Science in the City
Culturally Relevant STEM Education
Bryan A. Brown
paper, 200 Pages
Pub. Date: September 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1-68253-374-1
Price: $31.00
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cloth, 200 Pages
Pub. Date: September 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1-68253-375-8
Price: $60.00
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E-book
Pub. Date: September 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1-68253-378-9
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2021 Outstanding Book Award, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
Science in the City examines how language and culture matter for effective science teaching. Author Bryan A. Brown argues that, given the realities of our multilingual and multicultural society, teachers must truly understand how issues of culture intersect with the fundamental principles of learning. This book links an exploration of contemporary research on urban science teaching to a more generative instructional approach in which students develop mastery by discussing science in culturally meaningful ways.
The book starts with a trenchant analysis of the “black tax,” a double standard at work in science language and classrooms that forces students of color to appropriate and express their science knowledge solely in ways that accord with the dominant culture and knowledge regime. Because we are in an interactive, multimedia world, the author also posits the necessity of applying what is known about best practices in science teaching to best practices in technology.
The book then turns to instruction, illustrating how science education can flourish if it is connected to students’ backgrounds, identities, language, and culture. In this empowered—and inclusive—form of science classroom, the role of narrative is key: educators use stories and anecdotes to induct students into the realm of scientific thinking; introduce big ideas in easy, familiar terms; and prioritize explanation over mastery of symbolic systems. The result is a classroom that showcases how the use of more familiar, culturally relevant modes of communication can pave the way for improved science learning.
Praise
In this book, Brown addresses the challenge of persistent inequities in science education for youth of color with an approach to science teaching that draws strength from the complex ways in which language, race, and culture intersect in classroom life. Weaving together theory and practice, he frames a generative approach to teaching that amplifies the wisdom of lived lives as powerful resources for accessing and leveraging science towards a more just world.
— Angela Calabrese Barton, professor, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University
Science in the City offers a penetrating analysis of how children in urban schools bring rich linguistic resources for sensemaking about science that are often left unrecognized or dismissed as irrelevant. Brown then shows how we can fundamentally rethink the ways that language is used by teachers and students in the classroom to expand conceptions of ‘who is smart’ and ‘who belongs here.’
— Mark Windschitl, professor of science education, University of Washington
Science in the City introduces high-leverage, classroom-ready practices that concretely address systemic racism and bias, situated within rich stories of research and practice that teachers will find engaging, motivating, and accessible no matter where their students live.
— Kirstin Milks, science teacher, Bloomington High School South, Bloomington, Indiana
Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education by Bryan A. Brown of Stanford University is a true gift to the science education community.
— Kirk Robbins, Science for All
Brown’s book is an important and much-needed addition to the literature on culturally relevant STEM education.
— Teachers College Record
Grounded in research and conveyed through a compelling series of concise chapters, the practice-ready approaches outlined here will inspire and motivate teachers and researchers to engage in a more accessible and socially just way of teaching science to everyone. This book is a must-read for all STEM education stakeholders.
— Choice
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About the Author
Teacher, researcher, community servant, and scholar Bryan A. Brown is the author of Science in the City and over thirty published research articles. A native of Oakland, California, Dr. Brown made a career exploring ways to improve science teaching for students in urban schools. In 2009, his coauthored research on disaggregating science instruction earned him the NARST award for outstanding research of the year. He also received the 2007 NARST award for outstanding early career scholarship in science education. Dr. Brown was also named a National Academy of Education and Spencer Foundation Fellow for 2005.
Dr. Brown’s research explores how urban science education has underserved minority students by its failure to design instruction that is sensitive to the language and cultural needs of students of color. His early research projects led to the development of disaggregate teaching, an instructional approach that is designed to improve learning for underserved populations. He continued that research by examining how the language and technology can be used to improve science teaching for all students. Currently, Dr. Brown leads the Science in The City Research Group, which examines how technology can serve as a mediator between a monolingual and monocultural teaching force and the multilingual and multicultural student population.