- Year 2019
- NSF Award #1557250
- Registration Current Noyce Scholar
- First Name Christine
- Last Name Harris
- Discipline Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geosciences, Math, Physics
- Institution The Ohio State University
Abstract
This poster describes the experiences of pre-service teachers as they journeyed through deficit mindset about urban teaching to having a self-efficacy. Before enrolling in an Urban Teaching Seminar, pre-service teachers (PSTs) felt confident enough in their content area, but lacked the confidence they needed to teach in an environment that is different from their personal cultural background and academic experience. Understanding the cultural, ethnic, racial, and linguistic difference that exist in the classroom, fellows were exposed to a curriculum (the Urban Teaching Seminar) that utilized seven modules to prepare them to be effective teachers in urban high-need schools. During the two-semester master’s level course, the PSTs used self-reflexivity to progressively identify their self-efficacy. They learned to ask questions about themselves: 1. Who am I in the urban education space? What cultural influence do I bring to my teaching? 2. What is culturally responsive teaching? How can I incorporate culturally responsive teaching in my content area to better serve my students? Over the course of the program, the STEM PSTs were engaged and volunteered in the communities of their student teaching. They built relationships with students, mentored them, and mapped the areas around their schools to understand their students’ lived experiences. They also completed case studies, research projects, and reflective group discussions on their field experiences and the impact on their self-efficacy to teach in urban high-need schools. What was learned was that the best way to reach a student is to first have a conversation, educating themselves on any prior biases they may have had so that those biases can start to be eliminated. The continuity of the community mapping gave PSTs the opportunity to reach students by meeting them where they are in order to get them to where they need to be. STEM PSTs came to the realization that not every student is going to grow the same amount, but that every student should have growth; learning that as an educator in an urban school setting, one must be a warm demander willing to create a student-centered classroom that incorporates all types of thinking and learning. This in itself is the first step to developing culturally relevant pedagogy; a teaching style that welcomes all students by using their differences as strengths to promote critical thinking and understanding.
