Teaching Strategies
My teaching philosophy is grounded in helping students see the world as scientists. I have found that this requires reframing students’ views of science not simply as a body of isolated facts, but as a systematic way of making observations, explaining phenomena, and acquiring new knowledge. The National Research Council (NRC) lays out a framework that ensures students have authentic scientific experiences in their classrooms even as they learn content-specific information. This framework “supports a better understanding of how scientific knowledge is produced and how engineering solutions are produced…help[ing] students become more critical consumers of scientific information.”50 This dual focus on process and content improves upon previous practices that reduced scientific procedures to isolated aims of instruction, rather than a vehicle for developing a meaningful understanding of true scientific concepts.
In 2019, the College Board did a soft redesign of the AP-ES curriculum to better align the course with the NRC philosophy and provide students with a better educational experience, improve their assessment performance, and promote college readiness. This included the development of a more specific set of standards that aligned with pedagogical best practices on marrying process and content in science classrooms. These new standards are now split by Science Practices and Course Content. The idea is that teachers engage students in the Science Practices as a means of developing mastery of Course Content. For those familiar with the Next Generation Science Standards, it is similar to the use of Science and Engineering Practices and Cross Cutting Concepts as a means of covering Disciplinary Core Ideas. Because of this shift in curriculum structure, I have had to rethink my instructional approach to the AP-ES course. Previously I held the view that we needed to cover all the content to whatever degree of depth time would allow for. However, since the redesign I have begun using strategies that better engage students in the specific Science Practices. This allows them to hone their scientific skills while simultaneously covering a great deal of content. For example, in this unit, students use a myriad of Science Practices to analyze climate impacts not just as isolated events but as part of an integrated network of earth processes.
Hands on Learning through AP-ES Science Practices
My role as a teacher is closer to that of a facilitator than that of a provider of information and correct answers. Throughout my career I have developed a teaching toolkit full of strategies that get students doing science rather than simply learning it, and that toolkit now contains several Science Practice-aligned strategies. In this specific unit, I ask students to explain environmental concepts, processes, and models through written expression, analyze sources of information about environmental issues, analyze and interpret quantitative data represented in tables, charts, and graphs, and propose, evaluate, and justify solutions to environmental issues. Example activities related to these strategies include lab activities, demonstrations, guided inquiry assignments, collecting data, and modeling.
Collaborative Learning
I use collaborative learning for two reasons: to foster a sense of community in my classroom and because studies show that peers teaching and learning from one another to be highly effective. Collaboration and group work, whether in pairs, small groups, or more complicated jigsaw groups, is a staple in my classroom. It leads to development of higher order thinking and communication, self-management, and leadership skills. It also allows me to meet with more students in less time to check for common misunderstandings and provide timely feedback. Working collaboratively has the added benefit of exposing students to diverse perspectives and prepares them for real life social and employment scenarios.
Effective Questioning
Since my district adopted NGSS and the College Board rolled out the Science Practices for my course, I have made a concerted effort to provide opportunities for students to discover answers rather than providing them. One such way is through effective questioning, which I liken to the back and forth between a lawyer and her well-prepared witness. I have the answer in the back of my head, but I want to lead students with purpose, using simple questions that require only simple responses. It is a great way of engaging students in higher order thinking without them realizing it. They are connecting individual dots of knowledge in order to develop a larger picture of deep content understanding.
Direct Instruction
While most of my class time is spent engaging students in authentic science practices and thoughtful discussion, the nature of my course does require a certain amount of direction instruction. I try to limit myself to 15 - 20 minutes of direct instruction a class period and make it as interactive as possible by using guided notes, check in questions, turn-and-talks, quick-writes, and other progress checks. I prepare PowerPoint slides as a guide for my direct instruction and post them to our learning management system for students to review later.
Class Discussions: Connecting Science to the Human Experience
A new strategy that I am excited to try out as part of this unit is to connect science with the student experience. The primary goal of this discussion-based strategy is to develop some empathy and by connecting climate science with personal stories using first-person accounts and excerpts from science fiction. It is particularly important that students understand that the science we study in this unit is meaningful because the consequences of not addressing the impacts of ACC involve the death and suffering of hundreds of millions of people. Using this strategy effectively requires students to come prepared after having read relevant text or watched relevant content, a dynamic plan with some overarching questions and/or goals, a willingness to let student interests drive the discussion forward, a cohesive classroom community, and a commitment to some discomfort. Allowing for debrief time is critical to connecting discussion content back to specific science concepts.
FRQ Notebooks
The AP-ES exam consists of 80 multiple choice questions and three Free Response Questions (FRQs). Students get plenty of multiple-choice practice throughout the year on quizzes and unit exams. To prepare students for the FRQs, I combine frequent low-stakes practice and high-quality peer and teacher feedback using FRQ notebooks. Students keep a notebook for the duration of the year with each FRQ prompt, their response, and a scored rubric. For students, this is beneficial because they can track their progress throughout the year and use it as a study tool at the end of each unit and before the AP Exam. For me, these notebooks serve as key benchmark data for determining how much exam preparation each student needs, as well as strong evidence of understanding. I use a combination of released exam questions from College Board, my own written questions, and in some cases, student-generated prompts. These questions ask students to integrate knowledge from different aspects of the course and are the ultimate integration of the Science Practices with content from across the different units of study.
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