[RSCT] Please post—Call for papers: Science and Math: Equity, Access, and Democracy

[Hanna Neuschwander]

Please post.

DEMOCRACY & EDUCATION
CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS
Science and Math: Equity, Access, and Democracy
Deadline: February 15, 2009

Democracy & Education is seeking manuscripts that explore the importance 
of learning and teaching math and science today, with a particular focus 
on students becoming citizens in a participatory democracy. We are 
considering math and science together for this issue because students 
and educators in these two disciplines face many of the same acute 
challenges: large achievement gaps between affluent/poor, 
minority/white, and other groups of students; lack of student 
engagement; inadequate preparation for higher level study; high dropout 
rates; and a sense that these subjects are not meaningful to students’ 
lives or the world they live in. We welcome manuscripts that focus on 
either math or science, or on the two considered together. We also 
welcome manuscripts that discuss the limits of teaching math and science 
as separate from other subjects—literacy, the economy, our government, 
etc. We encourage the submission of empirical studies reflecting direct 
work with minority student populations.

Manuscripts might address themes captured in the following questions:

    * What serious threats to American democratic ideals are posed by
      the achievement gaps between minority groups and White students,
      particularly in math and science? How have you as an educator
      incorporated an understanding of the social and economic roots of
      this gap into your approach to teaching science and math? Do you
      have a story of how your own assumptions about achievement have
      been challenged, and changes you made to reach out to students as
      a result?
    * In the supposedly "universal subjects" of math and science, what
      role does our culture play in dictating how we teach? How have you
      tried to incorporate an awareness of cultural constructs in your
      instruction? How are math and science taught in other liberal
      democracies or by indigenous cultures—and what do the differences
      tell us about cultural bias?
    * How should the teaching of math and science reflect the values of
      democracy (e.g., equity, individual and collective responsibility,
      diversity)? Why is it important to tailor curricula to all
      learners, not only the elite achievers? How have you as an
      educator worked to do this?
    * Where should authority lie in math and science classrooms? What
      problems does reliance on textbooks or the teachers’ authoritative
      position pose for students being educated for participatory
      democracy? On the flip side, what challenges are posed by
      democratizing math and science curricula? How have you as a
      teacher broken away from textbooks or scripts for math and science?
    * How must science and math education be responsive to changes in
      our world (e.g., climate change, disparities in wealth or access
      to human services, theories of evolution, etc.)?
    * What should teacher preparation programs be doing to better
      prepare teachers for engaging, challenging science and math
      instruction that is responsive to the world we live in?
    * What problems are posed by a constructivist approach in science
      and math classrooms, where the lived world may not reflect what we
      know about, e.g., Newtonian physics or irrational numbers? How
      have you worked to connect abstract ideas to students' lives? On
      the other hand, how have you as a science or math educator working
      in a field where value is often placed on abstract and theoretical
      ideas successfully emphasized learning in context?

We invite educators to explore these issues in theory (essay), to 
suggest pedagogical approaches (teacher file), or to share your own 
classroom experiences (reflection). To learn more about the categories 
for article submissions, or to submit a paper, please read our 
submission guidelines at 
http://www.lclark.edu/org/journal/subguides.html. Feel free to forward 
this call for papers to any colleagues or peers that might be interested 
in submitting an article for consideration.

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Democracy & Education is a journal celebrating, enhancing, and 
reflecting upon the teaching and learning of democracy. It is a 
community colloquium for k-12 professionals, those in higher education, 
and others who think deeply about the vital connection between democracy 
and education. It brings to light research, explores successes and 
struggles, and digs deeper into the practice that binds democratic 
educators to their students, communities, each other, and the world.

-- 
Hanna Neuschwander
Director of Publications
Lewis & Clark 
Graduate School of Education and Counseling
0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd. MSC 93
Portland, OR 97202

tel: (503) 768-6054
fax: (503) 768-6053

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