Disciplinary Core Ideas: Reshaping Teaching and Learning

Like all enthusiastic teachers, you want your students to see the connections between important science concepts so they can grasp how the world works now— and maybe even make it work better in the future. But how exactly do you help them learn and apply these core ideas?
Just as its subtitle says, this important book aims to reshape your approach to teaching and your students’ way of learning. Building on the foundation provided by A Framework for K– 12 Science Education, which informed the development of the Next Generation Science Standards, the book’ s four sections cover these broad areas:
1.Physical science core ideas explain phenomena as diverse as why water freezes and how information can be sent around the world wirelessly.
2.Life science core ideas explore phenomena such as why children look similar but not identical to their parents and how human behavior affects global ecosystems.
3.Earth and space sciences core ideas focus on complex interactions in the Earth system and examine phenomena as varied as the big bang and global climate change.
4.Engineering, technology, and applications of science core ideas highlight engineering design and how it can contribute innovative solutions to society’ s problems.
Disciplinary Core Ideas can make your science lessons more coherent and memorable, regardless of what subject matter you cover and what grade you teach. Think of it as a conceptual tool kit you can use to help your students learn important and useful science now— and continue learning throughout their lives.

Ravit Golan Duncan is an associate professor of science education with a joint appointment in the Graduate School of Education and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. She received her PhD in learning sciences from Northwestern University. She currently has two main research strands: (1) the design and study of inquiry based learning environments in life sciences that engage students with modeling and argumentation and (2) the study of learning progressions in science education, specifically in genetics. She is the recipient of three early career awards from the National Academy of Education/ Spencer Foundation, the National ScienceFoundation, and the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. In addition, Duncan also coordinates and teaches in the Certification Program in Life Sciences at Rutgers University and has studied the development of preservice teachers’ knowledge and beliefs. Duncan is the recipient of several federal grants that involve the design of instructional materials that support student (and teacher) engagement with scientific inquiry. She has published in both education research journals such as the Journal of Researchin Science Teaching, Science Education, and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) practitioner journals The Science Teacher, Science Scope, and Science and Children. Duncan was also one of the reviewers of A Framework for K– 12 Science Education and has facilitated several NSTA professional development workshops and webinars about the Next Generation Science Standards disciplinary core ideas and science practices over the past few years.

Ravit Golan Duncan is an associate professor of science education with a joint appointment in the Graduate School of Education and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. She received her PhD in learning sciences from Northwestern University. She currently has two main research strands: (1) the design and study of inquiry based learning environments in life sciences that engage students with modeling and argumentation and (2) the study of learning progressions in science education, specifically in genetics. She is the recipient of three early career awards from the National Academy of Education/ Spencer Foundation, the National ScienceFoundation, and the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. In addition, Duncan also coordinates and teaches in the Certification Program in Life Sciences at Rutgers University and has studied the development of preservice teachers’ knowledge and beliefs. Duncan is the recipient of several federal grants that involve the design of instructional materials that support student (and teacher) engagement with scientific inquiry. She has published in both education research journals such as the Journal of Researchin Science Teaching, Science Education, and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) practitioner journals The Science Teacher, Science Scope, and Science and Children. Duncan was also one of the reviewers of A Framework for K–12 Science Education and has facilitated several NSTA professional development workshops and webinars about the Next Generation Science Standards disciplinary core ideas and science practices over the past few years.