Session 3

12:30 - 1:30 PM PDT
Education 2

Space for All: Astronomy as a Bridge to Equity

Presenter: Christine Bernhardt

Resources: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W-AJFabrLZ3c79_sHH80B8PfHMXWDIlvTJvCXZfMhM4/edit?usp=sharing

This session will explore astronomy education as a tool of equity while equipping educators with the tools to build bridges between student experience and the natural world through a social justice lens.

Earth and Space sciences encompass the most neglected realm of science education in the United States, as well as the lowest representation of Women and People of Color. For over a century, high school science coursework has minimally included biology, chemistry and physics, integrating Earth sciences in middle grades and eliminating astronomy. There has been no national test, curricula or standardization for astronomy coursework. The scarcity of course offerings and absence of Advanced Placement or IB courses have relegated coursework to university settings, by which time the moment to select a STEM field has likely passed. Secondary and primary environments are critical for the formation of a STEM identity, particularly amongst girls and students of non-dominant groups. This session will explore the integration of space sciences in formal education settings to foster STEM identities and build bridges between science, community, and the classroom. Utilization of the space environment can unify learning from other contents, while providing opportunities to explore the evidential sources of knowledge of our world.

The United States is currently at a pivotal crossroads in science education; the recent inclusion of Earth and Space content into newly adopted national standards, particularly in earlier grades, provides a unique opportunity to contextualize science learning. This is especially important following a year of remote learning, and more so for students in urban environments. In 2013, the National Research Council adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which identified and assigned equal weight to the content areas of life (biology), physical (chemistry and physics) and Earth and Space. This is a stark difference from the previous 100 years of education, and allows for a drastic restructuring of science course sequencing. There is now a far greater emphasis on Earth-Space systems across all grade levels, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The exposure to meaningful and relevant science activities can provide an inclusive environment to traditionally marginalized students who do not see the real world applicability of science in their lives.

This session will explore astronomy education as a tool of equity. Students in urbanized settings may have even less academic exposure to astronomy and space sciences through a vicious cycle of deficit thinking and systematic oppression. A pedagogy of poverty has been the dominant narrative in which high teacher turnover in urban schools fosters a reliance on curricularizing [science] coursework to a minimum set of knowledge requirements, which remove connection and application to local context and settings. In urban schools, this curicularization may look like non-local examples, unrelatable representation, and a failure to incorporate areas of relevancy and urgency from daily life into the classroom. This can further complicate the incorporation of space sciences, which may seem abstract, complicated, and unnecessary. One can only imagine the magnification of this separation following a year of remote, removed learning mediated by a screen. By providing mechanisms of access to space sciences connected to local environments, educators can facilitate authentic learning experiences to previously excluded students in these fields.

Astronomy education, particularly in Western Nations, has the potential to disrupt colonial narratives while providing greater access to 21st century skills. Participants will be provided a space to explore the integrations of astronomy to foster and facilitate equity and justice, while connecting to the natural world. Some issues may be personally challenging to address, such as environmental racism and bias. This session will be highly interactive and allow participants to explore the use of satellite imagery to address social justice issues in their region and abroad. Participants will develop their own activities connected to their individual spaces which they can immediately use in formal K-12 education settings.

Christine Hirst Bernhardt is an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and veteran STEM educator in K12 and collegiate arenas. Christine holds dual master’s degrees in science education and astronomy. She is passionate about bringing space content to the masses. Christine has nearly a decade of curriculum development and professional leadership experience and is actively involved in science education efforts at regional and National levels, such as serving on the National Aerospace Advisory board. Christine regularly leads professional development workshops and symposiums for science teachers throughout California and is passionate about supporting teachers. Christine has worked for several of the nation’s leading curricular companies as a subject matter expert and is currently aligning and sequencing all curricula for the second largest district in the Nation as a contractor with NASA’s Infiniscope project. Christine is the sole author of two innovative, experiment-based astronomy courses published for the California Department of Education. She flew on NASA’s SOFIA mission in 2017, traveled to Chile as an education ambassador in 2019 and founded a space camp in Hong Kong. Additionally, she regularly leads outreach events as a NASA Solar System Ambassador and Space Foundation Liaison. She is currently a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara in STEM Education with an emphasis in Astronomy Education. Her interests are in International astronomy education, as well as the utilization of space experiments to facilitate social justice and social emotional learning.