Reforming Science Teacher Education with Cultural Reflection and Practice
Keywords:
culturally relevant teaching; teacher education; family learning events; cultural perceptionsAbstract
As classrooms increasingly become more diverse, teacher
education programs should include opportunities for open discussions
and authentic implementation of culturally relevant teaching. This study
explores how preservice teachers (PSTs) in a science content/methods
class, use reading, reflecting and writing in an innovative sequence
outlined a lesson plan called a Transformational Reading Exercise (TRE).
TREs require that PSTs read culturally relevant literature, reflect on their
reading, and write their reflective responses rather than simply
summarizing the reading. The TRE is followed by guided class
discussions and the intentional application of those concepts in
authentic after-school teaching environments called Family Science
Learning Events. At Family Science Learning Events (FSLEs), PSTs can
transform their thinking about themselves, attending students and
family members, becoming more interconnected, more interdependent,
more conscious of other cultures. Data collection and analysis from this
study includes qualitative data from PSTs TREs and FSLE reflections
and quantitative data from pre-/post-surveys regarding the importance
of teacher quality characteristics. Results show a significant increase in
PSTs appreciating culturally relevant teaching pedagogy and changes in
PSTs personal perceptions regarding culture. Recommendations include
reforming education courses to include use of structured
reading/reflecting/writing sequences with intentional, authentic venues
that incorporate meaningful culturally relevant experiences.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.1.3
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