Enacting Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in a STEM Capstone Course for Preservice Elementary Teachers

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Tensions in Cultivating an Equity Mind-Set in Preservice Teachers

Abstract

Despite the increasing number of courses in teacher education programs regarding culturally sustaining pedagogy, preservice teachers still find it difficult to apply such a pedagogy to their STEM classes in public schools. To respond to this problem, we designed a new STEM capstone course, C+STEM, in which preservice elementary teachers learn how to integrate culturally sustaining pedagogy to STEM teaching and learning. Guided by a culturally sustaining pedagogy and a case-study approach, this study examines how preservice elementary teachers in our C+STEM course engaged in STEM projects that maintain or extend their cultural or linguistic practices. We provide the findings that emerged from an analysis of 16 cases of preservice teachers. The implications for teacher education are discussed.

Authors

• Myunghwan Shin, California State University, Fresno

• Frederick Nelson, California State University - Fresno