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This article describes a learner-centered, tutorial-based approach to climate modeling. Using these tutorials, students in a general education course in global climate change taught in the physics department engaged with compelling, “real-world” questions by drawing on foundational physics concepts along with their prior experiences and conceptual resources in the process of knowledge construction. Students used simulations, energy tracking diagrams, and algebraic analysis to construct climate models that address challenging quantitative questions and reveal key concepts in climate science. Special emphasis was given to the learning goals, pre-requisite knowledge, and conceptual challenges associated with these activities. Instructional materials are provided for educators who wish to adapt these tutorials for use in their own educational context. The supplementary materials are appropriate for both non-science majors and upper-level physics majors. 

Physics teachers’ definitions of equity inform how they identify inequity and take action to transform it. In this paper, we adapted Gutiérrez’s equity framework from mathematics education research to physics education research. The framework defines equity in terms of four dimensions: access , achievement , identity , and power . We used this equity framework to characterize the equity conceptions shared by 23 teachers who participated in an equity-focused professional development. We found that the access and achievement dimensions of equity are popular with teachers compared to the identity and power dimensions, and that teachers share a common understanding of conceptions of access and achievement in ways that is consistent with educational literature and discourses. 

In this study, we showcase the various ways high school physics teachers make connections between science content and social justice, pushing the boundary of what is counted as science content by bringing social justice engagement to the center of science learning. We analyze lessons submitted by eighteen high school physics teachers who participated in a professional development program that supported the integration of equity into their science teaching. Three themes represent teachers' approach toward integrating social justice in their science lessons: (1) investigating the nature of science in specific science concepts and re-evaluating/redefining science concepts, (2) connecting students' everyday activities with science and global social justice issues, and (3) using science knowledge to engage with and advocate for social justice issues in students' local communities.