STEM Teaching Tools at NSTA in Denver

Posted on March 11, 2024

Join our team and our collaborators at the NSTA National Conference in Denver, CO on March 20-23, 2024! We are offering a series of 18 sessions inspired by STEM Teaching Tools and designed to help educators: engage in climate justice education, adapt instructional material to focus on equitable science instruction and climate learning, support equity and justice through science instruction, and many other topics! At all sessions, participants will receive resources and strategies they can use to support equity in their classrooms.

Continue reading for session details.

All sessions are in Colorado Convention Center - 108/110 unless otherwise indicated

Thursday, March 21st

8:00 - 9:00 AM: Climate Justice Overview: Priority Areas and Educational Approaches
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington), Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington), Deb L. Morrison (University of Washington), and Nancy Price (University of Washington)
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Working towards climate justice involves a multifaceted set of issues and priorities. Teachers will identify which priority areas relate to their goals and context and learn about related resources. A climate justice framework will help teachers learn about different dimensions of climate justice.

10:50 - 11:50 AM: Supporting Equity and Justice Through Science Instruction: The Road Traveled and the One Ahead
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington) and Michal Robinson (Alabama State Department of Education)
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Teachers will develop an understanding of an equity project framework for science education for supporting professional learning and implementation projects. They will learn how open education resources (http://stemteachingtools.org/) can help them develop equitable approaches to science teaching.

1:00 - 2:00 PM: Teaching about the Intersections of Biology, Race, and Racism: Strategies, Curriculum Resources, and Research
Presenter(s): Deb L Morrison (University of Washington), Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington), Jeanne Chowning (Fred Hutch Cancer Center), Hanako Osuga (Fred Hutch Cancer Center), Michal Robinson (Alabama State Department of Education), and Jason Foster (Evanston School District)
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Anti-racism work in science education is difficult. Resources to support teachers in engaging in controversial topics will be examined and used by participants to rehearse effective pedagogical moves in engaging in classroom discussions of racism and science. Curricular resources will be shared.

1:00 - 2:30 PM: Eliciting and Appreciating the Diversity of Intellectual Resources Students Use to Make Sense of Phenomena (LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Denver - Capitol Ballroom 2)
Presenter(s): Tiffany Neill (University of Washington), Philip Bell (University of Washington), and Angela Kolonich (Science Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education)
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This session will help leaders work directly with educators to better appreciate students’ multiple ways of knowing and better shape instruction to support diverse sense-making through science and engineering practices.

2:20 - 3:20 PM: Organizing Small Group Classroom Talk to Hear All Students’ Ideas: Equity-focused 3D Formative Assessment Through Talk
Presenter(s): Deb L Morrison (University of Washington) and Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington)
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The goal of this session is to support teachers in understanding how best to meet the needs of all learners by starting from where students are at and drawing on their intuitive ideas and real world experiences to inform instruction. All strategies are framed as equitable 3D formative assessment.

2:45 - 4:15 PM: Analyzing Formative Assessment Responses to Surface and Respond to a Range of Student Ideas about Science Concepts (LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Denver - Capitol Ballroom 2)
Presenter(s): Tiffany Neill (University of Washington), Philip Bell (University of Washington), and Ricky Scott (Curriculum Director, Tooele County Schools)
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Students bring a range of intellectual and cultural resources, which they have accumulated in their unique life experiences, into the classroom as they learn science. These resources can be considered different “facets” of student thinking.

3:40 - 4:40 PM: Promoting Whole-Group Classroom Talk to Support Students’ Collaborative Sensemaking: Equity-focused 3D Formative Assessment Through Talk
Presenter(s): Deb L Morrison (University of Washington) and Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington)
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The goal of this session is to provide a space for teachers to reflect on their whole-class discussion routines and strategies, and learn new approaches for facilitating collaborative sensemaking talk that welcomes all learners into discussions, honors their ideas, and contextualizes learning.

Friday, March 22nd

8:00 - 9:00 AM: Engaging in Climate Science Education Through Connections to Everyday Life, Equity, and Justice
Presenter(s): Deb L. Morrison (University of Washington), Philip Bell (University of Washington), and Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington)
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Strategies for engaging in climate change and climate justice learning appropriate to grade band NGSS standards, climate and energy literacy standards, and for both school and community based learning contexts.

9:20 - 10:20 AM: Analyzing Formative Assessment Responses to Surface and Respond to a Range of Student Thinking about Science Concepts
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington) and Tiffany Neill (University of Washington)
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This session will help participants: analyze cognitive formative assessment responses to surface the range of student thinking about science topics and concepts, guide instruction based on that diversity of student ideas, and design formative assessment tasks to support equitable 3D instruction.

10:40 - 11:40 AM: Making Science Instruction Compelling for All Students: How to Integrate the Cultural Lives of Your Students into Your Teaching
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington) and Tiffany Neill (University of Washington)
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Teachers learn how to promote equity by focusing on learning and teaching as an inherently cultural process. They develop a shared understanding of how cultural formative assessment can reveal the interests, experiences, and identities of students

10:40 - 11:40 AM: CSSS: Building Awareness for Sustainability Education: Identifying and building networks around sustainability-focused learning (LOCATION: Colorado Convention Center - 111/213)
Presenter(s): Carol O'Donnell (Smithsonian Science Education Center: Washington, DC), Lori Henrickson, (OSPI, Seattle, WA), and Deb L. Morrison (UW, Seattle, WA)
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Decisions about advancing sustainability education in a region should be made at the local level and include all local stake-holders.

1:20 - 2:20 PM: Resources for Engaging in Climate Justice Centered Teaching and Learning Strand: Teaching Strategies for Classroom Practice
Presenter(s): Deb L. Morrison (University of Washington), Philip Bell (University of Washington), and Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington)
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Climate Ed Tools contain rich examples of climate justice instruction, strategies for engaging youth, and to support climate change learning and communication among educators. These open education resources (OER) include video overviews, valuable guidance educators, and tons of background resources!

1:20 - 2:20 PM: Teaching Climate Through a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Lens (LOCATION: Colorado Convention Center - 210/212)
Presenter(s): Tana Luther (LA DOE), Molly Talbot (LA DOE), Deb Morrison (UW, Seattle, WA), Carol O'Donnell (Smithsonian Science Education Center: Washington, DC), and John Olson (Metropolitan State University: Saint Paul, MN)
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Explore the interrelationships between the SDG Framework and climate learning goals across diverse contexts. Using resources provided, plan possible connection points with the SDG Framework to your own teaching to help foster climate awareness and agency.

2:40 - 3:40 PM: Justice-Centered Ambitious Science Teaching Practices Developed and Refined by Professional Learning Communities
Presenter(s): Todd Campbell, April Luehmann, Hannah Cooke, Rachael Lauzier, Emily Lisy, Cathryn Tuttle
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Attendees will learn about teaching practices aimed at building a welcoming, joyful, and critical community, planning that is meaningful for youth and centers justice, elicits local stories and uses interpretive power, nurtures revisions of scientific thinking with diverse and local expertise, and uses science to advocate for justice.

4:00 - 5:00 PM: Help Your Students Meaningfully Care about the Living World! Teach Ecological Caring Practices
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington), Nancy Price (University of Washington), and Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington)
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People’s relationships to nature are culturally and historically rooted and are embedded in approaches to science teaching and learning. Science can be used to guide ecological caring responses and support the thriving of species.

Saturday, March 23rd

8:00 - 9:30 AM: Supporting All Students in Making Sense of Phenomena By Building All of Their Intellectual Resources
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington)
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Culturally responsive education supports student sensemaking and learning in science. Inclusive science strategies help teachers learn to see and leverage students’ diverse sense-making resources. These methods help us create and adapt curriculum that is equitable and centered on justice.

11:40 AM - 12:40 PM: Adapting Instructional Materials to Focus on Climate Justice: A High School OpenSciEd Physics Example
Presenter(s): Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington) and Philip Bell (University of Washington)
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In relation to science and engineering projects in society (e.g., associated with the energy transition, ecological restoration, urban development), teachers will learn how to engage students in exploring moral and ethical dimensions of trade-offs in project approaches.

1:00 - 2:00 PM: Drop-In Consultation with STEM Teaching Tools Team about Equitable Science Instruction and Climate Learning
Presenter(s): Philip Bell (University of Washington), Deb L. Morrison (University of Washington), Tiffany Neill (University of Washington), Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington), and Nancy Price (University of Washington)
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This session is designed to support the goals of each participant. Consultations will likely focus on: equitable classroom teaching practices, how to better support student talk, how to identify consequential phenomena for lessons, and how to teach in response to the climate crisis.