Exploring Science Fictional Futures With Secondary Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 94-114
Author(s):  
Brittany Tomin ◽  
Jennifer Jenson
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
English Classrooms ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
K 12

Science fiction (SF), while enjoying unprecedented success in popular culture, continues to be an under-utilized resource in K-12 education. This chapter details the results of an in-school study on the use of SF in secondary school courses, examining how SF can be used as a pedagogical tool by educators to help students explore fictional futures in the context of contemporary issues, with a particular focus on developing critical thinking and critical literacy competencies. This study was designed to address the gap in pedagogical resources on teaching SF, and the dearth of research on potential benefits of teaching with SF in secondary English classrooms in particular. The aim of this chapter will therefore be to provide a research-informed overview of the benefits of integrating SF texts into secondary English classrooms, and to offer suggestions for educators.

When Princesses Become Dragons

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-89
Author(s):  
Shelby Boehm ◽  
Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko ◽  
Kathleen Olmstead ◽  
Henry “Cody” Miller
Keyword(s):  
Language Arts ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Secondary English Language Arts ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Language Arts Classrooms ◽  
Teaching Implications

In this article we offer curricular suggestions for teaching Elana K. Arnold’s young adult title Damsel, a subverted fairytale rewrite, using a critical literacy framework. In doing so, we outline how English curriculum has often upheld oppressive systems that harm women, and how our teaching can challenge such systems. We situate this work through the retelling of a fairytale trope given the ubiquity of such stories in secondary students’ lives. Our writings have teaching implications for both secondary English language arts classrooms and higher education fields such as English, folklore, mythology, and gender studies. We end by noting the limitations of such teaching.

scholarly journals Using Critical Literacy to Explore Genetics and its Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues with In-Service Secondary Teachers

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Gleason ◽  
Megan E. Melançon ◽  
Karynne L. M. Kleine
Keyword(s):  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Human Genetics ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Genome Project ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
English Classrooms ◽  
Values And Beliefs

The described interdisciplinary course helped a mixed population of in-service secondary English and biology teacher-participants increase their genetics content knowledge and awareness of Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) that arose from discoveries and practices associated with the Human Genome Project. This was accomplished by applying a critical literacy approach that allows people develop cognitive skills such that they are able to “read the world” ( Wink, 2004 ). The approach is one that permits readers to go beyond the literal text to examine what is present as well as what is missing as it relates to issues of equity and fairness. Becoming critically literate enabled these teacher-participants to challenge the subtle attitudes, values, and beliefs conveyed by a range of written and oral texts. The teacher-participants in this course improved their critical literacy skills by actively reading, critically writing about, and using evidence to support their conclusions about issues arising from advances in human genetics. A biologist, a linguist, and an educator collaboratively designed and taught the course. The personalized focus on the integration of thoughtful reading and writing in this class enhanced the teacher-participants' (n = 16) professional and intellectual development and will potentially improve learning in their biology and English classrooms in the future.

scholarly journals Applying Relatedness to Explain Learning Outcomes of STEM Maker Activities

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Weng ◽  
Thomas K. F. Chiu ◽  
Morris S. Y. Jong
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Emotional Engagement ◽  
Psychological Need ◽  
Cognitive Characteristics ◽  
Cognitive Competencies ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Effective Development ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Stem Interest

A growing interest has been observed among K-12 school educators to incorporate maker pedagogy into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to engage students in the design and making process. Both cognitive engagement and emotional engagement of students can be promoted through satisfying the psychological need of relatedness that concerns a sense of connection and belonging. How to support relatedness would influence the effective development of students’ cognitive competencies, namely creativity and critical thinking, and non-cognitive characteristics, namely interest and identity. Therefore, the present study investigated how two relatedness support strategies—real-world problems (RWP) and mentoring influence the development of student’s STEM-related cognitive competencies and non-cognitive characteristics in STEM marker activities. We implemented a 7-week intervention study with three classes of Grade 9 students (aged 13–15 years) in Hong Kong (n = 95). Three intervention conditions were designed in the experiment, comprising textbook problem (TBP), RWP, and RWP with mentoring (RWPM). Our analysis showed that (i) the differences in creativity among the three groups were non-significant, (ii) the RWP and RWPM groups showed stronger critical thinking than the TBP group, and (iii) the RWPM group exhibited stronger STEM interest and identity than the other two groups. This study revealed the effectiveness of adopting RWP strategy in developing secondary students’ perceived cognitive competencies (e.g., creativity and critical thinking) and the feasibility of employing a mentoring mechanism for cultivating learners’ perceived non-cognitive characteristics (e.g., STEM identity and interest). Hence, we also offered practical suggestions for teachers.

The Ins and Outs of Teamworking: When University Teachers, in-Service Secondary Teachers and Pre-Service Teachers Collaborate to Transform Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-193
Author(s):  
Dolors Masats ◽  
Paula Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Students ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Professional Skills ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Learning Success ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
Agent Of Change ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Initiatives for teachers’ professional development should rely on the epistemology of practice, that is, be founded on the premise that reflective teachers construct professional knowledge and develop professional skills through practice and through planning, observing or analysing practice. Reflection about teaching action and reflection in teaching action triggers innovation, especially when teachers work together to create the necessary conditions to transform learning. This paper advocates in favour of collaborative action research and innovation as a methodology to promote change in classroom practices. To illustrate this proposal, it presents a case study in which a secondary English teacher from a school which hosts adolescents at risk opens her classrooms to a researcher and a group of pre-service teachers with the objective to reflect upon her own practices and to become an agent of change. Our corpus is made of natural audio-recorded data from the discussions emerging during focus-group sessions held to evaluate the ongoing innovation and interviews to participating secondary students and trainee teachers. The analysis of those interactions will first lead us to reflect upon the challenges of promoting change in the classrooms. Then it will allow us to understand the impact of the experience and argue in favour of a model of teacher education based on team work as a tool to acquire professional skills and guarantee students’ learning success.

The integration of a community service learning water project in a post-secondary chemistry lab

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Ho ◽  
Boris S. Svidinskiy ◽  
Sahara R. Smith ◽  
Christopher C. Lovallo ◽  
Douglas B. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Secondary Chemistry ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
K 12

Community Service Learning (CSL) is an experiential learning approach that integrates community service into student projects and provides diverse learning opportunities to reduce interdisciplinary barriers. A semester-long chemistry curriculum with an integrated CSL intervention was implemented in a Canadian university to analyze the potential for engagement and positive attitudes toward chemistry as a meaningful undertaking for 14 post-secondary students in the laboratory as well as for their 400 K-12 student partners in the community. Traditionally, introductory science experiments typically involve repeating a cookbook recipe from a lab book, but this CSL project allowed the post-secondary and K-12 students to work collaboratively to determine the physical and chemical properties and total dissolved solids in the water fountains from the K-12 students' schools. Post-instructional surveys were completed by all learners and were analyzed using a mixed methodological approach with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The expected audience that may be interested in this study are those involved in teaching chemistry in higher education and at the K-12 level as well as those interested in service learning, community and civic engagement, experiential learning, and development of transferable skills in chemistry. The results demonstrate that both groups of students report favorable engagement and attitudes towards learning chemistry and higher self-confidence levels on performing lab skills after the activity. Furthermore, both groups of students expressed interest in exploring future projects, which is indicative of the positive impact of CSL and the mutual benefits of the partnership.

Final Choices: Surveying Career Options

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Judy Randi
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Career Aspirations ◽  
Alternate Route ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
Math Teachers ◽  
Retention And Attrition ◽  
Career Options ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Reasons For Staying

This article follows the 25 exemplar elementary, secondary English, and math teachers prepared in New Jersey's alternate route program (AR) or college-based programs (CB) through their 11th year. The article examines retention and attrition patterns, including moving from school to school or to education-related positions outside of K–12 classroom settings. The article presents data on teachers’ reasons for staying or leaving, including their career aspirations. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings and the implications for teacher education.

scholarly journals Enhancing Engagement in Reading: Reader Response Journals in Secondary English Classrooms

1944 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Reader Response ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
High School English ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
English Classrooms ◽  
English Students ◽  
Student Journals ◽  
Positive Results

Writing reader response journals during the act of reading provides ideal opportunities for secondary English students to deepen and expand their understanding of literature. Based on data from three case studies conducted by a former high school English teacher, currently an English educator, this article examines the effectiveness of students recording response entries as they read a novel. Excerpts from student journals illustrate the positive results of combining the acts of reading and writing. Student engagement with text leads to better comprehension and through writing reflective responses, students become more effective readers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document