This month on It’s Time for Science, host Tom Racine talks with Claudio Vargas and Holly Gil about equity in science education.
Episode Guests
Claudio Vargas
Claudio Vargas, a Science Education Consultant with a focus on Equity in STEM, works with Sci-Lingual Education and FOSS at the Lawrence Hall of Science. He provides keynote presentations on equity in STEM and professional learning experiences for educators in science, focusing on supporting Multilingual Learners with language and literacy development.
Mr. Vargas has developed and led numerous professional learning programs throughout California, Washington, Texas, and Central America. He also served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee that issued the national Call to Action to advance equitable science education.
Tom talks with Mr. Vargas about working with the NASEM committee, how the pandemic affected education and science, and how to help teachers structure a more equitable classroom. They also discuss the importance of a rigorous curriculum emphasizing active learning and having an awareness of our biases.
Holly Gil
Holly Gil, an Instructional Specialist and Science Education/ELD Consultant, has trained and mentored hundreds of teachers in the Santa Barbara area. She is a skilled facilitator and instructor and serves as a consultant to schools, districts, and nonprofit organizations. Her expertise derives from nearly 30 years of professional experience as a bilingual classroom teacher, science education specialist, curriculum developer, instructional coach, and leadership coach.
Ms. Gil is currently an Instructional Specialist for Adelante Charter School, a dual language immersion K-6 elementary school. She is an advocate for multilingual students and an English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative (ELLLI) Fellow through Californians Together.
Ms. Gil and Tom chat about supporting teachers as they work to overcome their fears of teaching science and difficulties in working to implement an equitable classroom. They also consider how to encourage and help teachers stay committed, the linguistic challenges inherent in the NGSS, and how students’ excitement can help drive them.
Book Review with David Lippman
Producer David Lippman reviews the book Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky and published by 10 Speed Press. And we wish a happy birthday to Dr. Patrica S. Cowings!
Contact Us
It’s Time for Science! To get in touch with us, whether to offer some feedback, ideas for future episodes or reviews, or just to say hi, send us a message at itstimeforscience@schoolspecialty.com. We’d love to hear from you!
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