Thanks to a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, MSU professors David Stroupe and Peter White plan to bring MothEd, a new curriculum designed to teach hands-on science practices to elementary students, to classrooms around the country beginning in the fall of 2022 - using moths as tools for learning.
Stroupe is an associate professor of teacher education and science education and the associate director of STEM Teacher Education at the CREATE for STEM Institute. White is an associate professor in the Entomology department and an urban moth ecologist. Using seed funding from the Science and Society at State initiative in 2018, White and Stroupe first created and tested moth-related curricula with a sixth-grade teacher and students.
The Next Generation Science Standards, which have been adopted in more than 20 states, are focused on students doing more science, rather than being told about it. While resources for teachers are being created in order for this shift in teaching practice to happen, more are needed. The free MothEd materials will help educators intentionally build an empowering science learning community.
White and Stroupe are partnering with Concord Consortium, a group that specializes in educational technology, to bring the lessons to life for teachers and students alike.
Read the full story at: https://edwp.educ.msu.edu/news/2021/capturing-moths-and-kids-curiosity-about-science/