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Conceptualizing science learning as a collective social practice: changing the social pedagogical compass for a child with visual impairment

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Abstract

The international literature on science learning in inclusive settings has a long history, but it is generally very limited in scope. Few studies have been undertaken that draw upon a cultural-historical reading of inclusive pedagogy, and even less in the area of science education. In addition, we know next to nothing about the science learning of preschool children with visual impairment using cultural-historical theory. This paper seeks to fill this gap by presenting a study of one child with Albinism who participated in a unit of early childhood science where fairy tales were used for learning about the concepts of sound and growth. This paper reports upon the social and material conditions that were created to support learning in the preschool, whilst also examining how the learning of growth and sound were supported at home. The study found three new pedagogical features for inclusion: Imagination in science; Ongoing scientific narrative; and Scientific mirroring. It was found that when a dialectical reading of home and centre practices feature, greater insights into inclusive pedagogy for science learning are afforded, and a view of science as a collective enterprise emerges. It is argued that a cultural-historical conception of inclusion demands that the social conditions, rather than the biology of the child, is foregrounded, and through this greater insights into how science learning for children with visual impairment is gained.

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Acknowledgments

The Australian Research Council Discovery Grant scheme funded the research discussed in this paper. Research assistance was provided by Feiyan Chen, Yijun Hao, Hasnat Jahan, Judith Gomes, Shuhuan Pang, Shukla Sikder, and Pui Ling Wong. Support from Madeleine Holland and Rowan Fleer-Stout with data organisation is appreciated. Special acknowledgment of the staff and families involved in the study is made, as without their involvement new understandings would not be possible. Special mention is also made of the advice received on inclusion from Joseph Agbenyega, who despite his busy schedule, found time to comment on an earlier draft of this paper.

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  1. Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Marilyn Fleer & Sue March

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  1. Marilyn Fleer
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Correspondence to Marilyn Fleer.

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Fleer, M., March, S. Conceptualizing science learning as a collective social practice: changing the social pedagogical compass for a child with visual impairment. Cult Stud of Sci Educ 10, 803–831 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-014-9616-x

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