Improving Science Education for Native Students
Making Room for Place-Based Knowledge in Rural Classrooms
NGSS for English Language Learners
Rural Science Education: Valuing Local Knowledge
Survey #1: Why Teach Science ?
Teaching STEM In Ways that Respect and Build Upon Indigenous Peoples' Rights
NGSS Module #1 - Topics 1&2: Why Teach Science & Science in Our Community
Overview
The Oregon Science Project Module #1 is designed for K-12 and nonformal educators who want to learn more about NGSS, with an emphasis on how the shift to sense-making around phenomena is at the heart of the NGSS. It is designed to provide 3-4 hours of work and asks learners to create something new to contribute to the work.
Why Teach Science?
Why Teach Science?
Using 3-D learning ideas. Content, Practice, Cross Cutting Concept
Personalize Screen cast for introduction.
As educators we have struggled with how to integrate science into the school day when there are so many constrictions on our time. Our involvement in this project as a facilitators has given us resources, collaborative opportunities, and time to work with other educators around the state in the pursuit finding ways to provide authentic, equitable experiences to K-12 students.Tips for Success:
Print Survey #1
Individual Team Member Instructions:
- Read and rank the statements on Survey #1 as a way to open discussion and organize your thoughts.
This first task will help you to reflect on why teaching science is important.
"A Framework for K-12 Science Education (hereafter referred to as the Framework) and the Next Generation Science Standards (hereafter referred to as the NGSS) describe aspirations for students’ learning in science that are based on key insights from research:
- that science learning involves the integration of knowing and doing
- that developing conceptual understanding through engaging in the practices of science is more productive for future learning than simply memorizing lists of facts
- that science learning is best supported when learning experiences are designed to build and revise understanding over time"
- Science Teachers' Learning: Enhancing Opportunities, Creating Supportive Contexts (2015)
Focus: Develop a common understanding of why we teach science, Using our norms to facilitate dialogue, and building a collaborative team of educators.
Here is a link to the results in case you want to look back in your own response again.
Whole Team Instructions:
- Open Survey #1 and have your notes
- Each person shares which statement is the most important to them and why. We will be using "The Final Word" to share our most important take aways.
- Finish Survey #1 as a group and submit while in your breakout session.
- Once each group has submitted your survey and have seen the collective results of the team, share surprises or wonderings you have about how your individual and small group ranking compares to the collective responses.
- Collective = Entire cohort
- Small Group = Breakout session participants
Why Teach Science in Our Community?
Why Teach Science in Our Community?
Key Takeaway:
OSP Facilitators are Culturally Responsive Educators working to become more aware of the importance of connecting to the local context as they strive to teach to and through cultural diversity
Concepts to Introduce:
Funds of Knowledge, Local Rural Knowledge (LRK), Culture, Place-Based Education
“Helping rural children connect their local rural knowledge with school science is key to creating meaningful science education.”
“When you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community. Every rural community has certain social, economic, and/or environmental issues that are unique to that particular community and contribute to its diversity.”
Culture as:
Values, Attitudes, Beliefs
Customs Traditions
Heritages, Contributions
Experiences, Perspectives
Overview
Oregon Science Teachers work across the state throughout the rural and semirural regions of Oregon. As Culturally Responsive Educators working to become more aware of the importance of connecting to the local context as they strive to teach to and through cultural diversity.
Assignment
To Complete This Task:
- Complete two of the five available readings
- Submit your Culture and Community map slide in the shared Google Presentation/Slides linked by region at the bottom of this page
Context is critical for us to ground our science education work in culturally responsive teaching approaches, which are emphasized in the NGSS. Culturally responsive teaching recognizes the values, resources, resilience, accomplishments, creativity, imagination, ingenuity, and culture that resides within each of the learners in our classroom communities.
When we use the word culture, we are thinking about:
Values, Attitudes, Beliefs
Customs Traditions
Heritages, Contributions
Experiences, Perspectives
“When you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community. Every rural community has certain social, economic, and/or environmental issues that are unique to that particular community and contribute to its diversity.”
- Gene Theodori
The way that we talk about students and the language we use is very important. Often we use the language of policy and may identify students as English Language Learners or students experiencing generational poverty. Culturally responsive teaching asks us to shift our lens and focus instead on using positive language to identify the resources or funds of knowledge students have. This includes the personal culture and experiences that our students bring with them and embody everyday. They may be similar to your own, and they may be very different.
"Since culture and difference are essential to humanity, they should play a central role in teaching and learning. To ignore them is to assure that the human dignity and learning potential of ethnically, culturally, and racially diverse students are constrained or minimized."
- Geneva Gay
Think about how all of our differences in perspective and experience are valuable to our work together in the Oregon Science Project. There is a similar richness in your classroom community due to the different perspectives and experiences your students embody.
Questions to ask yourself in preparation for the readings and the survey at the end of this task:
What cultures fill your classroom?
How can recognizing, capitalizing upon them, and incorporating them into your practice increase student engagement and participation in science?
The vision of NGSS is that every student participates in science K-12. How can connecting your science teaching to the culture of your students increase and expand participation?
READING:
Choose two articles to read from the five below. Be sure to select ones that are both relevant to your practice and interesting to you. As you read make connections between what the author is claiming or describing and your own experience as an educator in your local context.
Be ready to use portions of each of your chosen articles to complete the NGSS and Culturally Responsive Teaching Project at the end of this task.
Teachers map out their ideas about culture and their place-based teaching situation by sharing:
Your own culture, their classroom and school culture
The distinctive strengths and resources their students bring
The unique identity of their rural community
Utilize at least three different points, quotes, or ideas from the chosen article in this response
List at least one question you have about what culturally responsive teaching means in your context
This finished product will be used for active, collaborative work on April 9th in virtual PLC as we create our shared vision of equity for all
Complete the task below before starting the next portion of this module
This finished product will be shared and used for active, collaborative work on November 1st in virtual PLC as we create our shared vision of equity for all.
Open up the link to the Google Presentation below that represents your OSP Region. Choose a blank slide and using words and pictures map out your ideas about culture and your place-based teaching situation by sharing:
Your own culture along with your classroom and school culture
The distinctive strengths and resources your students bring
The unique identity of your rural community
Utilize at least two different points, quotes, or ideas from each of the two articles you read (for a total of four)
List at least one question you have about what culturally responsive teaching means in your context