Teaching Science Anti-Oppressively



In order to teach science in a way that is socially just and anti-oppressive, a teacher needs to be well educated on the nature of science. Once an individual has an understanding of the nature of science, they will be able to present science in a way that is true to form. It is important for teachers to educate their students on the nature of science because students often come into science classes with a lot of ideas about how science works. The article, "Ten myths of science: reexamining what we think we know…" addresses some of the ideas that students have when approaching the science classroom. Kumashiro (2009) writes that in science, students feel oppressed because they often feel as if there is one right answer and if they don't obtain it, then they have done something wrong. By going through the ideas outlined in the nature of science, students are left with a sense of more freedom in the sciences and less oppression. Without creativity, imagination and experiments going "wrong", science would not be where it is today.One form of oppression that I observed in my placement had to do with student participation. In one of the classrooms I was observing, it was very clear who the teacher "liked" in the class and who they didn't "like". This teacher asked all her questions to the same four people and did not call upon the other twenty six students in the class. It often felt like you were in a classroom with her and those four students. I found that this teacher's methods of getting students to participate were quite oppressive. The questions this teacher asked put all the emphasis on saying the "right" answer and left no room for exploration. One of my solutions to the oppression that was seen in this classroom is the use of engage activities. When using engage activities in the classroom it is important to pay attention to who is participating, so that you can pull everyone into the conversation that is occurring in the classroom. It also allows for my student exploration and creativity. In this package, I have also included an assignment that can be done in Environmental Science that incorporates different cultures and worldviews. When teaching environmental science it is important to incorporate the idea of balance throughout. It is also important to talk about various beliefs and value that are constantly playing into environmental issues. Here, science teachers are presented with a unit in which it is easy to incorporate social justice issues into the content. Engage Activities:A variety of engage activities can be used before lessons to get students thinking and comfortable within the science environment. One way engage activities can be used is by showing pictures and asking students a variety of questions about the picture. Presenting material in this way is non-threatening to students and shows the students how they can build upon one another's knowledge and suggestions. It is anti-oppressive because it helps to eliminate the feelings of needing to be right or wrong because the setting is very casual. For example you could show a picture of the specimen, Heliobacter pylori, and ask the students some probing questions. Example Starting Questions: Does anyone know what this is? "Aaron", can you take a guess at what this is? "Emily", what do you think those tail like appendages are for? (have a system for calling on students so that you are not calling upon the same people). 453517026670The idea of this is to have a conversation with the students and allow the students to practice some scientific techniques (asking questions, researching, conclusions). It is good to try and get all the students involved in engage activities. Obviously, not all the students will be involved in each individual activity, but pay attention to your students so that you can draw the quieter ones into the conversation. This helps promote a classroom environment that believes that all knowledge is valuable as it can spark ideas amongst others or be used as a building block to further knowledge. Clearly emphasize when students have sparked ideas and made connections to what other people have contributed. This will help students understand that science is not able getting the "right" answer, it's about discovering information through observations and ideas. This is an anti-oppressive strategy as all students are able to participate at some time or another and the students will see that all contributions are meaningful. Info to talk about in an engage activity… A Lionfish. This species has no known predators (with the exception of humans) due to its powerful sting delivered from its needle-like dorsal fins. They populated the Gulf of Mexico but have been migrating towards to Caribbean after the oil spill took place and altered its ecosystem. Example 2: What's In the News?News articles are awesome engage activities. National Geographic has an iPhone Application that supplies one with interesting, relevant current new issues in science and there are many other resources that can be used. News articles are an interesting way to start off the class and helps make science relevant to the students. The articles often cover international issues and bring in a variety of cultural history. Using international news articles is anti-oppressive because different cultures will be represented by these issues. Always make sure you are screening the news articles before you present them to the class and create 2-3 questions that help the student's understand the main points you want them to get away from the issue. If I was in the classroom during the heat of the Idle No More campaign, I would have been showing my students news articles and videos regarding the environmental concerns of the First Nations people. This would have been a good way to implement First Nations content, engage the students and show how science (environmental issues) affect our day to day lives. Environmental ScienceEnvironmental Science issues can be oppressive if they are not taught in a way that portrays both sides. Often there is a tendency to play up the "doom and gloom" side of environmental science. In order to effectively and anti-oppressively teach environmental science, a teacher needs to make sure that both sides of an environmental issue are being discussed in class. This is especially important because a lot of students will have parents or relatives involved in the industries or agriculture that environmentalists come down hard upon. Example Assignment: Environmental Issue Investigation, Write-Up and Presentation, adapted from Xia JiPurpose: Ask students to each research an environmental issue that is of interest to them. Topic Examples: "Should a nuclear power plant be built in Saskatchewan?", "The Bee Problem", "Pesticides and Herbicide Use", "Idle No More"… etc. Students must investigate both sides of this issue to get a well rounded understanding. Students will be expected to include and research the following:Title (topic) of the environmental issue. The focus of the research must be clear. Problem: What is occurring that is causing someone or something to be at risk?Issues: Problems and solutions proposed by both the groups, in which different values and beliefs are found within each group.Players: Who are the individuals or organizations that are being affected by this or are playing a role in this issue?Positions: What are the positions held by the individuals/organizations about this issue? Are they for or against? Why or why not? Beliefs and Values: What beliefs and values do the players hold? How do their beliefs and values play into the position they are holding in this issue? Solutions: What are the solutions posed by the players? References: Include at least 3 references. Product: Students will have a variety of options of how they want to present their issue to the class. Giving opinions in this category allows students to have freedom and to choose a presentation mode that they are comfortable with. However, some type of visual representation and audio format must be included. Options: (1) video, (2) poster with audio recording or (3) poster with student presentation.Recommended resources: Conservation Magazine, National Geographic Magazine/Website/App, Environment Canada, Environmental Science Textbooks… and many, many more. ResourcesMcComas, William, Ten myths of science: Reexamining what we think we know...., Vol. 96,School Science & Mathematics, 01-01-1996, pp 10. ? 1989, 1990 by American Association for the Advancement of Science ................
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