SOCI 898: Social Psychological Processes in the STEM Classroom: Activating STEM Identities

TARGET AUDIENCE: 7-12 math and science teachers

SOCI 898 – Social Psychological Processes in the STEM Classroom: Activating STEM Identities, July 10-14 and 17-21, 1 p.m.- 5 p.m., 110 Avery Hall, UNL
Instructor: Trish Wonch Hill (UNL Sociology)

Overview: This class covers a broad range of social psychological topics and processes to help middle-level and secondary teachers better understand how social context impacts STEM learning. Students will learn about social inequality in STEM fields, and the individual, interactional, and institutional barriers to developing a science identity for youth from a variety of social locations (rural/urban, gender, race/ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, ELL). The class will learn about implicit bias, stereotype threat, and identity theory, and how they impact formal and informal social interactions and learning in the STEM classroom. They will learn and help formulated practical strategies to reduce their negative impact in order to broaden and widen student engagement in STEM.