Citizen science empowers students to participate in real science, inspiring local connection and action. These “crowd-sourced” science projects encourage careful observations, promote the discovery of patterns, support exploration of phenomenon, and serve as a catalyst for curiosity and generating authentic science questions.
I will highlight citizen-science projects that welcome student participants and share educational resources (apps, lesson plans, websites, and multimedia resources) that support teachers no matter their grade level or setting. Participants will access free curricula that support three-dimensional learning through scientific investigations that are authentically inspired by citizen science. Finally, I’ll share current research on participant learning outcomes and give time to consider and discuss implementation, with special emphasis on successfully developing girls’ and underserved students’ STEM interest and engagement.
Learning ObjectivesParticipants will be able to…
- Define citizen science and describe how it can help students develop data literacy, deepen understanding of biodiversity, and uncover real-world patterns and trends.
- Name and access at least five freely available resources (such as projects, apps, online interactives, videos, lesson plans, data visualizations) that are suitable for use in their school/district programs.
- Describe how citizen science and authentic science investigations are related and how to use these activities to support three-dimensional learning in K-12 settings.
