Conceptualizing Teacher Professional Learning as Generative Spaces for Justice-Oriented Science Instruction for Multilingual Students (Poster 2)

• In Event: Supporting Teacher Learning of Justice-Centered Ambitious Practice

Abstract

Cultivating teachers of equitable science and language teaching for multilingual learners (MLLs) continues to be a challenge that perpetuates oppressive classroom environments. Justice-oriented science instruction for MLLs is a complex pedagogy that “is deeply active, connected, engaging for students, and relevant to their lives outside of school” (Viesca, et. al., 2019, p. 310). To support teachers in providing instruction for multilingual learners, features of productive in-service professional learning communities (PLC) have been well-established (Darling-Hammond, et al., 2017) but more research is needed to connect teacher learning, and teacher practice (Lucas et. al., 2018, p. 168).
Theoretical Framework. Drawing on generativity, this study argues for creating professional learning spaces grounded in collective pedagogical problem solving that build “understanding by connecting [teachers’] personal and professional knowledge with the knowledge that they gain from their students” (Ball, 2009, p. 47). We examine how elementary teachers co-constructed a PLC with researchers to continue growing their culturally and linguistically just science teaching.

Data come from the second year of a five-year, mixed methods study that follows teacher candidates from one teacher education program with a strong cultural and linguistic justice bent. The study focuses on supporting continued novice teacher learning and asset-based science teaching in multilingual settings. Data from 6 video recorded, in-service PLCs, classroom observations, and interviews were analyzed using an iterative coding process and grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014).

In the PLC, teachers engaged with the complexity of science and language instruction to work towards justice-centered practices (Morales-Doyle, 2017). Findings show how the co-creation (Ishimaru & Bang, 2022) of generative professional learning spaces supported teachers’ science and language instructional practices and attended to complex learning contexts. In the PLC teachers initially focused on the opportunities to elicit the multiple languages, cultural backgrounds, and science ideas of students within their science lessons. However, teachers became dissatisfied with the lack of relevant and justice-oriented focus within the curricula and struggled to implement ambitious science teaching (Windschitl et al., 2018) learned in their science methods. Over the year, teachers learned from each other to shift curricula to be relevant to student experiences (i.e. changing a forces and motion unit to study playground activities rather than an abstract carnival, taking up the study of “rolly-pollies” based on the children’s fascination), and envisioned how socioscientific issues could be added (e.g. the impact of human land mismanagement in a unit about the chemistry within a pond). Through these experiences teachers talked about an ethic of care and living in relation with more-than-human species.

This study shows the central role of continuing to foster novice teachers’ learning and growth for socially just teaching within a community of similar minded teachers. As opposed to traditional knowledge transmission models on how to teach science to multilingual learners, this study conceptualizes professional learning opportunities as generative, humanizing spaces (Paris & Winn, 2014) where teachers and researchers grow in their instructional and interactional practices, identities, and ideologies.

Authors

• Kerry Soo Von Esch, Seattle University
  Presenting Author

• Cristina M. Betancourt, University of Washington
  Presenting Author

• Jessica J. Thompson, University of Washington
  Presenting Author

• Manka M. Varghese, University of Washington
  Presenting Author