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The COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected changes across the globe to nearly all aspects of life. Activities such as shopping, traveling, and school, all considered routine aspects of life, suddenly took on a new level of risk. Approximately 1.6 billion students across the world had their schooling experiences interrupted during this global event.1 Matthew Stroup, a high school AP Psychology teacher, was dealing with these unexpected changes, but he also decided to use this disruption as a teaching moment. Mr. Stoup understood that sheltering in place and the resulting social isolation increased stress and anxiety among many families.2 During the 2020-21 school year, approximately 71% of all students were receiving either all or some of their schooling virtually.3 Mr. Stroup observed the effect of this unpredictable learning environment on his students’ learning and the toll it was taking on their relationships with peers, teachers, and family. According to the American Psychological Association, 81% of teens experienced a degradation in their mental health between Spring of 2020 and into the end of the year.4 The idea for the activity described in this article sprang from a class discussion on the effect of social isolation and travel hesitancy on mental health.
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Teaching Social Justice in the Science Classroom
Overview Project teacher Emily Lisay describes a lesson she taught which spanned several days in a high school anatomy class and was based on the NGSS standard HS-LS1-2, during the second semester of the school year. Throughout the year, the class used public health and social justice data to explore equity in science and medicine. The main goal was for students to observe connections between scientific principles (the structure and the function of the respiratory system) and social issues, specifically the effects of climate change on human health. I also wanted them to consider possible solutions. This activity was built on students’ knowledge of the cardiovascular system, some basic knowledge of other body systems, and some background on climate change and its causes. The lesson was designed so that minimal resources (newsprint, markers, and internet access) would be needed.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2101217
- PAR ID:
- 10521613
- Publisher / Repository:
- National Science Teachers Association
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Science Teacher
- Volume:
- 90
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0036-8555
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 28 to 33
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- social justice, local data, science teaching
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00368555.2023.12315952
