The webinar last night was amazing. I'd love to read more from the panelists, but Sam Long is the only who has a website link. Is there anywhere we can go to learn more about the wonderful work from everyone else?

I so appreciated the session the other night. It was invigorating to hear from like-minded colleagues who are inspired to do the hard work of addressing systems that have been broken for so long. I previously taught Biology and Environmental science, and was able to discuss social justice through the lens of environmental justice and inequity in terms of pollution and the impacts of climate change. I now teach chemistry and physics and am working to bring those same ideas into physical science. I live in a conservative district, in a conservative state. I often feel on an island. After this week's session - I am called to move beyond the superficial socioeconomic argument to equity and justice. I fear the backlash for shifting away from what I call "Ivory tower" chemistry to what I feel I should be teaching. This work is important to me, and I feel like I can never do enough. I want each of my students to see a path forward for themselves with scientific habits of mind. Many don't have any interest at all in science - which is fine. I just want them to be able to think scientifically when they leave high school. 

In terms of successes - Dr. Milks's field experiences have been life changing. They have helped me build relationships with students, as well as helped the mental well-being of my students. But, to me, this is just a start. I have also convinced my school and colleague to center chemistry instruction around "real world" scenarios. We don't teach things "for the sake of chemistry" any more. I spend a lot of time talking about climate science. I've not been successful in convincing my colleagues that we need to spend significant time teaching about the disproportionate impact of climate change. There is a lot of fear about the way our community will respond to changes like this. For me, it boils down to wanting to be able to build high quality relationships and make an impact on each and every student in my room. I feel like I could be doing so much more to help them understand inequities and in so doing help them better connect to the content in a way that allows them to be agents of change.

I'm sorry - I'm all over the place! I'm excited to be better from this experience. Thanks to all who made it possible!

Bill Hiatt

First of all, thank you so much for the conversation and the resources! It was wonderful to hear from so many educators doing such amazing and important work.

Second, I wanted to share a thought that came up for me close to the end of the presentation that puts together things that a couple of the presenters shared. As a biology/genetics teacher, I have found it very powerful to utilize the gender neutral language that Sam Long described. But old habits die hard, and I don't always remember the most appropriate terms in the middle of a class discussion. However, I have found it especially powerful when I make a mistake, and then correct myself in front of students. For example, saying "the mom, I mean the female parent, no, it's most accurate to say the parent with ovaries" naturally prompts student questions about the differences between those terms and why one would be more accurate or appropriate than another. And we all know student generated questions are the most powerful questions to drive learning. 

Thanks again, so much for the presentation, and the opportunity to continue to share resources.

Hello!

Thank you all so much for a very informative and engaging panel discussion. The work that you all are doing is so powerful and I am so grateful that folks share the work and resources being used and developed in classrooms. I can't wait to use some work from Sam and Gender Inclusive Biology next week. I want to revisit the idea of pedigrees using my new found knowledge. It has always been on my  mind but I have not been sure how to present it. So, thank you Sam.

David - I would love to hear more about your Science/Society class. I developed a seminar course for seniors on Science in Society and we share some similarities. I love exploring the past with students to prepare for the future but I also add in the present. For example, when studying medical inequities we explore the past and then engage with community members to consider the present conditions that are persisting TODAY so they can be leaders of tomorrow. I found the most amazing historical paper about a free dispensary in my neighborhood of KC with data of differing drug amounts delivered to black versus white males. Then we visit an amazing place in the community dedicated to decreasing maternal/infant health inequity among black and brown communities. The current stories and data is eye opening for students.  If I back track a minute, the whole exploration started with understanding what sickle cell disease is then we look at funding differences with cystic fibrosis . Somehow this all ties into our conversations/research about race biology (bad science) and how science continues to perpetuate the notion of race (SCD comes to mind). And somewhere in there David, I introduce them to Prodigy and we listen to a short podcast about him and SCD. At this point, they are really thinking I am old if I am listening to Prodigy!  Blah, blah, blah. 

I too think of "learning in  parallel with students" - this is spot on Kirsten and what (I think) happens in my space but I have never had words for it. Thank you again everyone!

Marjie

In response to the prompt: 

"Have you designed frameworks, lessons, or other materials that address issues of justice in science or STEM education? Tell us a little about them!" 

I have developed a sequence of activities that use NGSS standards that have been assigned to a course I teach, while simultaneously oriented towards surfacing and addressing issues of justice. It starts with a sequence of activities based on chemical reaction rates, and then making this NGSS performance meaningful by connecting to students' interests and identities through exploration of environmental factors that contribute to variation in concentration of one source of pollution (ground-level ozone) across the state. Students access and analyze public community environmental data -- something they can continue to monitor as community members. This then connects with a subsequent sequence of activities -- urban heat island effect/climate change -- in which students explore environmental (e.g. surface type, land use) and social factors (e.g. urban planning and home financing policies) that may contribute to disproportionate impact of climate change on low income and marginalized groups' health. The paired sequence culminates with identification of a variety of actions students/community members can take to mitigate the disproportionate impact.

As I am assigned to support other NGSS "performance expectations", some of which are very specific, I find it challenging to maintain coherence with my vision of a justice-oriented science experience. I realize I can have some activities be justice-oriented, but I feel there is a disconnect when, say, there is a sequence of activities designed to support students' ability to identify several sources of evidence for the Big Bang Theory.  

What has been your experience with designing and implementing justice-oriented science activities within standards-based courses?

What strategies have you found helpful as you simultaneously navigate your different course assignments, personal vision/expectations for justice-oriented science classroom, and external (e.g. NGSS, College Board) expectations?

From the intro blog to webinar panel and all the resources provided, all I can say is whew and thanks! There’s enough quality professional learning here for months! I’ll be hanging out with the (W)HOLISTIC SCIENCE PEDAGOGY resources for a bit which ties in nicely with social justice standards.

One way I’ve been learning about social justice teaching has been though the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.  During 2021 environmental justice workshop, we learned about hog farming, cancer alley, and Flint water crisis.  Participants were shown how to use EPA enviro atlas and Eco-Health Relationship browser.

Lessons I’ve designed to address social justice involves helping students read and comprehend complex text using inquiry charts. The Case For Multiple Texts is online ASCD article and Building Background Knowledge Through Reading: Rethinking Text Sets by Sara Lupo are good places to learn more.  I also have a pinned Twitter thread, a compilation of Michigan disciplinary literacy professional learning (@GELN and @wandabryant :)

Watching Sidney Poitier describe how learning to read was pivotal in his career, brought tears to my eyes and explains why I will always strongly advocate for better reading instruction in science.  Reading is FUNDAMENTAL! Reading is ABOLITION!

I just had the opportunity to watch the recording, and I want to thank each of the panelists for their thoughtful contributions and resources. There is a lot to process and many valuable resources to examine! As the webinar prompts reflection of my own practices in the classroom, I realize there is a lot to learn and integrate into my own teaching.

As the department chair in my k-8 building I am thinking of how to expand this conversation. I am wondering if anyone can share some strategies that have been helpful to begin these conversations with colleagues? How can I build relationships with new and veteran teachers so that we can begin to discuss our own practices, learn from each other, and identify opportunities to strengthen social justice in the various science classrooms?

Any recommendations on where/how to start would be appreciated. I also wonder how frequently do you circle back to these conversations?

Kind Regards,

Kathy Kennedy

My district just completed our second annual Racial Justice Action Week. Our science teachers in grades where students are learning about genetics (8th and Biology). They used materials available from the Fred Hutch institute, which you can access here: https://www.fredhutch.org/en/about/education-outreach/science-education-partnership/sep-curriculum.html

I had the privilege to teach a lesson with a group of 8th graders (my primary responsibility is supervisory, so I don't get to teach as often as I would like). We did lesson 6 (I think), where students where able to explore and figure out that there is not a genetic basis for race. Students were very engaged and got some great ideas and discussion from it. Huge shout out to the team at Fred Hutch for creating these lessons. Some of our Biology classes are also piloting the entire unit this year. 

Our district is working hard to be an antiracist school district that is welcoming and inclusive for all. We always are seeking educators who are interested in this work joining our team. Let me know if you might be interested in joining our community. (Hartford, CT area) 

Love the work being done by Bryan Brown out of Stanford. I highly recommend the book Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education.

They also have some great lessons including one on redlining, urban heat islands and climate change https://scienceinthecity.stanford.edu/resources/redlining-urban-heat-a-lesson-in-climate-change/

Related to this discussion and theme, there is a relatively inexpensive virtual science conference this weekend that has been organized by a new network Science Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice:  

https://sites.google.com/view/seedshome/seeds-home?authuser=0

As I consider the power we have as educators, I am reminded of Freire's quote, "There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom." What we do in our classrooms matters and aside from being instruments for content-delivery we can become comprehensive nurturers of the next generation. Given the grave socio-culture and environmental problems our students will inherit, it is our responsibility to empower them with the tools for improving the world--and there are no better tools then the tools of science! As a democratic endeavor, science values empirical data/evidence more than anything else. This fact, allows our students to see that science progress needs their voices and perspectives (especially if voices like theirs have been historically left out). 

Science and science education is not divorced from society and therefore cannot be treated as a sterile and value-free exploration and manipulation of our natural world. Instead, we have a duty to teach young minds about the uncomfortable truths (past and present) so they can create a more sustainable future. 

This month's topic and discussion has been a reminder that many of us already appreciate the values of science education that empowers our students. I am so thankful for the opportunity to participate and learn with this amazing community. Freire was right when he wrote, "What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves."