Anti-Racism Interactive Science Education (ARISE)
Building on the POWER project, ARISE explores how open educational resources (OERs), combined with research-tested pedagogical patterns, can be used in teacher workshops to customize interactive science units to promote anti-racism while enhancing student agency.
Leadership Team
Research Team
Sarah Bichler
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Kelly Billings
Graduate Student
Allison Bradford
Graduate Student
Jennifer King Chen
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Rui Li
Visitng Scholar
Jacquie Madhok
Research Specialist
Geoffrey Kwan
Software Developer
Jonathan Lim-Breitbart
Designer/Developer
Hiroki Terashima
Software Developer
Sarah Bichler
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Kelly Billings
Graduate Student
Allison Bradford
Graduate Student
Jennifer King Chen
Post-Doctoral Scholar
Rui Li
Visitng Scholar
Jacquie Madhok
Research Specialist
Geoffrey Kwan
Software Developer
Jonathan Lim-Breitbart
Designer/Developer
Hiroki Terashima
Software Developer
I think the biggest goal for me is that I want to try to make science more relevant to all my students’ lives. I think that’s something that is lacking the most. I am not saying I am achieving it, but I do think that by addressing racism and making it something you speak about, you make a space for all people to feel to be part of your classroom… students feel that you understand and have empathy for them.
Redlining and Asthma Rates
“The map on the left shows how neighborhoods were rated under redlining policies. The map on the left shows asthma levels in the same areas. What do you notice about the asthma rates for neighborhoods colored in red?”
The ARISE partnership is identifying OERs with the potential to advance anti-racism. We study how these OERs, when used by teachers to customize technology-rich interactive science units, can strengthen science understanding, build student agency, and promote racial equity.
We are investigating how incorporating anti-racism OERs can strengthen science units by promoting integrated understanding of science and developing commitments to oppose racism and promote equity. This work will contribute insights into how science units featuring OERs can set students on a path towards increased racial equity and agency.
Redlining and Asthma Rates
“The map on the left shows how neighborhoods were rated under redlining policies. The map on the left shows asthma levels in the same areas. What do you notice about the asthma rates for neighborhoods colored in red?”
ARISE is building a library of promising resources and incorporating them into the WISE curriculum customization environment. Teachers will use the ARISE library to develop inquiry science units that address environmental and social justice topics.
Sample curriculum topics by grade level:
- 6th | Global Climate Change and Urban Heat Islands (urban heat islands, redlining)
- 7th | Chemical Reactions, Asthma, and Alternative Fuels: Making a Change (air pollution, redlining)
- 8th | COVID-19, Data Science, and Equity (data bias, implicit bias)
In the news:
- bluknowledge Partner Spotlight on ARISE
- The 74 article featuring ARISE curricula and partner teacher
Misleading Graphs: COVID Data
“In May of 2020, Georgia’s Department of Public Health released this graph on their website to report cases of COVID-19 in their counties. However, people noticed that the data was presented in a misleading way and that there were 2 problems with the graph. Can you identify these problems?”
Mapping Asthma Data: County vs Neighborhood
The ARISE partnership includes teachers from culturally varied schools in the SF Bay Area (Alameda and Contra Costa counties), learning sciences researchers, science discipline experts, software designers, and advisors who are leaders in anti-racism.
ARISE will propose design guidelines for science units featuring OERs along with instructional patterns that enable them to succeed in science instruction. We are developing a prototype workshop model that includes online activities and can be customized for future investigations.
The ARISE partnership includes teachers from culturally varied schools in the SF Bay Area (Alameda and Contra Costa counties), learning sciences researchers, science discipline experts, software designers, and advisors who are leaders in anti-racism.
ARISE will propose design guidelines for science units featuring OERs along with instructional patterns that enable them to succeed in science instruction. We are developing a prototype workshop model that includes online activities and can be customized for future investigations.
Mapping Asthma Data: County vs Neighborhood
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