In this workshop, participants will learn how to develop and implement a multi-step pedagogy that engages students using SSI (debatable issues) to teach scientific concepts. Derived from methods developed by the USTRIVE (Understanding STEM Teaching Through Integrated Contexts in Everyday Life) Program, this workshop is specifically designed for the high school physics teacher. By reframing curricular content already taught by the teacher, a debatable issue introduces and guides each curricular unit by engaging students at the intersection of their current level of scientific understanding and the world outside of the classroom. Students are then navigated through this multi-step process, which deepens their understanding of physics while at the same time developing their stance on the issue using evidence to support their claim. New learning in both science content and student agency aspects allows students to leave the classroom experience empowered to make real changes to their surroundings. Teachers will leave this workshop with hands-on experience engaging in the SSI process from a learner’s perspective, and with a framework for developing and implementing their own.

Designing for justice in introductory physics means centering inquiry on phenomena that cross the artificial boundary between human and natural systems. The result is physics instruction that not only teaches students to understand the natural world, but broadens their perspectives on how humans fit into natural systems, what constitutes science, and what they can accomplish using physics. In high school, some of the design problems that students are noticing in the world may feel overwhelming, but breaking them down using the ideas and practices of physics can help students find hope and resilience. For example in OpenSciEd High School Physics, students ask questions like: How can we design more reliable systems to meet our community’s energy needs? What can we do to make driving safer for everyone? To answer these, students must use physics ideas and practices to understand/think creatively about design problems that emerge from complex systems at the nature-human divide.

Consider how instruction can support students in making positive changes in their communities. Explore how in OpenSciEd HS Physics, students use science ideas and practices to make sense of design problems that emerge from complex systems at the nature-human divide.