Tools for Educators
The following tools were developed from the research practice partnership to support teachers in designing phenomenon-based, equity-focused, and justice-centered instructions and assessments. The tools are meant to guide the planning conversations with a professional learning community. It could also be use to provide peer feedback between collaborative teams.
Phenomenon Problem
Guideline on how to select complex phenomenon/problem that are meaningful for the students.
Unit Driving Question
Guideline on how to frame a unit driving question.
Unit Explanatory Model
Guideline on how to create a gapless explanation and what to include in the Explanatory Model.
Activity Sequence
Guideline on how to sequence a logical & coherent storyline from the student’s perspective.
Capstone Project
Guideline on how to design an “unconventional assessment” that helps students engage in civic actions.
Initial & Final Assessments
Guideline on how to design multiple forms of assessments to assess the learning goals (traditional assessments).
Design Principles that Guide Our Work
Making it Matter
This design principle focuses on making the content matter to students. Our research supports the idea that students who buy in to the content are more engaged in the work teachers ask them to do.
Building Community
This principle focuses on what the classroom looks and feels like. When students and teachers spend time building community they are more likely to take intellectual risks.
Supporting Sensemaking
Supporting student sense making focuses on taking science content and allowing students to make sense of it using their own experiences and ideas to inform each other.
Disrupting Power Hierarchies
With this principle we focus on giving students power and autonomy in the classroom, and de-settling normative expectations about what counts as “good” science.
Attending to Race, Culture, and Language
With this principle we focus on giving students race, culture, and language a spotlight in the classroom. Students’ backgrounds are brought to class as a source of information and diversity so that they may learn from each other.
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