Learning-Centered STEM for All: Teachers learning and leading together

Title: How Learning Really Works: Designing Classrooms for Sensemaking and Discovery

Abstract: Humans are natural sensemakers. We learn by noticing patterns, asking questions, testing ideas, and building understanding together. Yet many classrooms are still designed as if learning were primarily the transfer of information, rather than a shared process of meaning-making.

Research on learning consistently shows that understanding develops through engagement with meaningful phenomena, productive struggle, and conversation. When instruction is organized around compelling questions and real-world experiences, learners have multiple ways to enter the work, contribute ideas, and refine their thinking over time. Classrooms become places where evidence matters, explanations evolve, and knowledge is built collectively.

The same principles apply beyond students. Educators deepen their practice through collaboration, shared inquiry, and reflection on evidence from classrooms. When schools are designed as communities for learning—rather than systems for delivery—understanding grows, participation widens, and discovery becomes a common pursuit.

Sue Downer Biography

Sue is a science education leader whose work focuses on supporting teachers in designing student-centered, phenomena-driven, and NGSS-aligned learning experiences. At NHLI, she designs and facilitates professional learning in science curriculum, instruction, and assessment for K–12 educators. She currently leads the Science PLACE (Performance Learning and Assessment Consortium for Educators) project, a collaborative network of teachers committed to advancing high-quality performance-based instruction and assessment.

Before joining NHLI, Sue spent 28 years teaching Chemistry and AP Chemistry at Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire. During her career, she served as science department coordinator, senior project coordinator, and a content lead for the NH-PACE initiative. Sue is a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the 2021 New Hampshire Excellence in Education Award for Science. She holds a BA in Chemistry from Saint Anselm College and an MS in Physical Chemistry from Boston College.