Teacher Noticing of Middle School Students' Ideas About Science and Social Justice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: How Teachers Learn to Enact Equitable and Socially Just STEM Instruction

Abstract

Incorporating issues of racism and equity into science content challenges teachers to notice students' science and social justice ideas and act on them. After teaching anti-racist science units in their middle school classrooms six teachers participated in interviews to discuss the student ideas they noticed. We found that teachers’ noticing revolved around five major themes including shifts in student understanding, empowerment, challenges with complex topics and making connections, and student engagement. Each teacher felt motivated to respond to their students’ ideas. They were unsure how to support their students in making deeper connections, particularly between issues of racism, discrimination, and scientific phenomena.

Authors

• Kelly R Billings, University of California - Berkeley

• Allison Bradford, University of California - Berkeley