Challenging Dominant Science Ideologies: A Seventh-Grade Dual Language Teacher

• In Event: Meeting Contemporary Challenges of K–8 Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Drawing from Critical Race Theory, this qualitative study provides a testimonio (testimony) and evidence of how a 7th-grade dual-language science teacher challenges dominant ideologies in science by planning equitable, environmentally, and socially just lessons for multilingual students. This paper will advance an understanding of what it can look like for a middle school teacher to teach science for equity and social justice in a dual-immersion program. Data for this phenomenological study are drawn from classroom observations, interviews, and pláticas (talks). Findings suggest that middle school teachers in bilingual school programs can engage in reflective practices to plan transformative science units relevant to the communities they serve. Implications for science teachers and science teacher educators are discussed.

Author

• Melissa Arabel Navarro, San Diego State University
  Presenting Author