Science Educator Position Paper

Think of position papers as an opportunity for the following:

  • describe your philosophy for professional science educators,
  • describe an action plan for professional science educators,
  • describe your position on what professional science educators should know and do, or
  • describe how your ideas are supported with research or wisdom of practice.

Position papers in science could include the following areas. A comprehensive position paper would include all five.

  • What is science, what is science literacy - it is always important to define a basis of your ideas.
  • How do people become science literate - learning theory and child development related to your ideas.
  • How to facilitate science literacy - instructional models, strategies and how they can accomplish your ideas.
  • How to assess science literacy - when, what, and how is it used to faciliate science literacy; and
  • How to develop professionally - how do educators continue to get better.

See professional development of outstanding science educators for ideas.

  • Be Concise - For a position paper each of the topics above could be described well in about a page. A paper that would include all five would certainly be less than five as combining them allows for economy of words.
  • While this is not a research paper, it should include references to sources of information that are critical to the stand the author takes.
  • Describe science literacy as multiple dimensional and use a comprehensive number of categorizations for the dimensions that include inquiry/processes, content knowledge, attitude, and perspective and incorporate them in more than the literacy definition.
  • Be consistent with ideas expressed by NSTA Standards; Project 2061's; or other recognized experts.
  • Should be a logical development of ideas and connect between and among ideas.
  • Did I mention concise explanation of ideas.

Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes ©