Teaching Science Outdoors

Community garden area at North school in Lansing

Teaching Science Outdoors (TSO) is a professional development program for elementary school teachers housed at Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. The goal of this project is to increase the ability of teachers to use the outdoors—whether in their schoolyard, neighborhood or community—as a component of doing strong science teaching aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

 

During the course of a professional learning workshop, teachers develop or adapt a lesson to teach their students that includes an outdoor component.

Inquiry-based learning, or inquiry learning, removes the emphasis on teachers and places it on students. It is based on the idea that it is more beneficial for students to understand their everyday world by formulating questions, investigating to find answers, building new understandings, and communicating their findings with others, than to simply present them with facts and expect them to understand. Through this method, the role of the teacher is to guide students throughout the process and encourage them to come to an answer by themselves. Though this method could have a positive impact on science education, many teachers lack the pedagogical knowledge to implement inquiry-based learning in their own classrooms. This is where TSO comes in. 

Teaching Science Outdoors will enable teachers to:

Experience outdoor inquiry learning
Use technology throughout the inquiry process
Experience team collaborative learning
Develop school-based learning units in line with NGSS
 

National Science Foundation logo

Recent Project News

HHMI/LEVERS Gateway Summit, Dec 17, 2019

Fifth and final STEM Education Alliance held on December 17, 2019, from 11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Molecular Plant Sciences Bldg

Go

Discipline Based Education Research

Melanie Cooper reflects on DBER at Michigan State University and CREATE for STEM

Go

Health in our Hands Expands

$1.2M grant put health in the hands of students and community

Go

Reflections on time at CREATE

Idit Adler, former CREATE postdoctoral research associate

Go

Christina Schwarz on NGSNavigators

Dr. Christina Schwarz offers suggestions on making the shift to elementary NGSS

Go

Student Voices

Student voices make important contributions to community health through science

Go

An Exciting Time in Science Education

Joe Krajcik reflects on the direction of science education.

Go

Joe visits Southern Africa

Joe Krajcik shares science education expertise at University of Pretoria and University of Johannesburg in Southern Africa

Go

Mathematics-Stats Summit 2019

The Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) hosted the inaugural Mathematics and Statistics Associations Summit on Saturday, May 23, 2019

Go

Krajcik joins National Academies

Dr. Krajcik was recently voted on to the prestigious National Academy of Education.

Go

Joe Krajcik, Lead Guest Editor, special issue of DISER

The Journal of Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education, Special Issue on Project-based Learning

Go

MSU Professor appointed as Grinnell College V.P. of Academic Affairs/Dean

Dr. Beronda Montgomery, Professor and Assistant Vice President for Research and innovation, assumes new position

Go

Our Relationship to Educational Technology during COVID-19

Kevin Haudek reconsiders remote instruction options and teaching practices

Go

Megan Shiroda presents -Gordon Research Seminar

The UBER GRC included a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) for the first time this year.

Go

Advancing equity in the geosciences

Building sustainable pathways for participation in cybertraining within the Earth science fields

Go

Literacy learning and modeling

Published 2020 by Tingting Li, Emily Miller, I-Chien Chen, Kayla Bartz, Susan Codere, and Joseph Krajcik

Go

Crafting Engagement in Science Environments

An innovative, internationally developed system to help advance science learning and instruction for high school students

Go

MSU's FRIB set to open May 2022

Facility for Rate Isotope Beams to hold ribbon cutting ceremony on May 2

Go

CMP awarded new research grant

The National Science Foundation has awarded approximately $2 million to the Connected Mathematics Project at Michigan State University.

Go

International Conference held at AI Institute, University of Georgia

Dr. Joe Krajcik and Dr. Xiaoming Zhai co-chair conference to examine artificial intelligence in STEM education

Go

Transforming STEM education in the 21st century

MSU is transforming STEM teaching and learning through research and innovation.

Go

Danny Caballero honored by American Physics Society

Professor Danny Caballero receives Excellence in Physics Education award

Go

Krajcik honored by ISSDE, Wednesday, March 24th.

The International Society for Design and Development in Education has awarded the prestigious Prize for Excellence in Educational Design to Joseph Krajcik,

Go

Health in Our Hands published in Journal of Community Genetics

HiOH study connects classroom and informal community-connected approaches to promote project-based learning in students,

Go

HiOH holds student event with Flint & Genesee partners

Health in Our Hands hosted a two-day virtual health summit to highlight middle school community action projects aimed at reducing the ri

Go

Postponed - Moving Science & Literacy Forward in Elementary Classrooms symposium

We are working to find a rescheduled date for this event; please check back!

Go

Making Project-Based Learning (PBL) Inclusive in a Virtual Setting

Edutopia blog features new article by Emily A Miller, Susan Codere and Joe Krajcik.

Go

Two College of Education scholars earn Fulbrights

Gavin Stockton and Dr. Higinio Dominguez selected for prestigious honor

Go

Project-Based Learning in the Washington Post

Read a new 'Perspective' piece featuring CREATE's "Multiple Literacies" written by Jay Mathews

Go

Crafting Engaging Science Environments curriculum adapted for rural South

The original CESE curriculum to be modified in new study funded by the Education Innovation and Research grant program

Go

Project Based Learning featured on Edutopia

Studies show PBL is an effective way forward for student learning regardless of grade level, race, and socioeconomic groups

Go

Krajcik appointed as international expert for PISA 2025

The assessment framework for PISA 2025, which will focus on science as the major domain, is currently under development.

Go

Developing Space for Native American Students in STEM

Angela Kolonich and Christie Poitra share resources for STEM faculty to support Native American Students.

Go

Spotlight on Collaborative Digital Classrooms

MSU's Connected Math Project partners with Concord Consortium

Go

Congratulations to CREATE's Multiple Literacies project team

New book focused on Project Based Learning released by Harvard Education Publishing

Go

Detroit teachers embrace Project-Based Learning in the classroom

Moira Thomas and Chiara Kirkland share their perspectives on how Project-Based Learning has changed their teaching

Go

Creating Wonder: Revolutionizing How Science is Taught

MSU researchers are transforming STEM education to make science exciting to all students

Go

The Mystery of the Monkey flower is blooming

Health in OUr Hands new Monkey Flower unit is taught with graphic novel!

Go

PSTs: asset and deficit perspectives

Published 2020 by Ron Gray, Scott McDonald and David Stroupe.

Go

Congratulations to the ML-PBL team! Unit earns NGSS Design Badge.

In this ML-PBL 3rd Grade unit, students explore the question: Why do I see so many squirrels, but I can’t find any stegosauruses?

Go

MSU Week of SEISMIC, May 16-19, 2022

5th stop of the 'week of SEISMIC' events, MSU hosts number of gatherings

Go

AACR research teams publish two new articles

"Quantifying Cognitive Bias in Educational Researchers" (A. Bierma et al) and "Evaluation of Construct-Irrelevant Variance" (X. Zhai et al).

Go

Two new NSF projects in CREATE!

Learning Progressions for Middle School Science and Automatic Feedback of Constructed Responses

Go

MSU receives USDA-NIFA funding to support Native American students

The $140K Growing Native American Student Pathways into Agriculture will expand opportunities and support systems for Indigenous students at MSU.

Go

Krajcik receives Honorary Doctorate from University of Tartu, Estonia

Honored for his work with university researchers and doctoral students, Joe Krajcik receives prestigious award

Go

New publications - Automated Analysis of Constructed Response group

The AACR team collaborates with other universities to improve student's STEM thinking.

Go

Dr. David Stroupe has new book published with Harvard Education Press

Growing and Sustaining Student-Centered Science Classrooms

Go

Exciting findings from "Project-Based Learning" research!

Rigorous project-based learning (PBL) can be an effective way to teach science and build literacy skills for elementary students.

Go

Journal of Chemical Education Festschrift awarded to Dr. Melanie Cooper

The prestigious Festschrift program began in 2021; Melanie Cooper marks the fourth honor.

Go

PBL deepens knowledge in science for 3rd graders in Michigan

Dr.'s Joe Krajcik and Barbara Schneider discuss how Project-Based Learning helps 3rd graders in multiple ways.

Go

Congratulations to CREATE's Renee Bayer and APHA's Ella Greene-Moton

Renee Bayer and Ella Greene-Moton awarded the HFRCC Community-Academic Partnership Award

Go

Supporting Instructional Decision Making

New project! Univ. of Georgia, Michigan State, Univ. of Illinois and WestEd collaborate on a new project to support middle school science teachers

Go

New books out now and coming soon

Get your copy of these important new releases!

Go

Paper publication! Journal of Science Education and Technology

New article by Tom Bielik, Lynn Stephens, Cynthia McIntyre, Daniel Damelin, and Joseph Krajcik

Go

MSU Today: Zooming in on the future of microscopy

Dr. Tyler Cocker creates the only microscope of it's kind in the United States

Go

The Impact of COVID-19 on School Mathematics Curriculum

Reflections on teaching, learning and technology during the COVID crisis, and hopes for the future

Go

New NSF funding awarded to MSU

What makes successful potatoes, and science teachers, tick? MSU researchers want to find out!

Go

CREATE Associate Professor Emeritus honored with AAAS Fellow award

Dr. Mark Urban-Lurain is one of nine MSU faculty receiving this 2021 award.

Go

Fostering Inclusive 3D Classrooms

Published 2018 by Angela Kolonich, Gail Richmond, and Joseph Krajcik

Go

Making science meaningful for all students

Dr. Christina Schwarz: meeting students where they are in science teaching

Go

ML-PBL in elementary classrooms; a new way of teaching

“Science Education Through Multiple Literacies: Project-based Learning in Elementary School

Go

David Stroupe co-edits book aimed at improving science teacher preparation

The Next Generation Science Standards and ambitious science teaching are the focus of new book.

Go

Prestigious Estonian university awards Krajcik honorary degree

Joe Kracik receives an honorary doctorate in science education from the University of Tartu

Go

Krajcik awarded 2020 McGraw Prize

Congratulations to Joe, Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education at MSU and founder/director of the CREATE for STEM

Go

2028 NAEP Science Assessment Framework Update panel announced

Krajcik to be member of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Steering and Development panels

Go

Innovation for Equity: Meeting the Moment - sponsored by McGraw Prize in Education

Join us for a special event featuring 2020 recipients, Feb. 16, at 2:00PM

Go

NEW grant! Assessing Mathematical Sensemaking in Science (AMaSS)

Exploring how students engage in making sense of quantitative problems in biology, chemistry, and physics

Go

STEM event held for 117th Congress

David Stroupe participated in an event hosted by the STEM Education Coalition

Go

Health in Our Hands featured in MSU Today

MSU plant researcher and science educators join forces to make science education more engaging

Go

STEM-plus Education and gender issues

Phase Two: Cross-Border Human Capacity Building for Glocalized Scientific Literacy event announcement!

Go

NEW grant focuses on teaching energy concepts in high school physics

CREATE for STEM researchers awarded $1.9M award to expand original ELeVATE work

Go

NextGen PBL is a RIVET recommended provider!

RIVET Education recently added thirteen "high-quality" professional learning providers to PLPG.

Go

New Artificial Intelligence focused series offered in 23/24

Co-sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and CREATE for STEM

Go

AACR teams up with SimBio on a recently published study

Partnering with SimBio for study on Cell Respiration, the Automated Analysis of Constructed Response group publishes study on Cellular Respiration Explored

Go

The MSU Science Festival is back for it's 12th year

MSU Science Festival 2024 will run the entire month of April

Go

Paper publication! Science & Education

New article by David Stroupe (Michigan State University) and Heidi B. Carlone (Vanderbilt University)

Go