Unit 2: Theory & Framework
The “what” of Science and STEM Education
“From its inception, one of the principal goals of science education has been to cultivate students’ scientific habits of mind, develop their capability to engage in scientific inquiry, and teach them how to reason in a scientific context.” (NRC, 2012).
The Framework for K-12 Science Education Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas was used to develop the national standards in science, as noted previously. The Tennessee Academic Standards for Science are also based on these national standards and this underlying framework. The Framework for K-12 Science Education focuses on fewer core ideas than did past standards, in order to avoid the coverage of multiple disconnected topics, which is referred to as a “mile wide and an inch deep” (p. 25; National Research Council, 2012). This means that too many different topics used to be covered in science education, which meant that students had to do a lot of memorization in order to keep up. Since we now want students to spend more time exploring phenomena and related concepts directly for themselves, engaging in the activities that scientists do, more time per concept is needed. Thus, having fewer concepts to learn allows for deeper engagement over time with the concepts that are included for a given grade. The introduction of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the Tennessee state math standards echoes this effort. In order to help students to develop deeper conceptual understandings and procedural fluency with math, students spend time exploring ideas and making connections to make sense of the mathematics.
The Framework for K-12 Science describes the following three dimensions of science education, which are important in understanding the NGSS and TN State standards: Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs), and Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs). Each of these components can be understood as working together to comprise the standards, in terms of what we want students to know or understand, and what we want them to be able to do.
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). The NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) describe the activities of scientists and engineers and that we want students to engage with as they are learning and doing science. Each practice includes a host of specific skills. For example, developing and using models requires that a student understands what is a model, what makes a good model, knows how to use them. In science education, the focus should be on supporting students’ scientific thinking rather than on memorizing facts and information. Bybee’s 2011 article includes descriptions of how the practices below translate for young children. The practices are:
- Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
- Developing and using models
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
- Engaging in argument from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
For new science educators, the practices can at first seem intimidating. Their language is not always clear nor their implications for young students. All of SEPs can be used with students as young as preschool. The language of the practices may be adapted for younger students, and it can be helpful to give students examples of what the practice might look like in their classrooms. In a kindergarten classroom, a teacher might ask students “How can we test this?” thus, leading students through the practice of planning and carrying out investigations. In a unit on floating and sinking (TN K.PS1.2), the class discussion might result in students selecting a tub, filling it with water with help from an adult, selecting items to test, and dropping items into the water to see if they sink or float. In the TN Science Standards Reference, a helpful table is included on pages 27-34 that breaks down what each practice looks like in early elementary (K-2), late elementary (3-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12). This table is a useful starting place when planning for the science and engineering practices in a lesson or unit.
Crosscutting concepts (CCCs). “Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.” (NGSS). These concepts can help students see how the concepts (DCIs, below) are interrelated. A webpage with definitions is available online, along with a document available for free download from NSTA. The document includes definitions and examples of what each crosscutting concept look like across grade bands in elementary school.
- Patterns
- Cause and Effect
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- Systems and System Models
- Energy and Matter
- Structure and Function
- Stability and Change
Similar to the SEPs, the crosscutting concepts can, at first glance, be overwhelming to new science educators, and their language may be adapted when working with young students. For example, when addressing the crosscutting concept of scale, proportion, and quantity a teacher might use phrases like “how big” or “how many”. The CCs are powerful ideas that young students can and should be introduced to in an age-appropriate manner. The TN Science Standards Reference includes a table breaking down the CCs by grade bands on pages 20-26.
Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs). The DCIs focus on science curriculum, instruction, and assessment on the most important aspects of science or “the big ideas” of science. These ideas are grouped into four domains including the physical sciences, the life sciences, the earth and space sciences, and engineering, technology, and application of science. These are discussed in a more detail below in the units with example integrated projects.
