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Science and Public Policy in Current Events
Class Experience
Each meeting will be divided into approximate thirds. The first third will be a current event. For example, the first meeting will be hurricanes. We will discuss Hurricane Beryl and the 2024 hurricane season. The second third will be discussing what public officials have been saying about the topic. In our example this will be what public officials have said about hurricanes and/or Beryl specifically. And the final third will be the science of hurricanes. A short list of sources are...
- Students will be able to access current issues related to science in the world.
- Students will be able to think critically about information presented to them
- Students will be able to check the veracity of public statements
I am a licensed and experienced Middle and High School Science Teacher with certifications in Science and English Language Learners. I've taught in public, private (secular and parochial), charters, and on Outschool for 9 years now. I've taught general science, Biology, Interdisciplinary studies, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, Adulting, Urban Gardening, and project courses that include writing, story telling, and animation. I have been part of the the social justice programs at the brick and mortar schools I teach at. This class is not intended to be a debate club but because current affairs are a topic of discussion, its possible that disagreements might arise and need to be resolved, if possible, with respectful discussion. If there is disagreement we will discuss things with respect and with faithful adherence to established scientific principles. First will be the expectation will be for students to remain respectful of each other and other beliefs. If students need assistance working through their feelings or their word choices to convey that respect this is something I can help with. Secondly, the expectation will be for to back up their claims with legitimate evidence. If it's an especially complex topic students might need additional time to do research and we'll cover how to find reliable resources at that time. I have a lot of experience guiding students through that process of researching a topic and gathering evidence in order to reach a conclusion. If necessary we can go over common fallacies with analyzing data.
While this class isn't a political class, because it touches on policy it may abut political discussion (climate change for example) or someone's closely held beliefs (vaccines). While we will always be respectful of someone's beliefs, the class will present information that is accurate and relevant to the topic at hand. This class might also touch on marginalized groups, for example, weather phenomenon often impact marginalized groups disproportionately due to the geographic location of those neighborhoods and historic investment infrastructure or lack thereof. Other marginalized groups are working toward solutions to problems such as restoration of ecosystems. While the intent of the class is not to focus exclusively on such groups, it would do a massive disservice to the name of science and also social policy if they were ignored entirely. One avenue for this discussion is the use of multiple sources. For example, in addition to peer reviewed sources we will be focused on relevant governmental, scientific, and regulator bodies. For example, if we are discussing a weather related phenomenon then it make sense to source our information from NOAA and NASA. We can get pollution or energy data from the EPA and EIA. We will be using a variety of sources and perspectives when having our discussions in order to learn from the best with the broadest possible base of information.
NOAA NASA EPA EIA NSF Union of Concerned Scientists Smithsonian Research Center Peer reviewed Journals (Nature, Cell Magazine, Science Magazine, JAMA, etc) The American Presidency Project from UC Santa Barbra American Rhetoric from USC Statements released by public officials or stakeholders via their official channels Exact verified quotes reported by journalists CSPAN Senate, House, and White House transcripts Library of Congress Scientific American Space.com National Weather Service World Wildlife Fund UN Global Impact/UN environmental programme
Teacher expertise and credentials
Washington Teaching Certificate in Science
I've been a science teacher since 2015. I've taught both middle school and high school science, chemistry, biology, and physics. I thought it'd be fun to teach on Outschool because it would allow me to be more flexible with how I teach and what...
Reviews
Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
4-10 learners per class