Learning in motion: Examining in-process teacher development of inquiry-based science pedagogies for multilingual learners

Sarah Ansari; Kathryn Strom; Kathryn Hayes

doi:10.29329/journalted.55

Authors

Sarah Ansari San Leandro Unified School District, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6646-5236
Kathryn Strom California State University, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6411-2779
Kathryn Hayes California State University, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2121-1053

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29329/journalted.55

Keywords:

sociocultural theory, Professional development, Multilingual learners, Science education, teacher learning, critical sociocultural theory, teacher practice

Abstract

Despite recent investments in science education professional development (PD), inequities persist for multilingual learners (MLLs) in elementary classrooms. This may be due in part to the ways teachers interpret, negotiate, and translate their PD learning into practice. To provide insight into this process, this case study investigates the “learning-in-motion” of a veteran fifth-grade teacher, Heidi, from a multi-year, inquiry-based science PD initiative. Drawing on video observations, interviews, and artifacts, we examined how Heidi engaged in the complex, moment-to-moment processes of implementing new pedagogies with her MLL students. Findings demonstrate that Heidi’s learning trajectory was co-constructed by context and shaped by both her classroom challenges and her students’ responses. Although she initially interpreted inquiry and agency rigidly, through iterative questioning, reflection, and multiple enactments of lessons, she began to hybridize PD learning with her longstanding practices, ultimately shifting her beliefs about MLLs’ science capabilities. This case highlights the importance of understanding teacher learning as a non-linear, situated, relational process, rather than as a fixed outcome of PD. It offers valuable insights for PD facilitators and other stakeholders to support teachers in improving their practices to support MLLs.

Author Biographies

Sarah Ansari, San Leandro Unified School District, USA

Dr. Sarah Ansari has over 20 years of educational experience, spanning from bilingual classroom teacher to Coordinator of Multilingual Support Services at a County Office of Education. She currently serves as a middle school Vice Principal in the San Leandro Unified School District in California.

Kathryn Hayes, California State University, USA

Kathryn Hayes is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at California State University, East Bay. Dr. Hayes serves as the PI of the Science Partnership, which oversees several grant-funded science education professional development projects. Drawing from ecological and organizational frameworks, she uses mixed-methods research to understand a) the organizational capacity needed to support equitable science education reform, including climate justice education, and b) the role of organizational context in mediating teacher learning.

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