Learning from a Local Longitudinal Network:
Building Multilingual Classroom Cultures of Interdependence and Care in Elementary Science
This page compiles the contributions to the 2026 NARST symposium, drawing on the expertise of local teachers in Seattle who participated in the PASTEL research project (Promoting Asset-based Science Teaching for Emergent Language Learners).
The collective imagining of science teachers working together to create joyful and meaningful classrooms is an essential process that researchers can uplift and study. Teachers and researchers must work together toward designing classrooms and teacher learning communities that center interdependence and care to create more just worlds, worlds that prioritize the humanity and dignity of all children, families, and communities; reimagine how to live in good relations with nature for sustainable futures; broaden the languages of science and literacy; and attend to power dynamics in ways that open up new ways of relating to one another.
Presentation Slides Available Here
The PASTEL project is funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation
Introduction
Teacher Janaki
Teacher Ruby
Teacher Iman
Final Discussion