Abstract
Science education reforms promote access to quality science education for all students. Outcome disparities in various measures indicate that such access remains elusive for African Americans. Cultural incongruence is one among many explanations for this previously described inaccessibility. The intent of this article is not to report additional research findings, but to translate the information provided in the literature into an instructional form that science teacher educators can employ in the preparation of prospective science teachers or the further development of practicing ones. Pivoting around a role play, the authors discuss communication within African American communities, its incongruence with the discourse patterns typically valued and reinforced in school science, and the importance of such knowledge for science teacher educators.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Another pattern of engagement that is appreciated in African American communities involves the prominence of context. Before embarking upon a task, individuals expend time and effort addressing the context (e.g., establishing a personal connection, altering aspects of the surroundings so they resemble other surroundings).
References
Aikenhead, G. S. (1996). Science education: Border crossing into the subculture of science. Studies in Science Education, 27(1), 1–52.
Atwater, M. M. (2000). Equity for Black Americans in precollege science. Science Education, 84, 154–179.
Au, K., & Kawakami, A. (1994). Cultural congruence in instruction. In E. Hollins, J. King, & W. Haymen (Eds.), Teaching diverse populations: Formulating a knowledge base (pp. 5–23). Albany: State University of New York Press.
Aubusson, P., Fogwill, S., Barr, R., & Perkovic, L. (1997). What happens when students do simulation-role-play in science? Research in Science Education, 27, 565–579.
Brown, E. L. (2004). What precipitates change in cultural diversity awareness during a multicultural course: The message or the method? Journal of Teacher Education, 55, 325–340.
Crawford, T. (2005). What counts as knowing: Constructing a communicative repertoire for student demonstration of knowledge in science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 42, 139–165.
Crawford, T., Kelly, G. J., & Brown, C. (2000). Ways of knowing beyond facts and laws of science: An ethnographic investigation of student engagement in scientific practices. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37, 237–258.
Cross, B. E. (2003). Learning or unlearning racism: Transferring teacher education curriculum to classroom practices. Theory Into Practice, 42, 203–209.
DeNeve, K., & Mary, H. (1997). Role play simulations: The assessment of an active learning technique and comparisons with traditional lectures. Innovative Higher Education, 21, 231–246.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing teachers for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106–116.
Gay, G., & Kirkland, K. (2003). Developing cultural critical consciousness and self-reflection in preservice teacher education. Theory Into Practice, 42, 181–188.
Gutierrez, K. D., & Rogoff, B. (2003). Cultural ways of learning: Individual traits or repertoires of practice. Educational Researcher, 32(5), 19–25.
Hale-Benson, J. E. (1987). Black children: Their roots, culture, and learning style (Rev. ed.). Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Johnson, L. (2002). “My eyes have been opened”: White teachers and racial awareness. Journal of Teacher Education, 53, 153–167.
Kurth, L., Anderson, C., & Palincsar, A. (2002). The case of Carla: Dilemmas of helping all students understand science. Science Education, 86, 287–313.
Labov, W. (1972). Sociolinguistic patterns. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1996). Silences as weapons: Interactions, confrontations, and compromises between a Black teacher and White students. Theory Into Practice, 35(2), 79–85.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1998). Just what is critical race theory and what’s it doing in a nice field like education? International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11, 7–24.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1999). Preparing teachers for diversity: Historical perspectives, current trends, and future directions. Review of Research in Education, 24, 211–247.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2000). Fighting for our lives: Preparing teachers to teach African American students. Journal of Teacher Education, 51, 206–215.
Lea, V. (2004). The reflective cultural portfolio: Identifying public cultural scripts in the private voices of White student teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 55, 116–127.
Lee, O. (1992). Scientific literacy for all: What is it, and how can we achieve it? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34, 219–222.
Lee, O., & Fradd, S. (1996). Interactional patterns of linguistically diverse students and teachers: Insights for promoting science learning. Linguistics and Education, 8, 269–297.
Lee, O., & Fradd, S. (1998). Science for all, including students from non-English-language backgrounds. Educational Researcher, 27(4), 12–21.
Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science: Language, learning, and values. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Love, A., & Kruger, A. C. (2005). Teacher beliefs and student achievement in urban schools serving African American students. Journal of Educational Research, 99(2), 87–98.
Luft, J. (1998). Multicultural science education: An overview. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 9, 103–122.
Lynch, S. (2000). Equity and science education reform. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
Marshall, P. (1998). Toward developmental multicultural education: Case study of the issues exchange activity. Journal of Teacher Education, 49(1), 57–65.
Melnick, S. (1991). High school staff development: Matching activities to outcomes. NASSP, 75(536), 60–64.
Murrell, P. (2006). Toward social justice in urban education: A model of collaborative cultural inquiry in urban schools. Equity & Excellence in Education, 39, 81–90.
National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2000). Report retrieved March 8, 2005, from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
National Science Foundation. (1999). Division of Science Resource Statistics. Retrieved March 8, 2005, from http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind04/append/c3/at03-16.xls.
Rodriguez, A. J. (2005). Teachers’ resistance to ideological and pedagogical change: Definitions, theoretical framework, and significance. In A. J. Rodriguez, & R. S. Kitchen (Eds.), Preparing mathematics and science teachers for diverse classrooms: Promising strategies for transformative pedagogy (pp. 1–16). Mahwah: Erlbaum.
Rosebery, A., Warren, B., & Conant, F. (1992). Appropriating scientific discourse: Findings from language minority classrooms. The Journal of Learning Sciences, 2(1), 61–94.
Shade, B. (1982). Afro-American cognitive style: A variable in school success? Review of Educational Research, 52, 219–244.
Schoorman, D. (2002). Increasing critical multicultural understanding via technology: “Teachable moments” in a university-school partnership project. Journal of Teacher Education, 53, 356–369.
Shaftel, F., & Shaftel, G. (1982). Role playing in the curriculum (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Shearer, R., & Davidhizar, R. (2003). Using role play to develop cultural competence. Journal of Nursing Education, 42, 273–276.
Shepard, D. (2002). Using screenwriting techniques to create realistic and ethical role plays. Counseling Education and Supervision, 42, 145–157.
Tobin, K., Roth, W.-M., & Zimmermann, A. (2001). Learning to teach science in urban schools. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38, 941–964.
Villegas, A., & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 20–32.
Warren, B., Ballenger, C., Ogonowski, M., Rosebery, A. S., & Hudicourt-Barnes, J. (2001). Rethinking diversity in learning science: The logic of everyday sense-making. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38, 529–552.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Parsons, E.C., Foster, S., Gomillion, C.T. et al. Diversity Knowledge in Science Teacher Education-Translating Concept to Instruction: An Example Specific to African Americans. J Sci Teacher Educ 19, 69–83 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-007-9082-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-007-9082-3