IDEA Learners
Background
Funded by an NIH grant, the central goal of the IDEA Learners program is to intentionally design mechanisms to better equip high school science teachers to guide students through exploration of biomedical research careers by centering on hyperlocal issues related to forever chemicals in their own communities. Through a series of remote and in-person design institutes we leverage design thinking tools to address the challenge “ How might we create an interactive classroom experience to better prepare high school students to understand the effects of PFAS in their communities"?
Approach
Using a cohort model, IDEA Learners partners high school science teachers from across the state and challenges them to expand their conception of curriculum design to include learner perspective meant increase the efficacy of their teaching strategies related to the presence of forever chemicals in their communities.
Over two years, teachers will co-design, prototype, and pilot innovative lessons in their classrooms then share their results and methods with peers in their schools to adapt, iterate, and pilot themselves. This initiative includes relevant current science in otherwise very traditional high school classrooms and is meant to target learner groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers.
Through three rounds of brainstorming, prototyping, and iterative feedback teacher teams generated elements of experiential and innovative learning opportunities to test in their classrooms.
The design team organized, developed, and facilitated a series of activities to guide participants through a series of brainstorming exercises based on the central challenge question “How might we create an interactive classroom experience to better prepare high school students to understand the effects of PFAS in their communities?” and subsequent rapid prototyping and testing activities.
Through curated key party engagement efforts with environmental scientists, graduate student researchers, and local high school students teachers crafted iterated standardized lesson plans to meet state curricular requirements through innovative learning experiences.
Impact and Outcomes
Teachers in the current cohort of IDEA learners have created pilot plans for their classrooms in the fall of 2024. The design team is contributing to the development of a series of manuscripts documenting the process and initial findings and the pilot process. In the interim, we are developing plans to scaffold peer to peer lesson sharing and development.