The threat of climate change has exposed more homes to flooding and wildfires, and intensified heat waves that lead farmers to lose crop yields and a way of making a living. Climate change, among many other issues, worries Barbara Schneider as she reflects on whether younger generations will be prepared to face the scientific challenges that will alter the world.
“I have been very concerned about the lack of engagement that young people have with science, especially around the issue of climate change, the problems of scientific literacy, the ability to understand misinformation and how young people are going to function,” says Schneider , a professor at Michigan State University whose research examines how social contexts influence adolescent development.
In response, Schneider and the researchers from Michigan State and the University of Helsinki in Finland developed a curriculum called Crafting Engagement for Science Environments and published a related book. The goal is to improve scientific literacy among high school students by making lessons meaningful and relevant to their lives through a teaching method called project-based learning. The curriculum also prepares students for college and possible scientific careers.
Now the STEM curriculum is ready to enter high school classrooms in the rural South. Michigan State is partnering with two historically black colleges and universities, Alabama A&M University and Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, to adapt curriculum to serve students in the South. The project is funded through a nearly $8 million innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Education and will last five years.
The collaboration, say researchers from Michigan State and Alabama A&M, is based on an equitable exchange of knowledge and best practices between the institutions. The involvement of HBCUs is notable in part because they play a key role in training Future K-12 Science Teachers.
“Historically, black colleges and universities have had exceptional reputations in terms of creating science courses in their undergraduate and graduate programs,” Schneider says.
He notes that the partnership aims to prevent “parachuting,” the phenomenon in which large research institutions extract information from communities that have fewer resources or fail to leverage local expertise.
By partnering with HBCUs, the hope is that the curriculum will be more culturally responsive to the needs of students in the rural South.
Think like a scientist
The lessons focus on chemistry and physics, two “gatekeeper” subjects that are typically considered more difficult, Schneider says.
Students will learn to think like scientists. How does electricity get to your home and what are the components of a utility wire? Since many teenagers drive, how could they build a safer car?
The curriculum has been taught to more than 6,000 students in California and Michigan, Schneider says, with close monitoring by researchers. They observed the classrooms. They administered surveys to teachers and students and developed assessments that were administered when the program began and after its completion. They also set up a randomized controlled trial, which is designed to measure whether the intervention worked and changed science learning and achievement, Schneider says.
Early results from previous studies showed that some students were able to improve their scores on science tests, Schneider says. The curriculum aligns with the principles of the Next Generation Science Standards. He standardsPublished in 2013, they are based on up-to-date scientific research and aim to give teachers more flexibility when creating learning experiences, but Some schools have been slow to implement the standards. due to lack of funding for teacher training and textbooks.
Other challenges also appear to have delayed STEM education. Across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted hands-on learning experiences and in CaliforniaFor example, many school districts did not prioritize science education in their academic recovery plans.
Many rural students have also struggled to access high-quality STEM education due to lack of resources. This barrier is a priority for Schneider. The universities involved in the new curriculum are “making sure resources are available to students,” she says, noting that they are actively working to get reliable Wi-Fi in participating schools, colleges and homes.
As demand for highly skilled workers in STEM continues to grow, the new curriculum emphasizes supporting students' “usable knowledge,” meaning students can approach new and complex situations rather than just memorizing facts.
“You have to make sure that students are engaged in scientific practices and are able to develop cross-cutting concepts, ideas that are basically found in all sciences and help us understand why things happen,” Schneider says. “That gives us the tools we need to be able to solve problems that we may not know how to solve, but we can accept the challenge and figure out how to solve it.”
Building a diverse talent pipeline
The pilot program in the rural south is expected to begin next year. Researchers are looking at public high schools with higher-than-average proportions of students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. Chemistry and physics teachers at these schools will teach the curriculum.
Once implemented, researchers will also collect data and study the impact of the curriculum using the same methods as in previous studies.
“The most important thing for me is to do social science that other people can replicate,” Schneider says, adding that he hopes more HBCUs will join the project.
When Michigan State 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 is an opportunity for us. As we exchange information, that goes both ways too, right? They are learning from us and we are learning from them,” says Strachan, associate professor and coordinator of secondary education programs at Alabama A&M, who oversees the recruitment, training and retention of math and science teachers.
“We want to make sure that children in the rural south have access to quality science education, that teachers have access to updated curricula, for example, or that they adopt new approaches to curricula,” he adds.
Alabama A&M is the state's largest HBCU, home to 6,100 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. The campus is located near two employers of STEM professionals, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army base.
Right now, faculty at HBCUs are evaluating the current curriculum and seeing how lessons can be modified for students in Alabama and North Carolina. Professors will act as a “bridge” between the field of science and the students they serve.
“We all had a lot of team meetings,” says Strachan. “We are engaging in professional development, making sure that we are all using the same verbiage that we use in different parts of the United States, as well as in different institutions.”
Another level of expertise that HBCUs bring to the project is extensive experience in culturally responsive instruction.
In this context, culturally responsive instruction means examining various aspects of a culture that bind a community together, whether it be how students go to school, what they eat, the types of buildings in a neighborhood, etc., and using that information to Shape lessons in ways that resonate with students. Some additional examples of potential and relevant learning experiences could include units on how Wi-Fi transmits information using electromagnetic waves and how energy efficiency affects homes.
This approach could also encourage students to make positive changes in their own communities.
“You take cultural resources and use them to help students learn,” says Clausell Mathis, an assistant professor at Michigan State University whose research interests include physical education. He is also a member of the research team whose task is to help develop culturally responsive, project-based lessons.
That approach is also crucial to building a pipeline of students interested in STEM careers, Strachan says, options that can be determined early in their educational journey.
The curriculum could help STEM professions better reflect the country: The lack of racial diversity in the field has persisted despite growing demand for STEM education.
“It's not just about finding yourself where you are, but about understanding WHO you are,” Strachan says of culturally responsive teaching strategies. “What are you experiencing in the world and how can we use that as a basis for teaching you content, whether it's physics or chemistry, and make sure teachers understand the students they serve?”
