Middle Level Teacher Education: Inquiry for Sustainability

Provides the knowledge and skills to teach science and social studies to young adolescents in grades 5-9. Engage with literature on place-based and sustainability topics and pedagogies, developing inquiry-based teaching skills connected with sustainability-focused topics that integrate social, economic, and environmental issues. Credit not awarded for both EDML 5270 and EDML 3270. Prerequisite: Graduate student or Instructor permission.

Online both Synchronous and Asynchronous; Synchronous sessions 5-7PM on 7/7, 7/21, and 8/4. Optional in-person field trips on 7/14 and 7/28 - TBD

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13TyPXPk0XAEg3k3YIZPzlvmw2i8TDOBSCkrVUlfZGTg/edit?usp=sharing

This course is designed to prepare you with the knowledge and skills to teach science and social studies to young adolescents. You will engage with literature on place-based and sustainability topics and pedagogies. You will develop inquiry-based teaching skills while engaging with sustainability-focused topics that integrate social, economic, and environmental issues. Your learning will be applied through the design of curricular lessons and units aligned with science and social studies standards and supported by rationales from existing frameworks and academic literature. This course meets the requirements for a methods course for those seeking Vermont middle level teaching endorsements in science and/or social studies

Students will be able to: Summarize and compare current frameworks of K-12 education for sustainability, articulating the complex and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability and how it weaves together social studies and science. Create a concept map that models how to integrate the Big Ideas of Sustainability and UN Sustainability Goals with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and C3 Framework to engage middle grades learners across the economic, ecological, and social dimensions of sustainability at the local and global scales. Practice inquiry-based teaching skills while exploring science/social studies topics through a sustainability lens. Apply the 5E Model to design an Inquiry Mini-Unit that: Clearly aligns with selected NGSS and/or C3 standards Engages frameworks for sustainability education Incorporates inquiry-based teaching skills as a core component of the mini-unit Assesses students in alignment with the learning goals Describe the rationale for place-based learning and how it intersects with sustainability education, including best practices for engaging in place in culturally-sensitive ways. Develop a proposal for a Place-Based Learning site that: Aligns with NGSS and/or C3 standards and the Big Ideas of Sustainability Includes a rationale citing peer-reviewed literature for why place-based and sustainability education approach should be integrated in middle grades curriculum Proposes compelling questions connected to the personal and social concerns of young adolescents

See linked syllabus from Summer 2024 for an example of evaluation. Note that changes may be made for Summer 2025 session.