I'm Not Just Teaching Science: A Case Study of STEM Teachers' Dispositions Toward Equity-Focused Teaching

• In Event: 67.068 - MTCC Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: 67.068-8 - Preparing Critical-Oriented Teachers

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that teachers’ dispositions towards equity-focused STEM teaching range from less to more sophisticated conceptualizations of equity. I share a case study based on analysis of teachers pre- and post-surveys, observational data, and teaching materials of eight teachers in an out-of-school STEM-focused learning environment. Teachers exhibited two main dispositions: equity is equality—the idea that equity is the same as equality or equal resources—and equity is empowerment. In this paper, I also discuss the ways teachers’ perspectives shifted over time and the types of supports that supported or constrained their growth. Implications include how to support teacher learning processes in order to develop more critical educators and increase uptake of equity-focused teaching practices in classrooms.

Author

• Tia C. Madkins, University of Texas at Austin