The Development of the Culturally Sustaining Science Curriculum Lotions and Potions: Science Through Hair Care

• In Event: I See You: How Black Womxn See and Speak to the Curricula Brilliance of Black Girls in STEM

Abstract

Hair is biologically a complex material (Popescu, & Höcker, 2007; Russell, 1917), and it is also an important representation of identity and culture for many people, regardless of race or gender identification (Johnson & Bankhead, 2014; Versey, 2014). However, Black women’s natural hair has historically been considered a problem to be fixed by straightening since straightened or relaxed hair seemingly appear more professional, attractive, and ultimately closer to Whiteness (Mbilishaka, 2018; Mercer, 2000; Okazawa-Rey, Robinson, & Ward, 1987; Thompson, 2008). Kitchen beauticians are people who make, use, and supplement products using materials typically found in the kitchen, in order to do their hair and/or other’s hair in the home (Jacobs-Huey, 2006). The problem is such that Black girls and women engage in hair care techniques that are reflective of science practices; however, they are not regarded as scientists or identified as science doers. The purpose of this project is to protect and canonize Black women’s hair culture and curricula practices as reflective of science content and incorporate DIY activities into assessment instruments.

Perspectives
Through a culturally sustaining framework (Paris & Alim, 2014), Lotions and Potions: Science through Hair Care is a Next Generation Science Standard-based curriculum that centers and celebrates Black hair and DIY making practices as science content in an informal learning setting. Kitchen beauticians participate in a specific culture (Nasir, Roseberry, Warren, & Lee, 2006) relevant to the community developed, shaped and connected through hair care techniques, tools, and materials. The curriculum follows the five tenets of the culturally sustaining framework through (a) using hair and skin to advance science content knowledge, (b) students engaging in practices of kitchen beauticians, (c) the curriculum challenges the status quo of the current social order by centering Black hair care and Black girls within science content, (d) sustaining cultural pluralism through conversation and written statements, and (e) addressing monocultural educational policies through multimodal assessments. The Lotions and Potions: Science through Hair Care curriculum consists of six ninety minute lessons with skin and hair content, formative and summative assessments, comic book excerpts, coloring pages, word searches, and journal reflection prompts. The curriculum was taught to ten Black middle school girls in January 2020. The intervention ran for six classes, twice a week for ninety minutes each class, totaling more than seventeen hours of contact time.

Discussion
Situating cultural practices such as hair care as a part of Black girlhood within the design of a science curriculum with assessments challenges settled hierarchies, irrelevance, and disinterest within STEM experiences. By expanding curriculum and pedagogy to be inclusive of non-dominant and non-European perspectives, students’ culture is integrated into classroom normalities and the curriculum being taught to support intellectual leaders and knowledge builders in the classroom (Ladson-Billings, 1992) through practice-based learning (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). Implications for the broadening of curriculum and instruction includes what is considered relevant and valid science content, who is able to participate in science practices, and culturally centered and sustaining assessments.

Author

• Rasheda Likely, Kennesaw State University