Embedded Files
Several years ago, a committee was formed to address a growing problem in our country. "Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life, and they also hold the key to meeting many of humanity's most pressing and current and future challenges. Yet too few U.S. workers have strong backgrounds in these fields, and many people lack even fundamental knowledge of them. This national trend has has created a widespread call for a new approach to K-12 science education in the United States." (NRC, 2012)
This committee was charged with developing a framework that would outline a broad set of expectations for students in science and had the goal to "ensure that by the end of 12th grade, all students have some appreciation of the beauty and wonder of science; possess sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussion on related issues; are careful consumers of scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives; are able to continue to learn about science outside school; and have the skills to enter careers of their choice, including (but not limited to) careers in science, engineering, and technology." (NRC, 2012)
The Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas is the product of this committee. The document is built upon a rich and growing body of research on teaching and learning in science. It was a guiding document in the development of the Next Generation Science Standards and is an essential resource in learning and deepening understanding of the NGSS.
NGSS Resources
The Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines "a vision for education in the science and the engineering in which students, over multiple years of school, actively engage in scientific and engineering practices and apply crosscutting concepts to deepen their understanding of the core ideas in these fields." (NRC, 2012)
Let's pause here as there is a lot of information in what you have just read. I have just outlined the problem, the goal for the solution, and the vision for science education. As you reflect on your school or program, consider the following questions:
Following students from kindergarten through high school, how does the problem described above manifest itself in your community?
What would have to change in the educational system in your community to accomplish the goal outlined in the Framework for K-12 Science Education?
What is your current understanding of the three dimensions (Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas) outlined in the vision for K-12 science education? A two-page summary of the three dimensions of the NGSS is available for download at the link on the right.
I encourage you to write down (if working individually) or chart (if working as a group) your responses. When you have finished, click the arrow to continue with your learning.
National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. Board on
Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies
Press.
NGSS Dimensions
A two-page summary of the three dimensions of the NGSS
Initial Survey
Principles of the
Framework
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse