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Engaging Teachers in a Shared Experience

Jun 11, 2024

Engaging Teachers in a Shared Experience: Puyallup’s Story

Written by Ann Schumacher & Josh Simondet, PSD Science Instructional Coaches

Educators in the Puyallup School District participated in a five-part professional learning series designed to explore equitable, highly effective, and ambitious instructional practices. 

Teaching Considerations

In the first session, participants were introduced to a local, culturally-relevant anchoring phenomenon.  The storyline centered on the 2017 spill of thousands of farm-raised Atlantic salmon into the Puget Sound.  This disastrous spill was blamed on unusually strong tides coinciding with a solar eclipse.  A massive clean-up was taken up by area fishers and members of regional tribes including the Lummi, Swinomish, and Samish.

Participants took up student roles and modeled their initial hypotheses on a scaffolded template.  AST routines were used to elicit and capture ideas.  

The series continued for five (5) months.  Each session built on the last.  Between sessions, participants asynchronously learned about, practiced “ambitious” strategies, and reflected on their experiences:

  • Session One: Experience the opening lesson of a phenomena-based unit. 
    • Asynchronous: Learn about the characteristics of anchoring phenomena. 
  • Session Two: Explore ways to increase productive student talk.
    • Asynchronous: Plan and conduct a lesson that centers student discourse and capture evidence.
  • Session Three: Examine the practice of “developing and using models” and reimagine scientific models beyond replicas and “posters.”
    • Asynchronous: Continue to learn about explanatory models.
  • Session Four: Identify an opportunity for models in instructional materials and draft a model template that supports student thinking.
    • Asynchronous: Engage students in the practice of modeling.
  • Session Five: Analyze student models, reflect on modeling activities, and celebrate learning.
    • Asynchronous: Reflect on the series.

Equity

Teacher Educators & Professional Learning

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This site is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Award #1907471 and #1315995