaying science instruction will create a lapse that teachers in the upper grade levels will have no choice but to develop prior knowledge through lecture. This will result in more presentations with note-taking rather than hands-on project-based learning. Therefore the responsibility of students learning science in any school should start as soon as the students enter the building.

This video is from the National Science Teachers' Association gives and example of high school lessons on science. Please note that the teacher is facilitating learning not lectures. Click the link to view the video on Youtube https://youtu.be/BANW37RM6JM

Resources and documents on the standards.