Using Multiple Models to Learn about COVID-19

Furthermore, multiple scientific disciplines, such as immunology, genetics, epidemiology, and microbiology, contribute to our understanding of the pandemic. [...]COVID-19 is a complex socioscientific issue (SSI), meaning that science concepts related to the virus have real-world implications for problems in society (Zeidler 2014). SSI-based teaching and learning creates opportunities for students to grapple with real-world problems relevant to their own lives and that require consideration and evaluation of multiple, sometimes competing, factors associated with the issue. The modeling activities were embedded in a broader unit designed for high school biology classes;descriptions of the full unit and the individual modeling activities can be accessed online at https:// epiclearning.web.unc.edu/covid (Sadler et al. 2021). For this aspect of the work, we chose a Netlogo computer simulation (www.jacobkelter.com/infection-model) that allowed students to identify patterns and make sense of underlying cause-and-effect relationships associated with social distancing-two of the NGSS crosscutting concepts.

Teacher learning through collaborative curriculum design in the midst of a pandemic: A cultural historical activity theory investigation

Collaborative design, or co-design, is an effective form of professional development that promotes teacher learning. In this study, we used cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to investigate how teachers attempt to resolve systematic contradictions as they co-designed and enacted a four-week science unit on COVID-19. Our findings indicated that the teachers faced significant challenges in implementing the COVID-19 unit. We also found that tensions among teachers and positioning teachers as the ultimate decision-makers were particularly useful for promoting teacher learning in the midst of a pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher learning through collaborative curriculum design in the midst of a pandemic: A cultural historical activity theory investigation

Collaborative design, or co-design, is an effective form of professional development that promotes teacher learning. In this study, we used cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to investigate how teachers attempt to resolve systematic contradictions as they co-designed and enacted a four-week science unit on COVID-19. Our findings indicated that the teachers faced significant challenges in implementing the COVID-19 unit. We also found that tensions among teachers and positioning teachers as the ultimate decision-makers were particularly useful for promoting teacher learning in the midst of a pandemic.

Student interest, concerns, and information-seeking behaviors related to COVID-19

COVID-19 creates an opportunity for science classrooms to relate content about viruses to students’ personal experiences with the pandemic. Previous researchers have shown that students are interested in crisis situations like disease outbreaks;however, they primarily acquire information about these events through internet sources which are often biased. We argue that it is important to understand student interest, concerns, and information-seeking behaviors related to COVID-19 to support science classroom learning and engagement about the virus and other potential outbreaks. We surveyed 224 high school students and analyzed their responses to six open-ended questions. We found that students expressed the most interest in topics related to the origin of COVID-19 and vaccines. Their greatest concerns included contracting the virus or someone they know contracting the virus and vaccine distribution. Of our sample, only 6.7% reported using their teachers as their source of COVID-19 information. Science classrooms have the potential to pique students’ situational interest by discussing COVID-19 topics that are important to students, which can increase their academic performance, content knowledge, attention, and engagement in learning about viruses. Moreover, classroom instruction about COVID-19 by teachers has shown to alleviate students’ stress and anxiety. We provide key areas of student interest about COVID-19 to help educators address students’ questions and improve curricular resources on viral pandemics.

Developing and Using Multiple Models to Promote Scientific Literacy in the Context of Socio-Scientific Issues.

Learning science in the context of socio-scientific issues (SSI) can promote scientific literacy that links science to everyday life and society. In this position paper, we argue that developing and using multiple models equip students with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to deal with complex issues. We draw upon literature from science education and philosophy of science and advance our theoretical argument about why it is critical for students to develop and use multiple models as part of their science learning experiences in general, and how the practice benefits students in the context of SSI in particular. We posit that students should engage in both scientific and socio-scientific models as they explore a complex societal issue because (1) engagement in multiple scientific models promotes students' understanding about the phenomena relevant to the focal issue, and (2) engagement in socio-scientific models helps students to use that scientific knowledge in the larger social contexts and reason about how interacting science and social factors may impact students' positions on the complex issue. We take COVID-19 as the learning context and present exemplar models students can develop and use as they learn about the pandemic. We conclude the paper by discussing the teaching aspects of the proposed modeling approach for SSI-based instruction as well as identifying possible areas for future research.