National University
Abstract
This paper is a brief literature review of Colson and Colson’s (2016) article Planning NGSS-
Based Instruction: Where do you start?. They suggest strategies for implementing the Next
Generation Science Standards which promote authentic scientific experiences for students. I
analyze these strategies within the context of Domain A of the California Teaching Performance
Expectations. I also relate Domain A and the subject of Colson & Colson’s (2016) article to my
Introduction
In their article Planning NGSS-Based Instruction: Where do you start?, Colson & Colson
(2016) describe what an authentic classroom science experience should be given the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Framework. The NGSS Framework intends to engage
students in authentic scientific research which means they will be acting and thinking like real
scientists. However, this can be difficult since teachers are not trained like scientists are and
many students have not been exposed to many classroom experiences that require scientific
rigor. They suggest strategies that have been successful in the classroom to help students
Strategies
originate from the students. Allowing students to pursue questions and ideas that are interesting
to them provides them and the teacher with opportunities to make sense of measurements,
observations, and explanations together (p. 24). The next suggested strategy is engaging in
scientific practices that help students make sense of observations. One way to do this is to give
students open-ended lab experiments and investigations and allow them to make mistakes so that
there can be valuable discussions about the how and why of their results (pp. 24-25). The final
suggestion is to situate students’ authentic observations and understandings within the context of
core explanatory ideas of science and engineering. Frequently reminding students of the big
picture scientific ideas and concepts helps them “develop a more flexible and coherent
understanding of science,” according to the National Research Council (as cited in Colson &
Colson, 2016, p. 25). In a classroom like this, the teacher becomes more of a facilitator and
Conclusion
the subject matter comprehensible to students and specifically for science, teachers should be
able to engage students in scientific investigations and experiments, teach students how to read
and analyze scientific text and formulate arguments based on evidence, and encourage students
to pursue their scientific interests and interact independently with instructional materials
(California Teaching Performance Expectations, 2013, p. 5). Using the suggested strategies
above balances instructional focus on science content, concepts, principles, and skills. They align
with Domain A of the TPEs because of their success in making science comprehensible to
students. I have used all of these strategies in my classroom and I continue to develop and
concepts I am able to provide my students with more time to extend our class experiments by
investigating student questions that arise from initial investigations. I also keep unit and chapter
questions posted on my classroom wall to refocus the class on the big picture ideas frequently
during a lesson. Authentic learning is extremely valuable in science education since children are
naturally curious and these authentic scientific experiences promote their inquisitive tendencies.
DOMAIN A LITERATURE REVIEW 5
References
prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2013.pdf
Colson, M. & Colson R. (2016). Planning NGSS-based instruction: Where do you start? Science
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