A Latina science teacher becoming a dialogic educator: “I’m okay being hated because somebody has to be strong”

Abstract

This is a single-case study of Teresa, a Latina secondary science teacher, who reflected on her experiences with her Latinx bilingual immigrant students and families and other science educators in a dialogic science learning community. Bearing witness to Teresa’s commitment and ongoing struggles for a more inclusive science teaching, we aimed to better understand the realistic potential of dialogic science learning communities in supporting teachers, like Teresa, in their effort to enact a science teaching inclusive of their students’ families and communities while functioning within the constraints of policy structures in schools. Grounded in a Freirean notion of dialogic education, this study used focus group interview, individual interview, and participation observation methods for data collection and analysis. Our findings indicated that Teresa’s participation in the professional learning program led her to restructure her work with her students and their families through dialogue-based learning interactions in the classroom and through actively working with parents as willing partners to engage students in science learning both in and beyond school. Our findings point to the power of dialogic science learning communities when working with bilingual immigrant students, in which teachers develop close companionship with students, families, and colleagues in ways that build teacher knowledge while also supporting teachers’ efforts navigating the challenges and tensions of teaching science in today’s conflicted sociopolitical context.