Supporting teachers for expansive sense-making in elementary science classrooms

Melissa L. Braaten, Christina V. Schwarz, Christa M. Haverly

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Reorganizing science learning towards expansive sense-making in elementary classroom settings will likely require disrupting long-standing narratives of schooling and science where taken-for-granted norms and practices structure marginalization and privilege. Supporting expansive sense-making, increased epistemic agency and authority, and more meaningful, consequential learning has proven elusive in elementary classrooms. Why is this the case? What can be done? This paper presents themes derived from analysis of multiple elementary science classroom video cases to hypothesize how sense-making shifts happen, albeit briefly, in a variety of classroom contexts and situations. Observing patterns in sensemaking shifts enables us to confront how deep historical and cultural legacies of the grammar of schooling may inhibit shifts toward sense-making in science classrooms. These hypotheses raise implications for teacher education and for organizing schools to foster sense-making goals to support expansive and transformative science learning experiences.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences
Subtitle of host publicationThe Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, ICLS 2020 - Conference Proceedings
EditorsMelissa Gresalfi, Ilana Seidel Horn
PublisherInternational Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS)
Pages2281-2284
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781732467286
StatePublished - 2020
Event14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences: The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, ICLS 2020 - Nashville, United States
Duration: Jun 19 2020Jun 23 2020

Publication series

NameComputer-Supported Collaborative Learning Conference, CSCL
Volume4
ISSN (Print)1573-4552

Conference

Conference14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences: The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, ICLS 2020
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNashville
Period6/19/206/23/20

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant RC103139). The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of NSF. We would like to thank the children and teachers in each of the video case study classrooms for sharing their work. We are grateful to Dr. Angela Calabrese Barton, Dr. Elizabeth X. De Los Santos, Jason Buell, and Quinton Freeman for formative insights and generative discussion in early stages of this work.

Keywords

  • Elementary science teaching
  • Elementary teacher education
  • Equity
  • Sense-making

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Education

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