Abstract and Rationale: Globally and Culturally Responsive Science
Recognizing that students in my science classes will
graduate into a global community hyperconnected through the internet, social
and digital media, as well as economic and sociopolitical entanglements, and
that the same forces that brought this new world together have also drastically
re-designed its expectations for its future citizens, workers, thinkers, and leaders,
I set out to determine what shape my classroom instruction must take to best
prepare students to engage in and contribute to this new world.
The compelling question that has guided my graduate studies for the last four years has been “How can I teach my High School science classes as globally and culturally responsive courses?” Through my coursework in the NLGL program, I have focused on four major themes related to this question, including social diversity, global connections, 21st century literacies, and research and leadership. The answer I have found through my work with these themes is that culturally responsive pedagogy, empowered by multimodal, digital media tools and texts, and designed to develop students’ global competence, will provide a foundation for learning that is lasting and meaningful for all students, relevant to their academic, sociocultural, civic, and global contexts.
In order to put these findings into action, I will remain focused on instructional planning that intentionally seeks to bridge the gap between students, subjects, and the global context in which their learning will be applied. I will seek opportunities to redesign my implementation of the NC Essential Standards and WCPSS district curriculum to include a variety of multimodal texts, new media, and digital resources, to situate my students’ learning in meaningful contexts that incorporate the diversity of experiences and cultural legacies they share, and to provide opportunities for students to recognize, question, and respond to social inequities in their local and global communities.
The compelling question that has guided my graduate studies for the last four years has been “How can I teach my High School science classes as globally and culturally responsive courses?” Through my coursework in the NLGL program, I have focused on four major themes related to this question, including social diversity, global connections, 21st century literacies, and research and leadership. The answer I have found through my work with these themes is that culturally responsive pedagogy, empowered by multimodal, digital media tools and texts, and designed to develop students’ global competence, will provide a foundation for learning that is lasting and meaningful for all students, relevant to their academic, sociocultural, civic, and global contexts.
In order to put these findings into action, I will remain focused on instructional planning that intentionally seeks to bridge the gap between students, subjects, and the global context in which their learning will be applied. I will seek opportunities to redesign my implementation of the NC Essential Standards and WCPSS district curriculum to include a variety of multimodal texts, new media, and digital resources, to situate my students’ learning in meaningful contexts that incorporate the diversity of experiences and cultural legacies they share, and to provide opportunities for students to recognize, question, and respond to social inequities in their local and global communities.
- Josh Edwards, 2014