Building Communication Skills in Science
By taking an interdisciplinary approach to science class, teachers are able to deepen understanding of content—and sharpen literacy skills at the same time.
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Go to My Saved Content.At Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine, Jenny Crowley’s ninth graders are in the midst of a learning expedition called “Questions of Conscience”—a STEM-led, humanities-supported deep dive that focuses on advancements in biology, medicine, and technology, deepens literacy and communication skills in science, and asks bioethical questions like, “How can resources be used equitably?” and “Who gets to make decisions around resources and why?”
Almost all of the teaching and learning at Casco Bay takes an interdisciplinary approach, like all members in the EL Education network of schools. Says founding teacher Susan McCray, “Expeditions are interdisciplinary because the world is interdisciplinary, right? Everything is interdisciplinary. Most people don't explore things in discrete ways.”
To prepare students for a high-stakes culminating project at the end, Crowley uses mini bioethical dilemmas to help sharpen students’ discussion skills while deepening their understanding of biology. In a multi-day lesson, students create folded paper models to understand the science behind sickle cell disease. By bringing a hands-on activity into her lesson that allows students to explore the mechanics of the disease—and asking students to read accounts from people who have it—Crowley hopes her students will develop a sense of empathy. In a subsequent class, students read articles about the newest advances in the treatment of sickle cell disease, and finally take part in small group discussions pondering the question, “If you or someone you loved had this disease, what are the pros and cons of receiving a brand new treatment?”
Crowley says the role of bioethical dilemmas in her class is to scaffold her students toward a larger discussion, and she uses 4 or 5 of them over the course of several weeks so students can practice presenting arguments and build their communication skills in science. “As teachers, we're trying to make the next generation of students really data literacy-minded, to ask the hard questions and be able to consume scientific information,” Crowley says. “We want our students to be thinking about multiple perspectives and how decisions impact people differently, in different populations.”
Find more practices from this school on Edutopia’s Casco Bay High School page.