Developing Elementary Teachers' Conceptions of Equitable Science Education Through a Teacher-Inquiry Community

• In Event: 18.072 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 18.072-20 - Learning Together: Teachers and Teacher Educators Learning in Professional Communities

Abstract

In this study, a co-taught elementary science classroom serves as a context for exploring and developing teachers’ beliefs about equitable science education. The four co-teachers in this study formed a community through which we could further develop our beliefs about social justice education and practice them in our science teaching. My research question became how can a teacher-inquiry community influence (a) teachers’ beliefs about science for social justice and (b) teaching practice? By making visible the critical beliefs and practices of elementary science teachers, this study provides an empirical basis for the need to provide ongoing professional development that supports teachers in connecting their beliefs about social justice with elementary science.

Author

• Hannah Kye, Teachers College, Columbia University