Abstract
Drawing upon critically oriented studies of science literacy and environmental justice, we posit a framework for activism in science education. To make our case, we share a set of narratives on how the River City Youth Club acquired a new green roof. Using these narratives we argue that the ways in which youth describe their accomplishments with respect to the roof reflects a range of subject positions that they carve out and take up over time. These subject positions reveal how activism is a generative process linked to “knowing” and “being” in ways that juxtapose everyday practices with those of science.
Résumé
Fondant notre approche sur des études critiques dans le domaine de l’alphabétisation scientifique et de l’équité environnementale, nous postulons un cadre visant à promouvoir l’activisme en enseignement des sciences. Comme arguments, nous présentons une série de récits qui racontent comment la Maison de jeunes de River City a pu se doter d’un nouveau toit écologique. Ces récits nous permettent de montrer que les façons dont les jeunes décrivent leur rôle dans la réalisation de ce projet reflètent une gamme de positions que les sujets adoptent et modifient au fur et à mesure que progresse la réalisation du toit. Ces différentes positions indiquent que l’activisme est un processus génératif lié à la ‘connaissance’ et au ‘savoir’, processus qui juxtapose les pratiques quotidiennes et celles des sciences.
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-0737642. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Barton, A.C., Tan, E. “It Changed Our Lives”: Activism, Science, and Greening the Community. Can J Sci Math Techn 10, 207–222 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2010.504480
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2010.504480