Sessions

Session #1: Centering in Space: Data Collection in the Field

How can grounding science learning in the immediate environment transform how students see themselves, their community, and the world? In this field-based session, participants will explore strategies to center science education in local spaces through authentic data collection practices. Using examples from GLOBE protocols, community-based environmental monitoring, and place-based field investigations, this session will highlight how purposeful, place-based, data collection not only deepens students’ understanding of scientific concepts but also fosters agency, belonging, and relevance.

Session #2: Place-Based Pedagogy: Chart Your Course

How can place-based pedagogy anchor science learning in the identities, histories, and challenges of local communities? In this session, participants will hear from experts in place-based pedagogies to help center our time during this institute in a shared understanding of what effective place-based pedagogy looks and feels like for students. Participants will then use these core principles of place-based science education to chart their own course for bringing these ideas into their leadership and instructional practices - i.e., articulate their personal “why” for place-based pedagogy. This session serves as both a grounding and goal-setting experience for the institute, with opportunities to revisit and refine these plans during the closing workshopping session.

Session #3: Building Bridges to Past Work

This session intentionally bridges our past NSELA SLIs and national conference on data science and climate science as natural partners in helping students engage in authentic place-based learning. This interactive session will explore how to bridge these domains in ways that align with NGSS and support equitable data literacy development. Participants will examine the newly released Data Science for Everyone (DS4E) learning progressions, with a focus on how they can be leveraged to elevate students' data fluency while deepening their understanding of climate systems and local environmental impacts. The session will feature an expert panel of climate scientists, data scientists, and science educators who will share insights, resources, and models for integrating data science and climate investigations into science classrooms and leadership initiatives.

Session #4: Honoring All Ways of Knowing of Place

Science education often centers Western ways of knowing - but what is lost when we overlook Indigenous knowledge systems and relationships to place? This session invites participants to explore how Indigenous perspectives are integral to understanding place-based science education. Through storytelling, dialogue, and reflection, participants will examine how Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and relating to the land offer valuable insights for teaching about Earth’s systems, climate, and sustainability.

Session #5: Workshopping The Day’s Ideas

This culminating session invites participants to synthesize the key ideas from the day’s sessions and collaboratively explore next steps for applying these concepts within their own contexts. Through facilitated workshopping, participants will reflect on their learning, revisit their personal “why,” and engage in small-group discussions to deepen thinking around data science, climate science, and place-based pedagogy. This session also provides space for participants to ask lingering questions, surface challenges, and connect with peers and facilitators for support. 

Session 2: Data Dilemma and Moving from Local to Global Place-Based Thinking

In an increasingly interconnected world, local observations and data collection are just the beginning of understanding the broader environmental, climatic, and ecological trends. In this session, we will utilize what we learned in Day 1 about local data collection to empower participants to transition from using localized field data about their specific places to incorporating and analyzing global datasets, particularly those provided by NASA, to gain insights into larger longitudinal trends.

Session 3: Localization & HQIM: Lessons Learned

What does it really mean to make science learning “local”? In this session, leaders from the UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science will invite participants to rethink and expand the idea of localization in high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs). Together, we will explore how “local” can mean more than geography—it can also connect to students’ cultures, communities, and lived experiences.

Through stories and insights from educators and leaders engaged in localization work, participants will see how this approach can empower teachers, deepen student engagement, and create more relevant, equitable science learning. You’ll leave with a broadened view of localization and practical ideas to support more inclusive and community-centered science instruction.

Session #4: Considering Place-Based Formative Assessments

How can we design assessments that honor students’ local contexts and lived experiences while deepening their understanding of science? In this session, participants will apply principles of place-based pedagogy to reimagine formative assessment. We will explore how to think about shifting classroom-based assessments to be more rooted in local phenomena, community assets, and culturally relevant experiences—creating opportunities for students to show what they know in meaningful and authentic ways.The session will offer time to collaboratively design or revise assessment tools and leave with ready-to-adapt strategies for classroom and leadership use.

Session #5: Action Plan for the Future

In this final session, participants will take time to reflect on their learning and turn inspiration into action with their newly formed network of leaders.Through collaborative planning with other participants, attendees will identify concrete next steps for applying place-based and data-informed approaches in their own schools, districts, or organizations. Whether developing professional learning, adapting curriculum, or designing assessment strategies, this session provides dedicated space to build out an action plan aligned with your context and goals. Participants will leave with a clearer vision, peer feedback, and resources to carry their work forward beyond the institute.