Culturally-Connected Integrated STEM Instruction

Introduction/Review Of Literature

What is culture? In what ways does it manifest in the learning environment? Do cultural realities really make a difference in instructional delivery and learning acquisition? How can attending to “culture” positively influence learning for students of color? These are just a few questions that emerge when the mention of culture is presented as a variable in the learning process. Despite the research that clearly speaks to the importance and validity of the cultural perspective as a platform for instruction, there are still many, even educators, who do not see its relevance. Others further minimize “culture” to be an “add-on” to the curricular structure thus denying the power of cultural realities as vehicles for meaningful instruction.

The research indicates that culturally-situated instruction (Zhu and Bargiela-Chiappini, 2013) is an entry point for meaningful instruction which unifies the cultural perspectives of racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse students to instructional content. This research highlights that authentic learning cannot not adequately occur without culture because attempting to do so is like separating the eggs from an already baked cake. It’s impossible.

The truth is, there is nothing novel about this research. On the contrary, the findings validate what other researchers have been saying for decades. Geneva Gay (2000) and Gloria Ladson-Billings (1994) are two researchers, in particular, whose contribution to the narrative around instructional practices for black and brown students has been consistently noted. Culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2000), with its roots in culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1994), is an approach that promotes the utilization of cultural realities in order to make learning relevant and meaningful for culturally diverse students. Culturally relevant/responsive teaching is a bridge that narrows the cultural mismatch between students of color and their white teachers. I would further posit that this pedagogical approach also challenges black and brown educators to celebrate who their own culturally lenses and serve as conduits to effectively connect to their students of all cultural backgrounds.

Ladson-Billings (1994) when referring to culturally relevant pedagogy says, “it’s just good teaching” (p.2) This pedagogical approach encourages teachers to embrace students’ cultural realities and experiences as critical assets, adjust their instructional delivery and purpose to authentically connect with students as a means to effectively transmit curricular content. Overall, culturally responsive/relevant teaching is concerned with cooperation, community, and connectedness in the instructional environment. Interdependence and reciprocity are integral components that challenge the notion of individualism and competition typical of mainstream classrooms (Powell, 2009).

More recent research (Bottia et al, 2015; Beede et al, 2011; Griffith, 2010; Price, 2010) validates the importance of equitable practices for STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), while emphasizing the critical need to increase the presence of women and people of color in the STEM fields. As a means to increase the presence traditionally marginalized individuals at the STEM table, it is necessary for educators and educational policy makers to shift their theoretical frameworks from singular approaches to instructional delivery practices to those which reflect a more in “culturally connected” perspective.