Researchers measure water depth and velocity in the Onyx River, Antarctica. Photo: Josh Landis, NSF, USAP.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" call on teachers to embrace three-dimensional learning, in which students engage in learning experiences that integrate disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. In order to help teachers meet this challenge, we - a group of researchers and secondary educators - work collaboratively to develop instructional tools and sample lessons that embrace the vision of the NGSS and tie students to actual research projects in Antarctica. By integrating pedagogical knowledge and publicly available, long-term data from multidisciplinary research in an extreme polar desert, we seek to ensure that teachers are able to design exciting lessons based on authentic scientific challenges and practices.
From our combined experiences we have identified three key challenges that teachers face in developing and implementing NGSS-based curriculum. By focusing on these challenges, our instructional materials help teachers unravel student misconceptions and teach in a manner that better reflects the demands of 21st century STEM careers.
We are currently seeking to establish new partnerships with secondary educators. If you would like to collaborate with us to develop new materials and connect your students with researchers in remote field sites, please complete the form on the "Become a Partner" page.