Problematizing Phenomena

Science Standards (NGSS) and similar standards is a focus on sensemaking–using science ideas, concepts, and practices to make sense of a phenomenon or problem.  Positioning phenomena and problems in ways that elicit sensemaking from students requires that they are problematized—in other words, that phenomena are presented in a way that highlights a productive uncertainty for students to figure out. Assessments that do not problematize phenomena very rarely require sensemaking. Lack of authentic and compelling problematization is the root cause of why so many assessment tasks ‘match’ the language of science standards without measuring them effectively.