Fourth-Grade Latinx English Learners Developing Disciplinary Literacies in/Through Engineering Design

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Pushing Boundaries in Bilingual Elementary Education

Abstract

With calls to diversify engineering, K-12 students are exposed to engineering through approaches such as problem-based learning (PBL). This is a study of the implementation of a PBL, engineering design curriculum at a semi-rural district on the US-Mexico border. Students designed and tested a model that met given criteria. Data were collected during the first year implementation of the curriculum in two 4th grade classrooms, one Dual Language (DL) and one monolingual. Using a disciplinary literacies approach, we highlight how literacy practices mediated engineering design, suggesting that the experience permitted opportunities to develop engineering disciplinary literacies. However, these literacy practices took place, almost exclusively, in English—even in DL, thus potentially limiting opportunities to use diverse language practices.

Authors

• Alberto Esquinca, San Diego State University

• Lidia Herrera-Rocha, The University of Texas - El Paso