Intended Audience: High School Science and Math teachers who have submitted an application and have been preselected to participate in this course.

Course Description: This class aims to equip STEM educators with access to real Iowa Climate data to bring relevant citizen science into the classroom. During the on-site workshop, educators will collaborate with math and science colleagues to develop inquiry science lessons aimed at engaging students in computational and mathematical thinking of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The online portion of this course will provide teachers with selected readings, online discussion, and opportunities for reflection.

Driving questions that will guide this course are: 

1. What evidence supports climate change in Iowa? 

2. How does data support scientific claims? 

3. Why is computational and mathematical thinking necessary in science? 

4. What teaching practices are required for establishing effective data practices in the classroom? 

Course Objectives: This renewal unit will focus on expanding educators’ application of the Science and Engineering Practice: using mathematics and computational thinking, from the NGSS. By the end of this course, educators will be able to: 

1. Access Iowa Climate data and demonstrate computational proficiency through manipulation and analysis of the data by the end of the on-site workshop. 

2. Create and implement a cross-curricular study between science and math using real Iowa Climate data aligned to the NGSS. 

3. Engage in the following data practices using Iowa Climate data: manipulating, visualizing, and analyzing (Burton et al., 2020). 

4. Develop conceptual understanding of computational thinking through decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithm building, and automation and how it translates to instruction (Burton et al., 2020). 

Course Requirements: Attend the on-site professional development provided by Dr. Ted Neal and Dr. Gabriele Villarini, Saturday, October, 8th, 2022. Educators will participate in implementation plans back in their home school districts that may include on-site mentoring and feedback collection on the successful usage of the PD workshop materials. 

Course Materials: Materials for the course will be made available in-person (during the PD) or on ICON. Instructions for accessing this course will be e-mailed to participants on or before the scheduled start date.

** Attention: If you wish to use this course for licensure renewal credit, make sure to always check with your school district for approval prior to registering for the course.