It can be challenging to find effective ways to bring authentic learning experiences into the classroom, especially at scale across an entire district. Leaders like Matthew Sisk, Curriculum Supervisor of Science and Applied Technology (Grades 6-12) for a public school district in New Jersey, play a critical role in evaluating, finding, and implementing new classroom tools.
Creating a culture of doing science across a district
With a nationwide shift in science standards, it’s more important than ever that technology and curriculum not only align with standards but also allow students to engage directly with the science and engineering practices.
“If students are not engaging with the science and engineering practices in some meaningful way that is on their or near their grade level…then they shouldn't be doing it,” said Sisk. “If they're not doing that, then they're not doing science. They might be hearing about science. They might have some ancillary connection to something that might be science, but they're not doing science, right? They're not doing the things that a scientist would do.”
Middle school science teachers in Sisk’s district recently participated in classroom beta testing for Gizmos Investigations, new scaffolded simulations that allow students to practice the doing of science.
Meet Matthew Sisk: Championing innovation in science instruction
For Matthew Sisk, education was never on his radar until he witnessed his son’s educational experiences firsthand. “This is my second career. I never intended to be in education,” said Sisk.
An unexpected path to education
“My oldest son entered special education in first grade, and I started to be very engaged in his education and how he could be better supported with me as a parent, the kind of expectations I should have for him as a student, and how the school district that he goes to would be supporting him in school. It was wonderful. I learned so much. Around 2012, I decided that I was going to leave my job in hospitality restaurants and go into teaching. The following year, I was hired as a teacher in a science classroom. I did that for almost 10 years, and then I got hired in my current role as a Curriculum Supervisor in 2022.”
Looking back, Sisk can see his education skills at work all along. “I love the whole concept of teaching people things. I came from the restaurant business, and my favorite part of it was educating people on the different wines, food, and service. So it made complete sense, and I already had a graduate degree in geological sciences.”
Now, as the Curriculum Supervisor of Science and Applied Technology, Sisk supports over 60 teachers in grades 6-12 across three middle schools and three high schools in his district. His responsibilities range from evaluating and purchasing curriculum and equipment to organizing professional development, conducting teacher observations, and visiting classrooms throughout the school year.
Discovering and evaluating new classroom tools
When considering new edtech, Sisk focuses first and foremost on the user experience. “I get as much feedback from teachers and students as possible. If you have to peel away many layers of something before you can actually engage with the thing students are going to be using in the classroom, it immediately becomes a tool that, no matter how cool it is, isn't usable for teachers. I've learned that is what causes teachers, for the most part, to disengage with something.”
In addition to the user experience, Sisk ensures that new tools are engaging and aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards to support meaningful and interactive science lessons.
Sisk first discovered Gizmos virtual science labs and STEM simulations right before COVID, when it became obvious that teachers and students needed a resource that could bridge the gap between hands-on labs and digital learning from home. “Lots of teachers use Gizmos to varying degrees. It really helps students grasp something right away. I’ve seen them engage with it. I've seen it many times in observations.”
Gizmos Investigations in action in classrooms
Teacher and student experiences during beta testing
Familiar with Gizmos and STEM Cases, Sisk was on board for a unique beta testing experience in his district. Middle school teachers and students tried new Gizmos Investigations, scaffolded and turnkey experiences that infuse existing Gizmos simulations with just-in-time feedback to engage students with sensemaking practices at their individual levels of understanding.
Teachers shared practical feedback about what they liked, where their students got stuck, and other classroom anecdotes that brought the user experience to life. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with teachers appreciating the ready-to-use design, built-in student feedback, and story-based learning connected to real-world phenomena.
“Gizmos Investigations are really like that bridge between Gizmos and STEM Cases. It’s like right in the middle. There’s a story there. They’re pursuing a specific storyline to get to an end result or as close as possible. I think that’s meaningful interaction for students,” said Sisk.
Listen to Matthew Sisk’s Full Interview!
Feedback that makes an impact
The Gizmos team designed Gizmos Investigations to support teachers at all levels, whether they’re in their first or 30th year in the classroom. One unique feature of Investigations is the targeted and specific student feedback to help guide understanding. Teachers can also use real-time assessments and heatmaps to track students’ growth in concepts and science sensemaking practices.
“Some of these prompts are really like guiding kids in a specific way as they’re recognizing where the kid is on the spectrum of what they should know, or what they should be able to communicate. I think that’s fantastic,” said Sisk. “That is very helpful, because otherwise the teacher has to do it for 25 or 27 kids in the middle of their work on this and that’s not always going to happen, and students are going to get bored or they’re going to click and go past it. Any prompt that is going to be obvious to the student and be meaningful guidance.”
Why interactive STEM tools matter in today’s classrooms
Building student engagement through science practices
What science skills do students need the most support with across Sisk’s middle school science curriculum? “All science and engineering practices,” said Sisk. “The adoption of these science standards—it’s such a big shift away from what has been happening for all of the history of education,” said Sisk. “Most teachers, at least in New Jersey, need to adopt and rethink the way that they approach their classroom every day.”
When it comes to classroom tools, it’s even more important that students can directly engage with science and engineering practices (SEPs) to get real-world experience developing models, analyzing data, constructing explanations, and evaluating evidence. Sisk emphasized the importance of giving students targeted instructional materials that not only connect to the SEPs but the larger progression of SEPs as students advance in grade levels.
“There are meaningful things that students can do and connect with. It is going to better their approach to life, education, and other classes they have in high school. All of those things are going to be deeply embedded in those SEPs. And it’s not just going to benefit them in science. It’s going to benefit their critical thinking skills in life.”
The evolving role of simulations in science education
As schools adapt and classrooms continue to balance hands-on labs with digital resources, simulations are becoming a cornerstone of science instruction. And Sisk predicts that virtual simulations like Gizmos will only become more prevalent in the future.
“There will definitely be hands-on things. There will definitely be stuff that students are going to do that is going to have them interacting in person with something. But there is also definitely going to be an increasing amount of interaction with simulations. 100%. Every version of home education or remote education that’s going to be happening as we move forward is going to be simulations that students are doing. With the declining number of teachers, or at least a lot fewer teachers than there were, it becomes even more relevant in those instances.”
See the results of interactive STEM learning firsthand with Gizmos
Gizmos have helped boost student engagement, support inquiry-based learning, and build confidence in Sisk’s district. From Investigations to STEM Cases, these tools are transforming the way students experience science.
For Sisk, the greatest reward is seeing how his work translates into richer learning experiences for teachers and students. “The thing I love about my job is that I get to buy all the things for teachers. I get to help these teachers get their hands on this really, really cool stuff.” Whether it’s electrophoresis machines in a biology lab, water filter kits for chemistry, or a radial arm saw for woodshop, these resources give students the chance to explore science in authentic, hands-on ways.
“I have the coolest job. Then I get to go see them implemented, and then that gets my brain going for the things I would have done if I were a teacher,” said Sisk. By helping classrooms access cutting-edge tools, Sisk ensures teachers and students don’t just hear about science, but actually do science.
Are you looking to help your students engage with the doing of science? Do you want to bring hands-on science for middle school or high school to life? Start your free trial of Gizmos today and see how interactive science can transform your classroom.
About Matthew Sisk
Matthew Sisk is the Curriculum Supervisor of Science and Applied Technology (Grades 6-12) for a public school district in New Jersey. After a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Sisk found his calling in education, inspired by his son’s learning experiences in the classroom.