Teacher Responsiveness as a Core Feature of Justice- and Equity-Centered Instruction

One can become a responsive teacher who promotes equity by continuously engaging in the following processes: (1) Attend to students' needs or struggles stemming from both inside and outside the classrooms, in addition to their intellectual contributions as members of a classroom learning community; (2) Interpret classroom situations with a thoughtful consideration of multiple aspects of students' lives inside and outside the classrooms, including race, power, and opportunity to learn, instead of quickly judging observed behaviors or performances in the moment (e.g., on-task vs. off-task behaviors, complete vs. incomplete, compliant vs. noncompliant); and (3) Take deliberate actions to address the noted challenges as a way of improving the conditions for students' participation in the classroom learning community. In the conception of responsiveness for equity, "action taking" is central because it makes an observable difference in students' experiences in classrooms. In this article, the authors unpack these ideas using illustrative examples, sharing the deliberate efforts to help students connect themselves to science, to peers and the teacher in the classroom, and to the place (science classroom, school) at the stages of both planning and instruction. Also provided are a few key takeaways for educators who aspire to further increase their responsiveness for equity.