A free conversation series facilitated by teachers and others around strategies for the classroom. Each week will offer a new focus.
Dates: THREE SESSIONS March 8, 15, and 22. 6pm EDT.
In October 2020 STEMteachersNYC partnered with our sibling organizations across the country to co-host our first national STEMteachersEXPO. The focus of the EXPO was “Growing Responsive STEM Communities”. We invited teachers from NYC and beyond to share experiences and expertise in content and practice, with peers. The first installment of our new Angles on Culturally Responsive STEM Teaching Series will offer an opportunity to return and to and expand on some of the conversations from the EXPO. Angles on CRT sessions are free and open to all. We look forward to working with you!
STEP UP: A Social Movement to Promote Cultural Change in Physics
March 8, 6pm EDT
Leaders: Jason Sullivan, Mariel Kolker, Natasha Collova and Shannon Swilley Greco.
Most women physics majors report that they became interested in physics careers in high school. A high school physics teacher’s recognition of a young woman as being a “physics person” is a significant predictor for choosing a physics career. Furthermore, most female career physicists also report becoming interested in physics careers in high school. High school may be a critical period, particularly in the US, since physics is delineated as a separate science course at that time and students are getting close to deciding on their majors. Drawing on research evidence, STEP UP is mobilizing thousands of high school physics teachers to reduce barriers and inspire young women to pursue physics degrees in college. Join us to continue the discussion on lesson materials that are research-driven and will help shift deep-seated cultural views about who does physics.
Grading with Equity in Mind
March 15, 6pm EDT
Leaders: Tanea Hibler and Ariel Serkin
Why does grading for equity matter? Culturally responsive teaching requires that teachers look at students as individuals, they understand who students are, what challenges they face, and that they implement policies and strategies that are equitable for all learners. Teachers must also consider how one’s teaching practices, especially grading, can impact their students’ self-efficacy, their short and long-term growth, as well as future opportunities. Come learn and continue the discussion around reimagining grading, and the value and impact that equitable grading practices can have on your students.
Unteaching & Unlearning: Decolonizing Math History and Education
March 22, 6pm EDT
Leader: Martina Meijer
Nothing is neutral, especially in education. Let’s take a critical lens to our curriculum content, especially the history of the math that we teach. This is a moment for teachers to develop a more complex understanding of the background of the math that we teach our students, one that does not center European mathematicians or European culture. In most US schools the non-European roots of mathematics and scientific ideas are not taught. The discoveries made by scholars, scribes, and mathematicians from China, India, the Mayan Empire, Egypt, Benin, and many others are falsely attributed to the Greeks and Romans. Educators have a responsibility to research and improve their craft, and to commit to unlearning and unteaching the stories and historical perspective that was taught. Join us for a conversation on developing a more complex understanding of the background of the math that we teach our students.