Project Overview

Introduction

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Global socio-scientific issues such as pandemics,
climate change, and diminishing biodiversity are reshaping basic aspects of students’ present and future lives.

We refer to these complex and multifaceted issues as Grand Challenges (GCs).
Despite students’ growing concern with GCs, school science typically focuses on conveying scientific principles with little connection to these relevant real-world social issues that are informed by science. In a recent international survey, nearly all students expressed a desire to learn about GCs in school,
yet only few reported having opportunities to do so.

In this project we begin the first stage in restructuring middle school science education around GCs and students’ desire to be well-informed and to develop agency with respect to these issues.

In this stage we are: (A) Developing three 25-hour-long GC units with associated assessments for middle school science; (B) Collaborating with middle school science teachers to enact, study, and revise the GC units; and (C) Conducting research on student outcomes associated with the GC units and factors that impact the feasibility and quality of GC-oriented learning experiences in middle school science.

Project Overview

Introduction

Research Questions

The Problem

Instructional Approach

Project Description

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