Speaker: Sarah Murphy, Evaluation Manager and Professional Learning Specialist
What do you hope teachers will take away from this course?
Sarah Murphy: Hi, I'm Sarah, one of the course designers for Teaching Channel. "I'm just not a math person." "I don't feel welcome in science spaces." "STEM is too hard." If you've ever heard students express these sentiments or even experience these feelings yourself, course 5272: Cultivating Equity in STEM is just what you need. STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math can be intimidating and exclusive but it doesn't have to be that way. The course text, STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream by Dr. Chris Emdin is a beautiful and inspiring book that reimagines STEM as inclusive, equitable, and accessible for all students. This course will provide you with the knowledge and strategies to create a classroom or school culture where all students are encouraged, engaged, and empowered to see themselves in STEM classrooms and careers. You'll learn how to foster an environment where all students are STEM people.
What do you love about this course?
Sarah Murphy: I love that course 5272: Cultivating Equity in STEM starts with "why." We learn that the natural curiosity that young children feel for the world around them can be shut down by traditional approaches to teaching STEM subjects. We explore data about representation in STEM classes, and careers, including how women and Black, Native American and Latinx students have been excluded from STEM experiences. But the focus of the course is on positive solutions to address these key issues. The ideas and strategies you'll explore in the course include project-based learning experiences to engage students in solving real world problems, adding the arts into STEM to create STEAM, cultivating belonging in STEM spaces for all students, connecting with mentors and learning about contributions made by diverse people in STEM, learning about organizations like Beyond100K who are working to address inequities in STEM education. Teaching Channel is a partner in Beyond100K's efforts. Course participants will gain ideas to empower the next generation of STEM thinkers.
