MSU offers Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) online course for teachers

BOZEMAN, Mont. - March 8, 2018 - PRLog -- Montana State University's National Teachers Enhancement Network is offering a new non-credit online course, which runs from March 26 to May 18, that helps K-8 teachers build curriculum materials that align with the Next Generation Science Standards (https://www.nextgenscience.org/).

The Next Generation Science Standards are K–12 science content standards that give educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate their students' interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship. Image courtesy of Academic Technology and Outreach

Participants will learn in the first part of the course how to interpret NGSS standards for their grade level and how to use the five "E"s (engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate) curriculum-building model to create their individual classroom experiences. The second part of the course will be building science classroom activities specifically for their grade-level teaching assignment. Teachers will be able to work individually or with small groups of teachers from the same grade level. The final product for this course is a usable 3-D NGSS classroom unit.

The course will be taught by Gerry Wheeler, MSU emeritus professor of physics and emeritus executive director of the National Science Teachers Association (http://www.nsta.org/). Wheeler has served on advisory boards for Discovery Communications' Science Channel and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association as well as many other science and engineering-related organizations.

Wheeler has also served as a consultant for nationally broadcast children's science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, programming, including "3-2-1 Contact" and Walt Disney Educational Media productions.

The course is $99, which includes continuing education units or Office of Public Instruction renewal units for Montana teachers.

Register at http://ato.montana.edu/continuinged and click on professional development or contact Kelly Boyce, MSU Academic Technology and Outreach, at 406-994-6812 or kboyce@montana.edu.

The National Teachers Enhancement Network is a program of MSU's Office of Academic Technology and Outreach, formerly Extended University, that offers online graduate courses, non-credit learning opportunities and free resources for teachers. The program is celebrating its 25th anniversary and has served more than 25,000 teachers since its launch in 1993.