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Abstract Students lose interest in science as they progress from elementary to high school. There is a need for authentic, place‐based science learning experiences that can increase students' interest in science. Scientists have unique skillsets that can complement the work of educators to create exciting experiences that are grounded in pedagogy and science practices. As scientists and educators, we co‐developed a lesson plan for high school students on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, a historically underserved coastal area, that demonstrated realistic scientific practices in students' local estuaries. After implementation of the lesson plan, we observed that students had a deeper understanding of ecosystem processes compared to their peers who had not been involved, were enthusiastic about sharing their experiences, and had a more well‐rounded ability to think like a scientist than before the lesson plan. We share our experiences and five best practices that can serve as a framework for scientists and educators who are motivated to do similar work. Through collaboration, scientists and educators have the potential to bolster student science identities and increase student participation in future scientific endeavors.
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Evaluating Representation in Science through a Peer-Reviewed Research Study (Accepted)
The demographic representation of scientists featured in biology curricular materials do not match that of the undergraduate biology student population or of the U.S. population. In this lesson, we promote awareness of inequity in science through an exercise that encourages students to think about who is depicted as scientists in science curricular materials – specifically, biology textbooks. After a brief lecture on the scientific method, students read an excerpt from the introduction of a peer-reviewed publication that provides background information on the importance of representation in science. Next, students collect data from their own biology textbook about the representation of scientists who possess different identities and make a table depicting their results. Then, students fill in predictive graphs about demographic representation over time with respect to scientist identities including gender and race/ethnicity. Students compare their predictions with the results from the peer-reviewed article and discuss the implications of the results. Finally, students apply their new knowledge by designing an experiment that would examine representation of an alternative scientist identity, such as age. Students conclude by answering questions that gauge their knowledge of the scientific method. This activity uses a peer-reviewed publication as well as authentic data generated by the student to increase ideological awareness and teach societal influences on the process of science.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2011995
- PAR ID:
- 10464839
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- CourseSource
- ISSN:
- 2332-6530
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- The DOI is not currently available.
