Chapter 3:
How can we connect, scaffold and extend for our diverse learners?
Embedded Files
Why is diversity so important?
As our community continues to grow and change, the diverse perspectives and ideas that our emerging scientists can share are essential for developing creative, versatile, ethical solutions.
Think about YOUR students - what unique perspectives might they bring? What unique needs might they have that may need additional scaffolding or extension?
Your Task
Think about YOUR students
Describe some unique perspectives and needs of the students you teach this year, and list two or three ways you plan to connect, scaffold, or extend their learning.
Connect
How can we ensure our diverse students can connect to the scientific community? Consider utilizing data sets and sources that represent your students and sharing stories of diverse scientists who have shaped our field so far.
Ideas for Connecting
Utilize data sets and sources that represent your students' interests and backgrounds
I Am a Scientist - this nonprofit initiative connects students with real-life scientists to promote diversity in STEM (from Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences); click here to browse stories
Supporting Diverse Scientists - explore data, resources, and case studies, from The Royal Society
Scaffold
How can we scaffold or support students who are struggling to analyze data? Consider starting with simpler graphs with less information. Continue by either using the same graph type with more complex information or a more complex graph type with similar information.
Resources for Scaffolding
Graphing Activities for Kids - a list of ideas for hands-on graphing activities to make creating and understanding graphs more tactile and visual; while many activities are targeted for elementary audiences, they could be easily modified to incorporate interests of older students.
Graph Tutorial - printable pdf that reviews different types of graphs with the types of information they show from nces.ed.gov.
Graph Matching Activity - an activity students can complete in small group with the teacher or in collaborative groups to review types of graphs and the information they show and to practice basic graphing.
Nature Hunt Data and Graph Activity from https://www.jjresourcecreations.com/-blog/nature-hunt-data-graph-activity#/
Extend
How can we extend for students who are ready for an added challenge? Consider having students access real, raw, messy data sets and use tools and technology to create their own visualizations.
Real Data Sets
Data Nuggets - Collection of websites that offer freely available online data.
Data.gov - Source of data for the US Government open data; Divided into sections covering agriculture, finance, business. Contains over 180,000 datasets for public access.
CERN - the European Organisation for Particle Physics provide open data on a number of their experiments, for example the Large Hadron Collider has provided some 300 TB of data, some processed to make it suitable for schools and colleges.
Tools to Create Great Visuals
Your Task
Describe some unique perspectives and needs of the students you teach this year, and list two or three ways you plan to connect, scaffold, or extend their learning.
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