Science Teachers’ Noticing of Students During Facilitated Equity Debriefs

• In Event: A Conversation Around Challenging the Exclusionary Forces at Work in Mathematics and Science Classrooms

Abstract

Objectives & Theory. The culture of exclusion (CoE) is pervasive in science and limits students’ opportunities to learn and be viewed as a science person (e.g., Bang et al., 2013; Carlone et al., 2011; Chair, 2023). CoE is maintained through repeated tacit framings, which are strengthened and automated over time (Louie, 2017). Framing, as an aspect of noticing, and positioning are invisibilized processes by which teachers interpret a situation and can unintentionally reify the CoE (Louie et al., 2021). This study aims to examine shifts in science teachers’ noticing during equity debriefs, surfacing changes in the positioning of their students.

Methods & Data Analysis. Two white science teachers (Ms. Alexander and Mr. Hart, pseudonyms) used Equity QUantified In Participation (EQUIP; Reinholz and Shah, 2018), to analyze classroom videos and generate graphical representations of student talk distributions. The teachers individually participated in semi-structured debriefs with a researcher, reflecting on EQUIP analytics with attention to their focal student. Both teachers had five debriefs over two years. The debriefs were coded for moments of FAIR teacher noticing (framing, attending, interpreting, and responding) of the focal student (Louie et al., 2021). These moments were examined sequentially for shifts in noticing.

Findings. Initial findings show a shift in Mr. Hart’s noticing over the debriefs. In Mr. Hart’s first debrief, he positions Adrian, Hispanic male, as an unwilling and incapable science student. Mr. Hart attends to Adrian’s “low” standardized test scores and behavior within the classroom. He says, “most of the time [Adrian] just sits there passively not doing much of anything”. These descriptions of Adrian and his participation by Mr. Hart influence and are influenced by Mr. Hart’s frames, or how Mr. Hart makes sense of ‘What is it that is going on here?’ (Goffman, 1974). Saying “not doing much of anything” shows how Mr. Hart’s framing influences his interpretation of Adrian’s action (sitting), positioning Adrian as unwilling to be a science student.

In the second debrief, Mr. Hart shares how “pleased” he was with Adrian’s group research project and Adrian really “drove” the work, temporarily positioning Adrian as both a willing and capable science student. The debriefer asks, “Did that surprise you?”, attending to surprise in Mr. Hart’s voice. Adrian leading contradicts Mr. Hart’s framing. Even though his framing of Adrian was challenged, the “stickiness” of Mr. Hart’s frames meant the shift wasn’t permanent. In Mr. Hart’s third debrief he states, “coding and modeling is not [Adrian’s] cup of tea, so he just disengages on a fairly regular basis”, positioning Adrian as unwilling but not as incapable.

Significance. Mr. Hart’s comments about Adrian as unwilling continue to uphold the CoE in science. However, Mr. Hart’s change in positioning of Adrian (from incapable to capable) highlights a shift in his framing, suggesting EQUIP analytics debriefs have utility in shifting noticing and making incremental progress in disrupting the CoE. Future work ought to consider the CoE as a “key pivotal concept” (Philip, 2011, p. 305) to support teachers in making sense of analytics in their classrooms.

Author

• Linsey Paige Brennan, Michigan State University