Investigating Social Justice Science Education Praxis through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

Abstract

Social Justice Science Teaching represents a vision of science education that encapsulates teaching practices that sustain students' cultures, thus working towards all students, especially traditionally marginalized students, being rightfully present in a science classroom. In this chapter, three teacher educators reflect on how they worked to support novice science teachers in teaching science for social justice through a professional learning opportunity called the Social Justice Science Curriculum Writing Summer Institute (Summer Institute). They put forth five dimensions of their social justice science education: 1) desire-based approaches; 2) authority sharing; 3) towards a pluriversal framing of science; 4) meaningful implementation; and 5) critical reflexivity. Descriptions of each dimension are included and connections to example activities from the Summer Institute to illustrate how these dimensions can be enacted. The authors conclude by inviting the reader to engage in reflection through a series of prompts aligned with their five praxis dimensions.