ASTA’s Annual Science Teacher Symposium is strategically planned, developed and delivered to deepen K-12 science teachers’ understanding of one of the crosscutting concepts indicated in the 2018 AZ Science Standards. A Framework for K-12 Science Education, published by the National Research Council, has promoted seven crosscutting concepts that are identified by current research as inherent to organizing and connecting science knowledge across and within disciplines and other content areas. These crosscutting concepts are embedded in the new AZ Science Standards.

With the shortage of K-12 teachers who lack science knowledge and science teaching experience, the goals of the Science Teacher Symposium are to provide teachers with content knowledge from experts in a variety of scientific domains that utilize structure and function in their work; and provide teachers with resources and curriculum materials around a crosscutting concept that can be used in their classroom.