Aprendiendo Ciencias: Acquiring and Expanding Scientific Language and Literacy

• In Event: Knowing English Is Not Enough! Cultivating Academic Literacies Among Bilingual Learners

Abstract

Perspective and Purpose
Part of learning science involves being able to communicate about science and to use the specialized language used within science. Scientific literacy also includes being able to make informed daily life decisions based on scientific information. Moreover, “scientific literacy serves as a tool for and signifier of both school and social success, and thus can be considered an important tool for gaining or denying access to opportunities for success” (Moje et al., 2001, p. 472).
A socio-cultural approach to learning helps us understand that learning is social and that learning happens in small communities (classrooms), thus, in order for learning to occur talk must happen (Vygotsky, 1978). Furthermore, learning science involves talking, writing and reading in a specific register particular to this specific content area (Lemke, 1990; Hicks, 1995). “To be successful in a particular context such as science class, students must be able to navigate across the multiple linguistic structures, textual styles, and value-laden resources” (Ciechanowski, 2009, p. 561). This learning perspective, highlights the challenge of learning science for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who have to learn not only the specialized language of science within a culture that might differ from theirs, making it more difficult to create meaningful connections with their everyday lives, but also English as a second language. In addition, how science is enacted in everyday classroom practices for culturally and linguistically diverse students will affect not only their academic performance in school, but also how they relate science to their lives outside the classroom.
The purpose of this study is to explore how academic literacy is fostered in two bilingual classrooms in the content area of science. The following research questions guide the qualitative study: How do teachers foster an environment with high expectations for scientific literacy development? And how do teachers and students negotiate the use of scientific language within bilingual communities?

Methods and Data
Ethnographic methods were used to collect data that included classroom observations of teacher-student and student-student interactions, students’ classroom products, teachers’ plans and semi-structured interviews. Data was collected in a suburban bilingual classroom and an urban bilingual classroom.
Using a variety of texts for analysis, and studying a variety of interactions within the classrooms, the authors document how scientific literacy and language were fostered and taken up by the students and teachers inside the classroom communities, creating or not a common scientific language.

Educational Significance
Understanding how science literacy practices are constructed and promoted in bilingual classrooms will help educators and policy makers gain awareness of the fact that science and scientific literacy necessitate the explicit teaching of the scientific genre. Studies like this also highlight the science and linguistic practices bilingual students bring to the classroom that can be helpful for teachers and policy makers in developing and supporting academic science literacy.

Authors

• Maria-Antonieta Avila, The University of Texas - Austin

• Cynthia Esperanza Lima, The University of Texas - Austin