The threat of climate change is exposing more homes to floods and wildfires, intensifying heat waves, and leaving farmers with lost crop yields and the means to sustain their livelihoods. Barbara Schneider worries about climate change, among many other issues, and wonders whether younger generations are ready to face the scientific challenges that will change the world.
“I think there is a lack of engagement of young people in science, especially with issues of climate change, issues of scientific literacy, the ability to understand misinformation, and how young people function. “I’m very concerned about that,” he says. Schneider is a professor at Michigan State University who studies how social context influences adolescent development.
In contrast, Schneider and researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Helsinki, Finland. We developed a curriculum called “Crafting Engagement” for the scientific environment and published related books. The goal is to improve high school students’ scientific literacy by making lessons meaningful and relevant to life through a teaching method called project-based learning. This curriculum also prepares students for university admission and potential careers in science.
Now, a STEM curriculum is poised to be introduced into rural high school classrooms across the South. Michigan State University has partnered with two of her universities, historically black Alabama A&M University and Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, to adapt their curriculum for Southern students. The project is funded by an approximately $8 million innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Education and will last for five years.
Researchers from Michigan State University and Alabama A&M say the collaboration is rooted in the equitable sharing of knowledge and best practices between the two institutions. HBCU participation is noteworthy because HBCUs play an important role. training Future K-12 science teachers.
“Historically Black colleges and universities have an excellent reputation for building science courses in their undergraduate and graduate programs,” Schneider says.
He points out that the partnership is aimed at avoiding the “parachute” phenomenon. This is a phenomenon in which large research institutions are unable to extract information from communities with fewer resources or tap into local expertise.
Partnering with HBCUs is expected to make the curriculum more culturally responsive to the needs of students in the rural South.
think like a scientist
Schneider said the lessons focus on chemistry and physics, two “gatekeeper” subjects that are generally considered more difficult.
Students learn to think like scientists. How does electricity get to your home? And what are the components of a utility cable? With so many teens driving, how can we make cars safer?
Schneider said the curriculum has been taught to more than 6,000 students in California and Michigan with close monitoring by researchers. They observed the classroom. They surveyed teachers and students and created evaluations that were given at the beginning and end of the program. They also set up a randomized controlled trial designed to measure whether the intervention was effective and produced changes in science learning and achievement, Schneider said.
Early results from previous studies show that some students were able to improve their science test scores, Schneider said. The curriculum aligns with the principles of the Next Generation Science Standards.of standardwas released in 2013, is based on the latest scientific research, and aims to give teachers more flexibility when creating learning experiences. Some schools are slow to implement standards This is due to a lack of funding for teacher training and textbooks.
Other challenges also appear to be holding STEM education back. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted hands-on learning experiences across the country; in californiaFor example, many school districts did not prioritize science education in their academic recovery plans.
Many rural students also struggle to access quality STEM education due to a lack of resources. For Schneider, this barrier is a top priority. Universities participating in the new curriculum are “making sure students have access to resources,” she said, and are actively working to get reliable Wi-Fi in participating schools, colleges and homes. He pointed out that he is working on it.
As the demand for highly skilled talent in STEM continues to grow, the new curriculum focuses on supporting students’ ‘useful knowledge’. This means students can tackle new and complex situations rather than simply memorizing facts.
“We want to help students engage in science practices and build on cross-cutting concepts and ideas that are included in basically all sciences to help them understand what happened,” Schneider says Mr. “This gives you the tools you need to solve problems that you don’t know how to do, but it allows you to try and find solutions.”
Building a diverse talent pipeline
A pilot program in the rural South is expected to begin sometime next year. Researchers focused on public high schools with higher-than-average proportions of students from low-income families and students of color. Chemistry and physics teachers at these schools deliver the curriculum.
After implementation, researchers will collect data and study the impact of the curriculum using the same methods as previous studies.
“The most important thing for me is to do social science that others can replicate,” Schneider said, adding that he hopes more HBCUs will join the project.
When Michigan State University approached Alabama A&M University, Samantha Strachan thought the partnership was a good fit and a way to improve the way Alabama students learn science.
“It’s an opportunity for us. It’s a two-way street when it comes to exchanging information, right? They’re learning from us, and we’re learning from them,” said the assistant professor of secondary education at Alabama A&M. said Strachan, who is also program coordinator and oversees the recruitment, training and retention of math and science teachers.
“We want to make sure that kids in the rural South have access to high-quality science education, including giving teachers access to the latest curriculum and working on new approaches to curriculum. “I want it to be that way,” she added.
Alabama A&M is the state’s largest HBCU, enrolling 6,100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. The campus is near his two employers of STEM professionals: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and the U.S. Army base Redstone Arsenal.
Currently, HBCU faculty are evaluating their current curriculum and considering how they can modify their lessons for students in Alabama and North Carolina. Teachers serve as a “bridge” between the scientific discipline and students.
“We all have a lot of team meetings,” Strachan says. “We participate in professional development to ensure that everyone uses the same language as they would in different regions of the United States and different institutions.”
Another expertise that HBCUs contribute to the project is their extensive background in culturally responsive instruction.
In this context, culturally responsive instruction means examining the various aspects of culture that unite a community, such as how students get to school, what they eat, and the types of buildings in their neighborhoods, and using that information to inform lessons. It means to form. That it resonates with the students. Additional possible examples of related learning experiences could include units on how Wi-Fi uses electromagnetic waves to transmit information and how energy efficiency impacts the home. there is.
This approach also encourages students to make positive changes in their communities.
“We’re taking cultural resources and using them to help students learn,” says Clausel Mathis, an assistant professor at Michigan State University whose research focuses on physics education. He is also a member of a research team tasked with supporting the development of project-based and culturally responsive lessons.
This approach is also important in building a pipeline of students interested in STEM careers, allowing them to decide on their choices early in their education, Strachan said.
This curriculum could help make STEM professions more reflective of the country. Despite the growing demand for STEM education, the lack of racial diversity in the field persists.
“It’s not just about meeting you where you are, it’s about understanding. who You are,” Strachan says of culturally responsive teaching strategies. “What are you experiencing in the world? How do you use that as a basis for teaching content, whether it’s physics or chemistry, so that teachers can understand their students? ”