A Case Study of Whiteness at Work in an Elementary Classroom

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Bibliographic Details
Title: A Case Study of Whiteness at Work in an Elementary Classroom
Language: English
Authors: Searle, Kristin A. (ORCID 0000-0002-3465-4366), Tofel-Grehl, Colby, Hawkman, Andrea M., Suárez, Mario I., MacDonald, Beth L.
Source: Cultural Studies of Science Education. Sep 2022 17(3):875-898.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2022
Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Contract Number: 1758823
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Grade 5
Intermediate Grades
Middle Schools
Descriptors: Whites, Elementary School Teachers, Culturally Relevant Education, Critical Race Theory, Science Instruction, Technology Integration, Grade 5, Males, Elementary School Science, Teaching Methods, Race
DOI: 10.1007/s11422-022-10121-8
ISSN: 1871-1502
1871-1510
Abstract: We are interested in how whiteness shaped one teacher's abilities to engage his elementary school students in culturally responsive pedagogy, especially his abilities to engage or avoid conversations about race-based inequities in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. We draw upon culturally responsive pedagogy, critical race theory, and critical whiteness studies to understand the role of whiteness in a single case study of integrated elementary science teaching leveraging electronic textiles technology. The case study reported here is part of a larger study investigating how technology integration supports justice-centered science learning for elementary school teachers and their students in the Intermountain Region of the USA. The authors are white and Latino and all, but one, are former classroom teachers. Drawing on multiple data sources (field notes of classroom observations, interviews, transcripts of video-recorded classroom sessions), we developed a single descriptive case to illustrate shifts in teacher practice over time. We documented one white, male, fifth grade teacher's engagements with his students around issues of race as manifested in conversations about immigration, migration, and forced relocation in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. This single case and the teacher perspectives it illustrates are resonant not only of our data but also the scholarly literature on white pre- and in-service teachers in the USA. We conclude with some practical recommendations for teacher professional development.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2022
Accession Number: EJ1346211
Database: ERIC
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