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See You Soon! Connect with us at NSTA in Anaheim
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We’d love to see you in April! Stop by our booth at NSTA in Anaheim to meet the team, chat about your teaching experiences, and learn more about our upcoming collaboration opportunities.
National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Spring Conference, Anaheim, CA, April 15-18 | |
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Mix Up Your Approach to Argumentation and Consensus-Building
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How are you integrating argumentation into your classes this year? If you've been using the same approach each time, the Consensus Building Protocols guide has 11 other strategies to try.
Some teachers find Gallery Walks work well when students need processing time, or Anonymous White Boards help when you're still building classroom community. Take a Stand can be effective when the class is genuinely divided on an idea.
Each protocol is designed around students using evidence to establish consensus, with step-by-step instructions and tips from other PEER Physics teachers. | |
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What We're Reading This Month | |
Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability by Daniel Morales-Doyle
The book shows a practical vision for science classrooms that centers justice, community issues, and sustainability. It would be a valuable resource for teachers interested in connecting science learning to real-world concerns and supporting students as critical, engaged participants in their communities.
Is Math Giving You Problems? It May Not Be the Numbers Alumni from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education determined that many students struggle with math because they do not understand the language required to solve word problems. That means solving these ambiguous problems requires additional cognitive load. To address this issue, students created an AI-based platform that evaluates the problem based on seven linguistic criteria and recommends updates to improve clarity. | |
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Keeping K-12 in Science Education Research | |
As educators nationwide embrace research-backed pedagogy in reading and math, science education is falling behind. Specifically, physics education research typically centers on college-level courses and overlooks the K-12 perspective. To ensure K-12 science educators remain part of the national conversation and to keep up with students’ experiences in science classrooms, PEER Physics created the Research Cohort.
The Research Cohort offers educators the opportunity to perform research that helps them better understand their students and advance their teaching practice while getting ongoing support, feedback, and education from a community of educators and PEER Physics staff. | |
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We’re honored to spotlight the great work happening in Arzie Yeater’s classroom! Arzie has been teaching physics for 18 years in West York, PA. Here’s a bit about his journey as a PEER Physics teacher:
"I have been teaching physics for 18 years at West York Area High School in West York, Pennsylvania, where I teach both College Prep and Applied Physics. This is my second year implementing the PEER curriculum. I was first introduced to PEER when Pennsylvania announced the transition to NGSS-style science standards, and I was looking for a curriculum that aligned with both the spirit and structure of those changes. I especially appreciate PEER’s flexibility, which allows me to use the same core curriculum with both College Prep and Applied levels by incorporating mathematical model sections and Chapter P extensions for my College Prep students while maintaining accessibility for all learners.
As the first teacher at West York to adopt NGSS-aligned standards, I greatly appreciated the learning community that came with PEER, which helped build my confidence as I navigated new instructional approaches. I found myself more energized at the start of the school year than I had been in many years. The professional learning I gained during the first year of PEER implementation also allowed me to support my colleagues as they transitioned to new curricula. I particularly value PEER’s use of mostly household materials in laboratory activities, as it helps students see that physics exists all around them—not just in a classroom or lab setting. Because West York operates on a semester-based block schedule, the flexibility of the PEER units has been especially beneficial."
Thanks for your passion and dedication, Arzie! We are honored to work with you!
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