Disciplining the Disciplines: Considering the Intersections of STEM Disciplinary Practices and Institutional Discipline and Control

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eighteen
  In Roundtable Session: Sociopolitical Perspectives on Math and Science Disciplines (Table 15)

Abstract

STEM education reforms emphasize the need for students to engage in disciplinary practices, in which they are positioned with authority to build knowledge about the natural, engineered, and mathematical worlds. However, for Black and Brown students, the intellectual authority in STEM practices can be seen as a threat to institutional authority in K-12 schools. Given the history of U.S. schools being used as a mechanism for control and assimilation, particularly for racially minoritized students, there is a risk in asking students to exercise their agency through STEM disciplinary engagement. In this paper we draw on examples to examine the tension between STEM disciplines and institutional Discipline, inviting deeper questions on what reforms are asking of students, teachers, and schools.

Authors

• Jessica Watkins, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author

• Christopher G. Wright, Drexel University
  Presenting Author