Designing Place-Based, Political, and Next Generation Science Standards–Aligned Story Lines for Climate Change Instruction

• In Event: Centering Identity and Political Dimensions in the Learning Sciences

Abstract

This paper shares a Participatory Design Research collaboration to develop climate change phenomenological storylines that are place-based, political and NGSS-aligned. These storylines anchor instruction in local climate phenomenon and focus activities on identifying social and political levers of change. Data presented in this paper is drawn from three design artifacts: the year-long instructional scope for chemistry, the designed instructional micro-cycles for two storylines, and the designed sequence of scientific modeling activities. Findings developed through thematic analysis of artifacts illustrate how the concepts of place-based and political instruction a) organized lesson planning and b) manifested in the designed curriculum. This analysis reveals themes that can re-orient students’ climate change learning towards community-based empowerment.

Author

• Heather F. Clark, University of California - Los Angeles