Teachers turn to mosquito control for local examples of climate science
Many schools still lacked science materials, equipment, and suffered from a shortage of science teachers and specific training to facilitate implementation of CA NGSS mandates.Public Policy Institute of California
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are an important step toward improving science education; however, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, as of spring 2017, many schools still lacked science materials, equipment, and suffered from a shortage of science teachers and specific training to facilitate implementation of CA NGSS mandates.
Earlier this year, UCLA Educational Leadership Program doctoral student and educational consultant, Kelley Le, led a three-day educational program for Los Angeles public secondary science educators. Their goal? To learn how to effectively teach climate change science in the classroom.
“After extensive research, I realized that there is no multi-day educational programs for teachers dedicated to climate change in alignment with NGSS in Los Angeles. If teachers are now required to teach about climate change, they cannot do so without support and training.”
During the training program, Kelley shared examples from a variety of agencies highlighting the effects of climate change on our local communities.
The EcoHealth Vector Education classroom programs was one of the programs Kelley featured because mosquito control provides information on the impact of invasive mosquito species in Los Angeles County. The program not only illustrates the effects of climate change, but provides an example that is relatable for students at all grade levels.
To book an EcoHealth Vector Education classroom program for your students click HERE
Kelley also speaks on the challenges teachers face with NGSS and incorporating climate change into classroom lessons, listen to the full interview here: [Link to video]
About Kelley Le:
Kelley Le is an instructional coach, educational consultant, and doctoral student at UCLA in the Educational Leadership Program. She has presented at STEM conferences in California on topics ranging from NGSS alignment to Nanoscience. She has also worked with UCLA Science Project as an NGSS workshop facilitator and instructional coach. For more information, contact Kelley Le directly at ContactKelleyLe@Gmail.com or call (310) 782-5768.