Socio-scientific issues (SSI) instruction positions the understanding and practice of science in the context of issues that are informed by science but require reasoning about their societal dimensions to respond to those issues effectively. For this reason, instruction in the context of SSI has been considered the gateway to contemporary visions…

In this paper, we reflect on Luisa Marco-Bujosa's paper, "Soul searching in teaching science for social justice: an exploration of critical events through the lens of intersectionality." Our goal is to offer the reader a deeper understanding of the principles and epistemologies of Afrocentric schooling that were foundational to Faith's…

Robert Collins offers congratulations to Katie Wylie, the recipient of 2022's ASE Alexander Award, which is awarded annually to a woman or group of women who have made a significant contribution to the scientific, technological, engineering or mathematical (STEM) education of girls or women, in situations of scarce resources. He offers a personal…

"Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") three-dimensional learning is valuable for all students regardless of age. The "NGSS" integrate disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts, adding rigor to science teaching and learning. Though "NGSS" performance…

Preparing elementary students to think and communicate like an engineer is possible, but requires a sequence of lessons spanning multiple classroom experiences that are aligned to multiple performance expectations (PEs). This article identifies how multiple PEs can be clustered to meet the instructional goals set forth in the "Next Generation…

The field of epigenetics is progressing rapidly and becoming indispensable to the study of fundamental gene regulation. Recent advances are redefining our understanding of core components that regulate gene expression during development and in human diseases. Scientific knowledge on the importance of epigenetic regulation is now well known and…

Understanding natural selection and adaptation are important precursors to learning evolution (NGSS Lead States 2013), the central unifying principle of biology. This lesson sequence, guided by the Five Practices Model (Cartier et al. 2013), incorporates data described by Andersson (1982) that details female choice in a population that eventually…

Effective teachers understand the importance of asking the right kind of questions to facilitate the learning of all their students. By learning what questions to ask and when, teachers can engage their students in instruction that aligns to the vision of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Benedict-Chambers et al. 2017; NGSS Lead…

High-impact practices, and other pedagogical advancements, have been successfully used to deepen student engagement with courses over a wide variety of disciplines. Here, we describe the design, implementation, and assessment of a cross-disciplinary, inquiry-based lab course built on the proven success of these deeply engaging principles. This new…

Inquiry methods have been successful in improving science literacy in students of all ages. Model-Based Inquiry (MBI) is an instructional model that engages students in the practices of science through the collaborative development of scientific models to explain an anchoring phenomenon. Student ideas are tested through engagement in content-rich…

SOLO taxonomy models the levels of understanding within a topic; its hierarchal nature can support progression and challenge. Flipped learning is a strategy that uses homework to build background knowledge, thereby maximising the impact of lesson time. Both flipped learning and SOLO taxonomy can be used to support student learning, either combined…

Genetic drift is a concept of population genetics that is central to understanding evolutionary processes and aspects of conservation biology. It is frequently taught using rather abstract representations. I introduce three real-life zoological examples, based on historical and recent color morphs of tigers, tapirs, and ravens, that can complement…

This article defines the process of adaptive teaching in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We assert that teachers who possess a well-developed STEM pedagogical content knowledge, a constructivist paradigm of teaching and learning, and an ability to draw on a vision while reflecting on and during teaching to help negotiate…

To promote teaching science through inquiry, the author wanted to use his experience in the Galápagos to design a lesson that allows students to immerse themselves in the essential science and engineering practices identified in the "Next Generation Science Standards," as they ask questions; analyze and interpret data; engage in argument…

As society becomes more technological, the need for scientific literacy grows . Part of scientific literacy is understanding the nature of science, which can be revealed, in part, by learning the historical context of current science concepts. History of science can be taught using scientific inquiry, scientific argumentation, and authentic…