Pre-service Teachers Using Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies in Science for English Language Learners

This project aims to serve the national interest by preparing pre-service teachers in STEM, with a focus on engineering, to serve the growing English Language Learner (ELL) population in grades 4th-8th using culturally sustaining pedagogies. The project will provide pre-service teachers with training consisting of a series of year-round workshops. In these workshops, pre-service teachers will learn about best practices for teaching science methods, and collaborate in small groups to co-develop lesson plans focusing on differentiation for ELLs.

Under the guidance of University of North Georgia faculty, pre-service teachers will demonstrate learning, co-teach the STEM activities designed specifically to address ELLs, and offer self- and peer-reflections. Yearlong workshops and mentorship will support pre-service teacher development. This pre-service teacher institute contrasts with the conventional pre-service teacher experience as it builds capacity for designing and implementing STEM activities for ELLs with a under the auspices of university faculty, as well with a peer support structure that draws on co-teaching models in the science classroom.

Over the three-year span, the project plans to compare the outcomes from the pre-service teachers attending the summer institute and the outcomes of their peers attending the regular science methods courses. Such a comparison is expected to generate new knowledge on the experiences and effectiveness of designing, planning, and implementing STEM activities with a focus on engineering for ELLs in elementary and middle grades.

This project has two overarching goals. First, the project aims to generate new knowledge about the experiences of elementary and middle grade pre-service teachers as they develop teaching skills with a focus on engineering using culturally sustaining pedagogies that target the needs of ELLs. Second, the project will assess the impact of elementary and middle grade pre-service teachers’ instruction on ELLs’ knowledge and competency in solving problems utilizing engineering skills they will learn throughout the project.

The project will use a quasi-experimental design and a mixed-methods approach analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to provide an account of pre-service teachers’ and the 4th-8th grade ELL students’ experiences, practices, and products. As part of the quasi-experimental design, the project will have a treatment group and a control group, which compares pre-service teachers in the same year of the teacher preparation program.

This project aims to expand the knowledge and practices on how pre-service teachers use and adapt STEM activities using the three-dimensional learning approach and the 5E model to teach STEM to ELLs in a safe and flexible environment. In so doing the project leadership expects to improve their students’ exposure to and performance in carrying out engineering activities.

The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship (Noyce) Program is providing co-funding for this IUSE: EHR project to support the project's pre-service teacher preparation goals, which are well-aligned with Noyce Program goals.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.