Preparing Mathematics and Science Teachers for Diverse Classrooms: Promising Strategies for Transformative Pedagogy

This book provides a theoretical basis and practical strategies to counter resistance to learning to teach for diversity (in culturally and gender-inclusive ways), and resistance to teaching for understanding (using student-centered and inquiry-based pedagogical approaches). Teacher educators from across the United States present rich narratives of their experiences in helping prospective and practicing teachers learn to teach for diversity and for understanding in a variety of mathematics and science contexts. Mathematics and science education has been slow to respond to issues of diversity and equity. This book helps to begin a network for support and collaboration among teacher educators in science and mathematics who work for multicultural education and equity. A unique and much-needed contribution, this book is an essential resource for teacher educators, K-12 teachers who work as student teacher supervisors and cooperating teachers, and graduate students in mathematics and science education, and a compelling text for science and mathematics methods courses. Following a foreword and a preface, this book is divided into the following chapters: (1) Teachers' Resistance to Ideological and Pedagogical Change: Definitions, Theoretical Framework and Significance (A. J. Rodriguez); (2) Using Sociotransformative Constructivism to Respond to Teachers' Resistance to Ideological and Pedagogical Change (A. J. Rodriguez); (3) Making Equity and Multiculturalism Explicit to Transform Mathematics Education (R. S. Kitchen); (4) Using Inquiry Processes to Investigate Knowledge, Skills, and Perceptions of Diverse Learners: An Approach to Working with Prospective and Current Science Teachers (M. B. Barnes and L. W. Barnes); (5) Breaking through the Ice: Dealing with Issues of Diversity in Mathematics and Science Education Courses (J. Leonard and S. J. Dantley); (6) Unpacking Teachers' "Resistance" to Integrating Students' Language and Culture Into Elementary Science Instruction (A. Luykx, P. Cuevas, J. Lambert, and O. Lee); (7) Engaging Prospective Teachers in Critical Reflection: Facilitating a Disposition to Teach Mathematics for Diversity (T. K. Dunn); (8) "Eh Mus' Be Smart Class": Race, Social Class, Language, and Access to Academic Resources (P. W. U. Chinn); (9) Transformative Mathematics Pedagogy: From Theory to Practice, Research, and Beyond (J. Moore); (10) Seeing "IT" in the Lives of Children: Strategies for Promoting Equitable Practices among Tomorrow's Science Teachers (R. Yerrick); (11) Helping Teachers Use Students' Home Cultures in Mathematics Lessons: Developmental Stages of Becoming Effective Teachers of Diverse Students (J. Ensign); and (12) Examining the "Script" in Science Education: Critical Literacy in the Classroom (C. Brandt).