Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed: An Equity-Centered Science Teacher Professional Development

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 3:35 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Equitable Science and STEM Education (Table 2)

Abstract

Secondary science teachers’ implementation of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) requires critical methodologies in professional development for equitable teaching outcomes in science education. This professional development study on CRP in science using a critical arts-based method, explores secondary science teachers' challenges to implement CRP in a large culturally and linguistically diverse school district. The nine secondary science teachers' professional development (STPD) included six CRP science sessions that relied on the Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, e.g., gaming exercises, critical dialogue, and the critique of social mores in science education. The descriptive case study approach focuses on CRP’s critical consciousness tenet as an underpinning for the STPD to inspire science teachers to disrupt inequitable teaching practices in science education and effect change.

Authors

• Tara M. Nkrumah, Arizona State University

• Elaine Arrieta Bohn, Arizona State University