Profile | NSTA Learning Center

Donald Boonstra

I have forty-five years of experience as an educator. I have been a teacher, Math and Science Department Chair, Curriculum Coordinator, Principal, NASA Education Specialist, Coordinator of the NASA Student Observation Network, and Lead for Professional Development and Thematic approaches for NASA Planetary Science Education Forum. My emphasis has been on development of innovative programs and curriculum. In the process I have kept current with education research, curriculum innovation and management techniques. I have designed innumerable courses to include more innovative methodology, especially the use of computers for data acquisition and manipulation and communication. I currently have my own consulting business, sySTEMec LLC - systemic STEM education consulting.

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Affiliation

sySTEMec LLC, Systemic STEM Education Consulting

Social Media

Skype Name: dwboonstra

Recent Reviews by Donald

The Second Dimension—Crosscutting Concepts

Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:26 PM

Valuable for understanding Framework

This article unpacks the Second Dimension, Crosscutting Concepts, of the Framework. The author does a great job of showing that, while the crosscutting concepts are similar to efforts in NSES and Benchmarks, the new configuration is more robust and better organized than past efforts. A must-read.

Engaging Students in Scientific Practices: What Does Constructing and Revising Models Look Like in the Science Classroom?

Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:21 PM

Another essential guide for the Framework

This article is the fourth in the series of articles written for all NSTA journals that help us understand the new Framework better. As were the other articles this is another must-read for anyone trying to get a step ahead of the Next Gen Science Standards.

Core Ideas of Engineering and Technology

Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:18 PM

Valuable Resources for Framework

The author, Cary Sneider, was Design Team Lead for the engineering part of the Framework and has valuable insights to help teachers understand how to implement this more robust requirement for the inclusion of engineering. Sneider explains the 'why', but more importantly the 'how' for incorporating more engineering practices without having to completely re-write our curriculum.

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Recent Public Collections by Donald

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NGSS Resources for SMD PD

5 Resources

This collection of NSTA Learning Center resources has been create to provide background reading for our professional learning for using NGSS.

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Scientific and Engineering Practices in K–12 Classrooms
Type: Journal Article
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Earth, Sun, Moon Short Course 2011

21 Resources

These resources have been used in conjunction with the Earth, Sun, and Moon Short Course for the summer of 2011. These resources are designed to help teachers deepen their knowledge and have resources to aid in teaching these concepts.