Civics in STEM? Teacher Candidate Sense-Making for the Public Good

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Expanding Social Studies Education

Abstract

Despite the clear implications for social justice, there is little overlap between critical STEM scholarship (Calabrese Barton, 2012; Gutstein, 2016; Rubel, Lim, Hall-Wieckert, & Sullivan, 2016) and the generations of civic education research and practice (Adair, Phillips, Ritchie, & Sachdeva, 2017; Kirshner & Ginwright, 2012; Westheimer & Kahne, 2004) and it shows in the ways Americans surveyed (Pew Research Center, 2013) rank STEM education as most important but then connect what they learn in school to immediately relevant issues like fracking and climate change. This paper addresses such disconnect by identifying STEM teacher candidate sensemaking regarding the civic possibilities and responsibilities of their specific content area and in their roles as teachers of students of color.

Author

• Jamie D. Gravell, California State University - Stanislaus