A new critical ethnographic study co-authored by prof. Tali Tal examines how urban elementary teachers, through a professional development (PD) program, shifted from viewing outdoor teaching spaces with a deficit perspective to an asset-focused one. Utilizing frameworks of communities of practice (CoP) and critical pedagogy of place (CPP), the study reveals how CoP supports discourse on social justice issues linked to local school neighborhoods. The findings underscore the importance of connecting social justice to science teaching to address educational inequities in under-resourced urban communities.
Authors: Gail Richmond, Roberta Hunter, Tali Tal & Grace Tukurah
Published in: Cultural Studies of Science Education