1. 1 Sheryl Mebane UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education Daniel Quach Berkeley High School North American Association for Environmental Education’s 35 th Annual Conference October 14, 2006

2. 2 Chemistry Literacy Literature Review Premise: Science education and environmental challenges can be met through synergy.

3. 3 NAAEE,Tran, Hungerford, Lieberman; Anderson; Payne, Steele, Ladson-Billings, Barton Core Traditions Environmental Education Interdisciplinary Science Education Context Meaningful science learning may close achievement gaps. Education and Equity Progressive theories better direct research toward achieving equity. Power dynamics matter.

4. 4 NAAEE,Tran, Hungerford, Lieberman; Anderson; Payne, Steele, Ladson-Billings, Barton Anastas, Poliakoff, Woodhouse Core Traditions Environmental Education Interdisciplinary Science Education Context Meaningful science learning may close achievement gaps. Education and Equity Progressive theories better direct research toward achieving equity. Power dynamics matter. Green and Environmental Chemistry Research Disseminate principles through shared goals and real-world problem-solving.

5. 5 NAAEE,Tran, Hungerford, Lieberman; Anderson; Payne, Steele, Ladson-Billings, Barton Anastas, Poliakoff, Woodhouse Bailey; Schiele; Patton; Ringquist, Uyeki, Jhaveri, Roach Core Traditions Environmental Education Interdisciplinary Science Education Context Meaningful science learning may close achievement gaps. Education and Equity Progressive theories better direct research toward achieving equity. Power dynamics matter. Green and Environmental Chemistry Research Disseminate principles through shared goals and real-world problem-solving. Network Development Diverse Communities Cultural competence Evaluation Time Environmental Justice Ameliorate inequities by engaging students and marginalized groups.

6. 6 Chemistry Literacy Connections Service-learning Increase community impact and measure learning gains. Organizing in Education engaged institutions curricular reform Informal/formal education alignment Action and Participatory Research Seymour; Butin, Fritz, Draper; Ashcraft, Binder; Farnsworth; Arcury

7. 7 Chemistry Literacy Principles Synergy Principles Interdisciplinary Overlapped goals Ideas on overcoming complex hurdles in real-world contexts Network Principles Culturally savvy organizational tenets Organizational development Time Organizational competencies Research Methodology Principles Progressive educational research analytical frameworks Action and participatory research Service-learning

8. 8 Chemistry Literacy Project Chemistry Literacy Network chemlit.berkeley.edu Research Methods Research Questions What is the experience for chemistry students in out-of-school learning environments? How do laypeople engage with chemistry? How do community empowerment projects support learning in chemistry? What does more widespread chemistry literacy contribute to the US, underrepresented minority communities and science education?

9. 9 CLP Collaborators Pesticide Action Network’s Drift Catcher program www.panna.org Students collected air samples and shared results publicly. Strengthen conceptual chemistry understanding. Summerbridge Sacramento www.summerbridge.org/ Earth science students connected to the local environment. Chemistry students experimented. Expand evaluation to gauge community impact & track progress in chemistry education. Summer Ventures at North Carolina Central University www.summerventures.org/ Chemistry students were engaged in research projects, including environmental projects. Enhance school-year and community impact. Mr. Daniel Morales-Doyle at Chicago’s Social Justice High School http://sj.lvlhs.org/ Diverse env. science students committed to service-learning & community empowerment. Expand the environmental perspective throughout the chemistry class.

10. 10 Partnerships with colleges & universities CLP Course Development: Method Thematic units (Soil, Water and Air) Align to content standards. Is it relevant for students? Outcomes and Assessment Reflection Curricular planning and collaboration with K12 teachers: Scope, sequence and relevance Community involvement

11. 11 Target Characteristics one-year introductory course or supplemental source student research connected to the community Goals Students learn core concepts in chemistry, expand their ability to make decisions relating to the environment and apply their knowledge meaningfully. Instructors enhance their own engagement and conceptual understanding in chemistry. Current Projects course overview air quality sampling Timeline Address research questions and explore principles in classes, afterschool and in weekend programs in fall 2006. Pilot units in summer 2007. CLP Course Development: Overview

12. 12 CLP Course Outline Develop a plan for strategic goal-setting, situation assessment and decision-making. Explore problem-solving approaches, especially assessment of life cycle. Unit 1: Introduce soil chemistry. What is matter? How is matter arranged? What properties are of interest? ex. Analyze soil samples. Unit 2: Introduce solution chemistry. How does molecular structure relate to bonding? How do we arrange matter the way we desire? ex. Compare the atom economy of common reactions. Unit 3: Introduce atmospheric chemistry. What are the macroscopic and microscopic natures of the phases of matter? ex. Explore and explain how the greenhouse effect works, including gases involved and their main sources. Unit 4: Introduce energy. How do we develop the systems we desire? ex. Research the design, current use and potential for solar devices. Class Project Develop a chemically relevant hypothesis or goal and test or pursue it. Create poster, paper or other means of communication.

13. 13 Acknowledgements Prof. Bernard Gifford (Graduate School of Education, UCB) Prof. Angelica Stacy (Chemistry, UCB) & her research group Office of the Chancellor’s Program for Academic Diversity (UCB)

14. 14 Chemistry Literacy Network http://chemlit.berkeley.edu/ Contact: chemlit@berkeley.edu (510) 644 3600 x110