A new article in Science & Children showcases how the PeBLES2 project is changing science education. “Making Space for Local Science: Strategies for teachers to find and adapt phenomena in science units” demonstrates what makes PeBLES2 unique—it helps teachers bring science to life using places that matter to their students. As the project wraps up this year, this article perfectly captures how PeBLES2 has given teachers practical tools to make science education more meaningful and connected to students’ lives.
Co-authored by Dr. Katahdin (Kate) Cook Witt and Maine Teacher of the Year Becky Hallowell, the article underscores specific ways teachers can help students make connections between familiar landscapes and bigger-picture scientific ideas.
In the article, the authors share PeBLES2’s simple but powerful approach: they’ve created a collection of widely applicable phenomena that teachers can easily customize for their local area. They provide steps for “swapping in” lessons that could be adapted locally. The article is packed with real classroom examples showing how this works in practice.
The article represents what PeBLES2 is all about—bringing teachers and researchers together to improve science education. You can see this partnership through the article’s co-authors: a researcher and a classroom teacher working together to share these ideas with other educators. It’s a fitting way to showcase how PeBLES2 bridges the gap between research and actual classroom practice.
A student making a model of outdoor places as a part of Becky Hallowell’s class.
