Science
This course explains the concept of energy literacy and introduces the Energy Literacy Framework developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. Educators can use the framework (available in English and Spanish) to teach adult learners about the role of energy in their lives and to generate potential interest in energy as a career field. This course explores the fundamental concepts that support each of the seven Essential Principles outlined in the Energy Literacy Framework; the course also provides examples of online resources, including video resources, that teachers can use to teach the principles and associated concepts to adult learners.
Course hours: 3 hours
- Teacher: Adria Katka
This course provides an overview of the relevance and importance of science in the adult basic education/adult secondary education (ABE/ASE) classroom. It introduces eight scientific practices outlined in the National Research Council’s A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, and applies these practices to scientific literacy in the everyday lives of adult learners. The course identifies activities for integrating the scientific practices into classroom instruction.
Course hours: 3 hours
- Teacher: Adria Katka
Project-Based Science Instruction for Career Preparation
Course Hours: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Course Description: This course is designed to facilitate the teaching of science in adult education classrooms using a Project-Based Learning (PBL) model. This course makes the connections between science content knowledge and how adults use science in their daily lives, especially in work and career-related contexts. Those that will benefit the most from this course are adult education instructors, trainers, and coordinators, particularly those in Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and STEM Career Technical Education (CTE). By the end of the course, participants will be able to better understand PBL, including identifying characteristics of effective PBL and benefits of it in adult education, use online resources to guide adult learners in exploring careers in the five major STEM subgroups and identify ways that STEM workers use science in their careers, and describe how ABE programs are using PBL in STEM areas and identify at least one topic for a PBL initiative in an ABE classroom.