Techniques to Teach Tricky Topics

1. Techniques to Teach Tricky Topics Karin KirkScience Education Resource Center Carleton College

2. A student’s perspective The following is the result of a biology class in human ecology that I took this past semester (Fall 2004) as a freshman in college. The assignment was to gather ten articles and write some commentaries about them, challenging the ideas, presenting alternative ideas, or offering original thoughts. It was entirely my idea to make the journal focus primarily on global warming, particularly as a result of the bio teacher, and how greenie “we’re killing the earth” type stuff she was believing in. (She wasn’t necessarily a sniveling liberal, or a fringe kook, I believe she sincerely believed what she taught, but the poor lady needed some antidepressants) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1304893/posts

4. Affective challenges for teaching controversial topics • Pre-held beliefs (affective) and misconceptions (cognitive) • Perceptions of scientists (is science neutral?) • Biases and stereotypes • Judgment issues

5. Tactics for Effective Pedagogy • Clearly define your role and your approach • Focus on the science, first and foremost • Rely on data to make the case • Create active learning situations • Recognize common ground • Focus on realistic solutions • Use a careful touch • Lead by example

6. Clearly define your role and your teaching approach • Is your goal: • to teach only the relevant scientific processes? • to promote an awareness of environmental issues? • to promote policies that affect environmental issues? • to lead students toward a shift in their own environmental behavior? • In the classroom, do you assume the role of: • neutral scientist? • environmental guardian? • a free-marketeer? • devil's advocate? • There are advantages to various approaches, but it's important to consciously consider what your goals are and how you can best achieve them. [Corney, 1998]

7. Teach the science first • Teach the process of science throughout your course • Integrate and tie to climate science through out all of an Earth Systems course or unit.  • Relate the scientific principles to other parts of the course • Present the underlying scientific principles objectively, using data and relevant examples. • Scaffold the science content: students should understand the overall concepts of atmospheric composition and structure before you delve into anthropogenic CO2

8. Use data to make the case • Let the data speak for itself. Have students work through data sets, and they can discover for themselves the rate and extent of environmental change. [Schweizer and Kelly, 2005] • Use authentic data sets and provide links to the original data. (CLEAN project) • In some cases, they still may end up being surprised or emotional, but it's because they reached their own conclusion, not because you told them to be alarmed. DON’T EXAGGERATE!

9. Use active learning techniques • Students learn better when the can learn it for themselves, and this is especially true for topics that are potential turn-offs for students. [Iozzi, 1989] , [Schweizer and Kelly, 2005] • Environmental issues lend themselves to teaching techniques like • using local examples or case studies • gathering data from the field or use local or real-time data • using role-playing • participating in environmental projects

10. It's not all doom and gloom • Strive for a balance in which students do not feel overwhelmed by a preponderance of "bad news." • Present relevant environmental successes as examples of how problems can be overcome.

11. Teach solutions, but keep scale in mind • Change your lightbulbs = problem solved, right? • Use a quantitative approach • Can be eye-opening and motivating

12. Avoid making “camps” Source: Global Warming’s Six Americas 2009. Maibach, Roser-Renouf, and Leiserowitz, 2009

13. Source: Global Warming’s Six Americas 2009. Maibach, Roser-Renouf, and Leiserowitz, 2009

14. Recognize Common Ground Source: Global Warming’s Six Americas 2009. Maibach, Roser-Renouf, and Leiserowitz, 2009

15. Source: Global Warming’s Six Americas 2009. Maibach, Roser-Renouf, and Leiserowitz, 2009

16. Controversy, ambiguity, and topics with incomplete or missing evidence can be used constructively (but judiciously) • Engaging controversial topics, or topics that have no clear-cut answers, can create an environment where students are motivated to learn more out of curiosity or imminent need [e.g. Edelson, 2001]. • Students can be encouraged to review what is known, to identify what additional information is needed to solve the problem, and to continue the search to find and critically examine new information. • Learning goals for students can include development of "scientific habits of the mind" [AAAS, 1989], to be critical consumers of information, and to be able to create, present and rebut arguments based on evidence. • A supportive environment needs to be created to encourage scholarly and open review of the arguments and ideas, and provisions need to be put in place to prevent interpersonal attacks in class activities. • Carefully consider the audience level and the intended outcome when using this approach.

17. Lead by example, but don't preach • Avoid talking down to your students for their own personal choices. • Preaching to the class about what's "good" and what's "bad" will likely have the opposite effect than you intended • If your goal is to promote environmentally-favorable behavior in your students, consider a hands-on project that will challenge students to consider the environmental impacts of their own actions. [Kirk and Thomas, 2003]

18. Examples http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/climatechange/visualizations.html http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/sac http://serc.carleton.edu/usingdata/datasheets/Paleoclimatology_Rarotonga.html http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/energy/quantskills.html