There is much that we can learn from small spaces that applies to the greater scope of education around the world. In current times, there is an increase in stress, a decrease in public trust, and a wealth of examples of contention and strife across and within nations around the world. As a science educator in the United States working on improving science literacy in spaces where there are public controversies and cultural conflict, there are lessons to learn from interactions between teachers and students that can help us bridge the gaps that divide society and become something better. A return to the skills of communication, a desire to understand, a willingness to have empathy for others, and a lessening of “othering” are critical in the classroom, not only to teach students soft skills that will help define their interactions through life, but to enable us to move beyond the crisis-level divisions that impede so many areas of our lives and global society.

Speaker: Amanda Townley

Published in: London International Conference on Education (LICE-2022)

• Date of Conference: 14-16 November 2022
• DOI: 10.20533/LICE.2022.0007
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-52-5
• Conference Location: Virtual (London, UK)