Twig Science Simplifies 3-D Learning
"Our district appreciates how unbelievably responsive the Twig Science team has been during our adoption! Their customer care is top-notch. We feel we have a true partner in getting the highest quality of instructional materials into our young scientists' hands."
—Ryan R., Program Specialist / Instructional Coach
The fundamental aim of the introduction of 3-D science standards was to change science teaching as we knew it. Instead of focusing on rote memorization, 3-D science standards highlight important skills such as research, communication, and analytical thinking. While content knowledge is still part of the standards, the focus is on teaching students how to engage with new knowledge, answer questions and solve problems, and make connections between the different scientific disciplines—as well as relating science to the real world.
You know something, though—for a non-specialist teacher, it can be a lot to take in! Science and engineering practices (SEPs)? Crosscutting concepts (CCCs)? Disciplinary core ideas (DCIs)? What do all of these things actually mean in practice and how do you bring them together in the classroom?
There have been ongoing shifts in science teaching since the development of the Next Generation Science Standards. Rather than focusing on what students should understand, there's now an emphasis on what they should be able to do. For students to fully engage in doing science, the learning experience must be student centered. So Imagine Learning Twig Science provides opportunities for students to ask questions and use their prior knowledge and experiences in each module to ultimately make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
We’ve worked with teachers to build a program specifically for the Next Generation Science Standards, which helps them hit those standards with ease. Imagine Learning Twig Science maps out a comprehensive teaching sequence, with in-depth, responsive, and continuing professional development.
A key feature of student-centered learning is collaborative discussion, and Imagine Learning Twig Science embeds discussion routines to support students’ sharing and collaborating. We’ve had feedback from teachers using the program describing how when they're delivering science, they really find that their students have started to "talk science" in the classroom so much more, genuinely engaging with investigations and feeling a personal connection to the idea of themselves as people who do science.
Twig Science On… 3-D Science Podcast
In this episode of Twig Education On…, Dr. Kim Mueller talks to Lauren Stoll, an assessment and curriculum designer for Stanford’s SCALE (The Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity) team. Listen as they discuss the partnership between Imagine Learning Twig Science and the SCALE team, three-dimensional science standards, and what it really means to take a student-centered approach when teaching science.
3-D Learning Blog Series
Our series of blog posts takes a look at every facet of 3-D learning—breaking each dimension down and exploring how to effectively implement them in your teaching.
The Importance of 3-D Science Standards
What are the Three Dimensions of 3-D Science?
What are Crosscutting Concepts?
What are Science and Engineering Practices?
What are Disciplinary Core Ideas?
"What I love about Twig Science is hearing how excited my Imagine Learning colleagues are to support educators using it. And we hear excitement from the educators themselves—they talk about how we've incorporated creative storylines that engage students to explain phenomena and to solve problems. When everyone is excited, you know it's something special."
—Jen Driscoll Hollis, Product Management Director,
Imagine Learning Twig Science
