As the Secretary of Science this year, I have worked towards my goal of making the science department more inclusive for people of all backgrounds. My main priorities this year are diversifying science classes and addressing the racial disparity in upper school intensive science classes. Many students of color have fewer resources for tutors and other forms of help starting in Middle School, leading to an underrepresentation of students of color in intensive classes later on. My goal throughout this year is to investigate the root causes of this issue and create tangible solutions to address them by working with the science department and the administration as a whole. This issue is rooted in systemic inequalities that extend far beyond the science department; therefore, it needs to be addressed from the highest administrative level at Fieldston and in conjunction with other departments such as math and language.
During the Fall semester, I worked to create a mentorship program between the middle school and high school that pairs students with similar identifiers and a shared interest in science. The goal of this program is to connect middle schoolers with high schoolers who will act as role models, guiding the younger students through the challenges and successes of their science classes and encouraging them to continue pursuing their interests throughout high school. This program will give middle school students the opportunity to gain insight into the sciences from a high schooler eager to share valuable advice and encouragement.
During the Spring semester, I will continue to work towards diversifying the intensive science classes by sending a survey to students and alumni asking about their experiences with exclusion or discrimination within the science department. In addition, I am hoping to have ninth grade biology teachers give an intro lesson to eighth graders before placement levels are decided so that students have the opportunity to decide which level of rigor is a good fit.
While working alongside the science department in order to implement these changes, I have been able to appreciate the countless shifts that have taken place this year due to the Coronavirus and otherwise. Prior to the pandemic, the science department planned on developing two initiatives over the summer, including “a detailed and coordinated DEI focus for all of the science lab courses” and “examination of global warming in all science lab courses,” according to Dr. Church.
Church added that once the pandemic hit, the science department “added another big serving to our summer plate: how to teach hands-on lab courses in a Hyflex model.” Every science teacher worked over the summer to prepare an enriching experience for their students. The most significant adaptation was developing laboratory experiments that could be safely conducted in students’ homes since labs cannot be performed in their usual setting due to social distancing rules. Teachers came up with many creative solutions including putting together take-home kits that contained materials for conducting labs and finding virtual labs to supplement the live labs.
There were also changes in how the science material is taught. “How we teach and how we assess: we are doing less lectures and more group work,” noted Dr. Church. In addition, teachers are providing more materials such as worksheets and review sheets as well as videotaped lessons and laboratory demos that students can review at their own pace. There is less of an emphasis on traditional tests for assessments and rather, teachers are relying more on homework and creative assessments. Despite the unprecedented changes to how Fieldston looks this year, it is evident that the science teachers have been willing and able to adapt.
