Phenomenon-Based Teaching and Learning
This microcredential represents educators' use of natural phenomena and problems as a part of science and engineering instruction to guide student-centered learning. This stack of microcredentials fulfills one of the requirements of the pathway for the Secondary Science Endorsement.
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Utah Effective Teaching Standards > Standard 1: Learners and Learning
Element 3: Respecting Learner Backgrounds and - Demonstrating respect for each learner and exhibiting actions consistent with recognizing learners’ diverse backgrounds and perspectives as assets to the classroom community. -
Utah Effective Teaching Standards > Standard 2: Instructional Design Clarity
Element 3: Instructional Planning - Planning high quality, personalized instructional activities that are informed by student progress data, provide multiple opportunities for students to reflect upon and assess their own growth and allow multiple opportunities and means for demonstration of competency. -
Utah Effective Teaching Standards > Standard 3: Instructional Practice
Element 1: Instructional Strategies - Using appropriate academic language and evidence-based strategies to stimulate higher-level thinking, discourse and problem solving and to scaffold learning experiences to meet the needs of all students. -
Utah Effective Teaching Standards > Standard 3: Instructional Practice
Element 3: Relevance - Providing relevant learning opportunities that value students’ interests and backgrounds and allow learner agency and choice in accessing learning and demonstrating competency.
To earn this microcredential you will collect and submit two sets of evidence demonstrating your effective and consistent science and engineering instruction using natural phenomena and problems. You will also complete a written or video reflective analysis.
Phenomenon-based teaching and learning involves more than simply using a demonstration or interesting concept to engage students. Phenomena can be used to drive sensemaking as students engage in science and engineering practices to develop explanations for the phenomenon.
A Big Idea phenomenon used to guide learning over multiple days/weeks.
Investigative phenomena :Phenomenon used to guide an individual investigation. Used to help describe a part of an anchoring phenomena.
Analogous Phenomena :Phenomenon used for assessment purposes. Not directly used as part of the learning process of a storyline.
Everyday phenomena :Phenomenon personally experienced by students in their day-to-day routines outside of the classroom. May be used as an anchoring, investigative, or analogous phenomena.
Research from A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (National Research Council, 2012), states that “to develop a thorough understanding of scientific explanations of the world, students need sustained opportunities to work with and develop the underlying ideas and to appreciate those ideas’ interconnections over a period of years rather than weeks or months” (p. 26). This document also asserts that “The framework focuses on a limited set of core ideas in order to avoid the coverage of multiple disconnected topics—the oft-mentioned mile wide and inch deep. This focus allows for deep exploration of important concepts, as well as time for students to develop meaningful understanding” (p. 25). This places the focus on students using the other two dimensions of science instruction identified in The Framework (NRC, 2012), crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices, to deepen understanding of disciplinary core concepts.
The Framework (NRC, 2012) document is the foundational resource that informed the development of the current Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (USBE, 2019). Within these standards, the concept of sensemaking of core ideas through crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices is a foundational principle of science education.
For teachers to include appropriate sensemaking experiences into instruction, they must also understand how to develop it in students. This microcredential stack focuses on teacher understanding and implementation of student sensemaking as a foundation for building effective science instruction in Grades 6-12. Each microcredential in the stack is meant to provide evidence of the competencies necessary to demonstrate effective three-dimensional science and engineering teaching.
Reference: National Research Council. (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Category: Preparation and Planning
Submit the evidence listed below to demonstrate your effective and consistent preparation and planning for phenomenon-based instruction.
Submit a unit plan you have used as a part of your instruction that demonstrates effective integration of multiple phenomena into a unit in which phenomena are a central driving force of instruction.
• This must include an anchoring phenomenon as a method for activating students' prior knowledge of the aspect of 3D science instruction (DCI, CCC, SEP). This should be student centered in nature and involve student construction of initial ideas and asking questions.
• Additional phenomena need to be integrated throughout the unit through supporting activities during which students develop a deeper understanding of the anchoring phenomenon.
• The unit plan must include a summative assessment that asks students to apply all three dimensions to make sense of a novel scientific phenomena.
• The phenomena used must be accessible (through cultural relevance, local connections, or with appropriate scaffolding).
• The unit plan must also include rationale for the choice of all phenomena and their integration into the unit.
Additionally, include a section describing how your unit plan aligns to the research base for best practices in science instruction.
Category: Implementation
Submit BOTH of the evidence items below to demonstrate your effective and consistent implementation of appropriate practices for phenomenon-based instruction.
Submit a video of your instruction using the unit plan you submitted. Your video may be up to 15 minutes in length and may consist of edited scenes of instruction with different groups of students. Your video must include the following:
● introduces a phenomenon to students;
● portrays the use of phenomena to drive student engagement and sensemaking.
Reflect upon your chosen video footage by providing a written description of what you see occurring in this video, why you chose it, and how your use of a phenomenon instigates and maintains student learning.
Be sure to follow your district/charter policies for student privacy.
Create and submit components of a portfolio that provide evidence for your competency in using appropriate phenomena that promotes engagement in learning science. Be sure it includes:
A. Samples of student work (video, written work, etc.) showing diverse learner sensemaking in this context.
B. A written reflection on the student sensemaking, how it incorporates the above concepts and how this informs your future instruction. Use and cite sources to support your rationale and instructional decisions. Explicitly explain how your use of phenomena and problem solving address student learning needs and learning goals.
Be sure to follow your district/charter policies for student privacy.
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: Evidence demonstrates a robust understanding of how phenomena are best used to promote engagement in science learning across SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs.
Criterion 2: Evidence demonstrates the use of appropriate phenomena that build culturally relevant and accessible instruction for diverse learners and with diverse settings and applications.
Criterion 3: Evidence demonstrates a clear distinction and application of phenomena and design problems in proper contexts and realizes potential and application of various types of phenomena and their relation to one another and instructional cycles being used.
Criterion 4: Evidence demonstrates the use of a summative assessment that asks students to apply all of the three dimensions to make sense of a novel scientific phenomena.
How does phenomenon-based teaching and learning fit into broader 3D Science teaching and learning in your classroom?
How has using phenomenon-based teaching and learning in your instruction adjusted the teaching and learning in your classroom? What effects are you seeing in student work?
How does your planning and implementation of phenomenon-based teaching and learning focused on equity, ensuring that all students can access the learning?
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: The reflective analysis demonstrates the importance of phenomenon-based teaching and learning and its importance in the broader 3D framework.
Criterion 2: The reflective analysis demonstrates the impact that the use of phenomenon-based teaching and learning has on student sensemaking in the educator's classroom.
Criterion 3: The reflective analysis demonstrates planning and implementation of phenomenon-based teaching and learning to promote equity, ensuring that all students can access the learning.
https://www.nap.edu/read/13165/chapter/1
A teacher friendly research document that explains the three dimensions of science including science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. Each dimension as well as their specific progressions from grades K to 12 is explained in depth within its own chapter. The disciplinary core ideas are grouped into major disciplines (i.e., Physical Sciences; Life Sciences; Earth and Space Sciences; Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science). Each discipline is explained in a separate chapter. The report also describes developmentally appropriate learning progressions. Additionally there are chapters on important topics such as integrating the three dimensions (Ch.9), Implementation into the classroom (Ch.10), Equity and Diversity (Ch.11).
National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Ambitious Science Teaching
This book explores how to support student sensemaking of science concepts. It includes specific vignettes, examples, and practical suggestions for implementing in the classroom.
Windschitl, M., Thompson, J., & Braaten, M. (2018). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
STEM Teaching Tool 28 - Qualities of a good anchor phenomenon for a coherent sequence of science lessons
https://stemteachingtools.org/assets/landscapes/STEM-Teaching-Tool-28-Qualities-of-Anchor-Phenomena.pdf
Instructional sequences are more coherent when students investigate compelling natural phenomena (in science) or work on meaningful design problems (in engineering) by engaging in the science and engineering practices. We refer to these phenomena and de
STEM Teaching Tool 42 - Using Phenomena in NGSS -Designed Lessons and Units
https://stemteachingtools.org/assets/landscapes/STEM-Teaching-Tool-42_Using_Phenomena_in_NGSS.pdf
Despite their centrality in science and engineering, phenomena have traditionally been a missing piece in science education, which too often has focused on teaching general knowledge that students can have difficulty applying to real world contexts.
STEM Teaching Tool 92 - Using Nature Journaling to identify meaningful local phenomena and support the infinite range of student sensemaking
https://stemteachingtools.org/assets/landscapes/STEM-Teaching-Tool-92-Nature-Journaling.pdf
Three-dimensional science learning centers on student sensemaking of phenomena. However, finding phenomena that are safe, accessible, culturally relevant, and grounded in the place where students live can be challenging for educators. Nature Journaling (NJ) can provide simple tools and strategies that educators can employ to encourage students’ investigations of local phenomena through deeper observations. In addition, helping students explore phenomena in local outdoor places leverages their interests and supports building relationships and awareness about community and neighborhoods.
Shauna Chapa
Margaret Grindstaff
Britt Rohde
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807