As a secondary school science teacher for over 10 years, University of Kansas professor Dr. Imogen Herrick said she saw how absent emotions were from science, technology and math classrooms. And she noticed that her students were feeling hopelessness and anxiety — whether or not they talked about it.
So, after getting her Ph.D. in education, Herrick created Community Science Data Talks, which are 15-minute classroom conversations that provide a space for students to share how local issues like nearby habitat loss or a native endangered species makes them feel.
Herrick also wants to encourage students to talk to each other, hoping that the discussions will give individuals a voice and also empower them to take action.
She recalled a discussion in a 5th grade classroom that showed how students can grow together.
“That whole conversation started because a student said, ‘I think we can be little leaders,’” Herrick said. “The kids were negotiating what agency they had, how their voices could matter, and realizing that young voices are really powerful and [they] found some value, agency and support for emotions they had."
After testing her method in California and South America as part of a research study, Herrick introduced it to classrooms in Kansas and Maryland. Herrick is now developing a Community Science Data Talks website to keep track of how teachers use the format across the world, with the topics discussed and what actions students took against climate change.
Any teachers looking for resources on how to integrate Community Science Data Talks into their classrooms can email Herrick at iherrick@ku.edu.
- Dr. Imogen Herrick, assistant professor of STEM education at the University of Kansas School of Education & Human Sciences
