2023 Call to Reflection and Action.

The ASTE Equity Committee will be holding a 2-day virtual retreat, Call to Reflection and Action, where we will convene in groups to talk to authors about their DEI-related work and discuss future action to create more equitable spaces for all. The retreat will be on November 28th and 29th from 1-3 Eastern both days. Feel free to attend both or either day. We will send the articles to you ahead of time for you to read.  

Proposed Agenda for Tuesday, November 28th 

  • Welcome and introductions (30 min) 
  • Alexis Riley and Felicia Moore Mensah – My curriculum has no soul! A case study of the experiences of Black Women Science Teachers working at Charter Schools (JSTE)- discussion of article and reflection (30 min) 
  • David Kimori – A Sociotechnical Approach to Engineering Education: Engineering Social Justice for Elementary Preservice Teachers (Innovations)- discussion of article and reflection (30 min) 
  • Wrap up and JamBoard idea posting (30 min) 

Proposed Agenda for Wednesday, November 29th  

  • Welcome and goals (15 min) 
  • Catherine Quinlan – Framing and determining science content and standards for cultural representation of African American heritage in science content knowledge (Cultural Studies of Science Education)- discussion of article and reflection (30 min) 
  • JamBoard idea posting (15 min) 
  • Theme development from JamBoard and small group networking (30 min) 

Register for either or both days with the zoom link here. If you want to come to both days, please register with both links.  

Tuesday, November 28th – https://gmu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwpfuyorjgrHtyaJNuN3YdR0TvSAXVBPL6p

Wednesday November 29th –  
https://gmu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtcOyprzItE9CkNVM4S3RjrChsgi-Gj0vv

Any questions, please contact Erin Peters-Burton at epeters1@gmu.edu. Thank you! 

Mentor Madness: Mentor/Resident Relationships

Please join us for an interactive virtual presentation hosted by the ASTE Science Teacher Residencies Forum!

Mentor Madness: Mentor/Resident Relationships
When: Monday October 16, 2023; 4-5pm ET
Where: Zoom (Link will be sent to registrants)

Relationships between mentors and residents, or cooperating teachers and student teachers, have a major impact on the success of a teaching experience. Join us on Monday, October 16th from 4-5 ET, for an interactive workshop hosted by the ASTE Science Teacher Residencies Forum, where we share considerations for matching mentors and residents, how relationships can be built and nurtured using tools, and how to assess and navigate successful and challenging relationships. While we focus on residencies, this information will also be helpful to those who support student teaching placements.

Register Here

Mentor/Mentee at ASTE ’24 in New Orleans

Hello ASTE Friends!

It’s time to sign up to be a mentor or a mentee at ASTE ‘24 in New Orleans. There is a continued need for mentors and mentees as we grow our ASTE community at the conference. Last year we had a nice showing (over 60 people involved; approximately 35 pairs) and we would like to continue that trend.

If you’ve attended an ASTE conference before and are willing to share your experiences with ASTE and your expertise, sign up to mentor. If you feel you could use someone to ask questions of and get a little guidance from, please don’t hesitate to sign up as a mentee. The links to sign up are below, as are the mentor-mentee obligations. 

The deadline for signing up is Wednesday, November 29th. After the deadline, we will match up those who have signed up and send out an email, so you know who you are matched with and to give you details about mentor/mentee events at ASTE ‘24. You only have to complete the form of your choice once. So, if you see the form or the link for the form in other correspondences after you’ve already filled it out, you do not have to complete it again.

Mentor Obligations:

  • Communicate with your mentee before the ASTE conference in order to choose a time to meet during the ASTE conference in New Orleans
  • Meet with your assigned mentee (virtually or in person) at least once during the ASTE conference
  • Provide support and advice to your assigned mentee during the ASTE conference and if possible, facilitate useful connections/collaborations

Mentee Obligations:

  • Respond to your mentor before the ASTE conference in order to choose a time to meet during the ASTE conference
  • Meet with your assigned mentor (virtually or in person) at least once during the ASTE conference

Sign up to be a mentor:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6x0VjdqMMLAJc0MfF65Xyra4nWedcfB1t5098ZQ1Zbs6scg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Sign up to be a mentee:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsBUWP2UHrBVBpGLokmMPgd93Qa90ITPGBQ-FzBRZd7MUeHA/viewform?usp=sf_link 
Thank you!

If you have any questions ahead of signing up, please contact Daniel Alston at dalsto13@uncc.edu

Journal Editor(s) search for Innovations in Science Teacher Education

The publications committee of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) is seeking applications for Editor or Co-Editors of Innovations in Science Teacher Education. The total term of editorship is 3.5 years (January 2024 – June 2027). To facilitate the transition in editorship, for the first six months the outgoing editors will provide mentorship as the new editor(s) publish the first two issues of the year.  In the last six months January 2027 – June 2027), the outgoing editor(s) will support the work of the new editor(s), although the paid term is for three years, from January 2024 to December 2026.

Innovations in Science Teacher Education is a peer-reviewed, online journal published quarterly focusing on all issues related to science teacher education including pre-service, induction, and in-service. The journal publishes manuscripts discussing innovative, inspirational, and concrete ideas for enhancing teaching for all those associated with preparing and supporting the professional development of K-12 science teachers. Articles are written by science teacher educators for science teacher educators, in the broadest sense of the word. The journal audience includes those with responsibilities for teaching science content to in/preservice teachers, teaching science methods and related courses to in/preservice teachers, coordinating and supervising science field practica for in/preservice teachers, professional development and instructing in/preservice teachers in all issues connected with science teaching more broadly.

The Editor(s) must be a member in good standing of ASTE. They should have expertise in science teacher education, as well as experience reviewing manuscripts for professional refereed educational journals. In addition, the editor(s) is expected to attend annual meetings of ASTE and serve as an ex-officio member on the ASTE Publications Committee. Annual compensation for the editor(s) is $5,000 for each of three years. 

Responsibilities of Editor(s):

  • Maintain high academic standards for published manuscripts
  • Publish four issues of the journal each year on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.
  • Originate the call for and the selection of the Editorial Review Board [ERB] for manuscript reviews
  • Prepare and monitor reviewers for high quality 
  • Solicit manuscripts for the journal
  • Screen submissions for relevance to journal and then assign manuscripts fitting the journal mission to three members of the ERB
  • Consider reviews, decide disposition of manuscripts, and communicate decisions with authors
  • Maintain communication between the journal and ASTE
  • Maintain correspondence with ERB and ensure all are ASTE members
  • Compile statistics and maintain files as appropriate for the journal
  • Ensure that reviewers are thanked publicly on an annual basis
  • Coordinate, conduct and/or participate in a “Publishing in Science Education” session at the annual ASTE meeting.

Full applications for the position are due by August 31, 2023 and must include: 

  • a cover letter of application that describes the applicant(s)’ commitment with a specific focus on ASTE (and non-ASTE) experiences as an author, reviewer and editor (conference proposals, journals, ASTE newsletter, etc.). The cover letter should also include a description of the applicant(s)’ vision for the journal and operating procedures such as securing and preparing reviewers, and potential strategies for increasing visibility and possible revenue. 
  • full vita/vitae 
  • a statement detailing institutional support, if applicable.

Send application materials and questions to the Co-Chairs of the ASTE Publications Committee: 

Vanashri Nargund-Joshi (vnargund@njcu.edu) and Mark Bloom (markb@dbu.edu

Call for ASTE Newsletter pieces

We are soliciting contributions for the ASTE Newsletter. If you have a short piece/announcement that would be beneficial to ASTE members you would like included in the newsletter, please submit it via this Google form.

Deadlines are as follows:

Autumn Issue            October 10th

Winter Issue              February 10th

Spring Issue              May 10th

Summer Issue          August 10th

If you have any questions about submissions or guidelines, please email newsletter@theaste.org 

Regional Directors! Don’t forget to share with me what’s going in your region!

Committee and Forum Chairs! Let us know of the important work you are doing for ASTE!

We are also looking for some ideas for the Op Ed pieces for future issues. If you have something interesting, thought-provoking, or related to any current events, please submit with a short description of your idea on the Google Form. 

Also, if you have any new resources or publications, let us know about those too! Send us a short blurb with the appropriate information about how to access it and we will share with our readers. 

Please include a head shot so we can include it with your submission.  We want to connect ASTE members with each other, so we value these photos. Be warned, if you do not share a photo, we will pull images from the Web (e.g., Linkedin, university faculty pages, past newsletters…😊). 

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Call for Elections Nominations

Dear ASTE members,

The ASTE Elections Committee would like to announce the call for nominations for the following elected positions that will be on the 2023 ballot (number of positions in parentheses):

  • President-Elect (1)
  • At-Large Board Members (2)
    • NOTE: All At-Large Board Members are appointed to serve as chair/co-chair of an ASTE Committee. Upcoming vacancies include: Membership and Participation Co-Chair, Publications Co-Chair, and Professional Development Chair.
  • Elections Committee Members (3)

The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2023.

The following information should be submitted for the nominee:

  • Name of nominee
  • Position for which the person is being nominated
  • Nominee email address

Nominations should be submitted electronically on the website http://theaste.org/resources/submit-an-elections-nomination/. You will need to log in as an ASTE member to submit your nomination. You may submit multiple nominations and self-nominate. Receipt of the nomination will be acknowledged via a reply message.

Nominees will be notified via email. If they accept the nomination, they will be asked to complete an application form highlighting the nominees experience and qualifications and a brief position statement. These materials will be evaluated using the Elections Committee Rubric.

For more information about the elected positions and their associated responsibilities, see this overview document and the ASTE Standard Operating Procedures. Please also contact the Elections Committee chair if you have any questions or would like additional information.

We look forward to receiving your nominations!

Ron Hermann, Elections Committee Chair
Emily Dare, Elections Committee Co-Chair
Natasha Cooke-Nieves, Elections Committee Member
Preethi Titu, Elections Committee Member
Rebecca Hite, Elections Committee Member

Learn from ASTE Award Winners

The ASTE Awards Committee has asked our prestigious award winners from the past five years to share their knowledge, experience, and research via a roundtable or a session. Please join us online in October to learn about their accomplishments as well as learn more about the criteria for the various ASTE Awards. Details are below:

Science Education Career Award Winners

When: Thursday, October 13th, 5-6 pm (EST)
Who: Awards I, II, and III winners 
Format: Roundtable

Manuscript Award Winners

When: Thursday, October 27th, 5-6 pm (EST)
Who: Awards IV and V winners
Format: Concurrent sessions

Please RSVP using this Google Form: https://forms.gle/JrosYWvCEVk3ZCc56

ASTE: Writing for Journals Webinar

In the recording below, join the ASTE Professional Development Committee and the Editors of the Journal of Science Teacher EducationInnovations in Science Teacher Education, and the CITE Science Section for a conversation on publishing in these journals. Sample exemplary articles and the review process are shared. And of course, time was provided for questions and brainstorming areas of research that the journals would like to see.