Educator Preparation Programs and the Use of Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Pedagogies in Science Methods Courses

Abstract

This chapter provide one example of ways in which one teacher educator program integrated Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Linguistically Sustaining Pedagogies into STEM-based pedagogies and mentored teacher candidates in the implementation of these pedagogies during a STEM-based academic enrichment program for emerging multilingual 4th through 8th grade students, the majority of whom identified as Latinx. Through this chapter, we explore the challenges and successes of refocusing educator preparation on developing pedagogies and approaches to education that support, sustain, and cultivate the idea of “rightful presence” with emerging language learners (Calabrese-Barton & Tan, 2020). This project is part of a National Science Foundation grant (Award #2121351) entitled Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies in Science for English Learners (CUSPELL), which includes both a science methods course for teacher candidates and a summer component for 4th - 8th grade language learners.