Conceptualizing and introducing historically relevant science pedagogy as a pedagogical tool for STEM education

This forum is in response to Paula Magee and Craig Willey’s (2024) article, Towards a framework of culturally relevant science and mathematics pedagogy: A pedagogical and analytical tool for teacher education. The researchers use culturally relevant mathematics and science pedagogy (CRSMP) as a framework for assisting science and mathematics teachers in using culture in their teaching. Reflecting on their teaching, it was challenging for their preservice and inservice teachers to identify what they were doing in practice that was evidence of culturally relevant teaching. We introduce historically relevant science pedagogy as a “robust” pedagogical approach that emerged from interviews and Sista Circles with Black women science teachers. Science educators have several tools to challenge how we shape curricular materials, make instructional decisions, and address teacher dispositions. We need to purposefully create a curriculum that allows culture to excite the learning environment toward full engagement and humanity in learning and practice.