Supporting Excellent Science Teaching for Georgia

GSTA is Linking Science to Our World!

Submit a Session Proposal for

GSTA's 2024 Annual Conference

February 22 - 23,  2024 

Science informs exploration and the world would not exist without the understandings enabled by science. It is almost impossible to overstate how many aspects of our lives are impacted by scientific knowledge. As a result, it is imperative to learn how scientific knowledge is acquired and linked to scientific explanations. Linking scientific knowledge and explanations interrelate information from across disciplines into a coherent view of the world.

The conference is going to be a time for science educators from across the state to come together to share ideas, strategies, and professional resources to support one another thereby improving student learning. 

We are Linking Science to Our World by putting together a conference program featuring sessions focused on the following strands: 

• Students’ Science Journey Linked to 3D Learning: A sound science conceptual framework is coherent throughout students' learning journey. Sessions in this strand will focus on the Three-Dimensional Learning Framework that encompasses solid science practices such as using phenomena to drive student inquiry, discourse and argumentation while connecting and engaging students with science in the real world, empowering students, and improving their lives by building their critical reasoning skills. 

• Linking Science and Informal Settings: Experience in informal settings can play an important role in improving students learning by promoting science engagement for preK-12 students and beyond. Sessions in this strand will focus on how informal science learning can spark student interest, provide opportunities to broaden and deepen understanding, reinforce concepts and practices taught during the school day and ignite curiosity and an appreciation of science in the classroom and daily.   

• Understanding the Link Between Science and Advocacy and Cultural and Social Issues in Science: According to the National Research Council (NRC), equity in science education requires that all students are provided with equitable opportunities to learn science and become engaged in science and engineering practices; with access to quality space, equipment, and teachers to support and motivate that learning and engagement; and adequate time spent on science. Sessions in this strand will focus on connecting students' interests and experiences in science, which is particularly important for broadening participation in science.

• Linking Research and Best Practices: Bridging the gap between research and best practices that will promote meaningful science learning results in evidence-informed education. Sessions in this strand will focus on incorporating research-based practices into science and STEM/STEAM classrooms focusing on technology, curriculum, instructional, or assessment approaches within the context of the Georgia standards.

• The Link Between Science and Literacy: Literacy in science is not the same as scientific literacy, but they are interconnected. Scientific literacy is understanding scientific concepts, phenomena, and processes. Literacy in Science is the literate practices and strategies (reading, writing, speaking and listening) that enable students to understand, synthesize, and communicate science content knowledge. Sessions in this strand will focus on improving students’ science literacy by engaging literate practices to develop understanding of scientific concepts.

Proposal Criteria:

• engage participants in the interdisciplinary teaching of science,

• ensure that the session proposal aligns with GSTA's position statements,

• support implementation of specific Georgia Standards of Excellence or tenets of the NRC Framework, and/or

• support at least one conference strand