Augmenting Inquiry
University of Valencia
Moving an Indian School Toward Inquiry Methodology in Science: Is This Necessary?
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session David Cline
The author was tasked with providing professional development training of science teachers in an Indian private school in response to a change in the state syllabus and the familiarity of the school’s chairperson with inquiry in American schools. The teachers were hesitant because the chairperson demanded immediate change with no fluctuation of test scores. Students’ performance on standardized tests is a major factor in the teachers’ promotion and continued employment. Issues relating to trust, power dynamics, and curriculum revision are addressed in this qualitative (participant observation) study.
The Use of Mobile Technologies with Visually Impaired Learners in Ghana: Teacher and Student Perspectives on ‘Low-Tech’ Forms of Communication in Adverse Contexts
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Samuel Amponsah, Michael Thomas
While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education on a global scale, remote forms of online and blended teaching and learning have been used to preserve continuity. The 1.6 billion students around the globe whose education was affected by the pandemic have had the opportunity to resume their studies. The pandemic has also shed light on and, in some cases amplified, the significant socioeconomic inequalities that many teachers and learners face inside and outside their classrooms. Teachers of students with disabilities and students with visual impairments (SWVIs) in particular, seem to have been one forgotten group during the pandemic, especially in developing countries. This Aspire Project, a collaboration between Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Ghana, embarked on case study research to explore the use of widely available smartphones and distance education technologies used to teach SWVIs in adverse circumstances in a special school in Ghana. Twenty teachers, of whom three were visually impaired, and 10 SWVIs (n=30) were interviewed for this project. The project findings showed that the teachers had some knowledge of how to use mobile digital technologies for education but were oblivious to a more nuanced view of digital pedagogy. The findings further highlighted deep cracks in the digital divide and the need for national government policies, greater provision of digital technology resources and continuous professional development to address the pedagogical challenges identified.
Combining Communities of Practice and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy to Improve STEM Practices for Teachers of Diverse Learners View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Douglas Hermond, Tyrone Tanner
The U.S. Department of Education indicated that the “promise of a safe, high-quality education was already out of reach for many students long before the COVID-19 pandemic.” The greatest challenge is faced by students who attend schools that continuously experience opportunity gaps, resulting in a paucity of underrepresented minorities in PreK-12 STEM programs. Since the increase in resource and training of underrepresented minorities must begin early in their education, one HBCU in Texas has prepared preservice teachers via two sets of modules: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CR) and Communities of Practice (CoP). CR refers to the broad sets of pedagogies that acquaint educators with affective, socio-cultural skills to disseminate content. CoP closes the loop in STEM learning by implementing instructional strategies and opportunities that are directly associated with STEM careers. The confluence of these pedagogies (CR and CoP) is expected to enlarge the efficacy of teachers, leading to their students mastering STEM concepts. This plan starts with the recruitment of college undergraduates who are seeking science teaching endorsements. During the year that they take required pedagogical courses, they will also participate in several CoP and CR modules. Next, they will be placed in predominantly minority populated middles schools to enhance the participation of their students in STEM disciplines. There are two questions we are posing about the implementation of these two pedagogies. 1.How do you view this approach as transportable across cultural/racial/geographic contexts? 2. What are some other approaches and ways of implementation that may be blind spots?
