Study of Studies | Summative Essay Ash – MDSK 6691

RELEVANCE

Despite detractors of Constructivism, Culturally Relevant Teaching,

Globalization, Critical Theory, and Postmodernism - there seems to be an evident need

for the restructuring and renewal of the current educational system. This is not a new

concept but one that must be revisited often, to ensure that the intent for and action

within such a system adequately reflects changing societal attitudes, cultural „norms‟ of

students, and an increase in diverse classroom settings. This restructuring and renewal

would entail an awareness of key issues related to these ways of thinking as well as

active participation by all involved parties to enact such a radical transformation.

To me, the function of science goes beyond the classroom, laboratory, or the

field. It extends into the realm of everyday life in that students learn, at best, to become

a viable asset to the progress of science and society and, at least, develop critical

analysis and problem-solving skills to better their own quality of life. Likewise, teachers

must also be reflective and informative in order to address the social and cultural

inequities among learners in order for them willingly engage in the dialogue that would

necessary create transformative experiences.

In this way, (science) education can be used as a tool to disassemble outdated

and sometimes vapid notions of self and knowledge and move toward an autonomy of

self that is also inclusive, and rejects social injustices of any kind. This type of

postmodern effect on education holds latent successes in our rapidly changing world

and, in many ways, combats the discordant behaviors that tend to be associated with

the postmodern realm of thought. As such, I believe this is an area that should continue

to be addressed to enact substantive change toward globalization in a postmodern era.

Study of Studies | Summative Essay Ash – MDSK 6691

INSIGHTS

Background

In educational literature related to Constructivism, Culturally Relevant Teaching,

Globalization, Critical Theory, and Postmodernism, there seems to be a unified theme

of contextualization of the learner. This is especially true of science education. Many

students enter the science classroom with misconceptions and/or are lacking a basis for

thinking critically about the world around them. Much of this could be attributed to

growing desensitization and fragmented amalgam of worldviews, likely a byproduct of a

burgeoning technological and globalized world.

For students to actively construct knowledge with which to challenge their initial

worldviews, they must be met as closely to where they are at as possible. No matter

how schools are aligned along socio-economic or cultural lines, there still exists a broad

spectrum of personal ideas, beliefs, and levels of engagement with the world we all

share. Along with the inherent diversity of worldviews in education, 21st century

societies are increasingly faced with various forms of stimuli and a generally

cacophonous blend of „realities‟. The world population is exponentially growing;

however, it is simultaneously becoming smaller, with respect to technological

advancements.

Historically, an individual‟s worldview was more or less confined to a specific

geographical region the culture(s) associated with it. And although one could safely

argue that „cultural reproduction‟ still predominates human action and the meanings we

make, contextualized worldviews play a large role in whether the learner is able to

maintain durable knowledge structures. To this end, strategies associated with

constructivism, cultural relevance, and postmodernism hold vast potential in the

Study of Studies | Summative Essay Ash – MDSK 6691

learner‟s ability to be adaptive and critical thinkers. In my experience, students seem to

be losing the ability to synthesize various forms of information toward some meaningful

end. Moreover, teachers tend to be unable to leverage the abilities of culturally diverse

students and students who view the world in shades of gray rather than black and white.

Such disconnects work against a student‟s ability to become a self-directed critical

thinker, a requisite skill set in an imposing, globalized, technological world.

Constructivism

Constructivism is one way to develop these vital skills. It encourages students to

deconstruct, or at least loosen their tight grasp of, what they „know‟. Once students are

in this state of „desirable dissonance‟, the stage is set for new knowledge to be built - or

transferred. This new knowledge is attained through the use of critical thinking and

exploratory practices such as the Learning Cycle, hands-on/minds-on activities, and

student collaboration.

Critical Relevant Teaching

Another pedagogical concept that aims to empower learners in the development

critical thinking skills is designing lessons so that they are culturally relevant. Students

must be viewed as “capable learners” and, within context. To do this, teachers must be

[culturally] reflective practitioners who are willing to understand their own identities as

well as the contextualized identities and needs of their diverse classrooms. Much like

students must release old ways of thinking and construct new knowledge, culturally

relevant teaching is equally transformative, but for the teacher. If teachers are unable to

„bridge the gap‟ between their own worldviews and the worldviews of their students,

very little learning will take place.

Study of Studies | Summative Essay Ash – MDSK 6691

Postmodernism

Teaching must not only be ethnically and linguistically relevant, but must also

address the needs of students in today‟s postmodern society. As such, diversity and

contextualized learning is not limited to the cultural connotations of these terms. The

term postmodern(ism) has traditionally been depicted as a negative ideology. In that,

this type of thinking skews the boundaries of epistemology, which is viewed as a

particular threat to science. However, postmodern thinking can be used to analyze and

deconstruct social inequities imposed by hegemonic paradigms.

In terms of education, a postmodern approach implies that the diverse talents

and cultural backgrounds of students and teachers are viewed as an asset to learning

as a continual process. Moreover, this approach requires that the educational system

reevaluate the ways in which students are assessed, insofar as a contextualized

approach is used to address inherent inequities among students.

I concede that although students of a postmodern era tend to be more adaptable

to nuance, their thinking can indeed become muddled without an adequately critical

perspective. However, the ease with which students adapt to nuance is a trend that

teachers of diverse (science) classrooms should capitalize on. One way this can be

achieved is through the reflective use of educational technology as learning tools.

Students are inundated with many forms of technology and yet they often lack the skills

to use them effectively. Paired with critical thinking, the use of technology in the

classroom can be engaging as well as an effective way for students to develop an

understanding of content.
Study of Studies | Summative Essay Ash – MDSK 6691

IMPLICATIONS

Science is justifiably in a constant state of flux; the practice itself should always

lend itself to being falsifiable and obsolete. Therefore, an adaptable mind would not only

acceptable but preferred. To be effective, though, adaptability in this sense must be

coupled with skills gained through critical pedagogy.

In effect, the science teacher uses the foundation of scientific inquiry, critical

analysis, to employ postmodern thinking as a transformative tool, in terms of knowledge

construction and contextualization. Armed with the newly constructed and culturally

sensitive knowledge gained through critical pedagogical practices, the postmodern

student is better equipped to aid the progression of science. More importantly, he or she

is better equipped to deal with a rapidly changing world by viewing it with a critical rather

than compliant lens. It is more comfortable to think that previous schemas of education

sufficiently address today‟s emerging issues, but the opposite seems to be true.