CLEAN Teleconference Call November 29, 2022
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Integrating Citizen Science with Social Justice to Drive Climate Literacy by Karolyn Burns and Diego Molina-Castrillon (CLEO Institute)
Abstract: We used a project-based learning approach to incorporate citizen science, civic engagement, and social justice into the STEM classroom. Students collected data from their own neighborhoods using an air quality monitor (though the workbook can be adapted to other parameters) and developed a claims-evidence-reasoning argument advocating for improvement. They wrote to elected officials and created video diaries, incorporating their new knowledge about air chemistry and climate change into their environmental advocacy.
Bios:
Diego Molina-Castrillon is the Schools and Youth Program Manager at the CLEO institute. After eight years as a classroom instructor at both middle and high school levels, Diego saw the importance of stepping outside of the classroom to raise awareness about climate change, and empower the youth to speak up and lead the change society so desperately needs. With his M. Ed in Educational Leadership focused on policy, he's eager to strengthen ties with diverse communities across South Florida to uplift and provide a platform for marginalized communities that continue to be the most heavily impacted by climate change. He knows that by providing youth with the proper tools and the right platform, they will lead the way toward a sustainable future where every community is heard in the creation and maintenance of policies that will positively impact climate change.
Karolyn Burns is the Education and Curriculum Manager for the CLEO Institute, residing in the Tallahassee office. She runs the Teachers Network portion of the Climate Resilient Schools program and the CLEO Speakers Network program twice a year. This includes building the capacity to bring more climate education into the State Standards (CPALMS) and developing lesson plans and other curriculum materials focused on climate and environmental justice. She also teachesbiology and earth science classes at Tallahassee Community College. Her teaching philosophy centers on science literacy, critical thinking, and connecting social justice and policy issues into the science classroom to both engage and serve underrepresented populations in STEM.
Karolyn has bachelor's degrees in marine biology and ecology from the Florida Institute of Technology and a master's degree in science education from Florida State University. As part of her education research, she has presented at the Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST), the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), and the Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Conference (MACCEC). Her work has been published in the Florida Science Teacher and will be upcoming in the NSTA Science Teacher journal.
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