Part of my role as an enrichment teacher has been about connecting curriculum to current content and to student lives. Edelson (2001) explains that that National Science Education Standards expect students to learn through experiences that require them to “…create explanations, make predictions, and argue from evidence…” (Edelson, 2001, p. 355). STEM enterprises infuse these skills into a variety of contexts. For example, one of the things I collaborate with teachers on is making STEM challenges relevant to content in other subjects like read alouds. As I explored ArcGIS, I was reminded of three journeys in Alan Gratz’s novel Refugee (2017).
Refugee (2017) tells the story of three different children, in three different time periods. Josef is a young boy escaping Nazi Germany in the 1930s via ship. Isabel flees Cuba on a makeshift boat with her family and friends, and Mahmoud is a young Syrian boy traveling on a journey with his family towards Europe in 2015. I searched ArcGIS looking at the areas these three remarkable stories take place; studying the oceans and waterways that Josef and Isabel would have traveled and the long paths that Mahmoud’s family took by foot. The vastness and depth was inspiring and impossible to visualize independently.
The Learning-for-Use model (2001) has three steps, motivate, construct, and refine. Edelson (2001) verifies that “…conceptual understanding [that] will be available to the learner when it is relevant” (Edelson, 2001, p. 356). Refugee provides a meaningful context for students to construct knowledge about ocean currents (Isabel & Mahmoud’s journeys). By exploring maps, videos (https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/oceancurrents/), and additional resources, students are provided with opportunities to observe and build new knowledge. They will refine this knowledge by building a raft and charting a course/plan from Cuba to America, just like Isabel’s family. Not only does this give students an opportunity to reflect on their own learning about ocean currents but they have a deeper understanding of the story and meaning of the book.
Edelson, D. (2001). Learning‐for‐use: A framework for the design of technology‐supported inquiry activities. Journal Of Research In Science Teaching, 38(3), 355-385. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1098-2736(200103)38:3<355::aid-tea1010>3.3.co;2-d
Gratz, A. (2017). Refugee (1st ed.). Scholastic Press.
Your role sounds so interesting. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to collaborate with teaching peers and build off one another’s ideas. I like the way you built upon the Refugee lesson. The situated context allows for that cognitive dissonance so essential to students’ asking questions and constructing knowledge about ocean currents. Maps and videos are a great way to build out a reading activity. The additional task of building a raft and charting a plan from Cuba to America gives students an opportunity to reflect on their own learning and interact with the work with a hands-on task.
Thanks, Tracy! I have been pretty lucky to have some awesome opportunities in the last few years. It is going to be really hard, when the time comes, to move on from this position!