Workshops for Texas
Do you want your lessons to use real-world scenarios?
Do you want students to make sense of those scenarios using real science practices and ways of thinking?
Our Texas-focused professional learning is for you!
The 2021 TEKS reflect a nationwide shift in K-12 science education that our facilitators have spent years helping to implement in states across the country. We will help you make this change in your district or classroom.
We support all grades and content areas.
Browse workshop offerings below.
Introduction to Phenomena for TEKS
In this Texas-focused version of our Introduction to Phenomena workshop, we explore using phenomena in activities aligned to the 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (TEKS) and discuss challenges that Texas teachers face in implementing these new standards.
- We place you in a student role to review the structure and intent of the new TEKS.
- We dig into phenomena, discussing criteria, characteristics, and pitfalls.
- You evaluate stand-alone phenomena and phenomena associated with published lessons, considering the merits and alignments of each.
- You evaluate activities in published lessons, focusing on the phenomenon, student use of TEKS dimensions, and student-centered learning.
- In the end, you can determine if a lesson aligns to the new TEKS or can be easily modified for them. And you know if that lesson includes a phenomenon that will work for you.
Introduction to Phenomena for TEKS involves eight contact hours, plus time spent on assignments.
- For individuals, we regularly schedule online sessions.
- For groups, we offer it online in blocks of time that you can schedule (pricing).
- For groups, we also offer it in-person over two days, allowing for coaching during assignments (pricing). We can also discuss hybrid sessions.
Contact us to plan a session. We welcome participants from multiple schools/districts.
TEKS and Phenomena I: Evaluating Activities
In this workshop, you evaluate and adjust lessons to ensure that they are phenomenon-based and aligned to the 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (TEKS).
- We discuss how the new TEKS change the concept of student proficiency and explore proficiency in terms of the Nature of Science, Scientific and Engineering Practices, Recurring Themes and Concepts, and Science Content Strands.
- We review the progressions and student-centered intent of the new TEKS.
- We introduce proficiency goals as tools for understanding connections among Scientific and Engineering Practices, Recurring Themes and Concepts, and Content Strands and for showing how students achieve proficiency for specific TEKS groupings.
- We review phenomenon characteristics and criteria.
- You map phenomena to the TEKS and then use the skill to select workable phenomena for your lessons.
- You evaluate published lessons, looking for phenomenon-based, student-centered activities.
- You explore modifying lessons to ensure alignment to the new TEKS and agreement among the TEKS elements, the phenomenon, and the student tasks.
- You select, evaluate, and adjust a lesson and then map it to a common learning model (e.g., 5E).
- In the end, you have a process to evaluate and adjust lessons so that they work better for you. And you will take home an adjusted lesson that lets your students address a real-world example using actual science practices and ways of thinking.
TEKS and Phenomena I involves sixteen contact hours, plus time spent on assignments.
- For individuals, we schedule online sessions on request.
- For groups, we offer it online in blocks of time that you can schedule (pricing).
- For groups, we also offer it in-person over two or three days, which allows for more personalized interaction and coaching during assignments (pricing).
TEKS and Phenomena I is most effective when it follows Introduction to Phenomena for TEKS or when participants are well versed in the new TEKS and the use of phenomena in student-centered classrooms.
Contact us to plan your session. We often have participants from multiple schools/districts.
Download a flyer with objectives and goals.
Download a handy list of all our Texas-focused workshops with pricing.
TEKS and Phenomena II: Classroom Assessments
In this advanced workshop, you will study phenomenon-based questions and prompts that assess components of the 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (TEKS).
- We will review phenomenon criteria and characteristics as well as the structure and student-centered intent of the new TEKS.
- We will review how student proficiency for the new TEKS differs from previous concepts.
- We will discuss best practices in measuring student progress in the classroom.
- You will evaluate phenomena and review classroom assessments where students use combinations of TEKS elements to address those phenomena.
- You will examine phenomenon-based classroom activities and consider logical assessment points within them; you will study the associated rubrics.
- You will draft assessment questions and prompts for phenomenon-based activities.
- In the end, you will have experience drafting questions and prompts for various phenomena that are aligned to the new TEKS.
TEKS and Phenomena II involves sixteen contact hours, plus time spent on assignments.
- For individuals, we schedule online sessions on request.
- For groups, we offer it online in blocks of time that you can schedule (pricing).
- For groups, we offer it in-person over two or three days, which allows for more personalized interaction and coaching during assignments (pricing).
TEKS and Phenomena II should follow TEKS and Phenomena I.
Contact us to set up a custom session. We often have groups assembled from multiple schools/districts
Download a flyer with objectives and goals.
Download a handy list of all our Texas-focused workshops with pricing.
Workshop Bundle
We can bundle Introduction to Phenomena for TEKS with TEKS and Phenomena I into a three-day in-person session. Doing so eliminates the need to review Intro material in TEKS and Phenomena I and allows us to cover some additional topics.
We offer this bundle for groups of up to 25 participants for $17500, which includes PSE facilitator travel.
Contact us to plan. We welcome participants from multiple schools/districts.
Digging into TEKS Content
For alumni of Introduction to Phenomena for TEKS, we offer discussions of a TEKS-relevant science topic of your choice.
You decide how much discussion time you want ($25/hour for online groups of 1-5).
Contact us to schedule.
Digging into the new TEKS
For alumni of TEKS and Phenomena I, we offer discussions of student proficiency and possible phenomena for TEKS groupings of your choice.
You decide how much discussion time you want ($25/hour for online groups of 1-5).
Contact us to schedule.
Writing TEKS Activities
This workshop provides instruction and practice in crafting phenomenon-based classroom activities aligned to the 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (TEKS).
- The first part consists of Introduction to Phenomena for TEKS, TEKS and Phenomena I, and some aspects of TEKS and Phenomena II (including deeper explorations of what student proficiency means in terms of the new TEKS and the concept of linking related phenomena together under coherent anchors).
- Then we brainstorm phenomena and draft activities where students use logical TEKS groupings to address those phenomena.
Writing TEKS Activities involves 40 in-person contact hours. This is an intensive five-day experience. We will work with you to schedule sessions.
Contact us to plan. We welcome participants from multiple schools/districts.
Writing TEKS Assessments
This advanced workshop provides instruction and practice in the crafting of phenomenon-based performance task assessments aligned to the 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (TEKS), at the classroom formative and summative levels.
- The first part consists of TEKS and Phenomena II, with the addition of deeper training on best practices in evaluating student performance and discussions of bias and sensitivity in assessment writing.
- Next we examine classroom activity sets for possible assessment points and begin writing and peer-reviewing questions and prompts for selected TEKS (these are focused on phenomena that are presented to participants and on phenomena that they brainstorm themselves).
This workshop should follow TEKS and Phenomena I.
Writing TEKS Assessments involves 40 in-person contact hours. This is an intensive five-day experience. We will work with you to schedule sessions.
Contact us to plan. We welcome participants from multiple schools/districts.