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Examining Power and Resilience Through Culturally Focused Inquiry in the Disciplines

Sat, April 18, 2:45 to 4:15pm, Hyatt, Floor: West Tower - Green Level, Crystal B

Abstract

This is a study of a 3-year longitudinal intervention at an African-centered urban high school serving African-American youth from low-income communities. The intervention focuses on culturally rooted scaffolds for learning in the disciplines (literature, history, science and mathematics) (Moses and Cobb 2001, Nasir, Rosebery et al. 2006, Lee 2007) , coupled with identify focused school wide supports (Graham and Hudley 2005). The disciplinary scaffolds draw on funds of knowledge (Gonzalez, Moll et al. 2004) youth construct from their experiences in the everyday world to support students in developing knowledge of strategies, key constructs, and dispositions to engage in inquiry. The inquiry projects which students explore address generative questions in each domain that also have relevance to the nature of challenges they face as individuals and in terms of the communities of which they are a part. Student presentations will be made in literature (lessons of the complexities of resilience of African-Americans under slavery exemplified through Morrison’s novel Beloved and related texts, and the complexities of their manifestation today), history (examining the legal histories and complexities of wrestling with tensions between majority and minority rights and implications for policies regarding affirmative action today), science (understanding the impact of urban food deserts and the implications for sustainable living through urban community-based agriculture) and mathematics (using the tools of mathematics to examine sources of inequity and for projecting opportunities for resilience in communities). Each student poster will represent a collaborative project among 3-4 students.

The researcher presentation will provide a brief overview of the design of the intervention, data collection on the project and findings. Supporting teachers will also be present to answer questions about implementing this cultural and ecological intervention. Most salient to the researcher presentation are findings that positive racial identity (King 1990, Spencer 2006), a belief in effort over ability (Dweck 1999), meaningful perceptions of the disciplinary tasks and perceptions of strong relationships were predictive of positive outcomes for youth as measured by pre-post assessments, PSAE, and student grades.

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