Marta R. Stoeckel, PhD, NBCT
@martastoeckel.bsky.social
she/her
Getting students doing science as a 9-12 science specialist and studying gender equity in physics classrooms
Getting students doing science as a 9-12 science specialist and studying gender equity in physics classrooms
Day 64 spent a few hours visiting middle school classes. I helped an 8th grader with some FBDs and mentioned I have an FBD tattoo. The teacher told me later the kid was still talking about it after I left and I can brag an 8th grader thinks I'm cool. #Teach180
November 21, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Day 64 spent a few hours visiting middle school classes. I helped an 8th grader with some FBDs and mentioned I have an FBD tattoo. The teacher told me later the kid was still talking about it after I left and I can brag an 8th grader thinks I'm cool. #Teach180
Day 63 had a half day for an appt. Joined a PLC, then worked on some student self-assessments for each science practice since that has come up in a few PLCs as a need. Next step is to think about how to get people sharing how they're using them and how they can inform teaching! #Teach180
November 20, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Day 63 had a half day for an appt. Joined a PLC, then worked on some student self-assessments for each science practice since that has come up in a few PLCs as a need. Next step is to think about how to get people sharing how they're using them and how they can inform teaching! #Teach180
Day 62 had some good conversations about the challenges of change in schools. Also met with some HS bio teachers to talk state science test and appreciated not just their reflections, but their focus on how to keep improving instruction. #Teach180
November 19, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Day 62 had some good conversations about the challenges of change in schools. Also met with some HS bio teachers to talk state science test and appreciated not just their reflections, but their focus on how to keep improving instruction. #Teach180
Day 61 worked on pulling some info from the teacher guides for upcoming units into a spot that's easier for teachers to access. Also started reading The New Meaning of Educational Change, which I picked up after hearing about it several times at NSTA. #Teach180
November 18, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Day 61 worked on pulling some info from the teacher guides for upcoming units into a spot that's easier for teachers to access. Also started reading The New Meaning of Educational Change, which I picked up after hearing about it several times at NSTA. #Teach180
Day 60 sent some emails following up on conversations I had at NSTA. It feels weird to be in rooms where people exchange business cards, but they are definetly, especially when I added notes on what I wanted to email about. Maybe I need some before spring NSTA... #Teach180
November 17, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Day 60 sent some emails following up on conversations I had at NSTA. It feels weird to be in rooms where people exchange business cards, but they are definetly, especially when I added notes on what I wanted to email about. Maybe I need some before spring NSTA... #Teach180
Day 59 finished up NSTA with some good conversations with local science coordinators using similar curricula. Also gave a session on group roles with good turnout even though it was at the very bitter end of the conference! #Teach180
November 15, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Day 59 finished up NSTA with some good conversations with local science coordinators using similar curricula. Also gave a session on group roles with good turnout even though it was at the very bitter end of the conference! #Teach180
Day 58 spent another day at NSTA. Continued in lots of sessions on leadership. A big thing I'm thinking about is how to help teachers celebrate successes and be recognized for what they are doing well, especially during challenging change. #Teach180
November 15, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Day 58 spent another day at NSTA. Continued in lots of sessions on leadership. A big thing I'm thinking about is how to help teachers celebrate successes and be recognized for what they are doing well, especially during challenging change. #Teach180
I also visited the puppy park in the exhibit hall and made a very sleepy friend
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 AM
I also visited the puppy park in the exhibit hall and made a very sleepy friend
Day 57 was the start of NSTA proper. I spent lots of time in leadership pathway sessions which were really valuable, plus lots of catching up with old friends and making new ones. #Teach180
November 14, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Day 57 was the start of NSTA proper. I spent lots of time in leadership pathway sessions which were really valuable, plus lots of catching up with old friends and making new ones. #Teach180
Day 56 I'm lucky to attend NSTA this week since it's right nearby! Spent the day in a workshop on leadership for implementing high-quality instructional materials. Lots of great learning and conversation! #Teach180
November 12, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Day 56 I'm lucky to attend NSTA this week since it's right nearby! Spent the day in a workshop on leadership for implementing high-quality instructional materials. Lots of great learning and conversation! #Teach180
And things just kept getting better tonight with colors visible to the naked eye even with suburban light pollution! The wildest was looking south toward my house and still seeing the northern lights.
November 12, 2025 at 3:37 AM
And things just kept getting better tonight with colors visible to the naked eye even with suburban light pollution! The wildest was looking south toward my house and still seeing the northern lights.
Day 55 did some digging into grading scales and rubrics in Schoology to support some grading conversations we're having. Then I started reading through the first unit in each grade of MS OpenSciEd to make sense of how they scaffold science practices at the start of the year. #Teach180
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Day 55 did some digging into grading scales and rubrics in Schoology to support some grading conversations we're having. Then I started reading through the first unit in each grade of MS OpenSciEd to make sense of how they scaffold science practices at the start of the year. #Teach180
A definite downside is bio teachers get pressure and disruption no other science teachers have to deal with. And it definetly adds a wrinkle to my work that conversations or PD related to the state test are mostly relevant to bio.
November 11, 2025 at 9:18 PM
A definite downside is bio teachers get pressure and disruption no other science teachers have to deal with. And it definetly adds a wrinkle to my work that conversations or PD related to the state test are mostly relevant to bio.
Yup, if a 9th grader takes bio, they take the test! Some districts put bio in 11th partly because older kids tend to score higher. The test is not a grad requirement and not intended to give meaningful data on individual kids, so is only for district accountability.
November 11, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Yup, if a 9th grader takes bio, they take the test! Some districts put bio in 11th partly because older kids tend to score higher. The test is not a grad requirement and not intended to give meaningful data on individual kids, so is only for district accountability.
Our test emphasizes the NGSS science practices, which show up in all courses, but puts them all in a bio context.
November 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Our test emphasizes the NGSS science practices, which show up in all courses, but puts them all in a bio context.
Nope. MN requires earth sci, bio, and chem or phys in any order. Kids take the state test whenever they take bio.
November 10, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Nope. MN requires earth sci, bio, and chem or phys in any order. Kids take the state test whenever they take bio.
Day 54 had a great conversation with some high school science teachers about the state science test and how what it's assessing fits with our curriculum and their PLC goals as well as how scores should come from good, standards-aligned teaching, not test prep #Teach180
November 10, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Day 54 had a great conversation with some high school science teachers about the state science test and how what it's assessing fits with our curriculum and their PLC goals as well as how scores should come from good, standards-aligned teaching, not test prep #Teach180
When I was in elementary, we debated if 0 is pos or neg since that decided if recess was outside in pos temps and inside in neg. I don't think we did much math sensemaking, though!
November 9, 2025 at 11:29 PM
When I was in elementary, we debated if 0 is pos or neg since that decided if recess was outside in pos temps and inside in neg. I don't think we did much math sensemaking, though!
There are places that get to negative Fahrenheit at least a few days per year! Lots of elementary schools around here have a rule in place that if temps are negative in Fahrenheit, recess is inside.
November 9, 2025 at 11:27 PM
There are places that get to negative Fahrenheit at least a few days per year! Lots of elementary schools around here have a rule in place that if temps are negative in Fahrenheit, recess is inside.
I've heard anecdotally from a math teacher who lived in MN then CA that kids in MN were more familiar with negative numbers. How much understanding that translated to is hard to say.
November 9, 2025 at 11:25 PM
I've heard anecdotally from a math teacher who lived in MN then CA that kids in MN were more familiar with negative numbers. How much understanding that translated to is hard to say.
Day 53 prepped to go through state science test data with some high school teachers Monday. Scores were low across the state, so really thinking about how to keep this from being demoralizing and focused on high quality science learning, not test prep. #Teach180
November 7, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Day 53 prepped to go through state science test data with some high school teachers Monday. Scores were low across the state, so really thinking about how to keep this from being demoralizing and focused on high quality science learning, not test prep. #Teach180