Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and STEM
Course Description:
Research has shown that culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is particularly low in math and science courses due to the belief that science and math are “fixed” bits of knowledge. However, there are many ways in which CRP can be incorporated into STEM lessons. In this module we will look at specific ways teachers can think about CRP while also supporting STEM in their classrooms and ground STEM instruction in students’ lives.
Topics Addressed:
Objectives
Knowledge:
Skills:
Mindset:
Research has shown that culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is particularly low in math and science courses due to the belief that science and math are “fixed” bits of knowledge. However, there are many ways in which CRP can be incorporated into STEM lessons. In this module we will look at specific ways teachers can think about CRP while also supporting STEM in their classrooms and ground STEM instruction in students’ lives.
Topics Addressed:
- Why CRP is a perfect fit for STEM
- How does the engineering design process support CRP?
- How STEM can support issues relevant to students’ lives.
- What culturally responsive connections can be made between traditional cultural practices and science content
- How can STEM support students in making connections between practices outside of school and engineering design practices
- How can you incorporate respected community members to help introduce designing solutions to local problems, and students use new or traditional tools and approaches to develop solutions to similar problems
Objectives
Knowledge:
- Teachers are knowledgeable of CRP and its impact on student engagement and student success
- Teachers are knowledgeable of the characteristics of CRP and how to implement them into their classrooms
- Teachers are knowledgeable about their students’ lives and cultures
Skills:
- Teachers are able to apply strategies to their STEM project that promote CRP
- Teachers are able to build relationships with students and their families
- Teachers have strategies to discover cultural information about their students
Mindset:
- CRP is an essential tool to support all students in their classroom.
- CRP plays an important role in science education and STEM lessons
- Building relationships with students and their families is an important element to facilitating CRP.