[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzXxHYJnsqo[/youtube]

Back to school season typically brings a deluge of training sessions to refresh or build new skills for the coming year. But professional development costs money and time away from classrooms.

Imagine if, instead of gathering for a sit-and-git on some new math program or online portal, teachers could watch short, lively cartoons featuring a lively classroom teacher named Isabella Reyes demonstrating research-proven techniques for teaching science.

That’s the idea behind The Smithsonian Science Education Center’s new web series, Good Thinking! The Science of Teaching Science. Aimed at K-8 educators and launched in the summer of 2015, the free videos identify common misconceptions, explore the science of how humans learn, and provide instructional techniques for effectively conveying scientific principles and concepts.

Content-specific topics include photosynthesis, energy, and the water cycle. Other videos examine cognitive research on student motivation – with tips for giving useful feedback – and the left-brained, right-brained learning style myth.

New episodes will be distributed through the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s YouTube channel and PBS Learning Media.

Read the STEMConnector interview with Marjee Chmiel, associate director for curriculum and communications at the Smithsonian Institution.

Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: Good Thinking!, Internet Resources, Research on Learning, Resources for Teachers, Smithsonian Institution, STEM education, STEM teacher professional development, Teacher Training, video