Feature Focus Article , Volume 2 Issue 2
The Feature Focus article to be selected from Volume 2 Issue 2 is Describing students of the African Diaspora: Understanding micro and meso level science learning as gateways to standards based discourse
*Note For ease of access, the feature focus article and forum are available in the same PDF download. Click on title of article to access PDF.
This paper attempts to focus researcher on students of the African Diaspora who immigrated to the United States by describing salient student differences between students of the African diaspora and African-American students. In today’s large cities, students of the African Diaspora are frequently learning science in settings that are devoid of the resources and tools to fully support their success. While much of the scholarship unites these disparate groups, this article details the distinctive learning culture created when students from several groups of the African Diaspora learn biology together in a Brooklyn Suspension Center. Specifically this work explains how one student, Gabriel, functions in a biology class. A self-described black-Panamanian, Gabriel had tacitly resigned to not learning science, which then, in effect, precluded him from any further associated courses of study in science, and may have excluded him from the possibility of a science related career. This ethnography follows Gabriel’s science learning as he engaged in cogenerative dialogue with teachers to create aligned learning and teaching practices. During the 5 months of this research, Gabriel drew upon his unique lifeworld and the depth of his hybridized cultural identity to produce limited, but nonetheless important demonstrations of science. Coexistent with his involvement in cogenerative dialogue, Gabriel helped to construct many classroom practices that supported a dynamic learning environment which produced small yet concrete examples of standards based biology. This study supports further investigation by the science education community to consider ways that students’ lifeworld experiences can serve to structure and transform the urban science classroom.
Ed Lehner is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at College of Staten Island, City University of New York. Lehner was a New York City Public School Teacher and he received his doctoral degree in Urban Education at the Graduate Center of City University of New York. His current research examines how cogenerative dialogues can be used to improve academic achievement across the curriculum. Specifically, his research interest includes inclusive approaches to special needs students and science education.
Using identity characteristics, especially language, to engage and increase achievement.
By Rachel Ruggirello
In this article, the use of cogenerative dialogues is introduced as a way to see beyond a stereotyped view of urban youth. As an educational practitioner, I find Ed Lehner’s progress in his classroom encouraging and the information gained from his cogenerative dialogues provides motivation for me to implement this practice in my classroom.
Gabriel was an obvious leader in his classroom. The other students in the class looked to him for direction on how to act. It seems that much of the progress made in the classroom was due to specific identity characteristics of Gabriel. His desire for success and educational attainment, as indicated by Ed as a characteristic of his Panamanian culture, played a large role in the effectiveness of the cogenerative dialogues implemented. Taking this characteristic into consideration, I wonder if these striking results would be duplicated in a classroom where the leader was not necessarily concerned with success in the classroom or genuine learning. Ed supplies evidence that Gabriel not only seeks to improve his grades in science, but that he also genuinely wants to gain understanding of the content.
While Ed speaks to the hybridized identity of urban youth, especially in NYC, the identities of all the other students in the classroom are not detailed. In this particular instance, the article discusses the importance of recognizing students as members of the African Diaspora, instead of classifying all students as African American. Because the author establishes the importance of recognizing the hybridized identity of the individual, it would seem that addressing the identity of the collective would serve to further account for the solidarity observed in the classroom when Gabriel begins to gain biology content knowledge. Indeed there is a dialectical relationship between individual and collective (Lee & Roth, 2007) which indicates that while addressing Gabriel’s individual characteristics, it is also necessary to address the collective when analyzing the success exhibited in the classroom.
I find the use of science creole as a pathway to demonstrating a more canonical way of knowing compelling. Although, as an urban educator, it is evident to me that Gabriel is enacting science as he discusses the idea of energy transfer in his lifeworld discourse, it is still not a nationally accepted form of demonstrating mastery of science content. It would be interesting to see if, throughout the year, standards-based discourse can be nurtured by sanctioning the lifeworld discourse that Gabriel uses to discuss science. Despite the fact that this suggests that there is a right way to practice science, in an age of high stakes testing, it is important for students to demonstrate science by engaging with the language utilized on these exams. Thus, by sanctioning the lifeworld discourse as authentic demonstration of science knowledge, might it prevent Gabriel from success on the nationally recognized and respected standardized exams? Or is there a method by which lifeworld discourse can be used to provide a bridge between enacting science within the student’s culture and demonstrating science knowledge using standards based discourse?
Ed’s research is salient because it identifies a way for students who believe that “science is not for them” to interact with the material. The article begins by addressing the student’s low achievement in science, even when achievement in other subject areas is high. Ed’s paper provides multiple explanations for this phenomenon. First, he addresses preconceptions of science teachers that students of a certain race and socioeconomic status cannot achieve in the sciences. Secondly, he suggests that science curriculum does not address learning needs. In other words, science education standards are written with no attention to issues of race, socioeconomic status or gender. Third, Ed states that it also might be true that students like Gabriel put in a minimum amount of effort due to their disillusionment while in science classes. Finally, Ed addresses Fryer’s attention to the idea that African-Americans underachieve due to concerns about “acting white.” According to Fryer, a number of behaviors are denounced as “acting white,” including enrolling in advanced classes, speaking proper English, and wearing particular articles of clothing (Fryer & Torelli, 2005).
The issue of “acting white” is significant to Ed’s paper, because he directly contradicts this narrow assessment of poor performance. Instead of attributing lack of achievement to an aversion to approximating white behavior, he suggests that students more likely attempt to exhibit identity characteristics that represent their heritage. Yet, though Ed states that laboriously attempting to learn science was an important aspect of his identity, before Gabriel’s participation in this research he didn’t reveal this characteristic perseverance in science class. Indeed this issue of “acting white” may loosely connect to Ed’s overall assessment of learning science and making strides towards standards-based discourse. Sonya Martin (2007) comments in a metalogue in the Forum accompanying this article, that Ed’s assessment of Gabriel’s success focused on him ultimately being able to engage in science in the dominant, White, middle-class way. Perhaps it isn’t that the student doesn’t want to act white, but that by creating their own identity around their heritage they are unable to connect with the canonical form of science because it is represented in the White, middle-class way. Therefore, to truly engage students in science and ensure success of all students it is important that culture and science intersect. Teachers must recognize that science must be taught in diverse ways and that learning is a cooperative effort that takes into account the lifeworld of the teacher and the students. John Ogbu’s original notion of “fictive kinship” also plays a role in the success of students in Gabriel’s class (Fordham &Ogbu, 1986). The collective identity of the class, with Gabriel as the natural leader, impacted the science classroom to positively affect academic achievement. Instead of a fear of “acting white,” students begin to share a collective identity around science achievement. Overall, it seems that by legitimizing science creole, teachers can begin to increase student participation and achievement by creating connections between the hybridized identity and experiences of the individual|collective and science content.
In the end, in order to create a culturally relevant science curriculum and engage students in science it is necessary to consider the identity characteristics that they bring to the classroom, rather than inaccurately typecasting them. In fact, it may not be that the focus is on changing the language of the student, but instead that the domain of science should be dynamic and connect to students’ real world. In order to do this, cogenerative dialogues provide a tool to discuss issues around class, race and gender and address the complexities of the collectively diverse classroom. By initially discovering the ways that canonical science has alienated students in the past and by valuing various ontologies it is more likely that students will become engaged in science, as Gabriel did, and in turn learn to discuss science in multiple ways.
References:
Fordham, S., & Ogbu, J. U. (1986). Black students’ school success: Coping with the “burden of `acting white’.” The Urban Review. 18, 3, 176-206.
Fryer, R. G., & Torelli, P. (2005). An empirical analysis of `acting white’. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series. 11334.
Lee, Y. J., & Roth, W. M. (2007). The individual collective dialectic in the learning organization. The Learning Organization. 14, 2, 92-107.
Martin, S., Bayne, G., & Lehner, E. (2007). Forum: Unraveling the power of creolized ontologies to strengthen science learning, Cultural Studies of Science Education, Vol 2(2), 461-473.
Respect and Relationships in the Teaching and Learning of Science
By Sean Wolosin
Extending Cogenerative Diaologue into Practice
As an in-service science teacher practicing in a suburban high school with a predominantly white middle class student demographic, I was initially weary of the potential application of Ed Lehner’s research into my daily practice. In his ethnography Lehner discusses a number of students of the African Diaspora paying particular attention to one student identified as Gabriel. Through the use of cogenerative dialogue Lehner creates transformative learning opportunities and provides a platform where mutual respect, understanding, and communication can be enacted between students of science and teachers of science. This platform of mutual respect, understanding, and communication leads to a relationship between the teacher-researcher and the students involved in the study described as being from the African Diaspora. The development of these relationships fosters academic performance and ultimately the learning of science. The relationships developed through the use of cogenerative dialogue allowed for Lehner to describe his students more uniquely – who they are, where they come from, where their families came from, and the values that their family place on education. In getting to know the students involved in the research on a more personal level the teacher-researchers were able to develop relationships that fostered mutual respect. The findings in Lehner’s research should be explored by all in-service teachers looking for ways to address student needs in the learning of science not just those who are practicing in urban schools with students of the African Diaspora.
I came into my career as an educator with the personal philosophy that students will function more effectively in a learning environment that offers a culture of mutual respect between teacher and student. My conceptual framework for mutual respect as it applies to my classroom is a social environment in which two or more parties (in this case student and teacher or student and student) operate in a manner that allows for a two way exchange of caring, concern, individual thoughts, and individual needs on and for the learning of science. The enactment of mutual respect in a classroom setting is imperative for the development of social and cultural capital between students and teacher. Lavan and Beers (2005) describe the importance of respect in their work on cogenerative dialogue and state that their experience with cogenerative dialogue allowed for the opportunity to discuss and understand the significance of respect as a topic that was central to students’ lives both in and out of the classroom.
Providing a Platform of Mutual Respect
The implementation and study of cogenerative dialogue and the effects that these dialogues have on classroom teaching and learning practices (Martin, 2006) has solidified the importance of creating an environment that promotes a mutual respect between teacher and student as well as in-between students. In the accompanying metalogue to Lehner’s study Sonya Martin (2007) iterates the importance of making students feel valued as individuals and creating spaces for sharing that will cross the boarders that exist between teachers and their students. Martin also points out the potential for teachers to feel it unnecessary to engage in this type of discourse because of a perceived belief that differences do not exist in race or culture. The ability of the educator to provide students with a platform where mutual respect is enacted through the use of cogenerative dialogue is of paramount importance in a teacher’s ability to provide an environment that will allow for the effective teaching and learning of science in populations considered to be underperforming. This platform where mutual respect is enacted is what can allow students and teachers to make a connection that leads to a working relationship that will foster the teaching and learning of science. Lehner illustrates this connection and working relationship with Gabriel through the interactions that occur during their cogenerative dialogue sessions. During these sessions Gabriel creates a structure where new learning practices can be inaugurated. Implementing these new learning practices is a meso level demonstration of biology but does provide an opportunity for larger biological learning enactments. This results in Gabriel being motivated to commit biological definitions to memory so that he could more fully participate in class. This sequence of events in Lerner’s work is just one example of how the enactment of mutal respect between teacher and student leads to a working relationship that fosters the learning of science by Gabriel.
A classroom culture that lacks mutual respect will not be conducive to the development of teacher-student relationships and the effective learning of science. Lehner discusses a biology teacher from Liberty High referred to as Foreman who believed that Gabriel was unable to learn the required biology content. Foreman also attributes Gabriel’s “indifference to biology to a lack of enthusiasm and previous knowledge of the subject matter.” Lehner goes on to say that this type of assessment is typical of many science teachers who at times underestimate student strengths and capabilities. This underestimation of students’ strengths and capabilities is a perfect example of what I would consider a lack of respect. By holding a negative opinion of his students’ capabilities Foreman is not fostering an environment where the enactment of mutual respect can occur. Lehner states that when he and Larry Seeram started their project they began with the idea that science is for everyone and embraced the thought that science was for Gabriel and for all of the students in their classroom. By “embracing” the belief that science was for everyone and not underestimating their students’ capabilities in biology the teacher-researchers created a working mental framework where mutual respect could be enacted. By not doubting the students’ capabilities they were showing the students respect right from the start.
Students Learn Teachers First
A study by Smith and Fasoli (2007) involving students in a challenging high school in Australia report that the most important factors connecting young people to school were linked to relationships – friendship with other students and relationships with teachers that involved mutual respect and responsibility. Their study found that students learn the teachers first and the subjects second and the students can spot the teachers who go through the motions and don’t really care. The research found that conveying the message that you care was an important part of teaching and that part of knowing students was ‘earning their respect’ which was considered crucial to ensuring educational success. Lehner’s work supports these findings as they apply to urban education in multiple ways. Lehner began the study by stating that much of the literature on urban science education approaches and describes the topic of race from a narrow, antiquated, primarily bifurcated perspective, in that students are either African-American or white. Lehner also states that the literature portrays African-American students in urban science classrooms as American born students who primarily live in conditions of poverty. This shows that Lehner does have an understanding as to the value of not accepting these stereotypical views of the students he is investigating and that there is a need to establish a more accurate description of these students. Conducting his research with this intent and purpose Lehner “embraces” the belief that there is more to these students than just African-American or white, poor or not poor, good at science or not good at science. Lehner was approaching the students with the intent of better understanding who they are and where they come from. Developing this understanding from the outset is an enactment of respect for these students. Only by approaching the students in this way is Lehner able to develop the necessary relationships with them that allow him to learn about them. In first learning about his students Lehner is showing them respect and is ultimately able to foster academic performance and the learning of biology.
Conclusion
It has been shown that students struggle with negative stereotypical images and negative perceptions that they believed to be guiding the thoughts of their teachers (Brand, et al, 2006). African-American students’ perspectives reveal two overarching themes in sociocultural issues that influenced their learning of science: 1. Disenfranchising stereotypes have a negative impact on students’ learning and participation in science and 2. Meaningful student-teacher relationships have a positive impact on students learning and participation in science (Brand, et al, 2006). Offering students an environment of mutual respect allows for the breakdown or at least the stifling of disenfranchising stereotypes and also has the potential to lead to more meaningful student-teacher relationships. This is evident in Lehner’s work in his ability to engage Gabriel in biology. This is best illustrated by the evolution of Gabriel’s demonstrations of science learning behaviors. Gabriel began with micro level learning behaviors to fully exhibiting meso learning behaviors that led to full-fledged macro enactments. Gabriel evolved from an underachieving and incapable science student to a student who helped structure the science leaning environment for his teachers and peers. This evolution ultimately led to more meaningful learning of science for Gabriel and his peers. This opportunity was created for Gabriel through a platform that allowed for the display and enactment of mutual respect and the development of meaningful relationships between students and teacher. The enactment of mutual respect and the development of meaningful relationships promoted and fostered the learning of science by students of the African Diaspora. This should be explored by all teachers encountered with students who may believe that science is not for them and should not just be limited to those teachers faced with students of the African Diaspora.
References:
Brand, B., Glasson, G. & Green, A., (2006). Sociocultural factors influencing students; learning in science and mathematics: An Analysis of the Perspectives of African American Students. School Science and Mathematics. 106(5), 228-236
LaVan, S-K. & Beers, J. (2005). The role of cogenerative dialogues in learning to teach and transforming learning environments. In Tobin, K., Elmesky, Seiler, G. Improving urban science education (pp. 167-185). NY. Roman and Littlefiled Publishers, Inc.
Lehner, E., (2007). Describing students of the African Diaspora: Understanding micro and meso level science learning as gateways to standards based discourse. Cultural Studies of Science Education. 2(2), 441-461.
Martin, S., Bayne, G.U., Lehner, E. (2007). Forum: Unraveling the power of creolized ontologies to strengthen science learning. Cultural Studies of Science Education. 2(2), 461-473.
Martin, S. (2006). Where practice and theory intersect in the chemistry classroom: using cogenerative dialogue to identify the critical point in science education. Cultural Studies of Science Education. 1(4), 693-720.
Smyth, J., Fasoli, L. (2007). Climbing over the rocks in the road to student engagement and learning in a challenging high school in Australia. Educational Research. Vol 49(3), 273-295.
Dear Sean, initially I apologize for my English! Here in Brazil I have observed in my research with farmers that discrimination inhibits the participation of people in the classrooms of science. Unfortunately, these students do not participate in the classroom. I agree with you in saying that we need mutual respect and development of significant relationships between students and teachers. However, this will not be possible without major investment in training of science teachers. That is, we need these teachers reflect on their actions and for both, universities, the courses should promote opportunities in their empirical field of education, or in the classroom multicultural.We have invested in this direction with training courses for teachers in our Group Research in History, Philosophy and Teaching of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil (Coordination of prof. Charbel El Niño-Hani. Greetings and success in your search!