The 5D MASTERS project (Making Aligned Student Tasks Equitable with Rural Science) supports teachers in rural and remote regions to connect online and build meaningful, NGSS-aligned tasks for students in their classrooms. This video shows the purpose for an online professional learning course for rural science teachers that is being developed by BSCS and CU Boulder researchers.
Engineering, PD Models
BSCS Science Learning
Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12)
Related Content for Making Aligned Science Tasks Equitable for Rural Students
I am a researcher, co-presenter, and special education teacher. I have found that all subjects including STEM subjects are impacted by living in rural areas. But since Zoom is a platform that connects people, they can attend classes in cities far away. As a researcher for IC4, we have used zoom since 2017 and connected to four continents and more than 7 countries. Most of the sites are rural and the learners have had to request that we ship petri dishes to them as the school did not have them. The rural areas of Kenya often have difficulties with Wi-fi and connectivity. But you are correct that zoom has allowed for learning everywhere without having to travel hours to receive an equal education.
William Penuel
Co-Presenter Distinguished Professor
May 11, 2021 | 08:15 p.m.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Toby. Sharing lab resources with folks sounds like it was a challenge for your project. Are there things you have learned about that that we might learn from on our project?
Thanks for sharing this interesting and important work. I'd be interested in learning more about how your team helps teachers build on student interests and identities. Are there strategies for this type of work that are particular to rural communities?
William Penuel
Co-Presenter Distinguished Professor
May 12, 2021 | 11:15 a.m.
Thanks for the question, Troy! I think there's two layers to answering the question: first, how we are working with rural educators and also the substance of the strategies.
The how:
We began our project with an existing professional learning program that we'd developed with and for educators for a wide variety of contexts (urban, rural, and contexts), and sought to adapt it to rural contexts. To prepare us for adaptation, we first undertook a study of rural educators' concerns and goals, and also to understand how we might need to adapt a program to their schedules and constraints. As a second step, we've been engaging a team of co-adapters from rural areas of Colorado in different types of settings -- schools, area education agencies, and teacher education programs in rural areas -- to help us adapt the approach. They've helped us refine our understanding of contexts and goals we should be pursuing, as well as the substance of the program.
The substance:
We emphasize a lot getting information directly from students using different means -- such as surveys -- about phenomena and problems that might engage them. We also emphasize gathering information about students' experience of assessment, and we are also exploring how best to support identity-affirming practices in feedback on assessments. Also, we are designing supports for how to frame tasks to make clear "what's at stake" at answering a set of assessment questions -- for them, as well as for others.
A key theme is that interest and identity are lenses that we apply when looking at assessment tasks -- since learning and identity are intertwined. "Why should I care?" if I am a student is one of those lenses to bring, when reviewing a task for its personal relevance.
Daniel Damelin
Facilitator Senior Scientist
May 13, 2021 | 12:44 a.m.
Can you talk about some examples of how you adapted the existing PL program to a more rural focussed context? What are the kinds of things projects may be missing if they don't appreciate the context in which members of a professional learning community are teaching?
Kerri Wingert
Lead Presenter Research Associate
May 13, 2021 | 12:38 p.m.
Hey Daniel! Thanks for watching our video!
I love this project because I'm from a tiny rural school, and community is everything. There's so much we can learn from rural teachers about community-centered design, and taking that orientation has been really critical... we're not out to treat rural education as "deprived" but rather as having a rich history and some rather enviable community-centered design principles at the heart of teacher work. Does that help? Do you see that happening in rural places you work?
Another thing that's come out is the intense appreciation and awe teachers and rural communities have for out-of-school and outdoor learning. In the school in the video, Pike's Peak is literally in view of the front door of the school, and students and families are connected to the wildlife, agriculture, and place. Again... I think it's something we envy and want to learn from.
Daniel Damelin
Facilitator Senior Scientist
May 14, 2021 | 01:15 p.m.
The notion that teachers from rural communities have an "intense appreciation and awe ... for out-of-school and outdoor learning" is and interesting observation that could help a PLC come together with the right focus.
Heidi Carlone
Facilitator Distinguished Professor
May 12, 2021 | 08:41 p.m.
Hi team! Love this project. Great video-- Kerri, your explanations coupled with the teacher's perspective were super clear and powerful. I wonder if projects like yours will become more prevalent in a post-covid world-- I hope so. Access is so important; we've left out rural educators for years.
My question is one I would grapple with if I were embarking on a project like this. How do you design curriculum that builds on rural students' identities and interests without essentializing? Rural populations are so diverse! Are there strands of shared experiences that you're considering? What kinds of adaptations will/did you make from the work in urban contexts (which Bill mentioned briefly above)?
Thanks for sharing this great work.
William Penuel
Co-Presenter Distinguished Professor
May 13, 2021 | 09:51 a.m.
Heidi, that's a great question. We certainly had help and a reminder from our co-adaptation group that the kinds of phenomena and problems that can anchor assessment tasks don't just need to be "local." It's so important not to conflate the idea of interest-driven phenomena and identity-connected concerns and priorities with "local," in that sense, and to seek data on what actually interests and concerns students. The heart of the strategies we encourage is actually taking time to learn through a variety of means what students are interested in, and help educators connect that to content they are assessing.
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Heidi Carlone
Dr. Julia V. Clark
Facilitator Retired Federal Employee
May 13, 2021 | 05:15 p.m.
There are several positive aspects of this project. One of these is that it is designed to impact students in rural schools. This group is one of the most underserved students in STEM. An emphasis is also placed on the STEM education of girls The online professional development (PD) provided ensures that the rural schools, most of which are always isolated, benefit from the experience. This is a well thought-out project
William Penuel
Co-Presenter Distinguished Professor
May 13, 2021 | 07:25 p.m.
Thank you, Dr. Clark! Appreciate your thoughts on our project.
I agree that one of the "benefits" of the pandemic is that many organizations (including the organization that I am affiliated with - The POGIL Project) have re-thought their professional development offerings to include virtual experiences. We have done that and found that our virtual workshops are accessible to people who otherwise would not have been able to attend - including teachers from rural areas. We found that although these experiences are not the same as being F2F, they are not necessarily "worse" either. Just different. I am interested in your perspective on how you think virtual experiences offer advantages (other than cost and travel time) over F2F professional development experiences.
Jennifer Jacobs
Co-Presenter Associate Research Professor
May 17, 2021 | 06:05 p.m.
Hi Rick,
Thanks for your question about virtual vs face to face PD. One of the things we are hearing from rural teachers is that they are sometimes the "lone" science teacher in their school or district and/or that their school or district is far from others. So having a virtual community is really welcome, especially for PD that is ongoing. Meeting regularly face to face over the course of a school year, for example, is just not realistic, so they have felt left out of many opportunities. Also forming a community with other rural teachers is very enticing to many, as there is a sense of a shared background and challenges.
Kate Cook
May 17, 2021 | 04:12 p.m.
Hi 5D Masters Team,
Thank you for sharing this important work! I'm curious to learn more about what you are learning working with rural teachers virtually. Have you found any particular strategies to work well (or not so well)?
I would also love to learn more about any insights you gleaned from the survey Bill mentioned about rural teachers' concerns and goals.
We have been doing a lot of thinking about the interests and identities of rural students, especially given how different rural communities are from one another. How are you navigating the commonalities between rural communities in combination with the differences that make each a unique community?
Thanks for your amazing work!
Kate Cook
Kerri Wingert
Lead Presenter Research Associate
May 17, 2021 | 04:46 p.m.
Hi Kate! Great to see you pop up #inhere. :)
We found that rural teachers were deeply community-driven and oriented to their students' interests, sometimes from birth. Many of them talked about appreciating the multi-generational nature of their teaching. I wish all teachers could have such deep connection to their communities!
We also found that teachers in the mountain areas are really interested in connecting with the outdoors and getting outside. They also spoke about needing to make clear the boundaries of belief versus evidence and how the epistemics of those are different... very nuanced! We're excited to learn more with them!
Kerri Wingert
Research Associate
We are excited to launch this video conversation about working with rural communities through an online PD system. We want to hear from you!
Toby Baker
Hi Kerri,
I am a researcher, co-presenter, and special education teacher. I have found that all subjects including STEM subjects are impacted by living in rural areas. But since Zoom is a platform that connects people, they can attend classes in cities far away. As a researcher for IC4, we have used zoom since 2017 and connected to four continents and more than 7 countries. Most of the sites are rural and the learners have had to request that we ship petri dishes to them as the school did not have them. The rural areas of Kenya often have difficulties with Wi-fi and connectivity. But you are correct that zoom has allowed for learning everywhere without having to travel hours to receive an equal education.
William Penuel
Distinguished Professor
Thanks for sharing your experience, Toby. Sharing lab resources with folks sounds like it was a challenge for your project. Are there things you have learned about that that we might learn from on our project?
Troy Sadler
Thanks for sharing this interesting and important work. I'd be interested in learning more about how your team helps teachers build on student interests and identities. Are there strategies for this type of work that are particular to rural communities?
William Penuel
Distinguished Professor
Thanks for the question, Troy! I think there's two layers to answering the question: first, how we are working with rural educators and also the substance of the strategies.
The how:
We began our project with an existing professional learning program that we'd developed with and for educators for a wide variety of contexts (urban, rural, and contexts), and sought to adapt it to rural contexts. To prepare us for adaptation, we first undertook a study of rural educators' concerns and goals, and also to understand how we might need to adapt a program to their schedules and constraints. As a second step, we've been engaging a team of co-adapters from rural areas of Colorado in different types of settings -- schools, area education agencies, and teacher education programs in rural areas -- to help us adapt the approach. They've helped us refine our understanding of contexts and goals we should be pursuing, as well as the substance of the program.
The substance:
We emphasize a lot getting information directly from students using different means -- such as surveys -- about phenomena and problems that might engage them. We also emphasize gathering information about students' experience of assessment, and we are also exploring how best to support identity-affirming practices in feedback on assessments. Also, we are designing supports for how to frame tasks to make clear "what's at stake" at answering a set of assessment questions -- for them, as well as for others.
A key theme is that interest and identity are lenses that we apply when looking at assessment tasks -- since learning and identity are intertwined. "Why should I care?" if I am a student is one of those lenses to bring, when reviewing a task for its personal relevance.
Daniel Damelin
Senior Scientist
Can you talk about some examples of how you adapted the existing PL program to a more rural focussed context? What are the kinds of things projects may be missing if they don't appreciate the context in which members of a professional learning community are teaching?
Kerri Wingert
Research Associate
Hey Daniel! Thanks for watching our video!
I love this project because I'm from a tiny rural school, and community is everything. There's so much we can learn from rural teachers about community-centered design, and taking that orientation has been really critical... we're not out to treat rural education as "deprived" but rather as having a rich history and some rather enviable community-centered design principles at the heart of teacher work. Does that help? Do you see that happening in rural places you work?
Another thing that's come out is the intense appreciation and awe teachers and rural communities have for out-of-school and outdoor learning. In the school in the video, Pike's Peak is literally in view of the front door of the school, and students and families are connected to the wildlife, agriculture, and place. Again... I think it's something we envy and want to learn from.
Daniel Damelin
Senior Scientist
The notion that teachers from rural communities have an "intense appreciation and awe ... for out-of-school and outdoor learning" is and interesting observation that could help a PLC come together with the right focus.
Heidi Carlone
Distinguished Professor
Hi team! Love this project. Great video-- Kerri, your explanations coupled with the teacher's perspective were super clear and powerful. I wonder if projects like yours will become more prevalent in a post-covid world-- I hope so. Access is so important; we've left out rural educators for years.
My question is one I would grapple with if I were embarking on a project like this. How do you design curriculum that builds on rural students' identities and interests without essentializing? Rural populations are so diverse! Are there strands of shared experiences that you're considering? What kinds of adaptations will/did you make from the work in urban contexts (which Bill mentioned briefly above)?
Thanks for sharing this great work.
William Penuel
Distinguished Professor
Heidi, that's a great question. We certainly had help and a reminder from our co-adaptation group that the kinds of phenomena and problems that can anchor assessment tasks don't just need to be "local." It's so important not to conflate the idea of interest-driven phenomena and identity-connected concerns and priorities with "local," in that sense, and to seek data on what actually interests and concerns students. The heart of the strategies we encourage is actually taking time to learn through a variety of means what students are interested in, and help educators connect that to content they are assessing.
Heidi Carlone
Dr. Julia V. Clark
Retired Federal Employee
There are several positive aspects of this project. One of these is that it is designed to impact students in rural schools. This group is one of the most underserved students in STEM. An emphasis is also placed on the STEM education of girls The online professional development (PD) provided ensures that the rural schools, most of which are always isolated, benefit from the experience. This is a well thought-out project
William Penuel
Distinguished Professor
Thank you, Dr. Clark! Appreciate your thoughts on our project.
Rick Moog
I agree that one of the "benefits" of the pandemic is that many organizations (including the organization that I am affiliated with - The POGIL Project) have re-thought their professional development offerings to include virtual experiences. We have done that and found that our virtual workshops are accessible to people who otherwise would not have been able to attend - including teachers from rural areas. We found that although these experiences are not the same as being F2F, they are not necessarily "worse" either. Just different. I am interested in your perspective on how you think virtual experiences offer advantages (other than cost and travel time) over F2F professional development experiences.
Jennifer Jacobs
Associate Research Professor
Hi Rick,
Thanks for your question about virtual vs face to face PD. One of the things we are hearing from rural teachers is that they are sometimes the "lone" science teacher in their school or district and/or that their school or district is far from others. So having a virtual community is really welcome, especially for PD that is ongoing. Meeting regularly face to face over the course of a school year, for example, is just not realistic, so they have felt left out of many opportunities. Also forming a community with other rural teachers is very enticing to many, as there is a sense of a shared background and challenges.
Kate Cook
Hi 5D Masters Team,
Thank you for sharing this important work! I'm curious to learn more about what you are learning working with rural teachers virtually. Have you found any particular strategies to work well (or not so well)?
I would also love to learn more about any insights you gleaned from the survey Bill mentioned about rural teachers' concerns and goals.
We have been doing a lot of thinking about the interests and identities of rural students, especially given how different rural communities are from one another. How are you navigating the commonalities between rural communities in combination with the differences that make each a unique community?
Thanks for your amazing work!
Kate Cook
Kerri Wingert
Research Associate
Hi Kate! Great to see you pop up #inhere. :)
We found that rural teachers were deeply community-driven and oriented to their students' interests, sometimes from birth. Many of them talked about appreciating the multi-generational nature of their teaching. I wish all teachers could have such deep connection to their communities!
We also found that teachers in the mountain areas are really interested in connecting with the outdoors and getting outside. They also spoke about needing to make clear the boundaries of belief versus evidence and how the epistemics of those are different... very nuanced! We're excited to learn more with them!
Further posting is closed as the event has ended.