Solutions Oriented Learning Storylines Renewable Energy: Solar workshop (Western Washington)

During the week of October 19th, 2020,โ€ฏ17โ€ฏteachers fromโ€ฏthe Puget Sound region attended aโ€ฏthree-day online workshop,โ€ฏSolutions Oriented Learning Storylines:โ€ฏRenewable Energy-Solar, with Pacific Education Instituteโ€™sโ€ฏFieldSTEMโ€ฏCoordinatorsโ€ฏMolly Griffiths, Tressa Arbow and Hattie Osborneโ€ฏ along withโ€ฏlocal community partners.

To begin the workshopโ€ฏseries,โ€ฏMolly acknowledged the land thatโ€ฏsheโ€ฏresidesโ€ฏonโ€ฏandโ€ฏgaveโ€ฏtime for the participants to research the lands they currently occupy.โ€ฏThe participants later completedโ€ฏan asynchronous activityโ€ฏto learn more aboutโ€ฏtheir local tribal nations and think about actionable steps to incorporate tribal history and perspectives in their classrooms.โ€ฏโ€ฏDuring 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 โ€ฏAri 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 fromโ€ฏthe community partner, participantsโ€ฏshared their tribal nation research inโ€ฏsmall groups.โ€ฏMultiple participants expressed that learning about local Indigenous communities was a newโ€ฏopportunityโ€ฏfor them and they will carry thisโ€ฏinto their classrooms.โ€ฏโ€ฏParticipants 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 aboutโ€ฏbestโ€ฏpractices inโ€ฏscience education by discussing three-dimensional formative assessment strategies and the use of PEIโ€™sโ€ฏSolutions Oriented Learning Storylines:โ€ฏRenewable Energy- Solarโ€ฏto teach climate science in developmentally appropriate, locally relevant ways. PEI will be facilitating additionalโ€ฏRenewable Energy- Solarโ€ฏworkshops inโ€ฏSpring 2021.

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