NJSTA Committees |
Consider joining a NJSTA Committee to share your voice at the state level. Your ideas and voice are important to us! Committee members must be active NJSTA members. Please check your membership status by logging in.
Check our NJSTA Events Page to see when our next Committee Meetings will be held!
CommunicationsWe use our website, newsletters, and social media to connect with our membership and other science educators in the state. Communication is key to knowing what is happening at the local, state, and national levels in science education. Communication is how we share ideas and collaborate. Members are our foundation. Your voice is important to us. We also want to make sure you know current science education policy, practices, and pedagogy. | Professional Learning"To be prepared for the 21st century, it is critical that all students have sufficient knowledge of and skills in science. Studies suggest that high-quality teaching can make a significant difference in student learning. NSTA believes a high-quality science teacher workforce requires meaningful, ongoing professional development. To achieve this goal, schools and school systems must devote time and resources to effective professional development for all K–16 teachers of science and science educators to support learning throughout their careers. There is broad agreement in the field, and increasingly empirical evidence as well, about what constitutes quality professional development for science educators. Key principles, synthesized by the National Institute for Science Education, include reflecting the research on effective classroom learning and teaching; building content and pedagogical content knowledge and skills and examining practice; using research-based methods that mirror those needed in the classroom; facilitating the development of professional learning communities; supporting teacher leadership; integrating professional development with local and state priorities and systems; and continuously evaluating effectiveness. NSTA strongly believes that we must move forward with professional development programs based on the best information currently available. The science education community should continue to encourage and conduct systematic research about effective professional development to add to our knowledge base for particular purposes in various contexts." |