Science Teachers Professional Learning at the Nexus of Educational and Environmental Justice

Event Type: Lecture

Speaker Information: Dr. Daniel Morales-Doyle

In the current moment of political polarization, the scientific enterprise has been positioned in simplistic ways within ideological battles over vaccination rules and climate change mitigation strategies. But for communities impacted by environmental racism, the enterprise of science occupies a more complex position. It follows that definitions of educational equity as access to the STEM pipeline are also fraught. Within this context, this talk describes a study that began by broadly asking what kind of professional learning can support in-service science teachers to facilitate class projects that use Youth Participatory Science (YPS) to address environmental racism. Through a participatory design-based approach, the study documents an expansive shift towards prioritizing historical context and argues for a redefinition of the relationships between educational research and teacher professional learning. The implications of this work include new models for co-constructing professional learning agendas with teachers and others involved in campaigns for educational justice. 

Sponsor: Curriculum & Instruction