When students see themselves, they will be more engaged!

I am currently a teacher at the Community Charter School of Cambridge, where I am one of the 6th grade math and science teachers. I work within the special education department. I joined the School of Education at Boston University in the spring of 2018 to further my career where I am pursuing a Master’s in Education: Curriculum and Teaching.

Often times, students of color will become disengaged when considering certain subjects or fields of profession when assessing the diversity, or lack thereof, in the STEM field. Questions educators should be asking themselves is: “How can we promote student voice, by giving them more opportunities to create their education – through their own experience, findings, and relatability?”

A few things to note:

• Examples of marginalizing people of color have been happening in K – 12 textbooks across the country; African Americans are not depicted in the textbook until the slavery component is discussed. (Brown 2017)

• Potential of modern digital textbooks will allow the creators, and students, to embed customizable videos, audios, and manipulatives, to more accurately reflect the demographics of the student population and be more relatable. (Brown 2017)

• Subtle messages embedded in media allow viewers to develop perceived social connections. (Brown 2017)

As a teacher in a charter school, which is predominantly students of color, we are constantly trying to improve in the area of diversity around our curriculum. With increased use of digital tools through our school day we can re-arrange our media to reflect our student population. Taking this into effect, it will have an increase in student engagement to see people of color in leading roles, especially in the STEM fields. When students are going through curriculum, whether it is slides, textbooks, articles or multi – media it is important for them to visualize themselves in these roles. According to the research, when students see this, they will likely strive harder to gain those roles in their future, and ultimately be more engaged throughout.

Photo by Nikhita S on Unsplash

References:

Brown, B., Edouard, K. (2017). Looks like me, sounds like me! race, culture, and language in the creation of digital media. Equity & Excellence in Education, 50(4), 400-420.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2017.1399097