How does STEM pedagogy become key to envisioning new societal futures?
My dissertation research examines how California’s educational and professional futures are being transformed by an array of programs and policies that refocus STEM pedagogy to meet the personal, community, and local needs of students and their environments. STEM educators today are advocating for innovative curricula that center students’ understandings of the world; hiring and training educators from underserved communities in STEM; and expanding STEM learning and teaching to out-of-school environments such as science centers, museums and community education. This study examines the array of ways K-12 STEM educators and administrators are enacting “next-generation” STEM pedagogy, working across state, non-profit, and corporate sectors.
By examining the pedagogical ideals, aspirations, subjectivities, tactics, and working environments of STEM educators, this project underscores the critical role of pedagogy and its practitioners in the production, reproduction and circulation of scientific knowledge.
What is at stake in next-generation STEM education?
California Department of Education draft plan to revise the K-12 Mathematics Framework to make social justice issues central to how math is taught in middle and high schools met with resistance from several fronts, including 600 scientists and educators who have signed an open letter asking it to be withdrawn. It further emphasizes integrated tracks in middle schools to close the racial achievement gap and progression along with acceleration. Critics of the plan argue that math education should not "woke", pointing instead to other industrialized nations, especially in East Asia, from where students outperform American students in math. Meanwhile, educators continue to state that STEM education cannot remain apolitical in the wake of pandemics and protests.
This publication is a review of published textbooks created by the Deakin Social Studies of Science course team. It was published in 1983 and written by George Bindon. Read more
This workbook is the companion to our article for the ESTS thematic collection on Critical Pedagogy, titled "Feminist Theory Theater: Acts of Reading as Embodied Pedagogy". It is meant to be downloaded and printed, and is already formatted to print as a double-sided booklet. [Note: If you...Read more
These teaching materials were developed for the course 'Science in Culture' at Deakin University. They were published between 1985-1990. The course team included Barry Butcher, David Wade Chambers, Struan Jacobs, Jack McCulloch, David Turnbull and Penny Williams. There are four courses included...Read more