The University of Delaware’s School of Education (SOE) colloquium series continues on Wednesday, Feb. 22, with a presentation on “Supporting K-12 teachers in the Era of the Next Generation Science Standards: Research and Experience from Classrooms.”

Amy Trauth-Nare, associate director for science education in UD’s Professional Development Center for Educators, will be presenting at 1 p.m. in Room 207 of the Willard Hall Education Building.

The Framework for Science Education, the first major revision to national science education standards since 1996, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represent an ambitious set of learning goals for K-12 students. In contrast to previous standards, the NGSS features engineering concepts and skills, as well as global topics, such as climate change.

Not surprisingly, policymakers and educators struggle to make sense of the NGSS and its implications for classroom instruction and assessment. This colloquium focuses on the experiences and sense-making of teachers and students in the era of science education reform and the ways in which the NGSS informs teacher education for pre-service and in-service teachers.

Future colloquium topics

Subsequent speakers in this series will continue a special theme titled “Framing the Conversation Towards Engagement and Transformation: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Education and Human Development,” facilitated by SOE faculty members Rosalie Rolón-Dow and Elizabeth Soslau.

This theme will explore diversity, equity, and inclusion in terms of our college climate, which influences how all members of the community experience the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and its curriculum, which prepares students across teacher education programs for an increasingly diverse educational landscape.

The colloquium contributes to ongoing diversity initiatives in CEHD and across UD teacher educations programs such as the Collaborative to Diversify Teacher Education, the Success Through Education Conference, and the CEHD Dean’s Diversity Task Force.

Additional topics in the series include interactive digital media in children’s learning and early math learning.

The series will be held on select Wednesdays throughout the semester, beginning at 1 p.m. in Room 207 of the Willard Hall Education Building. A discussion and question-and-answer period will follow each speaker’s presentation at 2 p.m.

Students, faculty, and community members with interests in education, teacher preparation, and issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools and universities are encouraged to attend, as well as those interested in educational policy and administration. These events are free, and no advance registration or RSVP is required.

The speakers and topics for each presentation follow. Speakers participating in the special theme on diversity, equity and inclusion are noted with an asterisk.

• March 8: Janine De Novais, advanced doctoral candidate in higher education, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, “Teaching and Learning in Brave Community.”*

• March 22: Georgene Troseth, associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, “Tapping into Children’s Learning from Interactive Digital Media.”

• April 5: Jessica Shiller, associate professor in the Department of Instructional Leadership and Professional Development, Townson University, “Listening and Building: How Collaboration, External Partnerships, and Advocacy Help Students and Faculty Work Toward Equity and Diversity.”*

• April 19: Robert Lee, executive director of the Statewide Urban Programs and Partnerships, Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline, Illinois State University. Topic to be announced.*

• May 3: Bethany Rittle-Johnson, professor of psychology and human development in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, “Early Math Trajectories: Low-Income Children’s Mathematics Knowledge from Age 4 to 12.”

For more information about this series, visit the School of Education colloquium series webpage.