Culturally Responsive Middle School Science

A case study of needs, demands, and challenges

Culturally Responsive Education

Curriculum and instruction that uses ethnically and culturally diverse students’ cultural group histories, experiences, perspectives, issues, contributions, ways of knowing, ways of understanding, and ways of interacting.

Students Teachers

Curr

Potential sources of CRE

CardioHEADS 2002-2006

Support culturally responsive inquiry-based learning of cardiovascular health and disease for low-income, urban, ethnically diverse middle school students.

Perfect Candidate for CRE

Program focus on CRE in DPS CVD claims more lives each year than the

next six common causes of death combined Health disparities

There are continuing disparities in the burden of illness and death experienced by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives, as compared to the U.S. population as a whole. (HHS, 2006)

Focus on the human body

The Study

Two part study framed by the question: how does one create a culturally responsive science program for ethnically and culturally diverse urban middle school students?

Part I: Content Analysis of CH pilot curriculum

Part II: Microethnography of the enacted curriculum

Findings: Limiting factors

Institutional Culture Separate personal/everyday

from academic Social organization/scripts in

the classroom CH program

Lack of professional development

Program goals oriented to the traditional model of science

Curriculum Lacking some CRE features

Teacher Deficit perspective Lack of care Recitation script

Students Limited resources for opening

third space

CH Program

Institutional Culture

Students

Teachers

Curriculum

Limiting factors

Possible solutions

Pedagogy centered on the ethic of care True open inquiry instruction Teachers developing own individualized

instructional program and material ala Funds of Knowledge

Incorporating novel activity settings that require alternative participant structure and promote common strategies for talking and interacting

Final Thoughts

Creating culturally responsive science for ethnically and culturally diverse students in urban middle schools is far more involved and complicated than is discussed in any of the CRE literature and is far more complex than I had anticipated.

Where I might take this next

Examine how exemplary models of CRE in urban science classrooms coexist with or alter traditional institutional culture.

Examine how preservice and inservice teachers develop an ethic of care particularly dominant culture teachers working in content areas with marginalized youth.

Develop better methods to uncover CRE content.

If I had to do it over?

Interview teachers to find out more about the function and meaning of the social script in the classroom.

Investigate more about the community resources in each school area.

Procure student achievement data for each participating teacher.