Ask Matt - NGSS science education advice from an expert

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk about storytelling and the value that stories bring to learning and in particular, learning science. They relate to their own experiences using storytelling, describe some of the latest research, and offer tips for how teachers can bring stories and storytelling into their own science classroom.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ignorant Pineapple
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0yv5bMjv7g
• Playlist of Green Ninja Film Festival Winners
  • https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Q5pqbnCmP4l1U9fl2e5DRxUtaeFjpZS
• Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
  • https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2869/copenhagen
• The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
  • https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300162/

In this episode, Eugene and Matt are joined by a special guest, Tiffany Boyd. Tiffany is a retired teacher who taught for 27 years in Boulder, CO and now runs the organization Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA). Eugene and Matt talk with Tiffany about her work in Colorado to support teachers integrate climate science, climate justice, and climate action into their classrooms.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA) website
  • https://classroomsforclimateaction.org/
• C4CA’s Act for Climate Toolkit Framework
  • https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vwx8vmvUeZ6mTwKUClJPeejQnIeclGht/view?usp=sharing

Eugene talks about how to be a good science thinker on the ScIC “Science is Cool”  Unplugged podcast with PocketLab co-founder, Dave Bakker. The podcast follows a similar theme as the very popular Science is Cool (ScIC) virtual unconferences that PocketLab has hosted since the pandemic started. Dave Bakker is a wonderful host and makes every conversation interesting and fun! Dave asks Eugene a bunch of questions about science learning and climate, and their conversations ultimately lead to Green Ninja and the work they are doing to mainstream climate education.

Original episode:

• ScIC “Science is Cool” Unplugged Podcast: “Making Good Science Thinkers with Dr. Eugene Cordero”
  • https://www.thepocketlab.com/podcast/dr-eugene-cordero

Eugene talks about Green Ninja with Pod of Gold hosts Stefanie B. Overbeck and Mel Wymore. The Pod of Gold podcast is created to inspire creative activism and social innovation as they believe the successful evolution of human society will require a profound transformation of the systems that shape our behavior. They were interested in talking to Eugene about Green Ninja because they were curious if education could play a role in ultimately promoting a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable future.

Original episode:

• Pod of Gold Podcast: “The Green Ninja | Eugene Cordero”
  • https://www.podofgold.world/the-green-ninja-eugene-cordero/

Eugene and Dr. Steve Westlake (Cardiff University) were recently guests on the podcast, Your Money, Your World, where the focus of the episode was “Understanding Our Carbon Footprints”. We decided to rebroadcast the episode because we felt that many of our listeners would find the conversations interesting and relevant to our own understanding of climate change and how we teach this subject.

Original episode:

• Your World, Your Money Podcast: “Understanding Our Carbon Footprints”
  • https://www.ywympodcast.com/s3e7

In this episode, Eugene and Matt talk to Katie Worth about her new book and what her extensive research can teach us about climate change education in the U.S.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Miseducation: How Climate Change is Taught in America by Katie Worth
  • https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/miseducation/
• ClimeTime
  • https://www.climetime.org/
• National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI)
  • https://climateinterpreter.org/about/projects/NNOCCI

Eugene and Matt have recently helped create a new series of free and open lessons on climate change called Saving the Monarchs. In this episode, Eugene and Matt discuss the inspiration for creating these lessons, some of the design decisions they made along the way, and how teachers can use these materials in their own classrooms.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Green Ninja's Climate Change Unit, Saving the Monarchs
  • https://web.greenninja.org/saving-the-monarchs

In this episode, Eugene and Matt are joined by a special guest, Tashanda Giles-Jones. Tashanda is a teacher at Environmental Charter Middle School in Inglewood, California, and she shares some of the work she’s done to help students become leaders in their community through outdoor and environmental projects. Eugene and Matt then explore how outdoor education can enhance opportunities for science learning.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• TreePeople
  • https://www.treepeople.org/
• Generation Earth
  • https://www.dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/ge/
• The California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum
  • https://californiaeei.org/Curriculum/
• The Bay Foundation
  • https://www.santamonicabay.org/
• GrowingGreat
  • https://growinggreat.org/
• The Edible Schoolyard Project
  • https://edibleschoolyard.org/
• California Academy of Sciences
  • https://www.calacademy.org/educators
• Green Schools National Network
  • https://greenschoolsnationalnetwork.org/
• 2016 Science Framework for California Public Schools, Chapter 11: Instructional Strategies for CA NGSS Teaching and Learning in the Twenty-First Century
  • https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf/documents/scifwchapter11.pdf

In this special episode, Eugene mainly listens in to a small group of teachers who share their experiences and offer advice on how to engage students within this challenging remote learning environment. The discussion is fascinating and offers insights into the lengths that teachers will go to best serve their students. On the call are Elizabeth Brooking, a grade 6-8 science teacher, and the teaching pair of Mich and Leticia Kiwan who team-teach science, math, social studies, and English in middle school.

Our special conversation with Dr. Okhee Lee continues now with a focus on language learning and the role it should play in our science classrooms. Okhee has established a national reputation for her work and thinking on this subject, and our discussion with her is very thought-provoking.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• NYU SAIL Research Lab
  • https://www.nyusail.org/
• Okhee Lee's Twitter
  • https://twitter.com/OkheeLee_
• English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives
  • https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25182/english-learners-in-stem-subjects-transforming-classrooms-schools-and-lives