Ask Matt - NGSS science education advice from an expert

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about storytelling and the value that stories bring to learning and in particular, learning science. They relate to their own experiences using storytelling, describe some of the latest research, and offer tips for how teachers can bring stories and storytelling into their own science classroom.Resources mentioned in this episode:Ignorant Pineapplehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0yv5bMjv7gPlaylist of Green Ninja Film Festival Winnershttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Q5pqbnCmP4l1U9fl2e5DRxUtaeFjpZSCopenhagen by Michael Fraynhttps://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2869/copenhagenThe Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinsonhttps://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300162/

In this episode, Eugene and Matt are joined by a special guest, Tiffany Boyd. Tiffany is a retired teacher who taught for 27 years in Boulder, CO and now runs the organization Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA). Eugene and Matt talk with Tiffany about her work in Colorado to support teachers integrate climate science, climate justice, and climate action into their classrooms.Resources mentioned in this episode:Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA) websitehttps://classroomsforclimateaction.org/C4CA's Act for Climate Toolkit Frameworkhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1vwx8vmvUeZ6mTwKUClJPeejQnIeclGht/view?usp=sharing

Eugene talks about how to be a good science thinker on the ScIC "Science is Cool" Unplugged podcast with PocketLab co-founder, Dave Bakker. The podcast follows a similar theme as the very popular Science is Cool (ScIC) virtual unconferences that PocketLab has hosted since the pandemic started. Dave Bakker is a wonderful host and makes every conversation interesting and fun! Dave asks Eugene a bunch of questions about science learning and climate, and their conversations ultimately lead to Green Ninja and the work they are doing to mainstream climate education.Original episode:ScIC "Science is Cool" Unplugged Podcast: "Making Good Science Thinkers with Dr. Eugene Cordero"https://www.thepocketlab.com/podcast/dr-eugene-cordero

Eugene talks about Green Ninja with Pod of Gold hosts Stefanie B. Overbeck and Mel Wymore. The Pod of Gold podcast is created to inspire creative activism and social innovation as they believe the successful evolution of human society will require a profound transformation of the systems that shape our behavior. They were interested in talking to Eugene about Green Ninja because they were curious if education could play a role in ultimately promoting a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable future.Original episode:Pod of Gold Podcast: "The Green Ninja | Eugene Cordero"https://linktr.ee/podofgoldpodcast

Eugene and Dr. Steve Westlake (Cardiff University) were recently guests on the podcast, Your Money, Your World, where the focus of the episode was "Understanding our Carbon Footprints". We decided to rebroadcast the episode because we felt that many of our listeners would find the conversations interesting and relevant to our own understanding of climate change and how we teach this subject.Original episode:Your World, Your Money Podcast: "Understanding Our Carbon Footprint"https://www.ywympodcast.com/s3e7

Eugene and Matt talk to Katie Worth about her new book and what her extensive research can teach us about climate change education in the U.S.Resources mentioned in this episode:Miseducation: How Climate Change is Taught in America by Katie Worthhttps://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/miseducation/ClimeTimehttps://www.climetime.org/National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI)https://climateinterpreter.org/about/projects/NNOCCI

Eugene and Matt have recently helped create a new series of free and open lessons on climate change called Saving the Monarchs. In this episode, Eugene and Matt discuss the inspiration for creating these lessons, some of the design decisions they made along the way, and how teachers can use these materials in their own classrooms.Resources mentioned in this episode:Green Ninja's Climate Change Unit, Saving the Monarchshttps://web.greenninja.org/saving-the-monarchs

During this episode, Eugene and Matt are joined by a special guest - Tashanda Giles-Jones. Tashanda is a teacher at Environmental Charter Middle School in Inglewood, California, and she'll be sharing some of the work she's done helping students become leaders in their community through outdoor and environmental projects. Matt and Eugene will then explore how outdoor education can enhance opportunities for science learning.Resources mentioned in this episode:TreePeoplehttps://www.treepeople.org/Generation Earthhttps://www.dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/ge/The California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculumhttps://californiaeei.org/Curriculum/The Bay Foundationhttps://www.santamonicabay.org/GrowingGreathttps://growinggreat.org/The Edible Schoolyard Projecthttps://edibleschoolyard.org/California Academy of Scienceshttps://www.calacademy.org/educatorsGreen Schools National Networkhttps://greenschoolsnationalnetwork.org/2016 Science Framework for California Public Schools, Chapter 11: Instructional Strategies for CA NGSS Teaching and Learning in the Twenty-First Centuryhttps://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf/documents/scifwchapter11.pdf

In this special episode, Eugene mainly listens in to a small group of teachers who share their experiences and offer advice for how to engage students within this challenging remote learning environment. The discussion is fascinating and offers insights into the lengths that teachers will go to best serve their students. On the call are Elizabeth Brooking, a grade 6-8 science teacher, and the teaching pair of Mich and Leticia Kiwan who team teach science, math, social studies, and English in middle school.

Our special conversation with Dr. Okhee Lee continues now with a focus on language learning and the role it should play in our science classrooms. Okhee has established a national reputation for her work and thinking around this subject and our discussion with her is very thought-provoking.Resources mentioned in this episode:NYU SAIL Research Lab websitehttps://www.nyusail.org/Okhee Lee's Twitterhttps://twitter.com/OkheeLee_English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Liveshttps://www.nap.edu/catalog/25182/english-learners-in-stem-subjects-transforming-classrooms-schools-and-lives

This week, we have a special guest - Dr. Okhee Lee. Okhee is a professor of childhood education at New York University where she works to advance research, policy, and practice around science and language learning, especially for English learners. Okhee was on the NGSS writing team, a leader of the NGSS Diversity and Equity team, and author of many peer-reviewed articles on teaching and learning.In today's episode, we'll talk with Okhee Lee about NGSS and get her unique perspectives and advice surrounding teaching and learning. In a later episode, we'll invite Okhee back to our show so we can focus on another area of her expertise and interest — science and language.Resources mentioned in this episode:NYU SAIL Research Lab websitehttps://www.nyusail.org/Okhee Lee's Twitterhttps://twitter.com/OkheeLee_Venn Diagram of Practiceshttps://static.nsta.org/ngss/ExplanationOfVennDiagram.pdfWhy outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/Matt's Coronavirus Lesson for Elementary Schoolhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmuzKnk4OE0

In this episode, Matt and Eugene talk with Paul Andersen, an educational consultant, a Montana-based science teacher for 20 years, and most famously the creator of hundreds of science YouTube tutorials that have been viewed by millions of teachers and students. Paul has also created a trusted online resource for science teaching and NGSS called 'The Wonder of Science', and we'll talk with Paul about NGSS, science teaching, and the environment.Resources mentioned in this episode:The Wonder of Science websitehttps://thewonderofscience.com/Bozeman Science - Paul Andersen's YouTube channelhttps://www.youtube.com/user/bozemanbiology

In this episode, we'll talk about the election, from our own vantage points, and from what we expect to see with a new government for science and education. We’ll also discuss how scientific thinking and data can be used to explain aspects of the election for our students, so we can fairly use the election as an important learning opportunity for our students.Resources mentioned in this episode:2016 Science Framework for California Public Schools, Appendix 2: Connections to Environmental Principles and Conceptshttps://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf/documents/scifwappendix2.pdf

In this episode, we'll hear from Elizabeth Brooking - a middle school science teacher who faces daily challenges supporting at-risk students during this period of remote instruction. Elizabeth shares her story and together with Matt, we'll discuss ideas for how teachers can make progress helping their students during these difficult times.Resources mentioned by Elizabeth in this episode:ClassDojo - School communication platform that connects teachers with students and their families to build a community by sharing what's being learned in the classroomhttps://www.classdojo.com/Nearpod - Student engagement platform that creates interactive lessons and presentations for studentshttps://nearpod.com/Pear Deck - Google Slides add-on for formative assessments and interactive questionshttps://www.peardeck.com/googleslidesEdpuzzle - Platform where any video can be made into an interactive lesson for studentshttps://edpuzzle.com/Kahoot! - Game-based learning platform that makes it fun and engaging to learn new subjectshttps://kahoot.com/Google Forms - Tool from Google that allows users to create surveys, quizzes, and morehttps://www.google.com/forms/about/

In this episode, we'll hear from Sarah Rahman - a practicing middle school science teacher on how remote learning is going for her. What is working, what is not, and what techniques has she used to engage her students and help them move forward. The discussion with Matt and Eugene offers some interesting insights that we can all use right now.Resources mentioned by Sarah in this episode:Pear Deck - Google Slides add-on for formative assessments and interactive questionshttps://www.peardeck.com/googleslidesZoom's Breakout Rooms - Can be used for collaborative work in student groupshttps://zoom.us/Flipgrid - Video-sharing tool for quick messages or video discussion with the classhttps://info.flipgrid.com/WeVideo - Video-creation tool that students can collaborate on any project from anywherehttps://www.wevideo.com/educationGreen Ninja Film Festival 2020 Winners from Sarah's class:Best Science Message Award - Turtletastichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4-GaWnG_SIBest Call to Action Award - Wild Water Adventurehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rxbzG7VFlQPeople's Choice Award - The Termination of the Pickle-ationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4j29oPwN5c

In this episode, we find ourselves engulfed in some of the worst weather and air quality that we have seen in the western states. Here is what was on the front page of the LA Times reports two weekends ago in big letters - “California’s Climate Apocalypse - fires, heat, air pollution: The calamity is no longer in the future - it’s here, now.” We’ll spend all of this episode digging into the science of our recent experience but also looking for short-term and long-term educational opportunities to use this reality to help students cope and hopefully thrive in this new world.Resources mentioned in this episode:Video of the race between an induction cooker, electric cooker, and burner gas cookerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RajIEjHOCsM

In this episode, we try to look past some of the immediate challenges that all teachers are facing for some benefits and new opportunities. What can we learn about education from this experience, what exemplars have we witnessed of success, and what happens when the vaccine comes and things return to 'normal'? Can we take some of what we’ve learned during this odd year to improve education? Join us as we discuss these topics.

In this episode, we explore some of the challenges teachers are facing right now as they start a new term teaching remotely, and how we might continue to emphasize a coherent focus around science learning and NGSS while students are learning at home. We discuss synchronous versus asynchronous methods and share some insights we had while developing a remote learning program for Green Ninja in the summer.Resources mentioned in this episode:Sample of Grade 8 Unit 1 Chapter 1 Student Slide Deckhttps://bit.ly/3lREZqnSign up for a guest access accounthttps://app.greenninja.org/registrationGreen Ninja's Overview of Remote Learning Program videohttps://greenninja.org/Green_Ninja_Show/118Youth Sustainability Challengehttps://www.climateyouthambassadors.org/climate-challenge

In this episode, Eugene and Matt focus on the shift to online or remote teaching and the particular challenges and advantages that NGSS offers us. Matt shares his experience online teaching including his current offering of synchronous science classes with 3rd and 5th graders. Although Matt would be the first to admit that it doesn't always go according to plan, there are some valuable insights for everyone.

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about teaching science during uncertain times, like now during a global pandemic. As schools move online and students struggle to understand all these changes, how can teachers keep students moving forward while maintaining their own standards and well being?Materials mentioned in this episode:Article Eugene and Matt discussed:https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99caMatt's resources:https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1237822970090754049.html

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about classroom strategies that can help move instruction toward NGSS. For example, how do sentence frames, vocabulary, and hands-on activities look in Matt's ideal classroom. We also talk about hard to have environmental conversations, and how to navigate those through a science lens.Materials mentioned in this episode:Eugene and Matt's suggestion for responses to climate skeptical arguments:https://skepticalscience.com/Matt's resources on the carbon footprint of food:His favorite resource: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10669-015-9577-ythat has the best data in Table 4 of the electronic supplement: https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10669-015-9577-y/MediaObjects/10669_2015_9577_MOESM1_ESM.docxHe found out about this paper from this news article: https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/1215/Eating-lettuce-is-three-times-worse-for-climate-than-bacon-say-scientists?cmpid=FBIts headline was so misleading that he wrote a letter to the editor that was published: https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Readers-Respond/2015/1226/Readers-write-screening-before-gun-ownership-vegetarian-diets-are-greenerA much more kid-friendly view of food carbon footprints: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46459714A more advanced view that lets you dig into the different parts of the lifecycle: http://www.foodemissions.com/foodemissions/Calculator.aspxThough to make this one really work, you need to convert serving size into pounds.

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about climate change, how it appears in the NGSS, and how youth leaders like Greta Thunberg can provide inspiration for great science engagement and inquiry.

In this episode, Matt discusses the connection between student achievement and teaching, and how teachers can make progress with NGSS. We then dive into one of the standards and Matt takes us on a tour of how he would approach teaching this standard. As usual, we also discuss the environment, and how to help students and teachers find credible information about topics like climate change.Materials mentioned in this episode:Teachers Grapple with Climate Change: 'A Pretty Scary Topic'https://www.tampabay.com/education/teachers-grapple-with-climate-change-a-pretty-scary-topic-20190515/

In this episode, we talk to Matt about assessment—formative, summative, performance and other types. Matt suggests that it doesn’t matter what you call the stuff, it’s how it’s used by teachers that is important. We also have a very good discussion about the science and engineering practice—planning and carrying out investigations, and how the planning part is so important.

In this episode, Matt talks about his writing experience with the 2016 California Science Framework and his suggestions for favorite chapters for teachers. In addition to a discussion about the California Science Test, Matt also discusses what he sees are the main reasons why teachers find teaching climate change to be a difficult task.Materials mentioned in this episode:Eight Ways To Teach Climate Change In Almost Any Classroomhttps://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53505/eight-ways-to-teach-climate-change-in-almost-any-classroom

In this episode, Matt talks about Asking Questions and Patterns, and how to use these key practices and concepts in the classroom. He also shares his ideas on one of the key instructional shifts that NGSS encourage - flipping the lesson upside down. Eugene and Matt also talk about recent changes in Arctic Sea ice, and why such subjects are perfect companions to a NGSS classroom.

In this our first episode, we get started looking at some of the basics of NGSS, how Matt got involved, and then delve into 3D instruction. And hear about Matt's suggests you just need to do CPR with your course - community, proximity and relevance.