Using a Framework for Engaging Reflective Practice With Critical Consciousness to Support Informal Science Education Professionals (Poster 8)

• In Event: Informal Science Institutions and Equity: Taking This Moment to Act With Justice

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ISE field in devastating ways. Many organizations have closed permanently (American Alliance of Museums (AAM), 2020; Collins et al., 2020). Among those who can reopen, staff size and composition has changed. Amidst this global interruption, the racial reckoning sparked from the murder of George Floyd propelled into the mainstream overdue discourse on systemic racism and anti-Blackness. From these tragedies is the opportunity to rebuild education teams in ways that put ISE organizations in a better position to address the issues of equality and justice in science education and enact change that equity-focused scholars have identified and insisted on for years (Ash, 2004; Dawson, 2014; Garibay, 2009). We argue all this change is not possible if the humans doing the work aren’t critically conscious.

Critical consciousness is the ability to recognize and analyze systems of inequality and the commitment to take action against these systems (Freire, 1970, 1974). Developing critical consciousness is foundational in multicultural education and critical pedagogy (Gay, 2018; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Muhammad, 2020). Without it, well intentioned efforts inadvertently maintain the erroneous narrative that “science is neutral,” “education is apolitical,” and “informal science education can right the inequities that schools create.” At worse, professionals can become dysconscious, “an uncritical habit of mind … that justifies inequities and exploitation by accepting the existing order of things as given” (King, 1991, p. 135).

Building on a model from youth development scholars for enacting critical consciousness (Watts et al., 2011), [Authors] added concepts of humility, compassion, and belonging to be practiced as a part of engaging in reflective practice with critical consciousness. Humility is a characteristic within each person and emerges when we interact with people (Owens et al., 2013; Van Tongeren et al., 2019). Having humility means being teachable, and is fundamental to critical reflection. Belonging is being and feeling that one is a welcomed and rightful member of a group. “The right to belong is prior to all other distributive decisions since it is members who make those decisions” (powell & Menendian, 2017). Belonging is what we must work towards; not simply tolerating and respecting differences, but to genuinely ensure that everyone feels welcome and have the right to co-create and make demands of the group. The assumption is: engaging in critical reflection urges people to take critical action; and as they take action to enact change, they reflect more critically. Unfortunately, people don’t always act. Watts et al. (2011) consider political efficacy as a factor. Political efficacy refer to people’s beliefs about their capacity as change agents, and that structures and authority figures are responsive to their interests. [Authors] added compassion as another influential driver towards action. Compassion is a fundamental aspect of multicultural education (Gay, 2018; Nieto & Bode, 2018), with emphasis being on ways culturally responsive educators express their compassion by caring for the intellectual and emotional well-being of students of color.

This presentation explores how this framework can be used to organize and design professional learning experiences for ISE professionals.

Author

• Lynn Uyen Tran, National Science Foundation