During the week of October 19th, 2020,โฏ17โฏteachers fromโฏthe Puget Sound region attended aโฏthree-day online workshop,โฏSolutions Oriented Learning Storylines:โฏRenewable Energy-Solar, with Pacific Education InstituteโsโฏFieldSTEMโฏCoordinatorsโฏMolly Griffiths, Tressa Arbow and Hattie Osborneโฏ along withโฏlocal community partners.
To begin the workshopโฏseries,โฏMolly acknowledged the land thatโฏsheโฏresidesโฏonโฏandโฏgaveโฏtime for the participants to research the lands they currently occupy.โฏThe participants later completedโฏan asynchronous activityโฏto learn more aboutโฏtheir local tribal nations and think about actionable steps to incorporate tribal history and perspectives in their classrooms.โฏโฏDuring the first session, participants heard from Itsa Shash, a Native American storyteller. Itsa shared lessons about the sun and shared with teachers how to promote deeper understanding with students. Many participants noted in their evaluation that incorporating storytelling into their science instruction is a new way to connect their students to the place they reside.
The second session introduced participants to โฏAri and Miguel from Olympia Community Solar. Ari and Miguel shared how solar energy, energy equity and community solar projects are taking steps towards justice and equity for all especially Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) communities; they also highlighted several community solar projects across the state and country including the Hummingbird Community Solar project in Olympia, WA. After hearing fromโฏthe community partner, participantsโฏshared their tribal nation research inโฏsmall groups.โฏMultiple participants expressed that learning about local Indigenous communities was a newโฏopportunityโฏfor them and they will carry thisโฏinto their classrooms.โฏโฏParticipants blended the idea of energy equity from Olympia Community Solar with the teachings from Itsa to think about climate science in a new way.
A participant explores different materials and how they interact with light energy.
In the last session, educators learned aboutโฏbestโฏpractices inโฏscience education by discussing three-dimensional formative assessment strategies and the use of PEIโsโฏSolutions Oriented Learning Storylines:โฏRenewable Energy- Solarโฏto teach climate science in developmentally appropriate, locally relevant ways. PEI will be facilitating additionalโฏRenewable Energy- Solarโฏworkshops inโฏSpring 2021.
