Rockefeller University hosts workshop on Next Generation Science Standards

A series of workshops, to be held this weekend at The Rockefeller University, is designed to help scientists and educators prepare for the adoption of new standards for teaching science in elementary and high schools. The event, titled “Improving Dialogue between Scientists & Educators: Implications for NGSS,” is presented by Rockefeller, the Science Education Initiative, Science & the City (a program of the New York Academy of Sciences) and Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to address weaknesses and inconsistencies in the current standards on which K–12 science curricula are based, and to provide teachers with guidance.  New York is among several states that have joined forces to come up with a set of voluntary standards intended to significantly improve how science is presented and taught to students. The Next Generation Science Standards are based on the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Education, and will be ready for state adoption this year.

The weekend event will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the different facets of the new standards, as well as highlight innovative ways to bring science into the classroom. The ultimate goal, say the organizers, is to improve the dialogue between educators and scientists in order to help best prepare our future generations and improve science literacy in the United States.

“We hope that this meeting will open up the channels of communication between scientists and science teachers in an effort to improve science education – in NYC and beyond,” says Jeanne Garbarino, director of Rockefeller’s Summer Science Research Program and an organizer of the event. “I am really looking forward to speaking with the participants, and to brainstorm on how to best use these newfound partnerships.”

Chris Emdin, professor at Columbia University Teachers College and director of Secondary School Initiatives at the Urban Science Education Center in New York, will give the keynote address, which will be followed by a panel discussion on self-directed learning in the classroom and breakout sessions on the NGSS. More information about the program can be found here.

The meeting, which takes place in the Carson Family Auditorium in Rockefeller’s Greenberg Building, is free, but registration is required. A live webcast of the event can be viewed here.