Blogs 
I’ve just returned from a trip to our nation’s capital, where I was with Seattle educator Jessica Levine working on a new Tch initiative. The initiative, in partnership with several highly respected science and professional development organizations — NSTA, Achieve, Making Sense of Science, American Museum of Natural History — centers around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The idea is to pull together video resources to help teachers navigate the shift to 21st century standards.
Why share this now if the project is still at the formative stages? Because we need your input. Teaching Channel has made, and continues to make, a significant investment in many different aspects of science teaching practice. Just one click away are 140 science videos covering a variety of topics (including my own, To the Moon!). And recently, Teaching Channel released four videos that show two teachers as they begin — and continue — to move their practice towards helping their students meet the goals of NGSS.
Teaching Channel has also partnered with The Boeing Company to create two-week units of instruction that provide a pathway towards greater understanding and implementation of NGSS. These units were created by classroom teachers working collaboratively with Boeing engineers to not only address the standards, but to inspire our students. Four units were launched earlier this fall, including Jessica’s Polymers for the Planet. Five more units have been added since then — two of which, Bio Suits and Soft Landing, include videos demonstrating classroom practice. Check out the Boeing landing page to see all nine units. They’ll make a wonderful addition to your classroom library, and we hope they’ll inspire your practice.
Apart from these new videos and curriculum units, Tch has published 90 blog posts and over 265 “Q & A” threads where scientific resources and the art of teaching science are being discussed by our community. We have over 171,000 registered members that are interested in science topics. If you’re not yet one of them, then please join us (edit your profile and check the Science box under Educational Interests). If you’re already onboard, then please jump in and ask questions or contribute to the community. Help us get better together!
Teachers are always talking about the dearth of resources that are compatible with the needs of today’s classroom, and the shift towards NGSS standards. Here they are, and here they will be. Please join Jessica and me as we work together to build an online community. Explore the previously mentioned resources to orient yourself to what’s available at Tch. Then, please take a moment to provide feedback below on what you would like your Tch science community to look like!
