The Air We Breathe: Integrating Citizen Science with Social Justice to Drive Climate Literacy

Autor/inn/en	Burns, Karolyn; Molina-Castrillón, Diego
Titel	The Air We Breathe: Integrating Citizen Science with Social Justice to Drive Climate Literacy
Quelle	In: Science Teacher, 90 (2023) 4, S.38-43 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0036-8555
Schlagwörter	Science Education; Climate; Social Justice; Pollution; Environment; Disproportionate Representation; Minority Groups; Student Projects; Data Collection; Low Income Groups; Florida + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Klima; Soziale Gerechtigkeit; Schadstoffbelastung; Umwelt; Ethnische Minderheit; Schulprojekt; Data capture; Datensammlung
Abstract	Historically, science education has not adequately addressed the concerns and values of BIPOC individuals and women, especially those who fall into both categories. One way that educators are addressing this disparity is by incorporating social justice into their curricula. Climate change is one of today's most pressing issues, and youth have much anxiety about their future, with extreme weather, food and water insecurity, and sea-level rise threatening many of their neighborhoods. Students engage and participate eagerly when climate change is addressed through a social justice lens and when they are given realistic paths toward solutions. In this study, students measure air quality, an environmental and climate justice issue. Areas with poor air quality tend to be near high levels of traffic and industry rather than near green spaces. These areas disproportionately include low-income communities of color, and researchers see much higher rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases in these populations. In a changing climate, air pollution will be worse, indoor air quality will be worse, and the weather will be more unpredictable, all of which will make asthma more difficult to manage. For this project, the driving question is "What patterns do we see in the air quality index (AQI) in different areas of Miami-Dade county?" Students received a portable air quality monitor (Flow by Plume Labs) and wore it throughout their daily routine: school, work, sports practice, and home. They then analyzed the data, engaged in civic action, and produced a video diary. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Science Teaching Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: https://www.nsta.org/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01