Science

STEM Education with a Focus on Equity and Justice: Traditional Approaches, Contemporary Approaches, and Proposed Future Approach

The disproportionate impacts of societal challenges (e.g., climate change, air and water pollution) on minoritized groups expose systemic injustices and compels STEM educators to reframe the role of STEM education in society. In this article, we describe traditional approaches, contemporary approaches, and our proposed future approach in science and STEM education with a focus on equity and justice. First, we begin with conceptual framing for equity and justice.

Author/Presenter

Okhee Lee

Scott E. Grapin

Year
2025
Short Description

The disproportionate impacts of societal challenges (e.g., climate change, air and water pollution) on minoritized groups expose systemic injustices and compels STEM educators to reframe the role of STEM education in society. In this article, we describe traditional approaches, contemporary approaches, and our proposed future approach in science and STEM education with a focus on equity and justice.

Promoting Family Science Conversations in the LaCuKnoS Project

The Language, Culture, and Knowledge-building through Science (LaCuKnoS) project tests and refines a model of science teaching and learning that brings together current research on the role of language in science communication, the role of cultural and community connections in science engagement, and the ways people apply science knowledge to their daily decision making. One key component of the model brings families together as co-learners and co-teachers through family learning experiences.

Author/Presenter

Cory Buxton

Diana Crespo Camacho

Barbara Ettenauer

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

The Language, Culture, and Knowledge-building through Science (LaCuKnoS) project tests and refines a model of science teaching and learning that brings together current research on the role of language in science communication, the role of cultural and community connections in science engagement, and the ways people apply science knowledge to their daily decision making. One key component of the model brings families together as co-learners and co-teachers through family learning experiences. We describe our work to promote more robust family conversations about science in our lives within an existing research practice partnership, using a two-tiered qualitative conversational analysis to compare the family conversations that result from three family engagement models: (a) family science festivals; (b) family science workshops; and (c) family science home learning.

More Than a Sprinkle: Elevating Multiple Perspectives in a Unit Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i

The Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i unit supports middle school haumana (students) in developing multi-perspective understanding and personal stances about coastal change in their community. The unit was collaboratively developed by a partnership among educators bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and learning.

Author/Presenter

Ho‘oululĀHui Erika Akaka

Beth A. Covitt

Koh Ming Wei

Kiana Davis

Noelani Puniwai

Jennifer Johansen

Blade Shepherd-Jones

Christina Mcwhorter

Nicollette Frank

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

The Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i unit supports middle school haumana (students) in developing multi-perspective understanding and personal stances about coastal change in their community. The unit was collaboratively developed by a partnership among educators bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and learning. Through lessons that take place over three weeks, haumana (students) undertake a place-based learning experience addressing physical, biological, and social facets of their changing coasts and engage the perspectives of ‘ohana (family), community members, and scientists.

Engaging Students in Sensemaking via the Science and Engineering Practices

As educators, we recognize that commercially prepared curricula advertised as “NGSS aligned” do not necessarily emphasize student sensemaking. In this article, we describe our process of modifying such curricula by reflecting on previous instruction and planning for future instruction that centers student sensemaking in a middle school unit on chemical reactions. We highlight the ways that a set of publicly available pedagogical tools (known as the ASET SEP Tools) focused our discourse on a shared vision of sensemaking that is appropriate to expect of middle school students.

Author/Presenter

Amy Ricketts

Tiffany Rasmussen

Year
2025
Short Description

As educators, we recognize that commercially prepared curricula advertised as “NGSS aligned” do not necessarily emphasize student sensemaking. In this article, we describe our process of modifying such curricula by reflecting on previous instruction and planning for future instruction that centers student sensemaking in a middle school unit on chemical reactions.

Development of an Observation Protocol for Teachers' Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Science Instruction

This study is part of a larger project on culturally and linguistically responsive instruction for multilingual learners (MLs) in biology (CLIMB), aimed at enhancing MLs’ engagement in science practices, biology content, and language development. We developed the CLIMB observation protocol to capture how teachers implement responsive instruction, integrating language development, biology content, and science practices.

Author/Presenter

Niki M. Koukoulidis

Mark. B Pacheco

Julie C. Brown

Jinnie Shin

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

This study is part of a larger project on culturally and linguistically responsive instruction for multilingual learners (MLs) in biology (CLIMB), aimed at enhancing MLs’ engagement in science practices, biology content, and language development. We developed the CLIMB observation protocol to capture how teachers implement responsive instruction, integrating language development, biology content, and science practices. The protocol is comprised of six elements that align with research-backed practices to support MLs: Attention to Language, Multiple Modalities, Collaboration, Affirming Identities, Funds of Knowledge, and Sociopolitical Consciousness.

Developing Science Classroom Expectations That Encourage Risk-Taking for Learning Science Together

Reform-oriented science classrooms encourage environments in which students engage in a collective enterprise of making sense of their science ideas together. Teachers who strive for these sorts of environments support students in collaboratively constructing and answering their own questions about phenomena and making sense of competing ideas together.

Author/Presenter

Jessica L. Alzen

Jason Y. Buell

Kelsey Edwards

Chris D. Griesemer

Yang Zhang

Cynthia Passmore

William R. Penuel

Brian J. Reiser

Year
2025
Short Description

This study practically addresses some key challenges teachers face in enacting reform-oriented science teaching and offers suggestions for how continued research regarding norms and uncertainty can continue to further science reform efforts.

Fostering Computational Thinking Through Neural Engineering Activities in High School Biology Classes

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In this project, we developed and implemented a ninth/10th grade neural engineering unit—an emerging field that integrates neuroscience, engineering design, and programming—to explore how computational thinking (CT) and engineering can be incorporated into a core biology high school course. We are examining the changes in students’ CT, engineering design processes, and attitudes towards STEM throughout their participation. We are also exploring what supports biology teachers need to effectively foster CT and engineering.

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Partnership Development for Career-Long Teacher Learning in Elementary Mathematics and Science

Principal Investigator:

To help K-5 in-service math and science teachers build the skills they most need support for, we formed a team of researchers and educators to design practice-based teacher professional development opportunities. We used a co-design approach to collaboratively develop our shared vision and plan for a personalized, online platform that leverages digital performance tasks and incorporates automated, personalized feedback to support teacher professional learning of the key teaching competency of facilitating student discussions.

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Developing the Pedagogical Skills and Science Expertise of Teachers in Underserved Rural Settings

Principal Investigator:

Rural educators often have limited access to professional development, especially in science education aligned with three-dimensional standards. This research evaluates technology-mediated lesson study (TMLS), where small groups of rural science teachers collaborate to improve instruction. Teachers responded positively to group work, using technology to observe teaching, and co-designing lessons. TMLS offers an effective, collaborative method for lesson planning and is adaptable for any group of educators aiming to enhance instructional practices.

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Opening Pathways into Engineering Through an Illinois Physics and Secondary Schools Partnership

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Although most teachers recognize the importance of taking investigative, open-ended approaches to students’ learning experiences, implementing them in high school classes can be challenging for teachers.

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