Debating Racism During Initial Teacher Education: A Case Among Chemistry Students

Wilmo Ernesto Francisco Junior; Erasmo Moises dos Santos Silva

doi:10.29333/ejecs/261

Authors

Wilmo Ernesto Francisco Junior http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4591-4490
Erasmo Moises dos Santos Silva

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/261

Keywords:

dialogue, poem, racism, chemistry teacher education.

Abstract

Discussions on racism in classrooms pose a huge educational challenge today, since racism has become naturalized within society, and racial issues are rarely addressed in science teacher education courses. Considering the social problems originated from racism, this paper discusses some aspects of them through a dialogical activity conducted among students in a chemistry teacher-training course. In order to engage the students in the dialogue, a poem that enable discussing social and scientific issues was chosen and had been set to music. At the first part of the discussion, only one student took the poem’s key message as referring to racism. This seems to be directly related to the poor discussion of this topic within society. Through interactive discourse characterized by integrated transition between dialogic and authoritative communicative approaches, a common viewpoint about racism was achieved by all participants, including students who had not identified the matter in the poem initially. Although isolated activities are not enough to consistently develop teachers’ beliefs and attitudes against racism, the findings suggest that discursive movement can encourage critical thinking about this.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aguiar, O. G., Mortimer, E. F., & Scott, P. (2009). Learning from and responding to students’ questions: The authoritative and dialogic tension. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(2), 174-193. doi:10.1002/tea.20315 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20315

Ambe, E. B. (2006). Fostering multicultural appreciation in pre-service teachers through multicultural curricular transformation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(6), 690-699. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2006.03.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.03.005

Andrews, G. R. (1992). Black political protest in Sao Paulo, 1888–1988. Journal of Latin American Studies, 24(1), 147-71. doi:10.1017/S0022216X00022987 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022216X00022987

Andrews, G. R. (2009). Afro-Latin America: Five questions. Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies, 4(2), 191–210. doi:10.1080/17442220902920119 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17442220902920119

Ani, M. (2007). Yurugu: An Afrikan-centered critique of European cultural thought and behavior. Washington, DC: Nkonimfo.

Archer, L. (2008). The impossibility of minority ethnic educational “success”? An examination of the discourses of teachers and pupils in British secondary schools. European Educational Research Journal, 7(1), 89-107. doi:10.2304/eerj.2008.7.1.89 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2008.7.1.89

Atwater, M. M., Butler, M. B., Freeman, T. B., & Parsons, E. C. (2013). An examination of black science teacher educators’ experiences with multicultural education, equity, and social justice. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(8), 1293-1313. doi:10.1007/s10972-013-9358-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-013-9358-8

Bicak, L. J., & Bicak, C. J. (1988). Scientific method: Historical and contemporary perspectives. The American Biology Teacher, 50(6), 348-353. doi:10.2307/4448760 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4448760

Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. K. (1998). Qualitative research in education: An introduction to theory and methods. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Brandon, W. W. (2003). Toward a White teachers’ guide to playing fair: Exploring the cultural politics of multicultural teaching. Qualitative Studies in Education, 16(1), 31-50. doi:10.1080/0951839032000033518 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839032000033518

Brickhouse, N. W., & Potter, J. T. (2001). Young women’s scientific identity formation in an urban context. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(8), 965-980. doi:10.1002/tea.1041 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.1041

Buck, G. A., & Quigley, C. F. (2013). Allowing our research on urban, low-SES, African American girls and science education to actively and continually rewrite itself. In J. A. Bianchini, V. L. Akerson, A. C. Barton, O. Lee, & A. J. Rodriguez (Eds.), Moving the equity agenda forward: Equity research, practice, and policy in science education (pp. 173-190). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4467-7_11

Byker, E. J., & Marquardt, S. K. (2016). Using critical cosmopolitanism to globally situate: Multicultural education in teacher preparation courses. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 7(2), 30-50.

Cerqueira, D. R. C., & Moura, R. L. (2014). Lives lost and racism in Brazil (In Portuguese). Publicatio UEPG - Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, 22(1), 73-90. doi:10.5212/PublicatioCi.Soc.v.22i1.0007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5212/PublicatioCi.Soc.v.22i1.0007

Chakravartty, A. (2010). Truth and representation in science: two inspirations from art. in R. Frigg & M. Hunter (Eds.), Beyond mimesis and convention: Representation of art and science (pp. 33-50). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3851-7_3

Cherng, H. Y. S. (2017). If they think I can: Teacher bias and youth of color expectations and achievement. Social Science Research, 66, 170–186. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.04.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.04.001

Delpit, L. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York, NY: New Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/358724

Francisco Junior, W. E. (2008). Anti-racism education: Reflections on the possible contribution of science teaching and of some thinkers (In Portuguese). Ciência & Educação, 14(3), 397-416. doi:10.1590/S1516-73132008000300003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-73132008000300003

Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of freedom: Ethics, democracy, and civic courage. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Freire, P. (2005a). Pedagogy of the tolerance (In Portuguese). São Paulo, Brazil: UNESP.

Freire, P. (2005b). Pedagogy of the oppressed: 30th anniversary edition. London, England: The Continuum International Publishing.

Freyre, G. (1951). Brazil: An interpretation. New York, NY: Alfred Knopf.

Galili, I. (2011). Promotion of content cultural knowledge through the use of the history and philosophy of science. Science & Education, 21(9), 1283-1316. doi10.1007/s11191-011-9376-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-011-9376-x

Galili, I. (2013). On the power of fine arts pictorial imagery on science education. Science & Education, 22(8), 1911-1938. doi:10.1007/s11191-013-9593-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-013-9593-6

Gillborn, D. (2001). Racism, policy and the (mis)education of black children. In R. Major (Ed.), Educating our black children: New directions and radical approaches (pp. 13-27). London, England: Routledge Falmer.

Graham, R. (1999). Free African Brazilians and the state in slavery times. In M. Hanchard (Ed.), Racial politics in contemporary Brazil (pp. 30-58). Durham, NC: Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822382539-002

Guerra, A., & Braga, M. (2014). The name of the rose: A path to discuss the birth of modern science. Science & Education, 23(3), 643-654. doi:10.1007/s11191-012-9543-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-012-9543-8

James, W. Y. (2019). Imprint of Racism: White Adult Males’ Transformational Experience from Racial Antipathy to Racial Reconciliation. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 3(1), 93-116. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5813 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5813

Hamermesh, D., & Parker, A. (2005). Beauty in the classroom: Instructors' pulchritude and putative pedagogical productivity. Economics of Education Review, 24 (369-376). doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2004.07.013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2004.07.013

Hanchard, M. (1994). Black Cinderella? Race and the public sphere in Brazil. Public Culture, 7(1), 165-185. doi:10.1215/08992363-7-1-165 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/08992363-7-1-165

Hasenbalg, C. (1985). Race and socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil. In F. Pierre-Michel (Ed.), Race, class and power in Brazil (pp. 25-41). Los Angeles, CA: Center for Afro-American Studies, University of California.

Hasenbalg, C., & Valle Silva, N. (1999). Notes on racial and political inequality in Brazil. In M. Hanchard (Ed.), Racial politics in contemporary Brazil (pp. 154-178). Durham, NC: Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822382539-008

Hunter, M. C. (2010). Experiment, theory, representation: Robert Hooke’s material models. In R. Frigg & M. Hunter (Eds.), Beyond mimesis and convention: Representation of art and science (pp. 193-292). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3851-7_9

Ianni, O. (1972). Race and class in Latin America. In A. Richmond (Ed.), Readings in race and ethnic relations (pp. 237–56), Oxford, England: Pergamon. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-016212-6.50018-9

Johnson, C., & Hinton, H. (2019). Toward a Brillant Diversity. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 2(1), 56-70. Retrieved from http://cultureandvalues.org/index.php/JCV/article/view/27 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46303/jcve.02.01.5

Kagema, J. (2018). The School Curriculum and Its Influence on Teacher Motivation in Curriculum Implementation in Kenya. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 1(1), 9-25. Retrieved from http://cultureandvalues.org/index.php/JCV/article/view/3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46303/jcve.01.01.2

Kishimoto, K. (2016). Anti-racist pedagogy: From faculty’s self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(4), 540–554. doi:10.1080/13613324.2016.1248824 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248824

Ladson-Billings, G. (2014). Culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0: Aka the remix. Harvard Educational Review 84(1), 74–84. doi:10.17763/haer.84.1.p2rj131485484751 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.84.1.p2rj131485484751

Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science: Language, learning, and values. Norwood, NJ: Arblex Publishing Corporation.

Lewis, T. E. (2016). “But I’m not a racist!” Phenomenology, racism, and the body schema in White, pre-service teacher education. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(1), 118–131. doi:10.1080/13613324.2016.1195354 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1195354

Liou, D, D., & Rojas, L. (2018). The significance of the racial contract in teachers’ college expectancies for students of color. Race Ethnicity and Education. doi:10.1080/13613324.2018.1511529 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2018.1511529

Malone, K. R., & Barabino, G. (2009). Narrations of race in STEM research settings: Identity formation and its discontents. Science Education, 93(3), 485-510. doi:10.1002/sce.20307 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20307

Marom, L. (2018). Under the cloak of professionalism: Covert racism in teacher education. Race Ethnicity and Education, 22(1), 1-19. doi:10.1080/13613324.2018.1468748 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2018.1468748

Márque, J., Peña, C., Jones, L., Orange, A., & Simieou, F. (2018). Academic success and resiliency factors: A case study of unaccompanied immigrant children. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 2(1), 162-181. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5797

Mitran, I. I. (2017). Indigenous Heraldry: Transferring ethnic imagery from the mundane to the canonical. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 4(1), 26-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/59

Mortimer, E. F., & Scott, P. H. (2003). Meaning making in secondary science classrooms. Buckingham, England: Open University Press/McGraw Hill.

O’Loughlin, M. (1992). Engaging teachers in emancipator knowledge construction. Journal of Teacher Education, 43, 336-346. doi:10.1177/0022487192043005003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487192043005003

Rifkin, M. (2016). Addressing underrepresentation: Physics teaching for all. The Physics Teacher, 54(2), 72–74. doi:10.1119/1.4940167 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4940167

Santos, A. O., Schucman, L. V., & Martins, H. V. (2012). Brief history of Brazilian psychological thinking about ethnic/racial relationships (In Portuguese). Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão, 32(special number), 166-175. doi:10.1590/S1414-98932012000500012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1414-98932012000500012

Silva, C. S. (2011). Poetry from António Gedeão and chemistry teacher education (In Portuguese). Química Nova na Escola, 33(2), 77-84. Retrieved from http://qnesc.sbq.org.br/online/qnesc33_2/02-EA10309.pdf

Silva, E. M., & Francisco Junior, W. E. (2018). Art in education for ethnical-racial questions: A dialog with chemistry teaching. Química Nova na Escola 40(2), 79-88. doi:10.21577/0104-8899.20160108 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21577/0104-8899.20160108

Silva, P. G. (2011). Education on ethnic-racial relations from the perspective of Afrodescendants: Agenda for knowledge production. Interamerican Journal of Educational Research, 4(1), 63-86. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ried/article/view/1962

Smith, B. P., & Hawkins, B. (2011). Examining student evaluations of black college faculty: Does race matter? Journal of Negro Education, 80(2), 149-162. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/ 41341117?seq=1# page_scan_tab_contents

Tarman, B. (2012). Effective leadership in culturally diverse schools. Energy Education Science and Technology Part B: Social and Educational Studies, 4(2), 1103-1114.

Theodoro, M., & Jaccoud, L. (2005). Race and education: Limitations from universalist policies (In Portuguese). In S. A. Santos (Ed.), Affirmative actions and struggle against racism in Americas (In Portuguese) (pp. 113-119). Brasília, Brazil: MEC-SECAD.

Valente, R. R. (2017). The vicious circle: Effects of race and class on university entrance in Brazil. Race Ethnicity and Education, 20(6), 851-864. doi:10.1080/13613324.2016.1150824 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1150824

Verrangia, D., & Silva, P. G. (2010). Citizenship, ethnical-racial relationships and education: Challenges and opportunities in the teaching of sciences (In Portuguese). Education and Research, 36(3), 705-718. doi:10.1590/S1517-97022010000300004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-97022010000300004

Wade, P. (2010). Race and ethnicity in Latin America (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Pluto Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26530/OAPEN_625258