Abstract
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?
Presenters
Douglas HermondProfessor, Educational Leadership, Prairie View A&M University, Texas, United States Tyrone Tanner
Professor and Dean , Educational Leadership , Prairie View A & M University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Science, Mathematics and Technology Learning
KEYWORDS
STEM Teacher Preparation, Program Evaluation
