New Standards and Environmental Education What is happening with Common Core and with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)? How do these new standards affect environmental education?

The World Before 1992 No national education standards States and districts educationally “all over the map” Textbooks provided structure Very uneven and very unequal public school education, especially impacting economically and/or educationally poor states, rural locations, ethnic minorities, ELL

1990s: National and State Standards Voluntary national education standards States partly coordinated More coordination within a state Encyclopedic, fact-oriented, algorithmic textbooks Higher stakes multiple choice tests Very uneven and unequal education

2001: NCLB “Voluntary” national education standards States partly coordinated; lots of extra work and $ nationally for publishers, test makers Tighter coordination within a state Encyclopedic, fact-oriented, algorithmic textbooks, perhaps even more so Teaching to the state NCLB tests Less teacher control Very high stakes multiple choice tests Education less uneven/unequal (but better?)

Now : Common Core State-Driven National Coordination English Language Arts (ELA) and Math States to be much more coordinated in ELA/Math New education emphases Need different curriculum resources Need professional development Need different testing Quality? Effect on inequality?

Now : NGSS “National” Voluntary; 26 Lead State Partners Science and Engineering 26 states potentially more coordinated + others Very new education emphases Need different curriculum resources Need professional development Need different testing Quality of education? Effect on inequality?

NGSS Conceptual Framework (2011) Coordinated by National Research Council Three Dimensions (DCI, Practices, Cross-Cutting) Disciplinary Core Ideas in Physical Science, Life Science, Earth/Space Science, Engineering Design organized in four grade spans Science and Engineering Practices (e.g., analyzing data; arguing from evidence) Cross-Cutting Concepts (e.g., systems) Framework to serve as basis for grade level NGSS standards

NGSS Finalized (2013) Coordinated by Achieve working with 26 Lead State Partners Performance expectations Embody DCIs, Practices, and Cross-Cutting Concepts Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 integrated science 6-8 and High School by discipline or integrated 26 states committed to trying to adopt NGSS with no or minimal changes Other states watching, considering

NGSS and Common Core NGSS is not part of Common Core. NGSS has a lot in common with Common Core especially with respect to Practices (what we want/expect students to be able to do). NSTA webinar “Connections Between Practices in NGSS, Common Core Math, and Common Core ELA” a_seminars/Ngss/webseminar17.aspx

What is Common to All? ALL the standards – Math, ELA and Science – require that teachers and students focus more attention on disciplinary “practices.”

Science and Engineering Practices 1.Ask questions and define problems 2.Develop and use models 3.Plan and carry out investigations 4.Analyze and interpret data 5.Use mathematics, information and computer technology, and computational thinking 6.Construct explanations and design solutions 7.Engage in argument from evidence 8.Obtain, evaluate and communicate information

Mathematical Practices 1.Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them 2.Reason abstractly and qualitatively 3.Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others 4.Model with mathematics 5.Use appropriate tools strategically 6.Attend to precision 7.Look for and make use of structure 8.Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Capacities of ELA Literate Students 1.They demonstrate independence 2.They build strong content knowledge 3.They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline 4.They comprehend as well as critique 5.They value evidence 6.They use technology and digital media strategically and capably 7.They come to understand other perspectives and cultures

Common to All Three Reason with evidence Build arguments and critique the arguments of others Participate in reasoning-oriented practices with others Well-guided talk – scaffolded reasoning talk and discussion – are a foundation for all the practices in the Common Core and NGSS

Bad News from Research About Productive Talk in Schools The dominant forms of talk in classrooms – recitation and direct instruction – do not support reasoning, building of arguments with evidence, or explaining, critiquing, and building common ground. Teachers rely on recitation and a few reliable talkers. Teachers often rely on group work, hoping the hands-on activities, in small groups, will teach the students what they need to learn.

Good News from Research About Productive Talk in Schools The practices of discussion transfer from one content domain to another. We now know a lot about how to induct students, from all backgrounds, into these reasoning practices, through rigorous content- rich, teacher-guided discussions. We have identified learnable, useful tools that help teachers orchestrate “academically productive talk.”

How We Want Students To Talk Externalize their thinking (metacognition) Listen carefully to one another and take one another seriously Dig deeper into the the evidence and the reasoning for their positions Work with the evidence and reasoning of others

Goals of Hawai‘i Environmental Literacy Plan (HELP)

Key National EE Themes Embedded in HELP

How Do We Get There From Here? “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of her dreams, and endeavors to live the life which she has imagined, she will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henrietta Thoreau “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Resources To Get There From Here Better tools and resources are accessible on the web to support teacher development of thinking practices in science. These resources and high quality teacher professional development enable teachers to use existing curricular materials to support effective evidence-based discussions. The NSTA website and webinar have more information, including videos. Also check out Making Sense of Science.

It Is For Our Own Good We cannot engage others in a profound and demanding education unless we are joyously willing to do so ourselves. Being great educators requires us to be critical thinkers and life-long learners, not just learners of content but also learners of learning, and practitioners of changing ourselves and others.

Act Locally Think Globally Feel Cosmically Be Lovingly