Ask Matt - NGSS science education advice from an expert
Science education is going through a big transition right now as schools throughout the country have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards. These new standards represent a large shift in how science will be taught, and teachers have good questions about how these standards will affect their classrooms. Our host (Eugene Cordero - climate scientist and founder of Green Ninja - science education provider) talks with Matt d'Alessio, science education expert and author of the 2016 California Science Framework for NGSS. Matt has dedicated over 20 years of his life to science education both as a high school science teacher and a distinguished university professor. In this podcast, Eugene asks Matt various questions about science education, NGSS, and the environment in a friendly and easygoing conversational style that is designed to be helpful to teachers.
Episodes
27 episodes
Ep. 27: Storytelling in the Science Classroom
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 ...
•
Episode 27
•
27:24
Ep. 26: Interview with Tiffany Boyd from Classrooms for Climate Action
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 Tiff...
•
Episode 26
•
35:40
Ep 25: Eugene talks science, climate, and Green Ninja on the podcast Science is Cool Unplugged
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)
•
Episode 25
•
1:00:29
Ep 24: Eugene talks Green Ninja on the podcast Pod of Gold
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...
•
Episode 24
•
41:44
Ep 23: Eugene talks Carbon Footprints on the podcast Your World, Your Money
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 ...
•
Episode 23
•
50:31
Ep 22: Interview with Katie Worth, author of Miseducation: How Climate Change is Taught in America
In this episode, 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...
•
Episode 22
•
41:54
Ep 21: Saving the Monarchs
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 th...
•
Episode 21
•
25:14
Ep 20: Exploring Outdoor Education and NGSS
In 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 shares some of the work she’s done to help students become lead...
•
Episode 20
•
46:30
Ep 19: Teachers share their experiences and advice during the lockdown
In this special episode, Eugene mainly listens in to a small group of teachers who share their experiences and offer advice on how to engage students within this challenging remote learning environment. The discussion is fascinating and offers ...
•
Episode 19
•
31:16
Ep 18: Interview with Dr. Okhee Lee - Part 2: Science and Language
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 on this subject, and our di...
•
Episode 18
•
1:00:30
Ep 17: Interview with Dr. Okhee Lee - Part 1: Intentions of the NGSS
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 learner...
•
Episode 17
•
48:12
Ep 16: Interview with Paul Andersen from The Wonder of Science
In this episode, Eugene and Matt 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 teach...
•
Episode 16
•
36:26
Ep 15: The Election
In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about the election, from their own vantage points, and from what they expect to see with a new government for science and education. They also discuss how scientific thinking and data can be used to explain...
•
Episode 15
•
28:18
Ep 14: Teacher Perspectives from a Small Charter School
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 Eugene and Matt,...
•
Episode 14
•
33:11
Ep 13: Updates from the Classroom with a Guest Teacher
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?...
•
Episode 13
•
37:12
Ep 12: Teaching Alongside a Climate Crisis
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 ...
•
Episode 12
•
31:55
Ep 11: Looking for the Silver Lining in Remote Learning
In this episode, Eugene and Matt 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...
•
Episode 11
•
28:43
Ep 10: Starting Fall Remotely
In this episode, Eugene and Matt explore some of the challenges teachers are facing right now as they start a new term teaching remotely, and how they might continue to emphasize a coherent focus around science learning and NGSS while students ...
•
Episode 10
•
26:00
Ep 9: Remote Teaching with NGSS
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 ...
•
Episode 9
•
32:06
Ep 8: Teaching in Uncertain Times
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 ...
•
Episode 8
•
30:27
Ep 7: Supporting NGSS in Your Classroom
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? They also talk about hard ...
•
Episode 7
•
32:24
Ep 6: NGSS and Climate Change
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.
•
Episode 6
•
25:22
Ep 5: Dissecting an NGSS Standard
In this episode, Matt discusses the connection between student achievement and teaching, and how teachers can make progress with NGSS. They then dive into one of the standards, and Matt takes us on a tour of how he would approach teaching this ...
•
Episode 5
•
34:23
Ep 4: Assessment and Planning
In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk 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. They also have a very good...
•
Episode 4
•
28:33
Ep 3: The California Science Framework and the Impossible Burrito
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 ...
•
Episode 3
•
33:53