In this video, you can see several examples of sixth-grade students interacting with each other’s reasoning as they work to make sense of how sound travels. Note how students engage directly with each other, and consider — what kinds of norms and supports might have cultivated these ways of interacting?
Supports like talk moves (ex., “I agree and disagree”) can provide important entry points for students, especially if they are unsure how to get started or what is okay in a science classroom. Yet some supports can reflect and reify Eurocentric norms for talk, so co-developing varied talk approaches with students may help to integrate resources from multiple cultures.
Read a research study on how leveraging African-American English served as a resource for students’ talk and literacy learning: Lee, C. D. (2006). “Every good-bye ain’t gone”: analyzing the cultural underpinnings of classroom talk. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19(3), 305-327.
Teacher Jenny teaches Science along with other...
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.
To raise awareness of the class’s diverse needs and expertise, teacher Emma intentionally adopts anti-ableist and linguistically-inclusive pedagogies that showcase her commitment to building a classroom of interdependence and care. See how she does this!
This site is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Award #1907471 and #1315995