Cultivating a "Science Identity" in Communities of Practice: An Innovative Approach to Urban Science Teacher Preparation

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Thirteen
  In Roundtable Session: Science in Teacher Education (Table 1)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the nature and impact of an innovative approach to developing a “science identity” in prospective secondary science teachers in a unique urban teacher residency in New York City. Data sources included interviews with participants, museum and school observations, and collection of artifacts and program documents. This paper argues that in order to prepare science teachers for NYC schools, this museum program prioritized developing residents’ “science identity,” which involved becoming simultaneously socialized into three nested, overlapping communities of practice. This argument is supported by three major findings about the communities, participants, and program’s ultimate goal of developing change agents for schools, and the extent to which these components collectively fostered residents’ science identity.

Author

• Marisa Olivo, Boston College
  Presenting Author