Science and Engineering Practices in Action

A Virtual Professional Development Course for

K-12 Teachers of Science

Teacher placing weight on a Popsicle stick bridge

Welcome to a series of interactive modules focused on experiencing and teaching the Practices of Science and Engineering in K-12 science classrooms. We hope you find this virtual course fun and engaging and that your experience “practicing the practices” enriches science learning for your students.

Course Structure

The course is designed for science teachers in a professional learning community (PLC) or curriculum team (CT), at any grade level or mixed grade levels. Each module explores a single practice through a series of 20-30 minute segments totaling about 10 hours of professional development.

The focus is on experiencing, discussing and enriching your teaching of the practices. The primary goal is to raise awareness of the importance of the practices and provide strategies for teaching science and engineering practices more directly and more often.

Each online module contains:

Introduction to the Practice pdf
Introductory video
Icebreaker activity
Hands-on, practice-focused activities
Discussion prompts
Multimedia interactives
Strategies to try in the classroom and report back at your next meeting
Classroom footage with teacher interviews
Interviews with scientists and engineers
Learning progressions for the practice
Resources

This course is designed for group interaction and discussion. However, if distance and time make group meetings impossible, find a teaching colleague to experience these modules with you. If you can’t meet face-to-face, we recommend using web conferencing, email, or phone conversations for reflection and discussion.

Important: Read this short introduction to the practices before starting the course:

Science and Engineering Practices - An Introduction.pdf

Notebooks

Every participant will need a designated SEPA notebook. It will be used in activities for recording data, for reflective writing, and as a record of your experiences and ideas generated by the course.

Course Facilitation

This course is designed for groups that are led by a member-facilitator. Facilitators should plan ahead for each meeting, gather any needed materials, watch the clock, and be prepared to facilitate activities and lead discussions. Facilitator guidelines are provided in each module with information about materials for activities and suggestions for leadership.

Table of Contents

Click the module name to begin.

Module 1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Module 2: Developing and Using Models

Module 3: Constructing Explanations & Designing Solutions

Module 4: Plan and Carry Out Investigations & Analyze and Interpret Data

Module 5: Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Module 6: Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate Information

The SEPA Team
Tracy Fredin - Co-PI, CGEE Director	Lee Schmitt - Co-PI, Course Development, Lead Writer
John Shepard - Producer	Jenny Nilsson - Online Course Design
Anna Shepard - Assistant Producer	Brinkley Prescott - Project Management
Ed Hessler - Consultant/MnSTA Contact, Proofreading, Resources	Stacie Toal - Evaluation
Sara Robertson - Video Transcription	Leigh Simmons - Graphic Design