Educators face a delicate balancing act, keeping students, parents, and districts in mind while navigating curriculum and a world of distractions outside the school doors. While there is a rich history surrounding the teaching of science in schools nationwide, over the past few years, we have seen an increase in events happening beyond schools that have a tremendous impact on what is happening within our classrooms, in both K–12 and higher education. In a time once anticipated with flying cars and space colonies, we instead find ourselves fighting book bans, continued underfunding of education, and movements to stop teaching critical topics that impact everyone—evolution, diversity, climate, vaccinations, and even dissection.
Science teachers focus time heavily on classroom practices, learning content, and the best instructional methods to engage students and ensure they learn. We spend hours planning lessons, vetting potential lab experiences, and evaluating assignments. However, one critical aspect we don’t...
University of California Press