Secondary STEM Teacher Experiences Enacting Social Justice Pedagogy

• In Event: Social Justice and Restorative Practices in Teacher Education

Abstract

This phenomenographical study explores how induction science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers understood and enacted STEM for social justice teaching (SJT) in their practice within various contexts upon participating in online synchronous SJT professional development (PD). Data collected included lesson artifacts and pre- and post-lesson semi-structured interviews with seven new secondary STEM teachers. Results indicate the teachers’ understandings and enactments of SJT were instrumental in developing students’ social justice consciousness, agency, and proficiency in the discipline, though their lessons lacked support for students to use that knowledge to pursue justice-oriented community projects. Our study highlights the need for a framework that supports teachers to help students pursue social justice (SJ) projects that respond to community issues around societal injustice.

Authors

• Belinda Pickett Edwards, Kennesaw State University
  Presenting Author

• Michael Dias, Kennesaw State university
  Presenting Author

• Laurie Brantley-Dias, Kennesaw State University
  Presenting Author

• Tiffany Anne Roman, Kennesaw State University
  Presenting Author