"Look Miss, I'm Doing My Work!" Students' Meanings and Interpretations of "Work"

• In Event: Teacher Research Into Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Science Teaching: Not Going Back to How Things Were Before

Abstract

Objectives

I work in a school that serves students who have not been successful in mainstream high schools, many of whom are legally adults. My research questions focus on my efforts to understand my students’ needs and goals: How can I use what I learn about my students’ needs and goals to become a better teacher for them?

Perspectives

I struggled in high school; this helps me to identify with my students. However, with support, I succeeded, and education opened doors for me. Through this lens, I have always wanted to help my students experience what it is like to “do science,” and be part of a community that collaborates to solve real-world problems (Holthuis et al., 2018). The pandemic pushed me more toward learning about my students’ immediate needs and goals and to focus on what I need to do differently to address my students as individuals (Wood & Palmer, 2013). This work is grounded in CRSE because I am learning about my students and what they care about (López, 2017) in order to create teaching and learning experiences that they value.

Methods and Data

I collected data about students’ perspectives using surveys, student reflections on assignments, and discussions with students. I inquired into how they perceive “work” and how they measure their own success inside and outside of school. I kept records of my own reflections, including classroom incidents and students’ comments and personal conversations with colleagues, especially in the professional learning group.

Results

Many of my students are responsible for younger siblings; during the pandemic, this meant that some students needed to support their siblings’ remote learning along with managing their own. Others are essential workers (e.g., at grocery stores) and work long, late hours. While these responsibilities were not new, they were intensified during the pandemic.

In this poster, I will describe how previously, as an engineer, I found that using and learning science through collaborating with colleagues was a compelling way to “work.” I will compare this to what I have learned from my students, especially during the pandemic, about their needs, goals and lives outside of school, and my ongoing efforts to connect with them - often one-on-one - in person and virtually.

Significance

I hear many students say, “Look, I am doing my work” and “We can multitask but we get our work done.” In fact, they may not complete an assignment or show mastery of the content. I have shifted from a deficit mindset in reference to my students to a growth mindset both as a teacher and asking my students to consider this shift. Particularly for people who have chosen teaching as a second career, expectations for school work may differ from those of their students; it is important to authentically listen to young adults to figure out how best to serve them.

Author

• Susan B Sylvester, American Museum of Natural History